Nigerian Armed Forces
Index
1. Order of battle
2. Overview
3. Defence economics
4. Nigeria threat report
5. External deployments
1. Order of Battle
| Total force strength | Army: 100 000 Air Force: 13 000 Navy: 15 000 Paramilitary: 82 000 |
| Army | |
| Armour | 108: Vickers Mk 3 24: T-55 5: Scimitar 16: AMX-30 |
| Reconnaissance | 90: AML-60 40: AML-90 70: EE-9 Cascavel 50: FV721 Fox 16: Saladin Mk2 72: VBL 204: Cobra 157: Scorpion 5: Scimitar |
| APC | 250: 4K-7FA Steyr 67: MT-LB 10: FV603 Saracen 110: Piranha 47: BTR-3U 7: BTR-3 40: BTR-3U Guardian 18: Panhard M3 Alvis Spartan 12: Gila 4: Saxon 5: Casspir III |
| Self-propelled artillery | 25: Palmaria 155 mm |
| Towed artillery | 100: M-56 105 mm 24: M-56P 105 mm 180: D-30 and D-74 122 mm 7: M-46 130 mm 24: FH-77B 155 mm (Reportedly in store) 4: M81/85 152 mm |
| Multiple Rocket Launcher | 25: APR-21 122 mm 5: BM-21 122 mm |
| Mortar | 200: 81 mm 100: 82 mm |
| Anti-armour | 100: Carl Gustav 84 mm 24: LRAC 89 mm 24: RL M20 3.5 in Swingfire RPG-7 Knout 73 mm |
| Recoilless rifle | ?: M-40A1 106 mm |
| Air defence gun | 30: ZSU-23-4 350: ZU-23 12: Bofors L/60 40 mm |
| Air defence missile | 16: Roland (on AMX-30 chassis) 48: Blowpipe 100: SA-7 Grail |
| Air defence radar | ?: RASIT |
| Structure | 3rd Armoured Division (2 armoured brigades) 1st and 2nd Mechanised Divisions (each with 1 mechanised and 1 motorised brigade) 81st Division (Lagos) (2 infantry and 1 anti-aircraft battalions) 82nd Combined Arms Division (1 motorised brigade, 1 amphibious brigade, 1 airborne battalion) 7 Infantry Division 1 Guards battalion 1 Special Forces battalion |
| Air Force | |
| Combat aircraft | 12: F-7 (survivors of 15 originally delivered) 2: Su-25 (for delivery in 2013) |
| Trainer aircraft | 13: Alpha Jet 12: MB-339CD 12: L-39 Albatros 20: Air Beetle (Vans RV-6. 60 originally assembled by AIEP) |
| Maritime/EW/RECCE aircraft | 2: ATR-42 Surveyor DA 42 MPP (Presidential Ministerial Committee on Maritime Safety and Security) 1: King Air 350 (Presidential Ministerial Committee on Maritime Safety and Security) |
| Transport aircraft | 5: C-130H Hercules (three others unserviceable) 6: G222 (five refurbished plus additional example acquired from Italy) 6: Do 228 17: Do-128D-6 16: Do-228-200 1: Cessna Citation II |
| VIP aircraft | 1: BAe 125-1000 2: Falcon 7X 1: Falcon 900B 1: Gulfstream V 1: Gulfstream G550 1: Boeing 737 BBJ |
| Combat helicopter | 4: Mi-24 Hind 7: Mi-35 Hind |
| Transport helicopter | 7: AS-332 Super Puma 5: SA-330 Puma 10: Mi-8/17 Hip 12: AW-109K 2: Lynx Mk 89 (Naval Aviation) 4: AW139 (1 VIP, 1 naval search and rescue) 2: R-66 1: Bell 206 (naval aviation) |
| UAV | 9: Aerostar |
| Structure | Tactical Air Command Training Command Logistics Command Mobility Command |
| Navy | |
| Frigate | 1: MEKO 360 Class (Nigerian Aradu class) 1: Hamilton class (Ex USCG cutter) |
| Corvettes | 4: UK Vosper Mk 9/3 1: Thunder cutter (ex-USCGS Chase, Hamilton class cutter) |
| Mine layer/hunter | 2: Ohue class minehunters (Lerici type) |
| Patrol/Strike boat | 1: Andoni class (Nigerian build) 3: Lurssen class 2: Combattante 3B class (Siri class missile FAC) 2: Sea Eagle (IPV) 3: Class C, buoy tender (Ex US) 1: Class A, buoy tender (Ex US) 4: Shaldag Mk II (IPV) 16: Manta class patrol boat (IPV) 15: Defender class (IPV) 3: OCEA FPB 72 Mk II patrol boats 4: Swiftship type coastal patrol craft 1: Ekpe class missile FAC (FPB 57 type) 1: NNS Andoni |
| Amphibious/Transport/Supply | 2: Ambe class LSTs (Type 502 class) 2: survey ships 2: Oton class LCUs |
| Structure 1 HQ (Lagos) | 3 regional commands (Eastern Command in Calabar, Western Command in Lagos, Central Command in Brass) Training Command (Lagos) Central Naval Command Logistics Command |
2. Overview
Head of State and Government: President Muhammadu Buhari
Defence Minister: Aliyu Mohammed Gusau
Chief of Defence Staff: Air Marshal Alex Badeh
Chief of Staff of the Army: Major General Kenneth Tobiah Jacob Minimah
Chief of Staff of the Navy: Rear Admiral Usman O Jibrin
Chief of Staff of the Air Force: Air Vice Marshal Adesola Nunayon Amosu
Member of: UN, AU, Commonwealth, OPEC, Seabeds Committee etc.
