Navy Expands Logistics to Support Land Operations as Insecurity Evolves, Says CNS

Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, says the Nigerian Navy has expanded its logistics system to support joint and land-based operations due to the changing security environment. Abbas said this while declaring open the Nigerian Navy Logistics Seminar at the Nigerian Navy College, Kano. He described the workshop as “both timely and strategically relevant, given the increasing demands placed on our logistics system by the evolving operational environment.” Abbas stated, “Logistics must provide the right resources, in the right condition, at the right place and at the right time to achieve the desired effect.” The CNS stated that the establishment of the Nigerian Navy Marines and Special Operations Command had expanded the navy beyond its traditional maritime responsibilities. He added that requirements, such as “land mobility, field sustainment, combat supplies, temporary accommodation, medical support and forward maintenance must now be deliberately factored into our logistics architecture”. He charged participants to go beyond diagnosing familiar problems and generate “practical and measurable recommendations for improving resource planning, procurement, inventory management, accountability and service delivery”. Having recently marked 70 years of service, the naval chief said fleet renewal must be matched by logistics renewal, stating, “Our objective must now go beyond acquiring modern platforms to sustaining their availability and operational value throughout their service lives.” He said his vision was “to develop a modern, agile and professional naval force dedicated to securing Nigeria’s maritime interests and advancing national security objectives in synergy with other security agencies.”