An Cosantóir

sequences and the deployment of trackway. Site preparation and bridge construction took 32 hours, resulting in an MLC 100(W)/70(T) crossing. The bridge opened a route in time for brigade vehicles to move to their Form Up Points. ensuring brigade mobility and tempo was maintained. An additional MGB kit, procured recently, included a walkway attachment, allowing dismounted troops to cross safely alongside vehicles and improving support to mixed mounted and dismounted forces. Battlefield Area Clearance 1 Platoon's main task was a large Battlefield Area Clearance (BAC) operation with a real-world purpose: clearing the Anti-Armour Range to allow construction of new AFV mobility corridors for live firing. The 5.8-hectare area was cleared using a layered sequence of UAS survey and mapping, remote mechanical clearance with GCS-100 and MW240 UGVs, followed by physical search using magnetometers, metal detectors and ground penetrating radar. Contacts were marked for further investigation by the Engineer Specialist Search and Clearance Officer (ESSCO), with EOD available if required. The clearance was completed in three days with no explosive threats found. The operation demonstrated the specialist skills that engineer platoons bring to the brigade, with remote plant, specialist detection equipment, trained searchers and EOD each contributing to a single clearance process. The Support Platoon DFTC's Support Platoon provided a broad range of capabilities, including two permanent, dug in, HMG firing points, the Engineer Company HQ using the new CBRN COLPRO system, a new timber deck for the Bailey Bridge at Coolmoney and a water point for brigade use. The final serial prior to ENDEX was the establishment of a CBRN Decontamination Site to decontaminate vehicles and personnel withdrawing following a CBRN incident. This integrated students from the 6 Inf Bn Coy Level CBRN Defence Specialist Course and the CBRN Survive to Function course, delivered by the SME for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The inclusion of international civilian medical professionals and weapons experts added complexity and realism, demonstrating that interoperability extends beyond military organisations and requires different organisations to understand their respective roles. New Capability: Collective Protection A highlight of the exercise was the deployment of the new CBRN Collective Protection (COLPRO) tentage. Four sets have recently been procured, each capable of supporting a Battalion or Brigade HQ in a CBRN environment. The systems use airtight tents, filtration, conditioning and positive pressure to prevent contaminated air entering and allow headquarters to continue operating. During the training week, instructors from I4S delivered introductory training to the company. The deployment of COLPRO, alongside training for Infantry Battalions with CBRN responsibility, demonstrates that acquiring new equipment is only the first step in developing capability; continued training and integration are required to make it operationally effective. Conclusion This year's concentration demonstrated what the army can achieve when its units train as one. The exercise focused on supporting the combined-arms brigade but also depended on Transport, CIS, Medical and Infantry personnel. Every task produced a tangible result: a cleared range, a usable crossing, improved training facilities and enhanced CBRN capability. More importantly, the exercise reinforced that interoperability is not a box to be ticked. It is developed through common procedures, shared understanding and repeated practice. The concentration provides an opportunity to identify friction between units and capabilities in training rather than on operations. Its value therefore extends beyond the individual tasks completed: it helps ensure that when engineers are called upon to support the wider Defence Forces, they can operate not as separate groups, but as one coherent capability. | 17 www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE Sgt Murphy prepares for a bridge recce Capt Ryan conducting bridge recce from the water Coy HQ inside CBRN COLPRO

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