Army returns to primary soldier roles in Torokiki exercise

New Zealand Army personnel are returning to primary soldiering after two years of battling the Covid-19 pandemic.

The army is holding its first major exercise since completing Operation Protect, the Defense Force’s response to Covid-19, this week in Manawatū.

Exercise Torokiki takes place at Linton Army Camp and Raumai Range west of Bulls in Rangitīkei. This is an important step in the army’s five-year regeneration plan.

Soldiers work on basic combat skills, junior leadership, and mental and physical challenges for personnel.

READ MORE:
* Air Force tactical exercise fly Hercules at low altitude and bring aid
* Veterans target NZDF ban on urban live-fire drills
* Soldiers take a 16-hour mental and physical test at Invercargill

Land Component Commander Colonel Duncan Roy said about 1,000 troops from across the country participated.

“We have come to spend time together today in a challenging environment where we can connect, [and] return to the main activity of soldier.

“[It’s] really aimed at the individual and junior level, so we operate in sections, in groups of 10 and there are just a lot of different activities to give our people those experiential points of difference that come with being in the military.

As part of Operation Protect, many soldiers stepped away from their usual duties and instead became involved in running managed isolation and quarantine facilities.

“We were busy in hotels for MIQ facilities and happy to do so. This is what the government wanted and the nation needed.

“It’s great to be able to put that behind us and refocus and lean into the main business of military life and come back to it.

“We are a fairly young organization with people coming up.

“Some of the people who have joined the last two years haven’t had that opportunity, so it’s exciting and really cool to be able to do that.”

Prior to Covid-19 the Army would not do exercises on this scale, but Roy said they wanted to make a statement with everyone together and have it as a base before more complex training next year.

Next year, soldiers will undergo specialized training on topics such as logistics, signals or combat.

The exercise was split into five days, with different activities, and personnel were put to work with “good basic skills” regardless of which corps they were in.

They also talked about the culture and ethos of the military.

Roy said he’s heard a lot of positive feedback from the soldiers about working together and having unique experiences.

“Whether it’s shooting at the firing range in Raumai, being a good soldier like we see here, or some of the more unorthodox things we do like pitching a tent underwater, a few challenging stuff designed to really hone those mental abilities and teamwork.

Practice sessions included live-fire sessions, medical training, and an obstacle course.

There was a training simulation where soldiers walked through shipping containers and fired at targets using a new form of electronic blanks, which come from a Norwegian company and were seen as a cheaper option than normal blanks.

In Raumai, they were doing live fire and working with NH90 helicopters.

Sergeant Jack Colton was the instructor for the medical session, which he said was designed to refresh combat first aid skills and work as a team.

During the session, the soldiers acted like the wounded, with makeup to look like bloody wounds and loud moans, and had to be treated.

Soldiers also learned how to apply a tourniquet to stop bleeding.

The live-fire exercise at the Linton Range allowed soldiers to practice using Glock pistols and firing at a target from different ranges and positions, so that they became familiar with the weapons.