Sestava 1

: report1918The eyes and ears of Kandahar Airfield/ Report Jozef ŽIAK/ Photo Peter DOVINAIn this period, Kandahar Airfield (KAF), NATO’s largest coalition base inAfghanistan, witnessed the construction works to build a new mainentry/exit point, KAF-ECP-5. Upon its completion, Slovak sentries assumedresponsibility for standing guard at the entry /exit point. Their deployment toAfghanistan was approved in 2009 by the Slovak Government and the NationalCouncil as part of a plan to increase Slovakia’s contribution to NATO-led ISAF.Providing security for coalition troopsThe officer in charge of the exercise’s preparation and supervision, Maj.Peter Ševčík, says that nothing is left to chance. There are difficult andresponsible tasks ahead of our soldiers. They will be the “eyes and ears’ thatwill make sure that tens of thousands of coalition troops are properlyprotected against suicide bombers or vehicles trying to get inside the base.“The final exercise was aimed at unit members mastering critical skills andtasks essential to the success of their force protection and security guardduties. Our soldiers will be on duty continuously, 24/7, working on three-shiftwork schedule, each lasting twelve hours. They must be able to defend andprotect the assigned positions and facilities, and thoroughly check theincoming and outgoing individuals and vehicles. Each day they will have tocheck hundreds of people and a large number of vehicles. It will bephysically and mentally demanding.““I am satisfied with the results achieved by members of the Prešov-basedReconnaissance Company and Nitra-based Mechanised Battalion. But most ofall, I am pleased that they carry out their tasks with complete dedication andcommitment,“ said Maj. Ševčík, G-2 Chief of Staff, Mechanised BrigadeCommand Prešov.Between the end of January and 17 February, the Lešť Military Training Area(MTA) hosted a final training exercise of the new force protection unit to reinforcethe Slovak contingent in ISAF, Afghanistan. The pre-deployment trainingphase culminated with a tactical exercise and combat firing on 11-17 February.Focused on gaining mastery of weaponsDuring the pre-deployment training phase, soldiers gained perfect masteryof the weapons (machine guns, sniper rifles and grenade launchers) theywill use in Afghanistan. Capt. Tibor Grigerek, company commander, remarksthat training includes shooting in pairs on the move going forward, groupshooting, close contact shooting drill, shooting at rapidly approachingtargets.Staff Sergeant Ján Králik, sentry guard squad leader, from the Prešov-basedReconnaissance Company has participated twice in UNDOF in the GolanHeights. “None of the guys in my squad has ever been to Afghanistan. Weknow that it will be a challenge. That is why we tried to prepare as best as wecould. First, we focused on the individual details of our activity, searchingpersons and vehicles. Later on, we integrated partial tasks into more complexones, providing coordinated control and protection of the entry/exit point.““I am satisfied with the level of readiness of my team. The great advantageis that we will operate as an organic parent unit in Kandahar. This has provedto be hugely advantageous in operations like ISAF. We know one anotherquite well and so we can anticipate what the others will do in stressful andattention-demanding situations. Those situations will certainly occur inAfghanistan,“ said the squad leader.At a checkpoint Corporals Peter Mitana and Jozef Verešpej first practisedconducting initial personal checks. Their task was to check people out forcriminal record, comparing them against the list of dangerous and wantedpersons on a photo bulletin board; then they searched persons carefully fordrugs, weapons and explosives.The exercising troops were praised for achieving great results and carryingout their tasks with dedication and commitment by the Prešov-based MechanisedBrigade Deputy Commander, Brig. Jaroslav Košuda, GS. He congratulatedthem on translating the latest lessons learned from ISAF into practice.Lešť turns into KandaharOver the course of the tactical exercise,exercising troops had to deal with avariety of incidents that typically occur atthe entry control point at Kandaharairfield. Maj. Ševčík notes that emphasiswas mainly laid on the activitiesconducted by NCOs and squad leaders inpositions of authority, as these ensurethat soldiers are doing their job, and thisis just how things are done on the base.“A Military Police unit had served at KandaharAirfield and returned from Afghanistan,in December 2009, so we couldtake full advantage of their experience.As instructors they were very helpful inour garrison training facilities.