ZNA sticks to its guns on training

THE Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) will continue offering training for its members with or without adequate resources as skills development is a continuous process, a senior officer has said.

In his address to mark the conclusion of the Inter-Formations Recce Platoon Competition at Wafa Wafa Training Camp in Kariba last week, Chief of Staff General Staff Major-General Davis Sigauke said ZNA troops’ level of training continues to improve despite harsh economic conditions being experienced across Zimbabwe.

The Inter-Formation Recce Platoon Competition is a key training exercise with the primary objective of evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of the Recce platoons with the ZNA.

The soldiers were tested in a number of skills including bush craft, tracking skills, individual memory, first aid, map reading, voice procedure, Recce skills, observation post, fieldcraft and watermanship.

“Reconnaissance training forms the backbone and critical aspect of any operational success. The importance of timely, accurate and relevant battlefield information to commanders at all levels cannot be overemphasised hence the importance attached to this event,” Major-General Sigauke said.

The competitions also ensure that Recce platoons across all ZNA formations continue to master and practise the fundamentals of reconnaissance and enhance proficiency in surveillance, target acquisition, equipment identification while building the troops’ endurance capacity.

Coincidentally, two soldiers participating in the exercise survived two attacks from a hippopotamus and a snake.

“The attack on some of your members by the hippopotamus and snake, while regrettable, also served to highlight the real situation that Recce troops encounter on the battlefield.

“Reconnaissance troops by nature should be innovative and creative. Always remember that the ZNA’s training effort is premised on the maxim ‘We train as we shall fight’.

“Our operational experiences in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo and elsewhere have amply shown us that there is a nexus between realistic, battle-focused training and success on the battlefield.”