16RWAR gets grip on urban training By WO2 Wayne Ryan
Edition 1172, August 9, 2007
No time for a rest: Cpl Sean Sibly drags a casualty from the urban training exercise at RAAF Base Pearce. Photo by WO2 Wayne Ryan
EXPLOSIVE entries were all the rage at RAAF Base Pearce when soldiers from 16RWAR conducted urban operations training there.
About 90 Karrakatta-based soldiers attended a two-day course from June 16-17.
They took advantage of the fact that two buildings are scheduled for demolition under RAAF Base Pearce’s multi-million dollar redevelopment plan, which allowed the soldiers to deliver a few hard knocks of their own.
Soldiers were drilled on entering and clearing buildings by day and night, and were also taught why they would use breaching explosives.
Instructor WO2 Adam Gillies said urban training for soldiers was of growing importance.
“The increased population and accelerated growth of cities have made learning to address the problems of combat in built-up areas an urgent requirement,” WO2 Gillies said.
“And urban areas are expected to be the future battlefields – this means combat in urban areas cannot be avoided.”
He said urban training was an extension of the education all soldiers should have for all types of battlefields.
“Training soldiers for any situation is our main aim, be it in bush, jungle or in the streets going from one building to the next,” he said.
