Intermediate National Guard Cadet Course

Introduction

The Intermediate National Guard Cadet Course is designed to provide you with information on one subject related to the Army, and two subjects related to both the Army and Air Force (given the National Guard's status as a reserve force for both the Army and Air Force), as well as one subject related to the ROTTWEILER Corps to give you the information you need to be successful as a ROTTWEILER National Guard Cadet. The information provided on this page will prepare you for your course test.

Each lesson below will cover one of the 4 subjects and there will be questions on the rank test which reflect on each lesson, so make sure to pay close attention. 

Once you are ready click on the TAKE THE TEST link, and you will be directed to the Intermediate National Guard Cadet Course Test. When you have completed the course test, you will be notified by email of your results on the test and whether or not you have passed. In order to pass the test you must get a minimum of 7 out of the 10 questions correct.

In order to be promoted to Private (NG), you must pass this course, complete a level 1 trade and have completed 14 days time in rank as a Cadet.

Lesson One: Advanced Harbour Drills and Camouflage

Advanced Harbour Drills

A patrol harbour is a position established to provide security when a patrol halts for an extended period. Possible reasons for the establishment of the harbour are:

1. To avoid detection.

2. To lie up whilst a detailed recce of an objective is made prior to the formation of a final plan and issue of detailed orders.

3. To form a base from which operations can be mounted e.g. attack, ambush, recce, or establishing OPs.

4. To provide an RV after infiltration into an enemy area by small groups, or after withdrawing from such an area.

5. To provide security for an administrate halt after long periods of movement or close contact.

Stage 1: Selection

The selection of a harbour area can be done from a map, an air photograph, aerial recce, or on the ground. The detailed sighting must be confirmed by a recce and the area secured before occupation.

In selecting an area, the following points are used:

1. Mission. The harbour must be located so that it best enables the patrol to accomplish its task.

2. Location. Choose an area which can be easily defended, where there is dense vegetation, to provide cover from the ground and from the air, Away from human habitation and areas regularly used by civilians, with access to a source of water, with reasonable routes in and out, where communications are good.

3. Avoid. An obvious position, Ridge lines or crests which may be used as routes, Roads, tracks, etc. Wet areas, steep slopes and small valleys.

Stage 2: Occupation

This should be carried out using hand signals with a minimum of noise. Variations are many, a basic method is:

• The platoon halts short of the selected area. It should break track and lay an ambush on its previous route, to engage any enemy patrol following the platoon.

• The platoon commander and his recce party (section commanders and at least one guide) go forward to site the harbour in detail. The "platoon Sergeant" remains with the platoon.

• On arrival at the site, the following tasks are as done:

• The Platoon Commander, points out the platoon HQ position and the location of the 6 and 12o'clock positions. 

• The Platoon Commander's and Section Commander's site the section areas, particularly the LSW positions.

• The perimeter wire is laid to ensure that the sides of the triangle are straight when the platoon occupies the harbour.

• On completion of the recce, a Section Commander and at least one guide are sent back to bring in the platoon. The platoon is led into the harbour area in single file.

• Sections are met by their section commanders at the apex of the section's location and each cadet is shown their position and given their arc.

• This ensures that there is an LSW at each corner of the triangle, no noise and the track plan is identified.

• Once positioned by his Section Commander, each cadet removes their pack and adopts a fire position for their arc.

• Section Commanders should position themselves centrally so that they can see the Platoon Commander and their own 2IC.

• The Platoon Commander should check the perimeter to ensure cohesions between sections. Each Section Commander meets him at his corner LSW position; any minor adjustments to the layout of the harbour can be made at this stage.

Stage 3: Clearance Patrols

• On a signal from the platoon commander, each section sends out a clearance patrol to cover their own section's arc. The rest of the sections remain "stood to".

