The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has boosted its operational pool with the graduation of 111 elite personnel from its grueling Special Forces Course 13/2026.
The passing-out ceremony, held at the Regiment Training Centre Annex in Bauchi, comes as part of a targeted military effort to scale up combat readiness and secure vulnerable regions across the federation.
The specialized training program pushed the personnel through demanding combat environments to build tactical expertise, physical resilience, and specialized skills for high-risk missions.
The newly minted operators are expected to immediately deploy in roles that bridge air operations with joint multi-agency combat maneuvers on the ground.
Speaking on behalf of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, the Chief of Training at NAF Headquarters, Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Dari, praised the graduates for surviving the demanding regimen. He stressed that maintaining strict professionalism and operational focus remains critical for the troops as they transition into active theater operations.
The ceremony showcased the capabilities of the unit through a series of live combat simulations, including tactical obstacle breaching, hand-to-hand combat techniques, and rapid air assault deployment drills.
Top defense chiefs, including the Air Officer Commanding Ground Training Command, Air Vice Marshal AG Kehinde, alongside leaders from sister security agencies, attended the event. Air Force officials noted that expanding these highly specialized personnel tracks remains a core priority in keeping pace with the country’s fluid defense demands.
