Page 89 - MERCIAN Eagle 2018

Infantry Battle School (IBS)
Coming here as an instructor, I knew the reputation of the Infantry Battle School. It is a place that if visited during your career you do not forget. It is the place where commanders hone their leadership skills, fine tune their ability to soldier and a place that has its own weather system.
Being assigned to Junior Division, I was interested to see what direction the course had taken from when I attended it. At its core it is still the same course. Centred on attack weeks, patrols weeks, complex environment then final exercise. However the approach has changed.
There is more of an emphasis given to the students attending, confidence to fight the battle their way. Instructors deliver valuable input into options and considerations
in order to develop the commander’s
hasty estimate and decision making. But ultimately all decision making is theirs. A free thinking enemy has been introduced, controlled by the DS. The enemy will now look to outflank, assault and counter the commander’s moves. FIWAF and Urban has come on drastically, with the classic Brecon shaped woodblock now becoming a thing of the past and moving onto large forests
with bunker systems. The urban phase has been invested in seeing sim being used as well as a solid 2-day package of skills and drills.
If you do end up here as an instructor, it is a quality 2 years with various opportunities. I’ve instructed on PSBC and international courses. With other instructors punching abroad on STTT’s and foreign courses.
As with all courses there are constraints but the investment into the next generation of commanders is second to none and it remains fit for purpose.
Soldiering Students: Birmingham University Officers’ Training Corps
As the Officer Cadets extract the simulated casualty, they muster all their remaining physical and mental strength for the two miles back to Sywnneton Camp.
Rifle in one hand, a stretcher handle in another; the group tries to build as much momentum as possible without slipping on the icy road.
For these new Officer Cadets from Kohima Company, this is a weekend of firsts. From living under a basha in the field to firing blank ammunition, the sub-zero temperatures only made it even more challenging.
Despite this, morale remained high: “I’ve enjoyed the weekend and you definitely feel like you’ve accomplished a lot – more than my housemates back at university!” says OCdt Giddings.
Soldiering student
Officer Cadets and subalterns from the Birmingham University Officers’ Training Corps (BUOTC) come from thirteen universities across the West Midlands.
Like other students, weekdays are spent at university. But unlike the ordinary student, members of BUOTC come together to train on drill nights and weekends. This training culminates in an annual two-week summer camp, similar to any other reserve unit.
“BUOTC provides leadership opportunities through the reserve commissioning modules.” says OCdt Man.
“You are constantly put in a position to analyse a situation, come up with a plan and execute it as a team.”
The staff not only deliver parts of Sandhurst’s reserve commissioning
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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