Simulation Prepares Soldiers For Urban Battle

A section of new recruits are about to clear a room in the urban ops centre.

CFB Shilo, Manitoba - Infantry recruits from the Western Area Training Center (WATC) Detachment (Det) Shilo recently trained at the Urban Operation Center to gain experience fighting in urban areas.

The recruits went through a confidence course and a systematic progression of two- to four-man entries, breacher drills, corner drills and the use of extraction devices. In the end, they put it all together to work as a cohesive section within a platoon to achieve their goals in an urban setting.

"Initially we will be doing four-man team attacks," said Sergeant Cory Harik, Urban Operations OPI at WATC Det Shilo. "Then we will be moving up to a full section with section commanders and 2ICs [seconds in command] in an urban ops setting, just so the recruits can see how a full section is going to work with leadership involved inside a multi-room setting."

A new recruit jumps through a window to clear and secure the room for the remainder of the section.

Urban complexity

The clearing of rooms or buildings in an urban setting is a very complex technique. When entering a room, all individuals must know what their job and position are. They have to be aware at all times, not only for the safety of the person next to them but also for the other section members.

"It's quite a bit different from open-field infantry training," said Private Matt Wilson of WATC Det Shilo. "We're in here, usually in four-man teams, and we use the teamwork, communication and drills we've been taught to go in room by room and methodically clear a building."

The training is much better when the recruits can take what they have learned in theory and apply it in a realistic setting with simunition rounds at the urban ops facility. Simunition is a little different from the blank rounds normally used. These simunition paint-tip rounds fire in a regular C-7 rifle and leave a little paint blast on you.

Live sim rounds add realism to training

"The simunition rounds add a realistic component to the training," said Pte Wilson. "Instead of having blank rounds in our weapon, we can actually see where our rounds are hitting, and it helps us improve are drills and techniques for fighting in built-up areas."

Once the soldiers complete their urban ops training, they will move on to the final phase of the basic infantry course, unarmed combat.

Article and photos by MCpl Bern LeBlanc, Army News, CFB Shilo