• The section commander or 2IC and one or two men move out through the neighbouring section's LSW position. They go out to the limit of visibility and sound, then turn and move along their own section's frontage. This drill ensures that the section arc is fully covered. The clearance patrol then returns through their own section's LSW position. In this way all tracks into the position are covered by an LSW position.

• Clearance patrols should detect and report to the platoon commander:

• Signs of recent enemy activity.

• Possible enemy approach routes.

• Unexpected obstacles (i.e. mines and ravines)

• Streams and dominating ground.

• Possible ERV (Emergency RV) locations.

• If a thorough initial reconnaissance has been conducted, it may occasionally not be necessary to send out clearance patrols immediately after the occupation, particularly at night. 

• If there is not much time between occupation and last light, platoon commanders may consider dispensing with clearance patrols. However, if the patrol is to remain in its harbour during the following day, clearance patrols must be sent out at first light. 

Stage 4: Sentries

Once clearance patrols have been completed, sentries should be posted. Points to note are:

1. Sentries should be posted beyond the limit of noise from the harbour (to avoid distraction and to alert the platoon before any enemy hear the harbour).

2. One sentry per section posted in depth will normally suffice.

3. The sentries are to act as early warning of any enemy approach.

4. They should be armed with rifles but fire only in self defence. Their withdrawal route back to the harbour should be via the LSW position and be clearly understood by all. 

5. Communication between sentries and the LSW positions must be established. This should include use of comms cord.

6. The sentries are located outside the harbour only during working routine.

7. By night, sentries will normally consist of staggered double manning of the corner LSWs. The double manning provides continuity at the sentry position allows one sentry to fetch the relief and reduces the chances of sleeping sentry. 

Stage 5: Work Routine

Once sentries are posted, work begins to strengthen the harbour. Tasks include

1. Preparation of stand-to positions and fields of fire, construction of shell scrapes and the positioning of warning devices (e.g. trip flares)

2. Preparation of a path to allow silent movement round the position.

3. Shell scrapes should be on the outside edge of the path. Soldiers should live in and fight from their shell scrapes. Wire should be laid just inside the shell scrapes to mark the path and prevent accidental movement outside the harbour at night. This is lowered during daylight hours.

4. Laying of communications cord from sentries to LSW positions and/or section commanders, and from section commanders to platoon commanders.

5. Positioning of shelters. These are erected over shell scrapes at last light and taken down before first light. They may be erected in poor weather at the platoon commander's discretion.

Confirmatory orders by the platoon commander to establish an operational and administrative routine. The points are as for routine in defence and include:

• Future operations (i.e. patrols)

• Alarm and stand to system (and its rehearsals)

• Orders for opening fire and defence of harbour.

• Location of platoon ERV.

• Sentry roster.

• Resupply

• Sleeping and Feeding

• Track discipline.

• Staggered cleaning of weapons.

• Latrines these should be within the perimeter of the harbour or outside within the sentries arcs. 

Stage 6: Security

The platoon commander must ensure;

1. Sentries are correctly posted and briefed.

2. Good communications with sentries to ensure early warning of enemy approach.

3. All round defence is maintained.

4. Good patrol discipline is maintained.

Points to include:

1. Correct Camouflage.

2. No lights, smells or unnecessary noise.

3. Webbing worn and weapons carried at all times. Kit not in use to be packed away.

4. The harbour is as compact as possible

5. Clearance patrols are sent out at first and last light.

6. All movement into the harbour is done through 6 o'clock or along the route taken during the occupation. Precautions must be taken to counter possible enemy follow up of own patrols.

Camouflage and Concealment

In the battle to remain as unseen as possible by the opposition, Army's of the world use Camouflage (A way to make the body and objects less visible through paint or other means) and Concealment (Making sure as little of a person or object as reasonably possible is seen). Warfare is no longer restricted to the Trenches on fields or fighting in woods, in recent conflicts such as the Gulf War, the main theatre of war has been the "Urban" (Town/City) warzone. Because of colour/shape differences it becomes obvious that different types of Camouflage and Concealment are required for different areas of operations.

