Page 30 - Signal Summer 2019

| LEADERSHIP: INFANTRY WING |
“Loyalty Is The Core Value Driving Our Leaders”
Captain Simon Keenan, Course Coordinator at the Officer Training Wing of the Infantry School at the Military College, talks to SIGNAL about the drivers for producing tomorrow’s leaders, and the importance of developing expertise within officer training.
Captain Simon Keenan
Could you also give us a brief summary of the Infantry Training School and its structure?
The Infantry School is one of eight schools within the Military College. The role of the school is to provide the highest levels of military education and training for officers and non-commissioned officers of the DF. It is divided into three wings – The Officer Training Wing, The NCO Training Wing and The Infantry Weapons Wing. Each respective wing runs courses throughout the year with both the Officer and NCO Training Wings focusing on career and staff courses. The Officer Training Wing is also responsible for the conduct of Mission Readiness Exercises for overseas units of which four rotate through a training cycle annually. There is always a great deal of activity within the Infantry School.
With the Officer Training Wing of the Infantry School charged with honing the next generation of DF Officers in many ways, where does leadership fit in in terms of the training structure?
The Officer Training Wing (OTW) is responsible for the training of officers on completion of their cadet training and respective Corps Young Officers (YO) courses. For infantry officers, the YO
course is conducted through our wing also. The largest training commitment the Wing undertakes each year is the Junior Command and Staff Course. The stated objectives of this six- month course are:
1. To develop the officer’s knowledge of key military concepts and theories.
2. To develop the officer’s analytical and critical thinking skills.
3. To raise the officer’s self-awareness and adaptability.
4. To encourage the officer to take greater responsibility for their own learning and development.
Personally, I believe that leadership underlies each of these objectives and I encountered leadership challenges and lessons quite regularly during my time as a student in the OTW. There is of course a dedicated table of instruction devoted to the subject of leadership also. The two-week Command, Leadership and Organisational Studies (CLOS) table is always something students remark on completion of the course as something worthwhile and interesting.
With Officers expected to lead, how does the Officer Training Wing develop that in terms of both the theoretical and practical, and how are young Officers tested?
Using Huntington’s remarks on the subject of military professionalism, the officer is required to demonstrate a certain degree of expertise. This requires comprehensive study and training which does not cease on completion of cadet training or career courses such as the Junior Command and Staff Course. I believe the OTW instructional staff have developed a good balance between theoretical and practical lessons which encourage students to undertake further research on topics that interest them and reflect on subjects in their own time. I’ve previously alluded to the CLOS Table as the theoretical component which involves briefs from DF officers, HRM experts and briefings from Directorates and the General Staff. The use of student-led presentations, syndicate room discussions and encouragement of classroom discussion has resulted in a richer product, based on students’ own extensive professional experience both at home and overseas. Assessment comes in the form of essays, written examinations, oral presentations, general terrain exams and continuous assessment of students’ performance, ability and potential throughout the course.
What are the core aspects of good leadership within the organisation, from your perspective?
I have encountered excellent leaders during my career. I don’t think many organisations could compete with the end product produced by the staff in the Cadet School. While I acknowledge
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