Page 14 - Mind, Body and Spirit 2016/17

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www.raptcassociation.org.uk
to bag another post working from RMAS. Sulle has made a real difference to PD assurance and certainly leaves it in a better place due to his tremendous work in developing PD Audit processes and policy; we also wish him well in his new job. Unfortunately he will not be replaced and his responsibilities have now been absorbed by me and my other assurance staff; we aim to limit the impact on the PD audit processes with a seamless transition and maintain business as usual.
As mentioned earlier, change is a constant with the next set of reviews never far away. As I write the ATB is nearing the end of a Training and Governance Review and preparing the nal courses of action for presentation to the Executive Committee of the Army Board (ECAB), this is likely to result in a seminal change to ATB structures and the ownership of PD policy; more to follow in next year’s MBS by when the nal decisions will have been taken and the changes instigated. Amongst the many other reviews on-going, worthy of a mention here is the Arduous Training Policy Review which Ian Phillips and I are about to start. Despite signi cant
revisions to policy, arduous training continues to cause deaths and serious injuries in the Army. As a result, a review of arduous training policy has been directed by Hd Training Army to; ensure it is appropriate, enables greater understanding, removes grey areas and is suf cient for commanders to reduce risk in arduous training to As Low As Reasonably Practical (ALARP). The areas to be covered include; developing a more comprehensive approach to risk management in arduous training, a review of the Army’s use of MATT 2 physical assessments and tests (PFA, AFT and OFTs) as a pre-course entry for many of its leadership or trade training courses, a deep dive into the type of terrain over which AFTs and other arduous training is conducted and nally, the need for broader policy direction and guidance for other military activities (such as march and shoot activities, navigation exercises, leadership activities and selection events) that contain an arduous physical component. So with all that said, it’s going to be a busy year ahead and one that will undoubtedly offer challenges and change for all.
One of the peculiarities of my current job is that everyone always starts a conversation with this leading question “how’s the job,” expecting a
reply full of tales of despair. Sorry to disappoint but whilst it’s a busy job, and totally of ce based, it’s the place to be if you want to affect how the Army conducts physical training now and in the future. The sphere of in uence ranges from Army selection tests and through career physical training policy. Two of the current main efforts are the Women in Ground Close Combat Project and the implementation of additional safety measures for endurance training and testing in light of several high pro le incidents involving heat injuries.
Women in Ground Close Combat
On 08 Jul 2016 the Prime Minister announced that he had accepted the recommendations offered to him by CGS and the Service Chiefs to lift the exclusion on women serving in Ground Close Combat (GCC) roles. In order to maximise the opportunities to join the RAC for women currently serving, all RAC units are now open to transferees. Infantry units and roles (regular and reserve) will be opened, on a conditions basis from late 2018. The maintenance of existing standards for RAC and Infantry is a pre- requisite to the delivery of this policy change. This means there will be no lowering of entry or performance standards and no quotas for the inclusion of women in the GCC environment.
Of particular relevance to the RAPTC is the physical training, cognisant of the physiological differences between men and women and the risk of musculoskeletal injuries. The following is an extract from the Interim Report on the Health Risks to Women in Ground Close Combat Roles published in 2016.
• Musculoskeletal injuries were the most common cause of medical downgrading and medical discharge in both Service men and women.
• The risk of musculoskeletal injuries in Army initial training was two-fold higher in women than men, and this risk of injury was higher still for overuse injuries.
• Female trainees were 3 times more likely to suffer a stress fracture injury, and 10 times more likely to suffer a stress fracture at the hip compared to men.
• In men, the risk of musculoskeletal injuries, and speci cally stress fractures, was 7 times higher in Infantry trainees than Army Standard Entrants undertaking a less physically arduous course.
• The risk of medical discharge was twofold higher in female than male Army trainees, with this risk markedly increased by injuries of the hip.
Clearly the challenge to the RAPTC should not be understated and will require a strict and meticulous approach to progressive conditioning. Fortunately the (WGCC) project has been well resourced and the research has produced clear evidence based guidance to PTIs on what is required. Without doubt musculoskeletal health through correct movement and strength is a key feature.
Coupled with the WGCC project is investment in producing new legally defendable, age and gender free vocational employment standards termed Physical Employment Standards (PES). Legally PES have to be representative of the job that individuals perform, and each test has to be scienti cally
validated against the most physically demanding tasks which they undertake. This research was last undertaken during the 1990s and the extant tests and standards require updating to ensure they re ect current equipment and doctrine. The Army are in the process of developing new PES, using an internationally agreed methodology, which will allow the Army to apply objective, gender and age free, role based physical standards to personnel based on their job and role. This, in turn, will ensure that the Army achieves optimal person-job t, mitigating against injury and improving operational tness. PES for ground close combat roles is due to deliver by the end of 2018 with PES for the rest of Army delivering by 2021. This will see a new AFT that will be more complex and measure several components of tness that are compatible with contemporary trade speci c employment both on and off operations.
Heat Injury
Implementing additional safety measures to prevent heat injuries during endurance activities and in particularly the AFT has consumed much of my time during my tenure. The Army can no longer afford unnecessary and avoidable injuries for a raft of reasons and particularly when it is trying to maximise talent and have as many people as possible fully t to deploy. There are thousands of well-planned and perfectly safe AFTs conducted annually in the Army however in isolated cases policy is not followed and serious incidents can and do occur. New and tighter policy is now written in MATT2 that should reduce the chances of further incidents and critically ensure the senior of cer present on the activity takes overall responsibility for the safety of their soldiers.
HEADQUARTERS REGIONAL COMMAND
Maj (MAA) Ian Phillips SO2 Physical Training