As army bosses repeat calls for troops to play their part in boosting fighting power, personnel from 39 Engineer Regiment were put through a basic battlecraft package with a highly competitive edge.
Teams of eight were inserted via Merlin helicopter before taking on a series of tasks over two days – including counter-IED drills, casualty evacuation scenarios, vehicle recognition tests and section attacks.
We asked Cpl Marc Capper, commander of the winning outfit from 53 Field Squadron, for the lowdown…
Why is this kind of training useful?
With us being a specialist aviation support unit, there’s sometimes a bit of skill fade and this took everyone back to the basics, from which everything else flows. It was based around conventional warfare. We all know what’s happening in the world – we need to be ready.
How did you choose the team?
I picked what I thought would be the best section on the day. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. They were all fit and robust but one guy was more confident on CBRN and another was good at military knowledge. As a commander you can’t take everything on yourself. That’s where the ‘thinking soldier’ comes into it – I told a sapper to deal with a task and they did.
How did you prepare?
We had two weeks of training – that was key. I got out all the instruction manuals and brought myself up to date again. A bit like war, you knew roughly what was coming but not exactly, so we had to practise for everything.
How much difference does the competition element make?
It’s massive – soldiers have that winning mentality. They want to push themselves. Section comps bring that out even more and it’s infectious. Others will look at us as the team that won and compare themselves.
What was the key takeaway for sappers?
Mental resilience. We had eight tasks to complete and had to tab six or seven kilometres between each, while carrying kit. Soldiers need to be able to keep going. It’s a good test for them and section commanders.
What about for you?
How important stuff like this is for morale and camaraderie. As hard as it was, when we stopped we had a laugh. That’s the soldier mindset and a reason I love being in the army.
What does it mean to the team to win?
It’s nice to have hard work rewarded, to see training pay off, and it breeds confidence for the sappers. Even two weeks later people were still congratulating them. It’s good for promotion prospects and makes them want to soldier more.
