Page 28 - The Wish Stream Year of 2020 Crest

Exercise TEMPLER’S TRIUMPH
OCdt Griffiths
Senior Term Cadets at the Royal Mili- tary Academy Sandhurst recently deployed on their penultimate exercise:
TEMPLER’S TRIUMPH. This is one of the key summative exercises which sought to build complexity, forcing cadets to be more dynamic and adaptive, and therefore better preparing them for the modern operating environment. The exercise consisted of three phases: rural, urban and a ‘CIVPOP’ phase wherein they acted as the local populous, causing havoc for the urban
was no longer a clearly defined red force, but a hidden insurgency amongst a local civil- ian population. The phase was key for the further application of KLEs, and to build up an intelligence picture of the different families within the village. Cadets had the opportu- nity to build relationships with the ‘locals’ and use that to their advantage. In many cases, however, they were met with strong resist- ance coupled with strong opinions from the locals.
exercising troops.
Ex TEMPLER’S TRIUMPH is key for integrating vital lessons learnt from academic studies throughout the commissioning course into a deployed scenario
Finally, the much anticipated ‘CIVPOP’ phase came around. Here, every means at their disposal was used to emu- late a complex contemporary operating environment. With social distancing restrictions, cadets reverted to their bound- less imagination and came up with methods to readily test their colleagues who were act- ing as NATO forces; favourites included dumping water from mop buckets, water balloons
Ex TEMPLER’S TRIUMPH is
key for integrating vital les-
sons learnt from academic
studies throughout the com-
missioning course into a
deployed scenario. In Defence
and International Affairs (DIA),
cadets were introduced to
increasingly complicated rules
of engagement alongside
the application of the Law of
Armed Conflict (LOAC). Com-
plementing this was their Communication and Behavioural Science (CABS) training, that enabled Key Leader Engagements (KLE) to be set up, though with varying degrees of success.
launched from sling shots or having the song ‘Bad Touch’ by Blood House Gang played on repeat next to the FOB for 72 hours. The important skills of diplomacy, patience and determination were adequately tested in this phase.
The lessons learnt from Ex TEMPLER’S TRIUMPH establish a good starting point for the cadets’ careers as they move into an increasingly complex modern operat- ing environment. Having completed their penultimate exercise, they now look forward to Ex DYNAMIC VICTORY, where the skills, lessons and abilities learnt at RMAS will be tested and applied to demonstrate that the cadets of CC201 are ready to hold the Queen’s commission.
In the rural phase, cadets operated in platoon families whilst conducting socially distanced operations at company strength. A realistic ongoing trend through the whole exercise was the dynamic interaction with the enemy as they reacted, in real time, to the friendly force’s actions. Cadets would plan opera- tions to restrict the enemy force’s sphere of influence and to support Non-Government Organisations in an attempt to establish security and stability to the war-torn region.
In the urban phase, cadets used novel skills in a completely new environment. The enemy
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