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KANDAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Soldiers with Combined Task Force Spartan’s 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, conducted a series of weapons and counter-improvised explosive device training, Dec. 4, with their Afghan counterparts in a exercise designed to increase knowledge of weapons systems and ordnance recognition.
Afghan soldiers from the 3rd Company of the 1st Kandak, 3rd Brigade, 205th Corps, learned basic rifle marksmanship and fired live rounds at a weapons range near Alizi, and were then instructed in IED detection and a hands-on exercise.
Marksmen-qualified soldiers from the 1-32 Infantry Battalion first conducted refresher training on all weapons systems, including the M4 and M16 carbine rifles and pistols. Once a safety brief was given, the Afghan soldiers practiced firing on a live-fire range, where they zeroed their weapons.
The commander of coalition forces in the area, Capt. Moises Jimenez, said the combined training illustrates the move by Spartan soldiers from a “shoulder-to-shoulder” concept to an “over-the-shoulder” concept in mentoring their Afghan counterparts.
“In the future, Attack Company’s role will slowly shift from leading training events to advising [Afghan National Security Forces] leadership within a limited capacity,” said Capt. Jimenez. “[Afghan Army] 3rd Company leadership exhibited military competency within basic rifle marksmanship fundamentals and with multiple weapons platforms.”
Later that afternoon, an attached team of explosive ordnance disposal technicians trained the Afghan soldiers on IED awareness and recognition. The Afghans trained on proper probing techniques, visual recognition of IED threats and using the Vallon mine detector.
The Vallon mine detector is a highly-effective handheld metal detector used by CTF Spartan soldiers that can detect specific ordnance items, submunitions and metal-cased mines. The detector will be issued to Afghan security forces in the future as they begin assuming responsibility for the region.
The Afghan soldiers received three blocks of instruction, gaining hands-on experience and advice from the EOD technicians.
Coalition forces soldiers used a familiar training method to ensure the Afghan soldiers were properly trained without being inundated with information.
“Attack Company leadership adopted a ‘crawl, walk, run’ training model to develop individual soldier skills, as well as develop ANSF leadership capacity,” said Jimenez. “Future training events will build on previous lessons learned.”
During the instruction in IED probing, the students used makeshift probes made from cage wiring, while learning to confirm the presence of pressure-plate IEDs. Soldiers were also able to use a counter-IED training lane that is approximately 30 feet long and four feet wide and has simulated ordnance devices hidden beneath sand and rocks for the Afghan soldiers to use their training.
| Date Taken: | 12.06.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 12.08.2011 00:42 |
| Story ID: | 81043 |
| Location: | KANDAHAR PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 76 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Afghan soldiers train on weapons familiarization and counter-IED techniques, by CPT Kevin Sandell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
