Nigeria and the United States are set to deepen military cooperation, particularly in counter-terrorism operations, intelligence sharing and defence capacity building.
Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to stronger military relations with the United States on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving Major General Matthew Brown, Commander of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF). The meeting focused on reviewing ongoing security initiatives and developing a more results-oriented framework for future defence cooperation.
Musa expressed appreciation for the U.S. government’s continued security partnership, particularly its collaboration with Nigerian forces in the North-East and around the Lake Chad Basin. He said the cooperation had contributed to boosting troop morale and identified specialised joint training for Special Forces, intelligence sharing and capacity building as areas requiring greater collaboration.
Other priority areas highlighted by the Defence Minister include enhanced border surveillance, counter-improvised explosive device (C-IED) support and the modernisation of defence infrastructure to strengthen Nigeria’s local capacity.
Major General Brown described the Nigeria-U.S. military relationship as strategic and based on mutual trust. He highlighted counter-terrorism engagements against ISIS-affiliated groups in Africa and said the purpose of his visit was to better understand Nigeria’s defence priorities and align broader U.S. support, while stressing that U.S. military activities in Nigeria are temporary and focused on institutional support and collaboration.
Daily Times
