An Cosantóir

| 21 www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE from SERE A, B, C courses and supplementing overseas training missions in SERE training when required. In order for SOF to become Instructors in this area they will need to successfully complete the course ran by the Military Training School in Baldonnell. However, to qualify as a SERE instructor, successful students must return to instruct on a SERE Instructor course in the Military Training & Survival School. Can you describe a typical day during the course, what are some of the challenges the potential instructors face on the course? No two days are the same during the SERE Instructor course. However, Week 1 is mostly theoretical with an introduction to practical survival techniques. Week 2 consists of the students putting their theoretical and practical knowledge into practice by way of a 24hr survival exercise to finish the week. Some other topics covered during week 2 are PR (Personnel Recovery) Drills, butchery, coastal survival and various workshops from SMEs. Week 3 sees the students plan and prepare for an Escape & Evasion exercise. This exercise will require the students to fully immerse themselves into the scenario and will see the students avoid "enemy forces" across a vast exercise area. The exercise will culminate in a resistance phase, which involves numerous role players as part of the exercise scenario. Week 4, the final week of the course concludes with a 5 day survival exercise. Day 1 one of this exercise requires the students to survive individually for a minimum of 24hrs. The remainder of the week the students will make their way across various terrain to "friendly lines" in order to facilitate their recovery by Personnel Recovery forces. How can the students be pushed to their limit both mentally and physically in a safe and controlled way? Safety of the students and instructors themselves is paramount during a course as robust as this. The SERE Instructor course is run by professional and qualified staff who have decades of experience with SERE at home and abroad. This experience has been gained mostly through working with our international partners and therefore operating by international best practice. Our course syllabus aligns with the SERE Level C guidelines as laid out in the NATO SERE STANAG. Safety staff, safety supervisors and medically trained personnel from the Air Corps are present at all times and safety is the initial train of thought before any exercise. It is not lost on the Instructors the challenges the body faces during this course, and every element of safety is applied throughout. Physically: Students will undergo test conditions that many may have never felt before. Hunger and tiredness after days of tabbing across difficult terrain is a personal test for the individual. Add the importance of time and the necessity to be recovered, the body will undergo physical testing to which few have been exposed to. These conditions are set in order to simulate that of one escaping back to friendly lines on foot with little or no chance of rest or food in a dangerous environment. Mentally: There are many challenging tests and scenarios throughout the SERE instructor Course. Arguably the most challenging test would be the students' ability to keep motivated during the Conduct After Capture phase. The isolation and unknown is overbearing at times but it is solely up to the individual to motivate himself/herself by any means possible to see it through. It must be said that this is extremely difficult to do as sporadic events are happening in between which draws an enormous amount of mental strength to overcome. As stated, the isolation is not confined to the CAC phase. Students are expected to construct and survive on their own for a large portion of the course. The mental drive and will to survive is something that is paramount during this course. Have you got any advice on mental and physical preparation for personnel interested in completing this course? There is an onus on personal physical fitness prior to commencement of the course. This will especially become apparent during weeks 3 and 4 of the course. With regard to mental preparation, there are elements of the course where students themselves agree that the physical battle quickly subsides and the true test is to have mental endurance in order to continue. Students must have an open mind and willing to immerse themselves into the course and its exercises in order to successfully overcome both challenges whenever they arise. Conduct after capture, a student just after being captured Course students receiving a brief during the course Prepping students for extraction Sgt O' Neill looking focused for what lies ahead

• Cover