An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir November 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 22 | A n Introduction to Reconnaissance Techniques course for RDF personnel was run in 1 Bde Cav Sqn from 16th-29th July. I have been working as RDF Liason Sgt for over a year now and was well aware of the enthusiasm within the RDF for personnel to undergo robust training such as a reconnais- sance course. Once the course was announced there was great interest and the take up within 1 Bde was good, leading to a wide range of per- sonnel from different corps attending the course. It was clear from the beginning that the students who arrived were highly moti- vated and here to learn as many skills as possible with the training time available - with many giving up their holidays to attend. Before the course I sat down with all the instructors to ascertain what training outcomes we would like to achieve within the course syllabus. It was clear that this should be pitched as an entry-level course to build on when students returned to their units. The first day of the course was for assessment, with the stu- dents being tested in many areas, such as map reading, signals and combat fitness. This was to give the students and instructors an idea of where the students stood in military skills and physical fitness and to decide what was expected of the students from different ranks throughout the course. During week one the students attended lectures in recce knowledge, including OPs, patrolling, and hide harbours. There was also a good amount of practical, 'walk through-talk through' lessons. From the outset all instructors want to create a learning environment and these lessons helped the students to prepare for the first 24-hr FTX, 'Dark Knight', a practice FTX where the students were guided through the selection and occupation of a patrol harbour and the orders phase for an OP Again the students were walked through selecting, occupy- ing and constructing an OP. The student were encouraged to ask questions and in order to help break down the nuts and bolts of each phase all ranks were given periods in command appointments, which gave them an appreciation of different roles within the recce troop. It was clear to the instructors that there was a very mixed experience level and different skill sets within the group, but common to all was an eagerness to learn. Week one also included a one-day navigation exercise and two night navigation exercises. The level of map reading was good but there was room to build on students' skills, espe- cially at night where some of the students were surprised at the difference from daytime navigation. There was also a full day of medical lectures by Cpl O'Sullivan, 1 Bde CMU, a member of the RDF who works with the Ambulance Service. With a wealth of first-hand experience from working at the coal face every day, Cpl O'Sullivan tailored a medical package for the students that was informative and realistic. Week two of the course saw a definite ramp up in tempo as at this stage the students had done all their walk-through talk- throughs and were now eager to be tested to see if they could put their newly found skill to the test. An add-on to the course was survive, evade, resist and extract recce By SGT CIARAN HuGHES, RDF LIAISON SGT, 1 BDE CAV SQN PhoToS By ARMN ADAM MuRPHY AND COuRSE STuDENTS

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