MILITARY TECHNOLOGY AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY USING ARMED FORCES NIGERIA COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM IN PERSPECTIVE

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background of Study

The armed forces of nations are required to protect the territorial integrity, contribute to internal security and uphold the constitution. The performance of these tasks warrants their being dispersed and commanders need to pass instructions to subordinates in order to direct the course of war, administer and for coordination with other Services. The means of passing these instructions had been a subject of concern to commanders and their subordinates.

The ability to achieve effects is central for being militarily effective. Military effectiveness can theoretically be addressed on every level of war. Effects can be achieved on the strategic, operational and tactical levels. Whereas psychological effects refer mostly to the strategic level, systemic effects address the operational, physical effects the tactical levels of war. Physical effects appear mostly in the form of destruction and are relevant only to the extent they contribute to changes in enemy behaviour. In other words they are mostly of secondary importance. Psychological effects on the other hand are sophisticated and not easy to achieve. These effects are mostly follow-on, higher order consequences. They are difficult to address directly and need longer time to come to light.

Given the limitations of the strategic and tactical levels for discussing military effectiveness, we suggest its examination on the operational level. Here the essence of military effectiveness can best be grasped by the concept of fighting power, as in most cases winning wars comes as a result of winning battles. Although this way we do not address the relationship between political ends and military means, it conveniently provides for the fact that waging war is the real test of military effectiveness.

Before the Industrial Age, instructions were passed on the battlefield through runners but visual signals endangered the lives of signalers and were inefficient for long distance messages (EJASL Vol 8, 2005:9).The industrial age brought a little relief as radios and telephones were used for communication between the rear and frontline troops. However, the radios were too bulky for mobile operation during World War 1 (WWI) (Makane, 2000:28-30).

These cumbersome communication arrangements generated additional friction apart from the fog of war. These problems consigned commanders to the delays and uncertainties of war (Makane, 2000:14). Furthermore, commanders could not be sure of security of the messages (Boltz, 2007:84) Thus, command and control as a major problem during WWI because the technology available at that time could not offer the opportunity of frequent and immediate communication (Boltz, 2007:89).

The state of communication and information management prevalent during WWI was improved upon during WWII. The aeroplane became a platform for ground-to-air and air-to-ground communication using on board wireless radios. Apart from revolutionizing the war logistically, it relieved commanders of depending on bulky communication equipment (Thomas, 2008). After WWII, advanced countries such as the United States (US) continued to research in communication.

The US Department of Defence (DOD), thus created the Advances Research Project Agency Net (ARPANET) as an alternative means of communication in case of nuclear attack by then Soviet Union in 1969 (UN,2005). The Internet was later discovered by Leonard Kleinrock, which provided e-mail and web facilities used for military and non-military purposes (Ajayi,2009). This gave impetus to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) which has now become a worldwide phenomenon. During the Gulf wars, the US and its allies displayed improved communication capabilities. For instance, their tanks used in the ground offensive were fitted with ground terminal equipment, such as cyclone antennae to establish a link with orbiting satellites. These satellite connections allowed the commanders in the tanks to share audio, voice and data with command centres practically anywhere in the world (MacGroddy etal, 1999).

There had been continuous and rapid technology advancements such as miniaturization thus making the production of smaller weapons and equipment possible (Richard, 2010). As many armed forces in Africa are struggling to acquire ICT infrastructure in the face of dwindling defence budgets, ICT assets are becoming obsolete within a short time due to technological advancement. Furthermore, the advanced countries have moved to the realm of stealth and precision weaponry as displayed in the Kosovo and Gulf Wars, an act that is creating a digital divide between the developed and developing countries (Eyo, 2001).

Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Military Technology and Operational Efficiency using Armed Forces Nigeria Command and Control System in Perspective.

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1.2 Statement of Problems

Investigation reveals the problems regarding military effectiveness come from the nature of war, which is wicked. The lack of clarifying traits in such problems allows for resolution rather than solution repeatedly. It is important to know that wicked problems cannot be formulated definitively and exhaustively since formulating a wicked problem is a problem in itself. Setting up and constraining the solution space, and constructing meaningful measures of performance are at the heart of the problem.

The problem of military effectiveness also points toward a dangerous simplification of war and the only logical outcome can be nothing else than panaceas that promise quick, easy and cheap victories. War is an open-ended dynamic process in which often the best we can do is to act on local information, learn from mistakes and hope that a better mix of training, leadership, equipment and weaponry can result in victory.

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1.3 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to scrutinize the Military Technology and Operational Efficiency using Armed Forces Nigeria Command and Control System in Perspective. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To examine the relationship between Military Technology and the conduct of military operations efficiency.
2. To ascertain the level of Military Technology and it applications in the Armed Forces Nigeria Command.
3. To examine the challenges and prospect of Military Technology as it affects the operational effectiveness and efficiency of the Armed Forces Nigeria Command.

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1.4 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Is there any relationship between Military Technology and the conduct of military operations efficiency?
• What is the level of Military Technology and it applications in the Armed Forces Nigeria Command?
• What are the challenges and prospect of Military Technology as it affects the operational effectiveness and efficiency of the Armed Forces Nigeria Command?

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1.5 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: There is no significant relationship between Military Technology and the conduct of military operations efficiency in Armed Forces Nigeria Command and Control System
• H1: There is a significant relationship between Military Technology and the conduct of military operations efficiency in Armed Forces Nigeria Command and Control System

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1.6 Significance of Study

The outcome of the study would be of assistance to scholars, researchers and students who wish to explore more in this field of study. It could thus be a useful guide to policy makers and planners at the Nigerian Army Headquarters (NAHQs) in establishing an integrated ICT system among all its divisions across the country.

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1.7 Scope of Study

The study focuses on the Military Technology and Operational Efficiency using Armed Forces Nigeria Command and Control System in Perspective.

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1.8 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
3. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
4. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

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1.9 Organization of the Study

Chapter one of the study, provides background of the study, stating the problem of the study and the research questions and hypotheses to be tested in the study. It also highlights the significance of the study and scope of the study.

Chapter two reviews related literature on the Military Technology and Operational Efficiency using Armed Forces Nigeria Command and Control System in Perspective.

Chapter three discussed the research methods to be used in designing the study which will include research design, population, sample size and sampling technique, data collection and data analysis methods.

Chapter four presents the data gathered in frequency and percentage tables. The data will also be analyzed and research hypotheses will be tested with chi-square statistical test.

Chapter five summarizes the outcome of the study, draw conclusions based on the findings of the study and make necessary recommendations.