The 18 NZ Army Reserve Force soldiers from Dunedin and Invercargill were exercising in the Tapanui area again in preparation for the 1 Brigade Formation's skill at arms competition in early March next year.
Officer Commanding Bravo Company, 2/4 Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (RNZIR) Major Duncan McEwan said the exercise gave soldiers a chance to add to their soldiering skills set.
"We focused this activity on more advanced individual skills, using more complex equipment and bringing together the lessons from our previous training activities.
"It also gave us the opportunity to test and develop our junior commanders in the various situations they may face at the 1 Brigade's skill at arms competition next year.''
At the Tapanui Agriculture Centre, the soldiers undertook more advanced counter improvised explosive device (IED) training as they learnt how to identify and remove IED threats, how to handle much more complicated battlefield medical conditions, set up and use state-of-the-art night vision equipment and laser target sights and then learn how to integrate them into their weapon systems.
They brought those skills together on Sunday morning with a section level activity.
The soldiers undertook a patrol scenario which exposed the units' junior commanders to a fast-paced, evolving situation in which they had to make quick judgements and put into practice all they had learnt.
