An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir January / February 2024 www.military.ie/magazine 8 | BY LT CONOR SMYTH PHOTOS BY SGT ADRIAN FOLEY A t 0415 on the 11th of October 2023 an eight-man team from the 28th Infantry Battalion crossed the start line for exercise Cambrian Patrol 2023. Over the course of the next forty eight hours the team was tested on a range of military skills over approximately seventy kilometres of the unforgiving terrain of the Brecon Beacons in Wales, carrying upwards of forty kilograms of kit and equipment. This exercise was a culmination of four months training and would see the team tested both physically and mentally in qualities ranging from leadership and navigation, top section battle drills, basic life support and CBRN. After a gruelling forty eight hours the team were awarded Gold medal standard. They were the only one of six international teams to obtain this prestigious award. Exercise Cambrian Patrol (CP) is an annual international military exercise conducted by Headquarters, 160 Welsh Brigade of the British Army. Exercise CP is based on the current UK Dismounted Close Combat Battle Craft Syllabus, Soldier First Syllabus in alignment with Military Annual Training Tests. The Land Warfare Centre (LWC) generate a Formal Training Statement (FTS) and Assessment Criteria with SMEs delivering and assessing each task. The exercise is designed to be an arduous event requiring physical and mental resilience and strong leadership. The exercise is regarded as the premier patrolling event in the UK Armed Forces training calendar. The concept of CP was coined in 1959 and established as a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrolling (LRRP) exercise, culminating in a small arms shoot in SENNYBRIDGE Training Area (SENTA). The exercise has continuously evolved to ensure the focus remains on assessing current military skills and attracts participants from NATO/non NATO partners. In recent years the exercise has developed towards a more mission focused scenario based training exercise. The team itself began training in June 2023 and compromised serving members from the 28th Infantry Battalion. The twelve man patrol team consisted of Pte Mark McGlinchey, Pte Jason Gallagher, Pte Sean Ward, Pte Eddie Lynch, Pte Brian McFadden, Pte Rob Whitham, Pte Callum Robinson, Cpl Thomas O'Donnell, Sgt Daniel Devenney and Lt Conor Smyth with an administrative team of Pte Justin McBride and Sgt Adrian Foley to co-ordinate training and logistical requirements. The training consisted of a 16 week training program divided into four blocks of four weeks each. Blocks 1 to 3 consisted of three weeks of building and one week of recovery and the last block consisted of two weeks of maintenance and two weeks of recovery prior to the competition. This allowed the troops to build their bodies up without over stress and causing injury. It involved two walks a week which were increased progressively with weight and distance each week. The team covered a total distance of over 600Km in the 16 weeks which stood to them during the 79Km covered during the 48hr Cambrian Patrol. Throughout this training phase not one injury was sustained by the team which is a testament not only to the training plan that was afford by Sgt Foley and 28 Inf Bn unit physical training instructors but also to each member of the team and how they applied themselves professionally to it ensuring appropriate recovery measures were taken after each rigorous session. Following the weight and distance acclimatising training Weapons training before the exercise Water Crossing Drills 2023

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