Odita Sunday 
By Odita Sunday
Nigeria and the United States have moved to deepen military cooperation, with renewed focus on counter-terrorism operations, intelligence sharing, border security and specialised training for troops.
The commitment was made by the Honourable Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd) OFR, on Wednesday in Abuja when he received Major General Matthew Brown, Commander of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), who was on an official working visit to the Ministry of Defence.
In a statement signed by Leah Katung-Babatunde, Special Assistant (Media) to the Honourable Minister of Defence, Musa reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening its military relationship with the United States, particularly in counter-terrorism operations.
The meeting reviewed ongoing joint security initiatives and explored a more result-oriented strategic framework for future defence collaboration between the two countries.
Musa expressed appreciation to the U.S. government for its sustained partnership, noting that collaborative security operations in the North East, particularly around the Lake Chad Basin, had significantly boosted troop morale.
To build on the gains recorded, the Minister identified key areas for enhanced cooperation, including specialised joint training for Special Forces, intelligence sharing and capacity building, enhanced border surveillance and security, Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) support, and modernisation of defence infrastructure to strengthen local capacity.
In his remarks, Major General Brown extended early Independence Day felicitations to Nigeria and expressed gratitude for the decades-long military-to-military relationship between the two countries, which he said continues to advance common security objectives.
He specifically highlighted successful counter-terrorism engagements against ISIS-affiliated groups in Africa and commended the troops involved.
Reaffirming the nature of U.S. engagements in the region following the departure of the soldiers who formed part of the Combined Special Task Force that operated in the Bauchi area, Major General Brown emphasised that U.S. military activities in Nigeria are temporary and focused on institutional support and collaboration.
Describing the bilateral relationship as strategic and grounded in mutual trust, Brown said the primary goal of his visit was to gain a direct understanding of Nigeria’s defence priorities in order to align broader U.S. support and strengthen ongoing bilateral intelligence sharing.
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