A mock battle was staged by the PNG Defence Force at Lae’s Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium on Monday afternoon.
This was part of the sergeants’ training to qualify the next lot of platoon commanders.
A mock assault was staged in the heavy downpour on Monday afternoon where a combat team was tasked to provide security to Lae Urban and take control of vital assets.
That was the scenario that was laid out for PNG Defence Force personnel in collaboration with the Lae Metropolitan Command and St John Ambulance.
Goldie Barracks Infantry Wing senior instructor, Lieutenant Daniel Kakawi, said the idea was to secure the polling venue during elections.
Monday marked the first day of the PNGDF’s security urban operations, while this is the final week of a four-week training course for sergeants.
“The purpose and intent of this exercise is basically to assess the students, especially the sergeants, on their command and control and how they disseminate their orders to their troops,” he stated.
“These platoon sergeants, they are the next platoon commanders that’s why we have to train them to the level of platoon commanders.”
Lt Kakawi said the scenario was set as the elections considering most of the sergeants will be deployed in next year’s elections.
“And at the same time, not only us will be involved in the national elections; it’s gonna be provincial disaster (offices), police as well as other government agencies. So this scenario was basically to bring them the idea of how we normally conduct our operations with other government agencies.”
During the mock battle, a casualty was carried over to waiting St John Ambulance staff while a person of interest was apprehended and handed over to the police.
The troops inserted into the Situm area and conducted a beach assault on Friday with the Morobe provincial disaster office. This was the offensive phase of their security operation. They have conducted their defensive phase as well and will be completing their urban security operations by end of this week.
(A casualty being attended to by St John Ambulance staff at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium)