3. Defence economics
Defence budget percentage per GDP (2000-2010)
Defence budget per US$ Mil (2000-2011)
Defence budget percentage growth (2000-2011)
4. State of military forces
Nigeria’s military is tasked with preserving the country’s territorial integrity, contributing to national emergencies and security, promoting security in Africa and furthering Nigerian foreign policy, and contributing to global security. Since independence, Nigeria has experienced five military coups, as well as separatist and religious wars, and these years of military rule has negatively affected the equipment, morale and discipline of the armed forces. However, the Nigerian military has been undergoing a process of transformation since 2008 and has been expanding and re-equipping.
A Joint Task Force (JTF) was established to respond to terrorism and other threats in the Niger Delta. Defence spending has been growing rapidly over the last several years, especially in response to the numerous security challenges the country is facing, notably the Boko Haram insurgency, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and oil-related crime in the Niger Delta. Other security issues include civil insecurity and terrorism, religious and ethnic violence, drug trafficking and arms smuggling.
The Nigerian Army is the largest of the three branches of service, with some 100 000 personnel, and is facing the brunt of the country’s security challenges, notably the Boko Haram insurgency. A large portion of the Army’s budget has been spent on improving military facilities and supporting internal security and foreign peacekeeping deployments. Nigeria has been trying to modernise its Army by making it more professional, more sustainable and more rapidly deployable.
Many of the Nigerian Navy’s vessels are in poor condition due to lack of maintenance, but the Navy is embarking on a highly ambitious expansion programme that aims to acquire 49 naval vessels and 42 helicopters over the next decade. A number of vessels have been delivered over the last several years, such as the ex-US Coast Guard Hamilton class cutter NNS Thunder, and dozens of inshore patrol vessels. The Nigerian Navy will receive two more ex-United States vessels in 2014, the US Navy Survey Ship John McDonnell and the US Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin. China Shipbuilding and Offshore International Limited will deliver two 95 metre 1 800 ton offshore patrol vessels in the next couple of years.
After years of neglect, which saw dozens of aircraft like the Jaguar and MiG-21 fleets grounded, the Nigerian Air Force is refurbishing existing airframes and acquiring new types. It has, and continues to, reactivate stored C-130s, L-39s, Alpha Jets, Pumas and G.222s using domestic and foreign companies like the local Aeronautical Engineering and Technical Services Limited (AETSL).
Nigeria is slowly growing its local defence industry, with local companies manufacturing everything from small arms to patrol boats. Modant Marine and the Naval Dockyard have built boats for the Navy – notably, the Dockyard in mid-2012 delivered to the Navy the 31 metre NNS Andoni patrol boat. More are under construction. On the land systems side, in July 2012 the Nigerian military commissioned Nigeria’s first locally produced armoured personnel carrier, the Igirigi, built by DICON-Marom, a joint venture between the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and Israel’s Marom Dolphin Nigeria Limited.
Established in 1964, DICON also operates an Ordnance Factory in Kaduna, where it makes small arms and ammunition, including assault rifles, machine guns and sub-machine guns. Its Special Vehicle Plant is carrying out the refurbishment and upgrade of Scorpion light tanks, Steyr tracked armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and MOWAG APCs.
The local aerospace industry is involved in the maintenance of some Nigerian military aircraft while the Air Force Institute of Technology is developing the Amebo series of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Nigeria has repositioned its military as an African peacekeeping force – it has been, and remains, one of Africa’s leading peacekeeping nations and has spent over $10 billion contributing personnel and equipment over the last fifty years. Since 1995 it has deployed peacekeepers to Liberia, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Sudan (Darfur), Mali and Somalia.
5. Country threat report
| Threat type | Overview |
| External | • Nigeria is currently facing no external security threat. |
| Internal | • Nigeria is facing an Islamic based insurgency in its Northern states by the Boko Haram militant group. • Instability is still of concern within the Niger Delta. • Maritime piracy and insecurity has become a serious concern in the Gulf of Guinea. |
| Regional | • Instability within neighbouring Niger, Chad, and the Maghreb region, may affect Nigeria’s foreign security policy making. |
| Political | • Nigeria is considered to be politically stable although political tensions still linger between Islamic northern provinces and southern Christian provinces |
| Economic | • Nigeria’s economy is highly dependent on oil and gas exports. Any disruption to its production or international oil price instability could negatively affect Nigeria’s economy. |
6. Major external deployments
| Operation | Country | Personnel/assets |
| MINURSO | Morocco/Western Sahara | Experts on Mission: 5 |
| MINUSTAH | Haiti | Police: 1 |
| MONUSCO | DRC | Police: 4 Experts on Mission: 18 Troops: 2 |
| UNAMID | Sudan/Darfur | Police: 372 Experts on Mission: 14 Troops: 2573 |
| UNIFIL | Lebanon | Troops: 1 |
| UNISFA | Sudan/Abyei region | Troops: 3 |
| UNMIL | Liberia | Police: 134 Experts on Mission: 9 Troops: 1466 |
| UNMISS | South Sudan | Police: 5 Experts on Mission: 3 Troops: 3 |
| UNOCI | Cote d’ivoire | Police: 4 Experts on Mission: 4 Troops: 63 |
Contact
Ministry of Defence
Ship House Area 10
Abuja
Federal Capital Territory
Nigeria
Tel +234(0)92340534/2348975/2348970
Nigerian Air Force
http://www.airforce.mil.ng/index.php
Nigerian Navy
Nigerian Army
http://army.mil.ng/
