RS Jnr Cmdr Cse (TA)

[bibo_boy]

OK, I'll say it then......

woooooooooow, Im glad that's over!

2 weeks of beasting from the boys at 4 mil (lot's of 216 and 264)

Hardest course I've been on. 32 guy's were due to start, 14 finished......

A great course run by some good guy's, about time this had a change and man are some people in for a surprize!!!!

Grab your bergen and start running now!

 

[The-Daddy]

Royal Signals and beasting? Shurley shome mishtake!?

 

[Boney2728]

BB , You managed to find Blandford OK then ?

 

[RP578]

Great. I was already nervous about going. Now I'm petrified!

Bibo Boy, the beastings apart did you learn/gain much from the course? I'm on the April course so any tips are good. Cheers!

 

[polar]

Hardest course I've been on. 32 guy's were due to start, 14 finished......

That is absolutely disgusting, was this down to phys (which is not a Training Objective of the course)

A great course run by some good guy's, about time this had a change and man are some people in for a surprize!!!!

From what your saying, it seems its returned back to the old style course, away from its brief attempt from trying to match the TO's.

So do you know how to defend a comm site, interlocking arc's, latrines, trenches, sangars, camm etc

Or can you now do infantry section attacks (how many VC's has the corps won, which sort of states what sort of training we should be doing).

 

[Boney2728]

Totally agree with Polar, When i went down there the emphasis was on LEARNING and not being Beasted left right and centre . OK you had to be fit and there was plenty of phys but from what i can remember out of a course of 32 students only 4 got RTUed . Which in my mind means the instructors acheived their aim of getting most people through the course.
Still the toughest course i ever done though..

 

[polar]

Still the toughest course i ever done though..

Wait till you do ur Sgts CLM (SSgts course is going)

I did infantry courses for all of my first 3 tapes and did no phys at all (was Inf Sigs for first two and Mortars for my 3rd)

 

[bibo_boy]

Boney yep found it fine...... lol

Polar, it was hard partialy because of phys on the PLDs (apparently lots more than previously and im a fat old knacker now) but also because I'd not done a course that involved no sleep for days whilst working flatout on defences (similar to previous cse).

I think the course was great.... they removed the large chunks of the old cse and replaced them with stuff more OPTAG focused subjects.

I think the extra phys and inf stuff is justified as most of us will end up doing some sort of Force Protection if deployed regardless of badge?

 

[polar]

I'd not done a course that involved no sleep for days whilst working flatout on defences (similar to previous cse).

replaced them with stuff more OPTAG focused subjects.

I think I may need to take back my previous comments.

My biggest worry now, is that I'm now outdated, their is nothing in the system that trains me in OPTAG focused subjects or even tell me what they are
Did they try to get people onto the new (mil skills) instructor course? If so whats its title and any clues when its running

 

[bibo_boy]

Sorry no idea on Instructor Cse?

All I know is understanding how to do a better quality "about turn on the march" etc. isn't gonna help if Im being shot at?

Note: Im not slagging drill b4 anyone starts that!

 

[bibo_boy]

Great. I was already nervous about going. Now I'm petrified!

Bibo Boy, the beastings apart did you learn/gain much from the course? I'm on the April course so any tips are good. Cheers!

Don't worry.... Just keep going when your sure you can't carry on and you'll be fine.

I learnt loads!!!!! Orders (now fully), Defence of a location and never just say yes when asked to go on next cse!

 

[fozzy]

I'd not done a course that involved no sleep for days whilst working flatout on defences (similar to previous cse).

replaced them with stuff more OPTAG focused subjects.

I think I may need to take back my previous comments.

My biggest worry now, is that I'm now outdated, their is nothing in the system that trains me in OPTAG focused subjects or even tell me what they are
Did they try to get people onto the new (mil skills) instructor course? If so whats its title and any clues when its running

Massive POR feedback has meant that the skills taught at 4 Sqn are at last inline with the current operational situation that guys are finding theirselves in - not 1 (BR) Corps of 30 years ago.

The Close Combat Skills package is now suppose to sharpen up all of us in the Corps - as the old RCZ doesn't exist anymore. The instructor package is open to TA as well as Regulars.

I suggest you phone 4 Sqn and ask for details of the Close Combat Skills course - as they teach it. You have to be SAA qualified to attend.

 

[polar]

You have to be SAA qualified to attend.

Dooh!

Bibo, can you expand on the failures as I doubt very much I'll get feedback via the establishment.

As a guess I'd put it down to phys, probably its also a combination of white fleet comms exercises and tactical non comms exercises (i.e. soldiers have no experience of defending a comms site esp 2 (NC) Sig Bde soldiers).

I always though 'Train Hard Fight Easy' was good motto, i.e. we do tactical comms exercises never spliting them up - regional Brigade Close Support Signal Squadrons train as Infantry Bde Signal Squadrons, its good for both general training and RETENTION

 

[witchcraft]

You have to be SAA qualified to attend.

Dooh!

Bibo, can you expand on the failures as I doubt very much I'll get feedback via the establishment.

As a guess I'd put it down to phys, probably its also a combination of white fleet comms exercises and tactical non comms exercises (i.e. soldiers have no experience of defending a comms site esp 2 (NC) Sig Bde soldiers).

Arguably that isn't a Bde issue, it is a Sqn and/or Regt'l trg issue, there are very "green and warry" sub units in the Bde and at least one whole major unit.

 

[polar]

Arguably that isn't a Bde issue, it is a Sqn and/or Regt'l trg issue

Yes and its not just the Bde, the splitting of training in seperarte comms and infantry exercises happened in my old unit (part of 11 Sig Bde) and I believe occurs in regular units.

 

[bibo_boy]

Polar,

Most of the people RTU'd themselves for various reasons following PLD's or anything phys related.... make of that what you will? I will openly admit I thought about it twice. Once during the first PLD and second on the last day of the final ex. when I thought I had nothing left and still had to lead a section.

As part of 2NC, I have never done any serious defence of a comms site work, Im guessing due to lack of places to do it and materials (and man power!).

The thing is as Home defence is our man remit, do we not have conflicts in how we train?

I think if have a commitment to the men and women on the grnd to train them in the role they more lightly will encounter. What is the greater threat? Being called up to defend local facilities or stagging on in some dusty hell hole?

 

[polar]

Whats a PLD?

 

[polar]

The thing is as Home defence is our man remit, do we not have conflicts in how we train?

Not really, place comms dets on military areas and get them carrying rifles, webbing and cam. Bigger locations start posting sentries etc. The problem have is we are moving too far a normal soldier tasks and I would be concerned the jump a soldier has to make once mobilised is huge.
Getting those soldiers to not take a rifle when deployed for real (on UK Ops) isn't hard to unlearn quickly.

 

[bibo_boy]

Whats a PLD?

Personal Leadership Development = Beasting to see if you lead people

 

[CaptainPlume]

Polar wrote:

their is nothing in the system that trains me in OPTAG focused subjects

Yes there is. It's called OPTAG and one gets it before going on Ops, as I'm sure you know.

While my Op Service & FTRS has not been cap-badge dependant most of the R Signals Juniors & Seniors I know have gone in role so I'd hope the trade skills were being kept up as much as the beasting/warry stuff!