An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir September / October 2026 www.military.ie/magazine E very year, the Corps of Engineers gathers its units for the Corps Concentration, an exercise designed to develop and maintain the full range of combat support roles the Corps provides to the Army. In early June, personnel from three Engineer Groups deployed to the Glen of Imaal to form a Close Support Engineer Company of approximately 120 personnel. Following collective training, the company conducted a 96-hour FTX, testing these skills within a conventional combined-arms scenario. As a combat support arm, sappers rarely work alone. We deploy in support of manoeuvre units, depend on other Corps to move heavy equipment and must pass information quickly up and down the chain of command. An engineer unit is only useful if it arrives where it is needed, with the right equipment, and integrates into the commander's plan. The Corps Concentration provides an opportunity to test whether units that normally train separately can operate as one, and to identify friction points in training rather than on operations. Building the Company The exercise scenario, developed by the School of Military Engineering (SME) EXCON staff, involved engineer support to a combined-arms brigade-level advance to contact to clear an enemy battalion from the exercise area. 1 Bde Engr Gp acted as lead unit, staffing all Company HQ appointments and providing 1 Platoon. 2 Bde Engr Gp provided 2 Platoon, while DFTC Engr Gp provided Support Platoon. Each group brings its own equipment and established ways of working. Placing them under a single HQ provided an opportunity to improve standardisation and collective effectiveness. Combat engineering is equipment intensive. The exercise therefore depended on moving personnel, plant and stores, much of it beyond the Corps' own transport resources. Trackway, CBRN equipment and bridging stores were moved with assistance from the Transport Corps, demonstrating the wider Defence Forces support required to generate an engineering effect. The exercise also saw the deployment of the new Software Defined Radio (SDR) suite and a SitaWare-enabled HQ. With platoons widely dispersed across separate task sites, reliable communications and a common operating picture were essential. Squadnet, Synaps and SitaWare Edge tablets enabled information to be shared rapidly by voice and data while maintaining situational awareness. Bridging the Slaney The company's main effort fell to 2 Platoon with the construction of a Medium Girder Bridge (MGB) across the River Slaney. Seskin Bridge was considered destroyed for exercise purposes, requiring an alternative crossing. The task demanded reconnaissance, design calculations and the coordinated movement of stores, personnel and machinery. Poor ground conditions following heavy rain and a complex site required adaptation to standard build 16 | BY CAPT PJ DALTON AND COMDT RONAN KAVANAGH THE ENGINEER THE ENGINEER CORPS CORPS CONCENTRATION 2 Pl constructing the launching nose for the Medium Girder Bridge (MGB) Minewolf MW240 in operation during BAC task Pte Malanga operates the MineWolf from the ICP

• Cover