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Sig
Mel Parker, AFG, practices a knife disarm controlling technique
on OCdt Derek Sonogan, ADFA, during the Military Self Defence
(MSD) course held at ADFA recently. Photo by LACW Simone
Liebelt, Air Force News.
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Defending
thy self
By
LACW Simone Liebelt
ARMY members honed their defensive skills in a new tri-service Military
Self Defence (MSD) course at ADFA from September 29 to October 3.
Sponsored
by the Special Forces Training Centre (SFTC), MSD is a subset of
the Close Quarter Fighting skills that allow ADF members to deal
with personal contact in a range of operational scenarios.
More
than 50 ADF members, half of whom were Army, participated in the
intensive one-week course, which was introduced following two successful
pilot courses last year.
MSD
is physically and mentally challenging and teaches simple capture
and control techniques using the law of armed conflict, the rules
of engagement and civilian and UN laws relating to self defence.
"We
take a person that doesn't know any form of self-defence and train
them, so at the end of the course, they can defend themselves while
either armed or unarmed," MSD Supervisor Maj Travis Faure said.
"Using
basic motor skill techniques, including striking, throwing and locking,
they can block the line of attack to overcome an opponent without
harming them."
The
competency-based course is flexible in delivery and can tailor-meet
unit commander's objectives from a range of non-lethal subjects.
It is suitable for employment by all members of the ADF.
Volunteer
instructors from all three services helped SFTC develop the course,
which uses a range of operational scenarios to test student's skills
in a controlled attack environment.
"We
may devise a scenario situation using an Army checkpoint, where
an intruder becomes violent after trying to gain access.
"The
students would then have to respond by using their voice and hand
techniques to gain compliance and take control of the situation,"
MAJ Faure said.
On
successful completion of the course, members who demonstrate certain
attributes may be invited to attend a future MSD instructor's course.
A new
website is currently under construction, which will contain details
on all future MSD courses and training for instructors, students
and commanders, and can be found at http://intranet.defence.gov.au/armyweb/sites/cqf_msd
- For
further information on MSD, contact Capt Gary Bergman, SFTC on
(02) 6570 3211.
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