News from the Top

Commander 2 LFG
COL Lofty Hayward

24 April 2007

SHOWING GOOD ATTITUDE TO LEARN

Over the last few weeks I have farewelled soldiers from ANR and the 6 Hauraki Battalion Group on their way to the Solomon Islands, and NZPRT 10 deploying to Afghanistan. In both cases, I was struck by the enthusiasm of our people to do the right thing, and the influence that leadership can have on a contingent, or parts thereof. Each contingent has presented unique challenges in getting themselves ready for operations.

For the Solomon Islands deployment, we were able to adapt a very good training package put together by WO1 Bukit Hill and his team in the South Island, and run a similarly challenging and rewarding package around Ohakea, Wanganui and Waiouru. WO1 Willie August and his crew are to be commended for the work they put into the deploying element.

A couple of observations: the willingness of the Territorial Force soldiers to learn and do the right thing was highly evident. I felt humble when one character noted that they knew they had to step up to the mark to show the Regular Force they were good enough. When a small number of the TF personnel fell over for a variety of reasons in the late stages of the PDT, they were replaced by young Sappers from 2 Engr Regt. To the credit of all, there were no issues with assimilation and they were welcomed by their fellow contingent members because of the skill sets they brought with them.

To the credit of Major Tausie Tarsau, Lieutenant Nick Jones and A/Captain Angie Sutton, they quickly built up a cohesive team. To know that within a matter of hours of arriving in the country, members of the contingent were involved in assisting with efforts to recover from the tsunami disaster, says something for their adaptability. I have no doubt they'll do a good job, whatever the situation they face.

At the same time that the PDT for the Solomon Islands was occurring, the 2 LFG Deployment and Training Cell was also running the PDT for the tenth contingent deploying to Afghanistan. Under the excellent stewardship of WO2 James Moohan, heavy emphasis was placed on running logical and sequential training that allowed the contingent to build their experience levels rapidly. Prior to PDT, gunners from 16 Fd Regt, who form the nucleus of the contingent, undertook a training package to build up their core skills. Their capability “gap closure” training was relevant and imaginative and will be further improved upon for the next rotation. It was clear to me that the gunners also were very aware that they had to step up to the plate, and they rose to the challenge. Willing to learn, accepting of constructive criticism, and aware of their training gaps, they brought a good attitude to the party. I expect that to continue throughout their tour.

A perennial issue to come to the fore was those personnel who had not achieved DLOC prior to their arrival on PDT. An army stands on its level of preparedness, and while we are not experiencing “in extremis” situations at the moment, those not at DLOC should ask themselves “what if?”.

What does this mean to you?

These periods of PDT, in which we transition personnel from a DLOC to an OLOC state, are essential components in preparing our personnel for deployments. Time and resource constraints dictate that we have a common start point for the training, i.e. DLOC. If you have been selected for deployment, then you must be proactive in your preparation prior to the commencement of the PDT. If you are a commander you have an added responsibility to ensure your personnel are at the best level of preparation that they can be. It may save some heartache later on.

Meanwhile, at my level, I will ensure that we continue to improve the delivery of PDT’s and that the training remains relevant, challenging, and aspiring to excellence. I will continue to emphasise adaptability, awareness and mitigation of risk, maintaining an optimistic outlook, being prepared to be flexible, and a willingness to work outside self prescribed comfort zones. While we have been successful, we can and will, do better.