An Cosantóir

AN C O S AN T Ó I R N o ve mb e r- D e c e mb e r 2 0 1 0 15 ammunition and hot rations, all the while working with the company commander to site trenches. For most of us, participating in a defensive exercise on this scale was a new experience, and digging trenches after a night of marching, crawling and running across Kilworth was certainly a new mental and physical challenge! Throughout the dig- in phase, physical fitness and good personal admin were crucial, even with the benefit of relatively benign weather. After two days of defensive routine we withdrew from our trenches under cover of darkness to our pick-up point, along a route identified by our clearance patrol. While the distance to the pick-up-point was relatively short, we received a salutary lesson in how slowly a company moves over rough terrain on a dark, wet night, and all of us were extremely glad to be able to take off our backpacks once we reached the end of the move. There was no time for a break though, and after a quick breakfast we returned to the dig-in site to fill in the now-waterlogged trenches before heading back to the Curragh, where we cleaned weapons, unpacked equipment and dried all our kit. Getting this done both well and quickly was crucial as we knew we were heading back out onto the ground the next morning and that the sooner everything was squared away the sooner we would get some rest. The next day was spent revising our platoon-in-attack drills on the Curragh plains followed by night patrolling and in- harbour routine on Semaphore Hill in stormy conditions. After spending the following morning chasing the 'enemy' we TRAINING were glad to see the inside of the camp again and to see our programme of training consisting of a weekend full of lectures in clean, dry lecture halls! The final phase of the course was a 48- hour patrolling exercise in the Glen of Imaal, augmented by exercise troops from 65 Reserve Infantry Battalion. While initially an unknown quantity, these troops' enthusiasm, fitness and ability would make our time in command appointments much easier than anticipated. Our patrolling phase coincided with a firepower demonstration in the Glen, which gave added realism to the experience: trying to give orders while a 105mm battery was firing was certainly a new experience for this infantryman. This final phase involved two days of harbour routine, patrolling and ambushes, and culminated in an overnight tab from Stranahely Woods to a holding area, from where we launched an attack on an enemy position located in a farm complex. This final operation combined all the skills we had honed during the last few months - from extracting and delivering orders on a model (in this case based on recce reports and sketches) to battle prep, night navigation, co-ordinating organic fire support, and clearing buildings – and was a fitting end to a tough few days and weeks. The YOs course was a great learning experience for all who took part, and we finished with a much deeper understanding of how to extract and deliver orders, how to make best use of the combat estimate process and the TAMs, and how to operate at a high tempo for prolonged periods. From patrolling to offence, to defence, each of us greatly improved our skills as platoon commanders and will hopefully bring those skills back to help improve the standard of training throughout the RDF. Thanks to our instructors – Capt Jack Fahy, Lts Seán Coffey and Mark Brislane, and Sgt Maj Christy Bourke (who looked after much of the admin behind the scenes) on the RDF side, and Lts Gareth O'Neill, Luke Foley and Rory Quinlan on the PDF side. Everyone came off the course with a much-enhanced skill set. Every YOs course run so far has had unfilled capacity, and there is no reason why every lieutenant in the RDF should not complete the course. The next course will be run in 2012 and interested candidates should start their training today. ■ 00-An Cos-NOV-10 (p11-17) 08/12/2010 12:32 Page 15 www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 35

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