Breaching, mobility skills begin reintroduction in 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment

The training is designed to equip soldiers with the skills to conduct explosive breaching, enabling infantry to maintain momentum during urban operations and reduce delays at obstacles.

Platoon Commander 1RAR Lieutenant Eric Du Preez said the reintroduction of assault pioneer capability reduced reliance on external specialist support and increased operational flexibility.

“Engineer assets will always be in high demand in any operational context. Assault pioneers give infantry the ability to support their own operations across a broad range of tasks and work more closely alongside engineers,” LT Du Preez said.

“Assault pioneers have a long history within the Australian Army and as the focus shifts back to the near region, the importance of the capability is re-emerging.

“Following this, we’ll move into demolitions, watermanship and field engineering to cover a broader range of engineer tasks, before taking part in North Queensland Warfighter as the platoon’s first major exercise supporting battle group operations.”

Training was reportedly conducted through section battle drills to breach and clear multiple buildings while maintaining safety and required safety appointments.