Training to intensify
A NEW Australian Army combat- training centre that will better prepare soldiers for war is nearing completion at Townsville’s Lavarack Barracks.
“The Yard” was conceived by a group of 10 junior leaders from the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. Their idea was to make close- combat training as realistic to the battlefield as possible.
The $ 100,000 facility is a revamp of 1RAR’s Assault Pioneer Warehouse, and includes CCTV cameras to capture day and night vision, and recreates combat scenarios.
The Yard Platoon Commander Lieutenant Dylan Brown said the centre would expose personnel to the pressures of a mission in a controlled environment.
“What this facility allows us to do is conduct thousands of repetitions of a skill- set over and over and what that does is enhance their training as well,” Lt Brown said.
“It provides us the opportunity to rinse and repeat and improve … the way to train a skill is to repeat it over and over again perfectly.”
Personnel would have their training digitally recorded in the warehouse before heading over to the debrief room to review themselves and have their decision making processes evaluated.
Commanding Officer of 1RAR Lieutenant Colonel Ben McLennan said replicating the “ugly realism” of combat would build their preparedness.
“It’s making it as challenging as possible so it creates a pre- combat veteran. It’s something that we’ve simulated beforehand and becomes muscle- memory,” Lt- Colonel McLennan said.
“Innovation for us is constantly reviewing how we do things, how we train, how we fight, how we think for combat which takes a lot of effort and a degree of courage … it’s reflecting on and looking at the science of war and how to prepare.”
Lt Brown said 1RAR’s centre had already spiked the interest of other 3rd Brigade units, and battalions belonging to other brigades.
The facility was proposed to and then endorsed by Army Headquarters, which encouraged the idea.
“Army Headquarters has supported us throughout the entire process … grassroots level ideas can gain traction in the army and this is a facility that’s been created by Diggers for Diggers,” Lt Brown said.
The Yard is due to be completed by mid- September.