An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir April 2019 www.dfmagazine.ie 20 | REPORT & PHOTOS BY CQMS MICHAEL BARRETT (AR), 7 INF BN T he Infantry Corps is the Defence Forces prime combat arm, infantry soldiers are trained and expected to be able to fight in all terrains and conditions, this expectation requires robust physical fitness and mental resilience. Infantry soldiers are the front line combatants for any army in a conflict, the infantryman/woman is the one who most often is closest to the enemy, and the one who will most actually have to fight the enemy, sometimes as close to face to face. This sets the infantry soldier apart from both his army service support com- rades, and also from his Naval and Air Branch comrades. To be able to perform his frontline function, the Infantryman must strive to acquire both physical robustness and mental resil- ience, this is achieved by combat physical fitness training. Since 2013, all prospective Reserve Defence Forces (RDF) soldiers must pass the exact same Defence Force induction fitness test - just like the Permanent Defence Forces (PDF) inductees. Once en- listed, RDF soldiers must pass the same standard fitness test each year - again just like their PDF comrades. The difference is the reserve infantryman or woman have to maintain his/her military fitness levels in their own time outside the DF training facilities. Normal 'civilian' fitness levels are not too difficult to achieve, but military fitness levels may prove more difficult to acquire, un- fortunately, we, in the RDF cannot have as much access to military physical conditioning as our PDF comrades would. To remain in a deployable state, that is been robustly fit enough to be embedded in our parent PDF formations at short notice, all reserve soldiers must be fit. But for RDF infantry soldiers, in par- ticular, having a military level grade of fitness is a basic require- ment for us to be able to do our jobs - that is to directly assist the Permanent Defence Forces if and when needed. Sometimes an Infantry Corps soldier's mode of transport may be different (PDF or RDF), it may be a wheeled vehicle, other times it may even be a helicopter, but our main mode of infantry trans- port is rather quiet basic - it is our legs. Infantry fitness itself is different from civilian fitness, infantry fitness, at its most unpretentious form - is the ability to move over difficult terrain, at speed, carrying all manner of military items - personal weapons, support weapons, ammunition, and any other heavy stores required by a ground unit in combat. The infantry should be the tough guys in an army, they should be able to move, at moderate speed, over any difficult terrain, carrying all their weapons and battle stores with them, and at the end of this long and potentially exhausting movement, they should still be able to launch into a controlled aggressive attack if required. In mid-February 2017, the RDF's Dublin based 7 Inf Bn's C Coy, had a 7-day full-time training course in Gormanston Camp in County Meath. The aim of this camp was a 2- to 3-star tactical training course for the Company's 2-star privates, in preparation for their upgrading to 3-star rank in the following months. This training course would, as expected by all, be physically demanding, with the first few days conducting section and pla- toon level tactical training, which even in itself can be exhaust- ing. The RDF platoon would also get an introduction to Battle PT, which was to be provided by Sgt Dean Jackson of the PDFs cadre staff. This was to be the first experience of Battle PT for these reserve troops.

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