An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir Dec 2018/Jan 2019 www.dfmagazine.ie 24 | REPORT & PHOTOS BY CPL LEE COYLE T he 94th Cadet Class recently carried out Internal Security and Crowd Riot Control (CRC) training in the DFTC/Kildare area over a week in October 2018, code-named 'Exercise Soft Centre'. Over the week the stu- dents had held the Military Training Facility (MTF) in the DFTC as a simulated UN post and conducted all phases and serials of the Internal Security from there. An Cosantóir visited them on their final phase of the week, which consisted of their Public Order CRC Serials of the Exercise. Leading up to this final phase the students had received instruction on CRC and this would be a culmina- tion exercise of everything they had learned. The scenario was an IED threat had forced the students to move from their UN Post to a temporary Forward Obser- vation Base (FOB), this was so Engineer Specialist Search Clearance Teams (ESSCT), and if required Explosive Ordi- nance Corps (EOD) could clear the post of the threat. During this time the UN post was being cleared of the IED threat, a crowd made up of civilian population of the occupying nation (being played by members of the 95th Cadet Class) seizing a chance took control of the UN post. The CRC serials then began and the students of the 94th Class were tasked with retaking the UN post and remov- ing the civilian population. The serials would be a company level exercise consisting of three CRC Platoons. Command and Control would be paramount as CRC is one of the most challenging environments from this perspective. The scene inside the MTF was set, roads were blocked with anything and everything that could be found, and small fires had also been set. The smell of burning and the shouts of rioters as the students approached added that much needed realism to CRC Ex. Once in range the student's first taste of this environment was to deal with fly- ing rubble that was hurled at them from all angles, this gave the students the chance to have trust in their equipment as these missiles bounced off shields with very little effect to the user. Next came the onslaught of physical contact from the rioters as shields where kicked, some shields were grabbed, pulled and pushed, trying to disrupt the front line as much as possible. The students pushed the rioters back past their first blockade; this was a substantial obstacle for the students, taking them about forty minutes to clear. As soon as they were through the blockade again they were met with more heavy resistance, the rioters were taking every advantage they got to cause mayhem and disrupt the CRC Coy. They antagonised the students as much as possible to get them to react and break their line, but the CRC platoons held their line, knowing that it was the most effective deterrent against the onslaught of missiles and abuse. The students worked their way through the post, me- thodically clearing building-by-building and street-by- street. The rioters were taking up strategic positions inside buildings as to cause as much hardship on the CRC Coy and slow them down. From inside the buildings they rained mis- siles down onto the students as they tried to gain access, 24 | Crowd Riot Control

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