An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 25 While it may seem that an 18-month syl- labus of training, full of modules and extensive phases and sub-phases would be complicated, the way the Cadet School approaches it is surprisingly uncom- plicated. The syllabus is broken into three distinct phases; induction, foundation and core. Induction covers the basics of drill and weapons handling and leads straight into the foundation phase, of which the patrol and ISTAR exercise covered here is a part. This leads seamlessly on to the core phase, during which the lessons and skills of the previous phases are ingrained and perfected. The teaching in the School mirrors the clarity of the overall approach as each lesson is clearly aimed at building up the students' knowledge and experience in concise, logical steps; metaphorically first teaching them to crawl, then walk and then run. The atmosphere in the Glen throughout the exercise was one of instruction and learning through corrected mistakes, rather than by degradation; although the weather and claustrophobic confines of the OPs added their own form of pressure. After a helicopter insertion and patrolling exercise, the stu- dents were given an area in which to construct their OPs and a target area that had to be covered. Breaking into detach- ments of four, by last light there were eight OPs covering a key junction and surrounding area. At all times an instructor was at hand to answer questions, treading the thin line be- tween allowing peer learning to take place within group and intervening when mistakes needed to be corrected. The constant presence of an instructor was not seen as ex- cusing the students from displaying initiative. Every response was aimed at improving the students' own decision-making process, allowing them to come up with the solutions and implement them, and providing them with the tools neces- sary for the more advanced stages of their training. As darkness descended, depending on the roster, cadets nestled into their OPs, updating their range cards and obser- vation logs while others rested or provided security. The scenario for the exercise was for the cadets to report on the activities of a hostile force involved in poppy cultiva- tion and transportation. The 'enemy' (provided by troops from 28 Inf Bn) were carrying out activities including the use of forced labour, patrolling, planting IEDs and conduct- ing checkpoints. All these activities were planned to test the observational and reporting skills of the cadets, who were using night-vision equipment, personal-role radios and observation logs. The quality of the observation logs would be used, in conjunction with the best OP, as the basis for a reward that the winning cadets would reap at a later stage. The key point of this training to an outside observer is that, at this stage, it was all purposely directed towards learning and was in effect the 'walk through' part of the learning curve that would gradually bring the students up to the required level in a sustainable manner, while providing them with lessons they will be able to utilise for the rest of their careers. In a future issue, we will follow the same class to see how the method of instruction will change as they move from induction and foundation to the all-important core phase. Sentry duty in such confined areas is uncomfortable but necessary. This picture of an OP along a ditch line shows the great lengths the cadets went to in order to properly camouflage their positions. Alertness and vigilance were at all times needed by the students, even after a tough patrolling exercise.

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