An Cosantóir Dec 2019/Jan 2020 www.dfmagazine.ie
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BY COMDT IAN STEWART (AR), 1 ACS
E
xercise 'Sabre' is a 72 hour 'Find, Fix and Strike' exer-
cise conducted in the fourth quarter of each year, by
the Army Reserve (AR) Squadron of the 1 Armoured
Cavalry Squadron (1 ACS). The Cavalry Corps is one of the
'teeth' Corps of the Defence Forces, and as such has a long
and proud tradition of service to the State, with the fleet
evolving over the last number of decades to today's fleet of
MOWAG Piranha III, with two variants entering service in
2008, the Medium Reconnaissance Vehicle (MRV) and the
Close Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV).
The exercise concentrates squadron reserve personnel
from throughout the Defence Forces Cavalry Corps, along
with members of the 1 Mechanised Infantry Company (1
MIC) and school personnel in the Defence Forces Training
Centre (DFTC).
This year also saw the inclusion of members of the AR
Potential Officers' Course, while Operational Forces (OPFOR)
were provided by the current DFTC AR Recruit Platoon.
Exercise serials included construction and manning of
sub-surface Observation Posts (OPs) and multiple Close
Target Recces (CTR), culminating in a dawn strike followed
by casualty evacuation (CASEVAC). Cavalry assets deployed
included Mowag CRV from 1 ACS and the Foxtracker ground
surveillance radar system as part of the 2 BCS run radar
operators' course.
Capt Glynn McKenna (AR), SO HQ 1 ACS said, "The training
outcomes from this year's exercise underpin the importance of
combined arms training and the benefits accruing to partici-
pating Units from pooled resources, logistics, shared learning
and retention."
Reservists from 1 ACS, 2 BCS, 1 MIC, Cav School, UNTSI, Potential Officers Course and DFTC
Recruit Platoon on Exercise 'Sabre' November 2019.
