[July 06, 2009] Military Urged to Introduce Amphibious Training Tweet Lagos, Jul 06, 2009 (This Day/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- Senate President David Mark has urged the Nigerian military to introduce amphibious training for its men, in order to meet the challenges of a terrain like the Niger Delta creeks. Mark made the suggestion in Yusufari, Yobe State, while fielding questions from newsmen at the maiden edition of desert warfare training exercise for cadets. He said terrain training was very important because it prepared the army to adapt to any environment and handling of equipment in such harsh and difficult environments. Mark described the introduction of airborne and desert training by the NDA as "timely", saying that amphibious and jungle training, were also important as "it prepares its personnel to understand the creeks". He said although military training was capital intensive there was no alternative to training if the country was to keep a professional and proficient army ready at all times. Mark acknowledged the country's dwindling economic fortunes in the face of the global financial meltdown, but said that government must prioritise its needs in order to meet other challenges. "Training and retraining in the military is expensive because warfare is complex, so the training must be dynamic and adjustable to meet challenges," he added. Mark said the strong democracies of the world were protected and supported by strong military, and that while the military was called to serve, the elected representatives of the people had the mandate to rule. "Democratic governments all over the world value the expertise and advice of its military professionals in matters of defence and national security," he added. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]