US ‘Heavy Plan’ Eyes Aircraft Carrier Deployment For Strikes in Northern Nigeria
Pentagon’s ‘Heavy’ Plan Includes Deploying Aircraft Carrier, Bombers for Strikes in Northern Nigeria
The United States military has reportedly drawn up contingency plans for potential air and ground operations in northern Nigeria, following former President Donald Trump’s recent warning that Washington could intervene militarily to protect the country’s Christian population.
According to a report by The New York Times, the Pentagon, acting on Trump’s directive, instructed the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) to develop a series of military response options targeting Islamist militant groups operating in Nigeria’s northern region. These groups include Boko Haram and factions affiliated with the Islamic State (IS).
Defence officials revealed that AFRICOM presented three main strategies to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, each representing a different level of escalation.
The “light” option proposes close collaboration between U.S. and Nigerian forces to track and strike militant networks responsible for attacks, kidnappings, and other insurgent activities.
The “medium” option envisions drone operations using MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator aircraft to conduct targeted strikes on identified militant compounds and vehicle convoys.
The “heavy” option—the most aggressive—calls for deploying an aircraft carrier group to the Gulf of Guinea, alongside fighter jets and long-range bombers to conduct deep airstrikes within northern Nigeria.
However, military analysts have warned that such a large-scale operation could have grave consequences. Retired U.S. Army Major General Paul Eaton, a veteran of the Iraq War, cautioned that direct U.S. strikes would be ineffective and counterproductive.
“It would be a fiasco,” Eaton said. “Launching airstrikes on Nigeria would be like pounding a pillow—the militant networks are too scattered and adaptive for that kind of warfare.”
Other defence officials also voiced concerns over the logistical and political challenges of a potential intervention, noting that any unilateral military action could exacerbate regional instability if not coordinated with diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.
“There’s no easy fix,” one official reportedly told the Times, emphasizing that sustained stability in northern Nigeria requires more than just military power.
While neither the Pentagon nor the White House has confirmed whether any of the proposed strategies will be approved, the revelation has already sparked widespread debate in both Washington and Abuja over the United States’ role in addressing religious and security crises in Nigeria, and the potential risks of another prolonged foreign intervention in Africa.