An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 31 REPORT AND PHOTOS BY CQMS MICHAEL BARRETT AR, 7 INF BN P hysical fitness is a basic requirement for military life, and in the Defence Forces the Defence Forces Physical Educa- tion School (DFPES) is the prime institution of instruction for fitness standards and ethos, supported by a network of qualified personnel in barracks around the country. Fitness is central to Defence Forces life. All recruits and cadets must pass the induction fitness test; trained personnel must pass the annual standard life test; and anyone going on an overseas mission or attending a training course will require, more often than not, a fitness test pass grade. Added to this there are additional specialised fitness tests for various elements of the Defence Forces, including the ARW, Naval Service divers, and infantry leader courses conducted in the Military College. Fitness not only enhances the robustness of soldiers, it makes them more resistant to illness and injury, and also improves morale and mental wellbeing. Combat fitness prepares a soldier for battle, increasing agility and aggression, and helps to focus the mind. Military fitness is expanding as new ideas and concepts seep into the Defence Forces from international best practice, such as adding the carrying of a rifle to the timed loaded march in the standard test. With all this, and maybe more in future years, is it time to ask if we need a dedicated Defence Forces physical training corps, manned by DFPES-qualified personnel? The concept would see a corps that would be quite small in terms of overall Defence Forces strength, and would almost ex- clusively consist of NCOs, with a small number of officers. Identifiable by a corps insignia, worn on tracksuits, T-shirts, etc, corps staff could be attached to every company-level unit in the DF, both at home and overseas, including onboard naval vessels. This staff would be responsible for fitness levels in their as- signed units and their roles would include: conducting standard fitness tests; advising and assisting personnel with difficulties re- garding fitness; educating personnel on DF fitness policy and test changes; advising unit commanders on their troops' fitness levels; providing basic adventure training within their units; advising the DFPES with regard to new ideas to enhance fitness. As regards future recruits in the Defence Forces, while people are potentially as robust as they used to be, modern life is increas- ingly sedentary and inactive, which in turn affects the fitness levels of potential recruits; this has to be acknowledged and acted on. Our conceptual physical fitness corps could do this by advice and guidance that could help in the induction and retention of personnel for the DF. In essence, a new physical training corps would make the fu- ture Defence Forces even more 'fit for purpose' in carrying out all of its assigned roles. THE CASE FOR A PHYSICAL FITNESS CORPS

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