This lesson will deal with basics and not extend into the depth that a regular Army soldier would be required to know but rather enough so that the basic concepts are grasped.

There are six (6) main considerations when deciding on a scheme for camouflage and concealment. These are Shape, Shine, Shadow, Sound, Movement and Colour.

Shape:

In the natural environment you will notice that almost nothing is Triangular, Square or even indeed symmetrical, there is a severe absence of these shapes in nature. The most recognisable shape in Nature is the Human being so the first priority is to break up the shape of the body and thus making it blend in with its surroundings, thus being unseen! Wearing DPM (Disruptive Pattern Material) will break up your shape and blend you into the background, an example of this can be seen below as the C95 camouflage that the British and many other forces use, as in the picture below you can see techniques have become very complicated and the C95's below are two tone in order to change with the environment for less viability!

It is also important to stay away from the skyline as you become "framed" and visible if you are set against the sky, therefore it is best to look round, not over objects and to keep away from the tops of hills/peaks of mountains to avoid being seen against the sky!

Shine:

Skin shines! This is from the sun reflecting off your skin and this can be seen very easily and therefore needs reducing! Wear clothes covering most of your body (Gloves, long shirt tops, trousers, boots) and ensure that the clothes are camouflaged correctly (no Jungle Camouflage in Antarctica!!) to eradicate the shine off of your clothes. The little skin remaining can have shine reduced by wearing "Cammo Paint" or even dunk your head in mud! (I guess you'll be taking the paint...). Now remember to ensure that you do not wear any items with any shine, and if you do cover it with mud (yes even your parade boots if you're wearing them!) to eradicate the shine.

Shadow:

You need to constantly be aware of where your shadow is, or it will betray you. If you are hiding behind a few meters behind a bush and the sun is to your one of your sides, and someone is on the other side of that bush, they will see your shadow behind the shadow of the bush. The best way to deal with this is to get into shadow that is already there and get as low as possible. This will eliminate almost all of your shadow.

Sound:

Keep it to a minimum, use hand signals and covert Morse or another means of transmitting messages to your team mates.

Movement:

If you are hiding, keep as still as you can. Take long, deep, controlled breaths, move absolutely nothing. The human eye will immediately pick up movement (thousands of years ago this was to save us from ambushes from undesirable beasts) and you will be caught!! Therefore get comfortable before you settle down. If you have an itch, don't scratch it, after all there maybe someone else who is hidden and looking for you. Move only when you are sure that there are no enemy in the surrounding area. Movement will also scare the wildlife. It will either make them very, very loud, or quiet, too quiet.

Colour:

If you are in a temperate environment wear greens and browns, if you are in the desert, wear yellows, pinks (The SAS paint their land rovers pink in the desert) and whites. Arctic conditions call for mainly white.

Using these Simple Rules and Techniques you can stay reasonably unseen by the human eye, good luck!

Lesson Two: Building a Shelter

Building a place to sleep overnight under the stars can be a lot of fun when you know you have a warm bed to go home to in a night or so. However building a shelter in a real survival situation is an important activity as your shelter will not be used only as a place to put your head for the night. This skill is equally as important for airmen/aircraftsmen as it is for soldiers, since a pilot or airman may find himself shot down or without an aircraft and has to learn to survive in harsh field conditions. A National Guardsman, then, as a part of both the Army and Air Force reserves, must master the skill of building shelters to survive.

A shelter has many important functions. Protection from the elements, wind, rain and storms, sun and heat is going to improve your chances of survival. Your shelter is also going to provide a place to store and keep equipment dry. Building a proper shelter will make you feel that you have a place that can be called home. Having a place to call home in the middle of nowhere will provide a feeling of security and warmth. Finally, a shelter can be a sign of life to any rescue and search teams looking for you.

CONSIDERATIONS WHEN CONSTRUCTING A SHELTER

Where is the best place to build a shelter? The shelter should be close to:

• firewood

• building materials

• water

• a clear area to make signals

• food sources.

