Effectively coordinating military operations

Crime and violence are inevitable. They are permanent features of many societies. They result in wanton annihilation of human lives, monumental destruction and loss of valuable properties. Left untamed, violent crimes soon metamorphose into behemoth insecurity.

And it is a fact that insecurity seems to be reigning supreme across the length and breadth of Nigerian. It has manifested itself in the mold of insurgency, banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping, and a host of others.

However, strategic, well-planned and excellently executed military operations have always come to the rescue of both the nation and her citizenry. They have helped to arrest numerous carnage(s) orchestrated and perpetrated by ruthless criminal gangs and militia groups. Troops of the Armed Forces deployed for combat operations have fought, decimated and gallantly eliminated terrorists and other criminal elements. This is not only in the past, but also in our contemporary times.

Aside from other notable factors, the effective management, coordination and dissemination of exclusive security information among relevant arms of the armed forces greatly determine the success or otherwise of any military operation. It also has the potential to make or mar any military operation. This, perhaps, may be the central reason the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) in Abuja wanted to overhaul the way information is coordinated among its security agencies, and also disseminated to the media and the public.

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With this in mind, the DHQ conceptualized and successfully brought to life the Directorate of Defence Media Operations (DDMO). The directorate, for the record, will be coordinating joint information management on peacekeeping and other combat operations of the armed forces.

Saddled with the sole responsibility of disseminating information on the armed forces and other security agencies during special operations, DDMO will restrict its mandates to analyzing information on combat and peacekeeping, while strategically and tactically liaising with critical stakeholders.

Among other things, the directorate will periodically provide updates on the activities and joint military and security operations such as Operation Lafiya Dole in the North East; Operation Hadarin Daji in parts of Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna, Katsina and Niger states; Operation Whirl Stroke in parts of Benue and Nasarawa States; and Operation Thunder Stroke on Abuja-Kaduna Highway/Railway.

The rest are Operation Awase in parts of Lagos and Ogun States; Operation Safe Haven in Plateau and Kaduna States, Operation Delta Safe in oil-producing States, and Operation Safe Corridor for the deradicalization and integration of surrendered Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists.

Where necessary, DDMO will also analyze and coordinate information on peacekeeping mission of Nigerian troops abroad, especially in Mali, The Gambia and Guinea Bissau.

Abdulsalam Mahmud,

Abuja.          

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE