www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE
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Alongside life-saving skills came life-taking precision.
Pistol shooting drills were practiced under the
supervision of Army Ranger Wing (ARW) instructors
until drawing pistols and engaging targets became an
extension of muscle memory.
The Artillery School provided the best of instruction
within their Call for Fire simulator making the entire team
comfortable at engaging targets and communicating
with the gun line enhancing tactical knowledge and
awareness.
All of this was facilitated by the Cavalry School who
provided the team with the tools necessary to succeed
providing training support, simulators and the classroom
environment needed to spend hours studying doctrine
and AFV recognition.
Bradley Train-Up: Mastering a New
Platform
Arriving in the United States, the Irish crew faced their
biggest unknown, mastering the M2 Bradley Infantry
Fighting Vehicle. The Cavalry Corps utilises a highly
versatile but vastly different platform. Transitioning to
the heavy, complex Bradley required a total immersion
into American mechanised doctrine.
The train-up began with the team mastering driving the
heavy tracked vehicle and learning the meticulous art
of Preventive Maintenance Checks and Services (PMCS).
Understanding how to troubleshoot a thrown track or a
fluid leak under time pressure was just as vital as pulling
the trigger.
Next came the Gunnery; this consisted of weapons
proficiency in the 25mm Chain gun and Coax machine
gun alongside the complete crew skills required to
operate the Bradley Turret. The training reached its
peak by the crew needing to pass a required number of
competency-based tests within the Bradley simulators
with the gunner and commander engaging targets and
managing the vehicle's complex control systems. This
paved the way for the team to move on to the live fire
phase.
The live fire phase consisted of complex range
operations by day and night where the entire team
needed to prove their competency and validate
the training provided on the vehicle. This ultimately
concluded in all five Irish members being qualified as
Bradley Drivers, Gunners and Commanders making the
crew eligible to compete.
