An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir July/August 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 14 | by CAPT LIAM FANNON, INSTRUCTOR, CAV SCH, MIL COL, DFTC PHotoS by CPL NEVILLE COUGHLAN & SGT MICK BURKE D uring the month of May 2016, the Cavalry School, Mili- tary College was tasked with running the 4th Armoured Fighting Vehicle Range Management (AFV RM) Course. the AFV RM course is the principle method through which the Defence Forces trains its personnel in the skills and knowledge to plan, organise and conduct AFV range practices including LFtt involving all Defence Forces armoured vehicle platforms. LFtt affords the Defence Forces the capability to conduct situationally realistic training in the use of force for our personnel. this type of training is vital to fully prepare soldiers for overseas service and operational commitments. The AFV RM course is of four weeks duration and is open to com- missioned officers and NCOs (Sgt and above). Students are drawn from across the DF from both the Cavalry and Infantry Corps. The course takes students through three weeks of theoretical instruc- tion including machine gun theory, live fire risk management and the safe system of training. Throughout the three weeks students learn to interpret the safety regulations governing live fire and apply them in such a way that allows them to plan various types of live fire exercises. Once students' shoot plans are approved by the OC TIS Coolmoney Camp (TISC), the course culminates in a week of shoots in the Glen of Imaal, where students are assessed in the practical application of live fire shoots using all Defence Forces ar- moured platforms. The joint nature of training across the corps is of mutual benefit for all students. The course provides an opportunity to discuss the capabilities of each of the platforms and for knowl- edge sharing about crew drills and employment of the vehicles. The AFV RM is run in conjunction with the Safety Supervisors conversion course which is open to all armoured gunnery instruc- tors throughout the DF. Safety Supervisors are essential to the running of live fire ranges. They offer their instruction and guidance to vehicle crews ensuring that crew drills and firing procedures are expertly completed. The Safety Supervisors are the SMEs in the particular AFV (i.e. MRV/CRV/APC/LTAV). For the final week, the 4th AFV RM course required the students to work together to run a number of static and mobile AFV shoots. This required the students to utilise the capability of each AFV platform whilst providing a safe and realistic training exercise. The exercises challenged students to allow AFV pairs manoeuvre together tactically whilst engaging targets simultaneously. The course culminated in a joint mounted and dismounted patrol encountering a simulated contact. The exercise involved a dis- mounted section utilising Mowag APCs, equipped with a 12.7mm HMG and co-axial 7.62mm GPMG, Mowag MRV (30mm Cannon) and CRVs (12.7mm HMG Remote Weapons Station). The MRV and CRV Cavalry platforms added a significant capability to the exercise providing a stabilised platform to engage targets. The advantage of this system is that the vehicles are able to track targets whilst the AFV itself is moving. This gives a significant advantage to DF personnel in the field. The drive to increase the quality and quantity of AFV LFTT in the Defence Forces is driven by overseas lessons learned and the experience of past students of the AFV RM and Safety Supervisor courses. The application of relevant and realistic training scenarios combined with live fire risk management principles is the future of AFV crew training in the DF. It is these exercises that ensure DF personnel undertake operations with full and comprehensive preparedness. The Cavalry School intend to build on the achieve- ments of this course and hope to commence the next course in August 2016.

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