“To give soldiers a better idea what toexpect, based on the informationavailable from Afghanistan, we have builta reduced-size copy of ECP-5 in Sector ŠimakovLaz of MTA Lešť.“ Capt. Marcel Trojan,second-in-command of the exercise,who had recently served as the Prešov-basedReconnaissance Company Commander,came up with critical incidentscenarios. For airfield security guardssearching persons and vehicles in twelve-hour shifts, he had prepared manifoldsurprises to bring diversity into their activities, for instance, simulating anattempt to smuggle drugs and arms into the base, staging a direct assault ona patrol, or using counterfeit documents and entry cards as authorisation toenter the base. Also, a suicide car-bomber blew up his car right among soldiersconducting personal checks. Immediately after the explosion, militarypolicemen, EOD and medical teams were called in to assist. The medics renderedfirst aid on the spot and rushed the wounded to a medical facility.1st Lt. Martin Špirka, the 2nd Guard Platoon Commander from Nitra, saysthat soldiers now pay far more attention to medical training than they used toin the past. This is due to the dangerous nature of ISAF. “The media coverageof Afghanistan’s security situation is closely followed by soldiers and their familieswho are increasingly aware that it is necessary to provide timely first aid(self-aid and buddy-aid) and that the lives of many may depend on howsoldiers handle the situation. They understand the purpose of this highlydemanding training,“ remarks the platoon commander.Sergeant First Class TomášIn the words of Maj. Peter Ševčík, the officer responsible formanaging the final tactical exercise and combat shooting atMTA Lešť, both the training programme and the exercise werefocused on mastering the skills which are so vital for successfulperformance of guard duties at Kandahar Airfield (KAF).“They check, control and monitor the persons and equipmententering and leaving the base. This includes frisking persons,searching vehicles and surveying the surroundings from watchtowers.To do this efficiently, they must be fully committed to theirmission and be skilful in using their weapons. Even if a criticalincident occurs, they must be able to carry out their guard dutiescontinuously and defend their assigned positions and facilities untilthe arrival of the Quick Response Team (QRT).““We also focused on handling basic communication. Reports arefilled out and communicated in English to supervisors at theoperational level. Basic radio communication is also conducted inEnglish. Furthermore, soldiers learn the basics of the Pashtolanguage. In cooperation with a Pashto language interpreter, wemake sure that warning signals are clearly communicated and thatcountermeasures against mortar and rocket attacks, suicide bombings,and other assaults on the base are properly executed. Last butnot least, first aid, self-aid/buddy-aid, must be given in a timelymanner in accordance with effective first aid principles,“ said Maj.Ševčík, summarizing the key points of the pre-deployment training.Focus on trainingDemeter notes that roughly halfthe platoon members havetheir own experience frominternational missions and operations.According to him, CorporalLadislav Lehocký who haspreviously served in UNPROFORand UNMEE is one of the mostexperienced men of all. Throughoutthe strenuous training,they could, in taking appropriatesteps, often draw on his lifeand professional experience.As the oldest of the platoonmembers he always managedto calm down soldiers and washelpful to his younger and lessexperienced colleagues.Former rivals nowteammatesTo keep soldiers alert andvigilant at the sentry guardposts, it is high time for amortar attack to take place.All guards must quickly takeshelter. However, the watchtowerguards, provided with ballistic protection, are the only ones to stay inorder to carefully monitor the situation. Later on, the job of the guards wasinterrupted by sniper fire and a terrorist unit launching an assault on the base.Of course, this caused more physical and mental strain on soldiers.1st Lt. Viliam Jašo, Company Second-in-Command of the Nitra-based MechanisedBattalion, appreciates the approach to training adopted by the squadleaders Sgt. Pavol Mráz and Sgt. Peter Drevenák, and that of Peter Zeleňák,a gunner-operator. Their reconnaissance team and a Mechanised Battalionteam are now carrying out duties side by side. Former rivals now teammatesexcelling in different skills, they complement each other. Throughout theexercise, they managed to work together as a well-integrated andcoordinated team.SLOVAK ARMED FORCES 2010