Page 56 - MERCIAN Eagle 2015

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5 Platoon ‘My Arrival in Battalion’ 2Lt PT Price
It is with great pride that I write this article as the new 5 Platoon Commander, having recently joined the 2nd Battalion.
Having received arguably the finest training an Infantry Officer can undergo, attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and subsequently completing the Platoon Commanders Battle Course at Brecon, I arrived and found myself in ‘the
5 Platoon hot seat.’ It is without doubt that you assume command for the first time with a certain amount of nervous anticipation, and needless to say that this was quickly dispelled due to the tempo of battalion life. I had joined just as the battalion had returned from leave, having completed a six-month tour in Cyprus on Op Tosca 21. Preparation then started in earnest for an upcoming company level exercise, Ex Urban Ram 3, to be conducted over a two week period.
Ex Urban Ram 3 was to be conducted with a firm focus on building on
the fundamentals of soldiering in a conventional environment, along with establishing Company level SOPs, all in preparation for the battalion’s deployment to Kenya later in the year. The first week saw the company deploy to the local training
2 Section break in
area, with the first few days purely focussed on section level training, which culminated in a section attack and contact lane. Once this foundation was established, we began operating as a platoon, conducting lessons and battle exercises incorporating both offensive and enabling actions. The first week concluded with the establishment of a company defensive location.
The training culminated with a platoon offensive action on an objective by day and night
The second week was conducted at Whinny Hill FIBUA complex, Catterick,
with the focus shifting to operating within
an urban environment. Methods of entry, clearance techniques, sign awareness and patrolling within the urban environment were the basics which we set to establish during the week. The training culminated with a
Cpl McDermott ready to assault
platoon offensive action on an objective by day and night. The success of the platoon attacks was testament to the hard work and development the platoon had shown over the two-week exercise, and justifies the requirement to establish the fundamentals.
With preparation for Kenya now in full swing, the company deployed on a week long live firing package to Otterburn. Again, focus remained with establishing the ‘basics,’ and as such the training progressed from individual CQB to section contact drills. Ultimately, we managed to conduct a live platoon attack on the final day, notwithstanding that this was almost put at risk, due to a TCV getting bogged in right in the middle of the range on the morning of the attack.
With the upcoming deployment on
Ex ASKARI STORM at the end of the year, there is much to look forward to in
5 Platoon. The tempo of battalion has ensured that so far our preparation has been thorough, and the exercise will mark the culmination of our development as a platoon. Indeed, the ‘Fist of Five,’ will be hitting hard!
B Company soldiers on Ex Urban Ram
Section attack range
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