The Army War College Nigeria (AWCN) was established on 28 February 2017 and conceptualized to develop the capacity of Nigerian Army (NA) officers in Operational art including Campaign  Planning (Campaign Design) and management of war (Campaign Management) as well as the development of basic strategic skills. The College is, therefore, envisioned to build professionals who are proficient at deterring and prosecuting war, where deterrence fails.

The AWCN is the premier NA educational institution concentrating on operational art, military leadership, strategy, and inter-agency cooperation. It conducts professional military education for officers to prepare them for responsibilities in current and future operational leadership positions. It also builds capacities for the efficient development and employment of land power in complex, joint, multi-national, and inter-agency environments. The College is a center of excellence where participants write analytic papers on key military strategies as well as policies in support of NA strategic efforts and activities. This is in line with the vision of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt Gen TY Buratai, which is “To have a professionally responsive NA in the discharge of its constitutional roles.”

The College’s curriculum is designed to prepare senior military officers for responsibilities at the operational level. To this end, the curriculum attempts to bridge the observed knowledge gaps between operational and strategic levels by developing participants’ skills in Operational Art, Operational Design, Campaign Planning, Decision Making Strategy Process as well as the Theories of War. This was with a view to enhancing the capacity of future leaders of the NA in the successful employment of land power in a joint, multinational and inter-agency environment.