Commander - Army Training Group
Col Kevin Burnett

28 November 2006

World-Class Individual Training
"The Heart of Ngati Tumatauenga"

The operational tempo of the New Zealand Army has increased markedly over the last 10 years or so. Operations have taken our Army from the Balkans to the South Pacific, East Timor, the Solomons and Tonga, and to the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan. During this time we have maintained “traditional” UN deployments and added others. This tempo seems unlikely to diminish in the near future and may well become the norm.

The successes that have been achieved are based, for the most part, on the professionalism and competence of the New Zealand soldier. The skill levels and the confidence displayed by our people are instilled through all aspects of Army life, and by the individual training regime in particular. The work of the Army Training Group (ATG) is key to the NZ Army’s operational capability, and is the basis of our future.

ATG has a proud history of conducting world-class individual training. The capability must be maintained and enhanced. Change will be essential to keep ATG relevant to current and future needs. But any changes based on efficiencies or expediency must be carefully scrutinised to ensure that the consequences do not undermine the strong training base that is the foundation of our Army.

It is self-evident that the strength of our Army is its people and that individual training is crucial to producing world-class soldiers. Investing in our individual training regime is therefore vital to maintain present levels of competence and to assure ourselves of a bright future – regardless of the operational tempo, commitment to the individual training regime must be maintained.

Investment takes a number of forms: organisationally the Army must continue the evolution of trades to meet the changing needs of the contemporary operational environment and the influx of new capabilities; ATG must be staffed with senior trainers who can analyse, develop, supervise, and evaluate training to assure its robustness and applicability; the best and brightest officers and NCOs must be posted to ATG to staff the schools and regimental depots to ensure the best instruction occurs and world-class soldiers are produced; Army must invest in infrastructure and provide the necessary operating funds; and units must commit to individual training by releasing personnel to attend courses in a timely fashion. All of this is more easily said than done as competing priorities and operational necessity risks diluting the training foundation.

All training conducted by ATG encourages the professional and personal development of soldiers. All courses promote technical excellence, the Army culture, and the fundamental principles of service in the NZ Army.

ATG courses advocate the following three key themes:

(1) The profession of arms: this includes the culture, ethos, and values of service. The elements of these concepts are: the military as a warfighting profession; selfless service, loyalty and honour; and courage, commitment, comradeship, and integrity (C3I). These elements are embodied in the Army’s identity as Ngati Tumatauenga.

(2) A soldier first: the principle underlying our warfighting profession is the concept that all personnel are combat soldiers, first and foremost. All soldiers must achieve excellence in regimental standards; self-discipline; skill-at-arms through the mastery of small-arms weapon handling and shooting, fieldcraft and battlecraft; and be fit to fight.

(3) Professional mastery: all soldiers must also achieve professional mastery within trade. This requires a broad understanding of the military context, detailed trade knowledge, commitment and passion for the trade and the profession. All training and activities within ATG must also recognise the NZDF strategic context and the increasing complexity of the contemporary operational environment.

The operational environment requires soldiers to be agile and adaptable, and audacious in their approach. Soldiers must also embrace the challenges of an austere environment. Individual training at ATG achieves this.

The development of soldiers who are inculcated into the culture of the NZ Army is fundamental to its professionalism and operational capability. We should all remember:

One man is much the same as another, and that he is best who is trained at the severest school – Thucydides

ATG provides the NZ Army with world-class soldiers now and into the future. Recognition of the importance of individual training and continuing investment is critical to the NZ Army.

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