The California National Guard and the Armed Forces of Nigeria have agreed on a training roadmap to improve the integration of ground troops and combat aircraft, with emphasis on safer military operations and reducing civilian casualties.
The agreement followed a week-long engagement in Abuja from August 15 to 22, 2026, involving California Guard personnel, Nigerian military officials and representatives of the US Embassy.
The discussions focused on gaps in Nigeria’s training and deployment of joint terminal attack controllers, known as JTACs, who coordinate combat aircraft providing close air support to troops on the ground.
The partners also assessed existing training programmes and explored ways to strengthen the certification, evaluation and operational readiness of Nigerian JTACs.
US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Kempf, commander of the 146th Logistics Readiness Squadron of the California Air National Guard, said the engagement produced a roadmap for improving Nigeria’s training system.
“Working together, we identified JTAC training, sustainment and ground-force integration gaps, and we produced a roadmap for building a more capable, sustainable programme,” he said.
Kempf added that the initiative would support safer military operations and better protection of civilians.
Nigeria’s Air Warfare and Doctrine Centre is responsible for training and certifying JTACs across the military. Certified personnel are deployed to operational commands to support tactical missions, while the centre oversees their training standards and continued assessment.
According to Kempf, the Nigerian military intends to maintain an adequate number of certified controllers across its active combat theatres to ensure operational rotation and reduce risks to troops and local communities.
The centre had graduated two training cohorts towards that objective as of August 2026.
The partnership, which began in 2006 under the US National Guard State Partnership Programme, will focus on training, curriculum development and institutional capacity building rather than the provision of military equipment.
Proposed activities include virtual instruction for ground force commanders, practical training in Maiduguri, advanced training for JTAC evaluators and refresher exchanges for Nigerian personnel in California.
The California Guard and Nigerian military also plan to explore opportunities to participate in regional exercises, including the US Africa Command-led Flintlock and African Lion exercises.
Kempf said the engagement also strengthened the California Guard’s readiness by giving its personnel practical experience in assessing a partner military’s doctrine, training systems and operational challenges.
He said further cooperation would improve coordination between air and ground forces during combat and contingency operations, including disaster response.
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