Navy Chief Pushes for AI Integration to Enhance Military Operations

The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, has urged the Nigerian Armed Forces to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance operational efficiency.

He made the call at the Defence Headquarters and Services Departments/Branches Transformation Seminar, hosted by the Nigerian Navy in Abuja.

The seminar, themed “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence as a Transformation Tool in Contemporary Military Operations,” aimed to explore innovative strategies for modern military operations.

Ogalla emphasized the need for the armed forces to adopt AI solutions to tackle the complex security challenges facing the nation.

He noted that while modernization of hardware and equipment is crucial, the military must also embrace cutting-edge technologies like AI to achieve operational efficiency and enhance national security.

He said the technological innovations required extensive application of artificial intelligence in conjunction with research and development.

His words: “We are cautious of the fact that the application of artificial intelligence has permitted all spheres of human endeavor, particularly in the field of finance, medical, space, technology, agriculture, logistics, among several other areas.

“It is in fact the future of military operations and we must, therefore, ensure that the Armed Forces of Nigeria meets up with this evolving technological achievement.

“Our armed forces must, therefore, prioritise artificial intelligence in order to achieve the desired innovation and transformation for enhanced operational readiness and effectiveness.

“This is the desired goal which you, as leaders of the transformation branch of the various services, must work to actualise.

“I therefore encourage us to use these two days to brainstorm on critical issues and challenges in inherent in the application of artificial intelligence for improved operational efficiency.

“This is because everything that has advantages must have some disadvantages.

“So as much as we want to exploit the advantages of AI, we must also be able to surmount those inherent challenges and disadvantages that could arise from them.”

On his part, the Chief of Naval Transformation and Innovation, Rear Adm. Michael Oamen, said the seminar was specially designed to explore viable options for integrating artificial intelligence as a veritable tool for improving operational effectiveness in the armed forces.

 Oamen said the seminar seeks to identify and encourage innovations, research, and development to build capacity and capabilities within the armed forces..

According to him, the second quarter’s seminar has been programmed for two days to cover topics on artificial intelligence in defence transformation, a potential tool for enhancing operational efficiency in the armed forces.

He added that the second paper would be leveraging artificial intelligence for enhanced research and development towards transforming military operations lessons for the emphasis of Nigeria.

“It is hoped that proceedings from this seminar will serve as a veritable platform for charting workable strategies,” he added.