Page 184 - The Bugle 2018

DUNDURN IS
IDEAL FOR
TRAINING
SNIPERS DUE
TO ITS OPEN,
ROLLING
TERRAIN
THAT IS LIGHTLY COVERED WITH THICK BRUSH AND PATCHES OF LOW FOREST
field training exercises: a 10 day patrol school, a five day exercise on reconnaissance operations (Ex REALITY CHECK) in Shilo, and a five day exercise on surveillance operations (Ex SILENT WATCH) in Minaki, Ontario. The final task was tracking an enemy detachment, and an escape and evasion exercise.
A large focus of the course was on battle procedure and orders extraction and delivery. Those who were successful on BRP 1703 can confidently deliver section orders for both reconnaissance and surveillance tasks.
The Basic Reconnaissance Patrolman course is physically and mentally challenging and requires high levels of preparation in both these domains. The 13 successful candidates of BRP 1703 are intelligent, motivated, and resilient patrolmen who have proven their mettle throughout the course.
1st Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Basic Sniper Course
The 1 CMBG BSC is conducted each year at Det Dundurn, a small training area near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Dundurn is ideal for training snipers due to its open, rolling terrain that is lightly covered with thick brush and patches of low forest. To avoid being detected, sniper candidates are required to finely hone their fieldcraft to avoid being spotted by instructors in the observation role or opposing force personnel. As a result, 1 CMBG snipers develop high levels of proficiency and confidence in the details of sniper skill sets.
Staff from across the brigade met at Det Dundurn one week before the candidates arrived to conduct instructor standardization training, prepare the stores and quarters for the beginning of course, and complete a confirmatory reconnaissance for each of the field training events. Upon arrival, the candidates moved directly into one week of theory training, followed by their introduction to live fire ranges on the short range sniper weapon, and field training events that would be assessed later on in the course. Training was challenging, and the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate became apparent in short-order. Highlights for the candidates included live fire practice stalks and a joint training day with the Saskatoon Police Service Canine Unit, where the candidates learned about tracking and how to reduce their discoverable signature in a tactical setting.
About one third of the way through the course, the candidates had their first
hard assessments on determining distance and observation: These skillsets represent the core abilities a sniper needs to be effective. Those who were successful began two weeks of challenging training and assessments in shooting and spotting, developing their ability to work in teams, commu- nicate effectively with their counterparts, and finally prepare for the stalk phase, which was a major assessment.
Throughout the course the candidates were constantly improving their stalking skills through exercises like concealments, short stalks, and finally long stalks. Staff and candidates spent many hours conducting detailed after action reviews (AAR) in order to ensure that candidates had an intimate understanding of what it would take for each of them to be successful. Further, each candidate was instructed to make an AAR log book, so they could track their progress and watch for patterns as the exercises progressed in difficulty. As a result, once the assessed stalks began, the candidates were set up for success, with detailed knowledge of what their strengths and weaknesses were. The stalking assessments were progressive in their diffi- culty, peaking with stalks into an open area such as a farmer’s field, where there is little more than tall grass to provide concealment. While anyone can hide in a tree line, these exercises proved the amount of time and training that is required to move undetected in an open field while under observation.
After completing their assessed stalking exercises, the successful BSC candidates then took part in their final training exercise. After being split into three, four-man sniper dets, candidates underwent an intense five day period where they performed exercise missions ranging from material neutralization to engaging high value targets within
a brigade context. The exercise tested the prospective snipers in everything they had learned from throughout BSC as well as forcing them to draw on their skills as Basic Reconnaissance Patrolmen. After the conclusion of the exercise, 12 candidates of the original 20 took part in graduation ceremonies to help form the next generation of
Patricia Snipers.
TAPV driving through mud during testing
Members of Second Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry display the Battalion Flag
at the top of Pip Ivan
Back Row, left to right: Sergeant Chapdelaine, Major Hartwick, Master Corporal McFadden, Captain Kowalchuk, and Master Corporal Hadden. Front Row, left to right: Master Corporal Goertzen, Corporal Richardson-Guest, Corporal Gardiner, Corporal Bouchard, Sergeant Shulaev, and Master Corporal Kidson