Kammala jumla mai zuwa: Gowon ya shiga rundunar sojojin Najeriya a shekarar 1954, kuma ya sami mukaminsa a matsayin laftanan na biyu a ranar 19 ga Oktoba, 1955, ranar haihuwarsa ta 21. An horar da shi a babbar makarantar soja ta Royal Sandhurst, UK (1955<unk>56), Kwalejin Ma'aikata, Camberley, UK (1962) da kuma Kwalejin Ma'aikata, Latimer, 1965. Ya ga aiki a cikin
Kwango a matsayin wani ɓangare na Majalisar Dinkin Duniya na kiyaye zaman lafiya, duka a cikin 1960 <unk> 61 da kuma a 1963. Ya ci gaba da zama kwamandan kwamandan ta 1966, a lokacin da yake har yanzu ya kasance Laftanar Kanar.