You should look for the following hazards when building a shelter

• overhead threats

• rock and landslides

• trees that are unstable or rotting

• swampy terrain

• tides (coastal areas)

• flash floods caused by river swell

To make your stay comfortable and make your survival camp as effective and efficient as possible, look for a level area on which to build a shelter. The terrain should be appropriate for a good fire base as well. Consider the predominant direction of wind. The open end of your shelter should face away from the wind. If you can find an area with a pleasant view, pitch camp; it will improve your morale.

TYPES OF SHELTERS

1. Lean-to

The lean-to is an excellent shelter, even in winter, since any fire can be used in front of the opening. With a low mouth, a depth of no more than a sleeping bag, and the full length of the body exposed to the fire, a person can be surprisingly comfortable in the coldest of weather. It is possible to build a shelter of this type to house several people, but it is not nearly as comfortable sleeping with your head or feet facing the fire as it is sleeping crosswise.

When constructing a lean-to, find two trees 2 to 3 metres (7 to 9 feet) apart, with fairly firm, level ground between them. The distance between the trees will be the length of the opening of the lean-to, although it is possible to reduce the size of the opening by placing boughs along the edges for added protection. The number of people requiring shelter will determine the size of your lean-to. When constructing for one person, the lean-to should be long enough for the person to sleep across the open mouth of the shelter. If you have to share you should plan to sleep lengthwise.

Collect approximately eight branches, 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3 inches) in diameter and 2 metres (6 feet) in length to serve as the pole framework for the lean-to. Find a longer pole to serve as the crossbar for your lean-to. Lace and tie off each end at chest height between the two trees you picked out. Look for natural notches in the tree that will support the pole. Remember that the steeper the slope angle of the roof the better it will shed rain and snow and reflect heat from the fire. A 45-degree slope angle is generally considered to provide enough room inside. A 45-degree slope angle is also considered adequate to shed the rain. Lean the other poles against the crossbar spreading them evenly.

Lesson Three: Radio Communication

Radio Communication in the Army

Radio Communication is an invaluable resource to an Army at war. It means that information can be passed across distances without risking lives with messengers. However there are also risks associated with it such as the enemy being able to hear what the side is communicating, also on a Radio Net more than one person is typically part of the System and also interference may happen making the radio messages hard to understand, for this reason there are procedures that must be learnt.

Being Heard Clearly:

Voice messages are to be sent in a way that makes them readily understood. Unless attention is paid to the manner of speech and the position of the microphone, transmission will be unsatisfactory and time will be wasted in calling for repetitions and corrections. Remember to hold the microphone close to the mouth. Speech will be more easily understood if the following rules are obeyed:

1. RHYTHM : Keep a natural rhythm. Divide messages into sensible phrases.

2. SPEED : Slightly slower than normal conversation.

3. VOLUME : As for normal conversation. Shouting causes over modulation which results in distorted signal.

4. PITCH : The voice should be pitched higher than usual

You can remember these factors using the word "RSVP".

The Phonetic Alphabet is also used to spell out letters and when the pronunciation of a word may be misunderstood to aid the listener in interpreting the message. We will examine the Phonetic Alphabet when we look at Radio Communication in the Air Force.

Radio Communication in the Air Force

In the Air Force pilots communicate with each other as well as Air Traffic Controllers and superiors using radio communication, so as a member of the Air Force and just somebody interested in Aviation in general it is important to understand what they are saying. While all aviation radio communication officially takes place in the English language, that doesn't mean it will make sense to the untrained ear. In this lesson we will be covering some of the basics of radio communication as it relates to aviation.

