An Cosantóir

20 CADETSHIP 2019–2021 To ensure the Defence Forces is well set for the future, there is a need for a regular 'pipeline' of young officers coming through. That is why the Cadet course is so important. It is good to report that not only is there a plentiful supply of motivated young men and women joining, but their commitment and enthusiasm is of the highest standard. A batch of 75 young officers were commissioned in March, one of the highest numbers ever. Of the 75, 70 were Irish and five Maltese. Plus a welcome detail within that was the figure of 12 female officers. It takes 17 months to turn a young, sometimes nervous, civilian into a well-prepared, responsible officer of the Defence Forces. Helping them along the way were between 20 and 25 training staff at any one time. THE CLASS OFFICER "We would have started off with 102 cadets, including Naval Service cadets. The Naval Cadets left after the first stage of training. Due to a range of different factors the number of officers for commissioning was 75," explained the man in charge of the course, Comdt Aidan Ryan, Class Officer of the 96th Cadet Class. What he noted with the commissioned officers was their enthusiasm plus their robustness to literally stay the course: "The training requires somebody to love what they are doing; you can't be half-hearted. And these young men and women certainly had that commitment." At the outset of the course, they go through basic military discipline, drills, weapons training etc. Then they move on to more tactical work, leadership training, public order training and weapons instruction. "The syllabus is huge and they have a lot to learn", said Comdt Ryan. Just like with every other walk of life, COVID 19 impacted the training. The usual weekend leave was cancelled because of the fear of bringing the virus into the school in the Military College in the Curragh Camp while the young trainee officers were also drafted in by the HSE to act as Contract Tracers on two occasions. "They worked as Contract Tracers in March of last year and obviously they did such a good job that the HSE in effect head-hunted them in October again during the second wave", he said. As to his own role, Comdt Ryan said the position is advertised and you have to apply, then there is an interview process. He later arrived in the college two months before the cadets to prepare, saying; "You are with them from start to finish, completing all aspects of training with them." He added: "It was a humbling experience. It was enjoyable from the point of view of access to these young people's lives. You get to see them grow and develop. But you learn along with them." THE INSTRUCTOR The job of actually training and instructing the would- be officers fell to people like Lt Stephen Best from the Air Corps who said that an Officer Instructor's job was to ensure the training is carried out to the highest standard while also conducting continuous assessment of the young men and women. It was, he said, a mixture of practical exercises and classroom instruction. It ranged from tactical exercises in the Glen of Immal to coaching in public-speaking or dealing with a simulated military scenario. Stephen and his fellow instructors set tasks for the trainees, ensuring these were carried out correctly and then assessed By Tony O'Brien Photos by A/M Sam Gigney, Mark Pollock and Air Corps Photo Section CADETSHIP 2019 – 2021 v Commandant Aidan Ryan v A Cadet practicing her war cry and bayonet drills on tactical training v Sgt Sean Pollard of the Cadet School Instructs a cadet while on tactical training v Lieutenant Stephen Best

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