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Army has lifted the lid on the latest challenge thrown at the Regimental Officer Basic Course cohort, as they sought formal recognition in their respective fields at the School of Infantry.
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As part of the course carried out at Singleton’s Lone Pine Barracks (NSW), the graduating class were expected to undergo realistic urban warfare training, relying on cutting-edge Blue Bolt non-lethal ammunition.
Working in partnership with Army Headquarters, School of Infantry has been able to qualify around 90 personnel who can now cross-pollinate into battalions and build an instructor base.
Further test and evaluation trials are scheduled for September and, based on their success, will then be rolled out across Army.
Colonel David McCammon, Commandant of the Combined Arms Training Centre (CATC), said the implementation of realistic and challenging training was the right way to prepare future leaders.
“CATC is focused on delivering training that strengthens a soldier’s combat mindset,” said COL McCammon.
“While the training is tough, it mirrors the demands of leading soldiers on a battlefield.Training such as this ensures that our soldiers are ready to fight and win the land battle, now and under the demands of future warfare.”
NLTA training also proved popular with the graduating class. According to Lieutenant Ethan Strunks, NLTA training provides many advantages.
“What blanks can’t simulate, like taking a casualty in the battlefield, NLTA can. This gives us the opportunity to fight force-on-force rather than just against targets,” LT Strunks said.
The Combined Arms Training Centre (CATC) is an Australian Army training establishment that is part of Forces Command. The centre was established in 1998–1999, in the mould of the Army Logistic Training Centre, to group the individual schools of the Army's combat corps – armour, artillery, engineers and infantry – under a single, coordinated command.
Two of the CATC's constituent schools – the School of Artillery and the School of Armour are are co-located with HQ CATC at Puckapunyal, while the School of Infantry is located at Lone Pine Barracks at Singleton, New South Wales, and the School of Military Engineering is located at Holsworthy Barracks in the Liverpool Military Area.