Phonetic Alphabet 

When spelling letters or acronyms over the radio it is easy for the person on the other end to mis-interpret what you are trying to say. I am sure that even in your regular talking with somebody face to face that people have misheard you, thinking that you said 'D' instead of 'B' and so on. In order to ensure that this doesn't happen when communicating over the radio there is a phonetic alphabet with specific words for each letter of the alphabet. While there are different variations of this around the world the following chart breaks down the Phonetic Alphabet used by NATO forces:

Radio Frequencies

Each airport has its own radio frequency, and larger airports have several different frequencies, for planes which are approaching, those near the airport, and those on the ground. When a pilot wishes to talk to the air traffic controllers at the airport, he or she simply sets the radio to this frequency, and only someone else on the same radio frequency will be able to hear the conversation. This prevents too much overcrowding on the airwaves. If the pilot needs to talk to someone else on another frequency, he will let ATC know he is leaving their frequency, adjust his radio, and talk to someone else.

Terminology 

 All that stuff you hear pilots saying over the radio really isn't gibberish after all and we are going to go over a couple of the important terms used that you may not be familiar with below:

Squawk: The origin of this rather odd term goes back to World War 2 and a radar beacon system called IFF (Identification, Friend or Foe). Allied aircraft were equipped with transmitters that replied to radar sweeps with a sound similar to a parrot's squawk. Today the term is used by controllers and pilots alike to indicate that the transponder is on and that a certain four digit code should be, or has been, dialled in. If a controller asks you to 'squawk two zero five six' (or any code), he wants you to enter those digits in the transponder. That is not an instruction to 'ident' however. If you're squawking a code other than 1200 and are later told to 'squawk VFR' it means to change the code back to 1200.

Ident:When a controller says, 'Cherokee Six One Tango, indent' he or she wants you to push the little IDENT button so that he can more positively identify your aircraft. But push the button only once and only momentarily. Usually, but not always, after the radar target changes shape, the controller will come back to you with, 'Cherokee Six One Tango, radar contact,' or 'Ident received.' Then it's appropriate to acknowledge with 'Roger, Cherokee Six One Tango.' On the other hand, when asked to ident, you don't have to reply with, 'Roger, Cherokee Six One Tango identing.

Transponder Codes

So above you have 2 terms that relate to Transponder Codes and identifying the aircraft with the ground or other parties. Below are some more terms that you may or may not be aware of, along with their definitions.

Acknowledge: Let me know that you have received and understood this message.

Affirmative: Yes, or permission granted.

Break: Indicates the separation between points of the message (this is used when there is no clear distinction between the text and other portions of the message).

Channel: A descriptive word used before a saying the frequency number. Used when instructing another party to change to a specific frequency (referred to over the radio as a channel) or to inform another party which channel you are changing to.

Cleared: Authorized to proceed under the conditions specified.

Confirm: Pretty straight forward. You state what you believe you have heard and ask the other party you are communicating with to confirm that you are correct.

Correction: An error has been made in the transmission, the correct version is...

Disregard: Ignore the transmission specified. Act as if it wasn't sent.

Go Ahead: Proceed with your message.

Mayday: The spoken word for distress communications. Used when you are in trouble.

Mayday Relay: The spoken word for the distress relay signal. You are relaying a distress call that you received to those who can do something about it, or pass it on.

Monitor: Listen on the frequency specified after the word monitor.

Negative: No, or that is not correct, or I do not agree.

Out: Conversation is ended and no response is expected.

Over: My transmission is ended and I expect a response from you.

Pan Pan: The spoken word for Urgent communications.

Read Back: Repeat all of this message back to me exactly as received after I have given 'OVER' (do not use the word 'REPEAT')

Roger: I have received all of your last transmission.

Roger Number: I have received your message number (insert number here).

Say Again: Self-explanatory (Do NOT used the word REPEAT)

Stand By: I must pause for a few seconds or minutes, please wait.

Verify: Check and confirm that the information you are sending is correct.

Wilco: Your instructions are received, understood and will be followed.

Starting to sound less like gibberish? Well we have only made a small dent into Radio Communication, as there is a lot to know, especially when it comes to aviation, however you should now have a general idea of how to communicate using radio communication.