From classroom to combat drills — and even a bit of basketball on the side — American soldiers are back on the ground in Bauchi, teaching Nigerian forces how to fly drones, save lives, and fight smarter.

So, here’s what’s happening.

As reported by cbinews.tv citing a fresh report from the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), the US military has kicked off specialised training for Nigerian troops at an Operating Location (OL) in Bauchi State. And this isn’t just a one-off exercise.

The programme is part of a much wider US-Nigeria security cooperation mission aimed at boosting operational readiness, military capability and long-term partner capacity.

What are they actually learning? Quite a lot, it turns out.

AFRICOM said the curriculum covers Combat Lifesaver and Tactical Combat Casualty Care, weapons familiarisation, camouflage, water treatment and testing, explosive ordnance disposal, small-unit tactics and — the big draw — unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), otherwise known as drones.

Capt Gabriel Feingold, a logistics officer with the US Army Southern European Task Force, Africa and operations officer at OL Bauchi, said the Nigerians were given a menu of options and picked what suited them best.

“We bring them a list of several different training topics, and they select what they think would be most beneficial for them,” he said.

The drone bit has been particularly popular. Sgt Mark Murphy, an intelligence analyst with the 13th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, trained about 10 members of the Nigerian Air Force Special Forces Regiment. The session started with 45 minutes of classroom theory before they got hands-on with the aircraft — learning how to fly them and, crucially, how to feed that intelligence back into live operations.

“They were really excited with being able to get hands-on time with it,” Murphy said.

Why Bauchi, and why now?

This matters for context. The US and Nigeria have had a security partnership for more than 50 years, with Nigeria seen as an anchor state in West Africa — Africa’s most populous country and largest economy.

AFRICOM itself was only created in 2007 by President George W. Bush to streamline US military engagement on the continent, and Nigeria has been central to its plans since day one.

Nigeria, of course, has been battling Islamist insurgents in the North-East for the past 15 years, plus banditry and mass kidnappings in the North-West. The main threat — Boko Haram since 2009 and its splinter group ISWAP — is exactly the kind of asymmetric war where drones, battlefield medicine and EOD skills save lives.

Bauchi sits right on the edge of that North-East theatre, making OL Bauchi a logical hub. It’s not about huge combat deployments. As Defence Minister Christopher Musa has stressed in recent months, US teams in Nigeria are not combat forces but enablers — small teams bringing unique capabilities.

It also follows a shift in posture. Back in July, AFRICOM Commander General Dagvin Anderson confirmed the US had withdrawn most troops deployed for a specific counterterrorism operation in May but was keeping the partnership alive through intelligence sharing. This Bauchi training is that next phase in action — light footprint, high-tech, high-impact.

And it’s not all work. AFRICOM told cbinews.tv that when operations and weather allow, US and Nigerian personnel let off steam with basketball and volleyball matches. That low-level bonding is deliberate.

“It helps build relationships between Soldiers and the partner force, especially at the lower levels,” Feingold explained.

AFRICOM says both sides are already scoping additional training opportunities at OL Bauchi.

Bottom line: less about boots on the ground, more about brains, drones and bandages.

Story based on original reporting by cbinews.tv, with background from the US Department of State and AFRICOM.

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