Understanding military history is crucial for strategic success, as it enables leaders to evaluate past events, make informed decisions today, and effectively plan for tomorrow.
The Director General, Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC), Major General Garba Wahab Retired made this known during the Seminar in Abuja with the Historicizing the Transformation of the NA Since Independence: Lessons and Future Prospects.
General Wahab Retired said “these are transformations have defined the way they operate and influence their mode of operation”.
“Military history is not just about what happened. Military history you want to know why it happened, what really happened, who did what, what lesson in particular, not only the implication on what you are going to do, what you are doing and what you are going to do tomorrow, but what are the lessons you can pick from what really happened. From lessons you now know, am I lacking in training, am I lacking in equipment, what do I learn from this, is there a lesson I could pick in terms of what really happened,’ he said.
The former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai emphasised that military history is an enduring legacy that must always be there for effective operations.
According to him, today the army has even what we call the Nigerian army cyber warfare command to conform with modern trends in terms of information technology and the cyber threat.
“I want to say the army has transformed so it’s something that we have seen a great transformation and we have more versatile, more intellectually refined officers and soldiers who are ready to protect the country in all areas,” he said.
In the same vein, the Former Executive Director NARC Consult, Major General James Myam Retired said Nigeria has faced challenges in the past, so knowing the military history is important to e able to known the right ways to tackle the security challenges facing the nation.
He said that they were trying to tease out what happened, how those challenges were handled referencing the contemporary challenges Nigeria is facing and then explore ways to re-strategise to manage them better manage.
Lateefah Ibrahim