An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 13 were ready for the next phase of our mission, which began at 5 am the following morning. T-30 mins before we were launched onto the ribs and towards our AOI (Area of Interest). All the Cadets with acting Coy Cmdr Sgt Major Fitzsimons leading us and acting Coy Sgt Sgt Sargent were fully camouflaged, magazines were loaded, weapons cocked and made safe, we were ready to say farewell to the naval crew and launch onto the RHIBs and speed towards our objective, Fort Davis. The excitement was intense, only to be amplified by Capt Barry's (Artillery School, DFTC) real time intel updates via the use of drones, giving us our first "eyes on" of our target area. We waited for the signal! Flares shot up out of the naval ships and we were off. I can assure you that this was one of the best experiences during our Cadetship, not only being transported by RHIBs to our objective but primarily by understanding how vital and necessary it is to train and operate with all services of the Defence Forces in combined, joint operations. FROM THE RHIBS TO THE SHORE: The journey took approximately three minutes thanks to the sheer power of the high-powered RHIBs. After detaching our life saving equipment we landed on the pier at Fort Davis only to be greeted by concentrated enemy fire. Having acquired and developed our skills and drills in the Cadet School, we responded by reacting competently to effective enemy fire. Our GPMG's were tactically deployed to maximise their enfilade fire capabilities on either side of the pier with our riflemen spread along the line whilst Platoon Commanders issued clear and precise fire control orders enabling our assault team to supress the enemy which then gave the remaining elements of the Company the chance to reach land and make their way safely into pre-assigned rally points to later successfully seize the first two positions of Fort Davis. SEIZING FORT DAVIS: The Company had seized the first two posi- tions in front of the gatehouse which were lightly fortified using barriers and razor wire. We advanced forward clearing and secur- ing our first objective (the gatehouse) of Fort Davis on the north side of the peninsula. Once the lead section raised the green flag on the entrance it was the signal for the following section to roll through and push on. They were then tasked with clearing the track from the rear of the gatehouse up to the tunnel, which led down to the lower level's main road. However, this task was ex- ceptionally challenging as the enemy had placed IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) along our route. Several initiated, resulting in friendly force casualties and further secondary small arms enemy contact. The CUF Drill (Care Under Fire Drill, which essentially is trying to stop haemorrhaging after an initial injury) was initiated whilst the reserve sections suppressed the enemy. The casualties were then sent back towards the casualty collection point under the control of our Coy Sgt. Due to the small numbers of students involved to try and fill the Coy, and to keep the exercise running realistically all casualties received new names, ranks and army numbers and were then ready to be tasked as replacements on re- quest of the Pln Cmdrs (Platoon Commanders). 1 Pln had reached their LOE (Limit Of Exploitation) allowing 2 Pln to roll through, clearing all rooms left and right of the main road. Moreover, we had to be exceptionally alert at the possibility of further IED's and ambushes from enemy positions at any stage of the operation. Many of the entrances were locked and thus required the Cadets to use previously taught breaching techniques. Locked doors were 'unlocked' by use of the tools in the MOE (Method Of Entry bag). The knock-knock, which is like a handheld battering ram and an explosive entry system was utilised with speed and aggression. Once 2 Pln reached their LOE, 3 Pln rolled straight through with un-surmountable momentum. 3 Pln cleared the final few build- ings before they reached the Coy LOE. At this point the Coy Cmdr ordered a consolidation and reorganisation, which would lead to a change of appointments for us the students and preparation began for DIBUA (Defence In Built Up Areas). DIBUA (DEFENCE IN BUILT UP AREA'S): We fortified the entrance of the tunnel and set up sentry positions securing our position. Throughout this period Cadets were conducting preparation and planning drills as well as administrating their equipment for the final push of the exercise. Playing to our advantage the deterio- rating weather allowed our reconnaissance team move swiftly towards their AOI without engaging in enemy contact. Upon returning to the Coy HQ their intelligence gathering was pro- cessed with maps and models constantly being updated allowing the Cadets to develop a concise battle-picture for future actions of the mission. STAND TOO: Stand too was initiated at 4.30am the following morning and the new Pln Cmdrs formulated their plans. Our mission was to patrol as a Company along a zigzag route to the upper level of Fort Davis. 1 Pln and 2 Pln cleared the cluster of buildings with 3 Pln taking the gun- nery positions of the area. Ladders were introduced with the breaching of high- level entry buildings thus allowing the Ca- dets to secure VIP's. 1 Pln and 2 Pln pushed on towards their LOE but were faced with constant enemy con- tact due the multiple blind spots primar- ily by the nature of the infrastructure of Fort Davis. Having destroyed the Enemy and seized key areas of Fort Davis our mis- sion was achieved concluding FIBUA and one of the most realistic and enjoy- able exercises the Cadets have experi- enced to date. The 94th Cadet class are due to be commissioned in early February 2019. Cadets or trainee officers engage in 15 months training in the Military College, DFTC covering many basic and practical soldier skills and military fields of study before taking up an opera- tional appointment in the Permanent Defence Forces.

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