| 21
portunities for exercising personnel in abseiling, climbing
and bouldering.
A very topical display was the C-IED stand provided by
Ordnance Coy, 1 LSB. Given that C-IED training has become
integral to the Defence Forces and that the majority of
units now have C-IED instructors, it was important to demonstrate that the fort is an effective exercise area in this
regard due to the mixture of training spaces it offers.
The demonstration day concluded with a major display
in which an Air Corps AW-139 airlifted an infantry assault
bridge from the Naval Base to the fort (which offers two
heli-landing areas). An engineering section then assembled
the bridge to span the gap between the moat and the outer
walls of the fort.
Next, an infantry platoon used the bridge to assault
the fort, gaining entry through a hole blown in the outer
wall. Once inside, the sections were tasked with clearing
the subterranean tunnel network prior to gaining access
to the buildings on the upper level where the platoon was
exercised in FIBUA, employing a range of drills, including
crossing open ground, methods of entry into buildings, and
room clearance.
It was evident to all by the end of the day that as a train-
ing facility Fort
Davis can
provide
excellent
opportunities for
everything
from combined arms training, to joint service training, to
section-level exercises.
The Defence Forces Audio Visual Section was on hand on
the day to capture the action as it happened. A short video
clip of the day can be viewed on YouTube on the DFMagazine Channel or accessed through this link: http://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=7wewe1NFAWI
Pictures show students from the 3rd All Arms Standard NCO course conducting a FIBUA (Fighting in Built
up Areas) exercise in Fort Davis, April 2013. The course
consisted of thirty nine students representing the
Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, Engineer, Ordnance, CIS
and Air Corps.
www.military.ie the defence forces magazine
