The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar has reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to bolster the serviceability rate of its operable platforms to meet current and emerging security challenges. Air Marshal Abubakar stated this today while addressing officers and men during his maiden operational visit to Air Training Command and co-located NAF units in Kaduna. The CAS noted that the Service would enhance resilience in the conduct of its air operations within a joint and multi-agency setting. According to him, “To be resilient in our operations, we must proactively address maintenance and logistics support for all our fleet. We all have a part to play in ensuring that the NAF surpasses the current average serviceability of over 78 per cent”, he said.

The CAS commended the efforts of NAF personnel participating in Operation Whirl Punch for upholding the mandate of bringing activities of criminal elements to an end noting that their sacrifices and efforts are making positive impacts in parts of the North West and North Central geopolitical zones including the Federal Capital Territory. While unveiling his command philosophy which is “To transform the NAF into an agile and resilient force that effectively meets the airpower demands of national security in all operational environments”, Air Marshal Abubakar charged all personnel to key into the philosophy. He stated further that he would leverage on technology, innovation, lessons learnt as well as the personnel and fleets to effectively checkmate the security threats confronting the country.

On safety, the CAS charged personnel to imbibe a safety culture and persistently abide by all safety standards and regulations to prevent mishaps in all air operations noting that accidents occur due to a chain of events and therefore they should always be vigilant to break the chain. In the area of manpower development, Air Marshal Abubakar stated that overseas and local training would be deliberate and targeted to address deficiencies in needed skills and capabilities. Course nominations he said would be merit-based to ensure that only the most qualified are selected to give the NAF value for money.

Speaking about welfare, Air Marshal Abubakar assured personnel that all their entitlements would be promptly paid. He further assured that he would intervene in priority areas to make their training and operations more efficient and ensure that personnel and their families live more comfortably considering the economic situation in the country. He charged them to embrace efficient management of scarce resources in their care. His administration, he noted would identify and prioritize the most critical needs and objectives and allocate resources where they can have the greatest impact.