After Exams there’s Graduation, but before Graduation, there’s Elemental Phase Training:
Compiled by: 26659 OCdt (II) Danielle Andela – E-Veritas Correspondent | Correspondant d’E-Veritas
EPT or Elemental Phase Training is a key part of the year for a Cadet at the Royal Military College of Canada. EPT is a period, usually over one or two weeks where Officer and Naval Cadets have the opportunity to prepare for their next phase of summer training.
Most first years prepare for their Basic Military Officer Qualification Course with a sprinkling of second and third years. Cadets in the army, navy and air force also prepare for their respective courses whether they are on the job training (OJT), preparing for another phase of military training (phases II and III) or second language training (SOLET).
The following are accounts from several different members of the college in a variety of EPT environments.
BMOQ EPT:
The class of 2017 and several cadets from other years participated in EPT training that consisted of classroom training in the subjects of map and compass, radio procedures, and packing and wearing a rucksack. For the first years this is our first introduction to the art of field craft. The classroom lectures were well taught, but what really made the training valuable was on Thursday we marched with rucksacks up to the Canadian Forces Base Kingston training area to put all the skills to a practical use in a navigation exercise where we were required to use the map and compass and radios. Not having any staff with us for this exercise made the training all the more valuable, as we had to learn on the fly how everything worked or we would not succeed in the task bestowed on us. Many of the platoons learned the hard way that it is important to plan your route on a map before just going straight through the woods when they ended up getting themselves soaked walking through a swamp instead of taking the roads around to get to their objective. Having lots of staff around from Gagetown and CFLRS was very enlightening as they were able to give us tips on what they have done on their many ruck marches that made their lives easier so we did not have to learn the hard way as they did –
OCdt 27200 (I) Wayne Beresford
More BMOQ photos by Curtis Maynard here
Air Force EPT:
La semaine de préparation en prévision des entrainements d’été qui arrivent à grands pas est une façon constructive pour préparer les élèves-officiers. Pour les élèves-officiers de l’armée de l’air le début de la semaine a débuté avec un tour en hélicoptère dans le CH-146 Griffon. Par la suite, nous avons eu des présentations sur des sujets reliés touchant l’armée de l’air et permettre aux élèves-officiers d’avoir une vue d’ensemble des sujets touchant l’armée de l’air. Finalement, une journée organisée à l’extérieur du collège était organisée. Pour ma part, nous sommes allés à Trenton. Nous avons pu y visiter quelques appareils, parler avec différents membres de la base, discuter avec des membres de nos métiers spécifiques pour savoir qu’est-ce qui nous attend, visiter les infrastructures de simulateurs et finalement voir rapidement à quoi pouvait ressembler un exercice d’entrainement en temps réel sur le terrain. –
Élof 26423 (II) Pierre-Karl Marchildon
More Air Force EPT photos by Curtis Maynard here
Army EPT:
Army EPT was an excellent training opportunities for the cadets of the Royal Military College of Canada. Paired with sergeants and master corporals from the Infantry School in Gagetown, sections went through the most difficult training possible with their sections. Covering recce (reconnaissance), navigation, and section attacks, the sections of officer cadets were sufficiently prepared for Basic Military Officer Qualifications-Land. Recce was covered during an 8 hour exercise at Frontenac Park, where staff taught how to conduct and send a recce. Navigation was conducted in the Kingston training area, where officer cadets could search across rain and swamp for their target locations. Section attacks were again conducted in the Kingston training area, where staff taught the officer cadets how to properly conduct and lead a section attack. Staff from Gagetown worked hard to answer questions in order to solve a huge failure percent during BMOQ-L. As a result of this training, it is expected that there will be many successes during BMOQ-L.
OCdt 26333 (III) Ryan McCall
More Army EPT photos by Curtis Maynard here
Navy EPT:
Cette semaine, durant l’entraînement relatif à notre environnement nous avons été familiarisés avec plusieurs éléments propres à la marine. Par exemple, la première journée, nous avons appris les fameux noeuds si traditionnels, puis nous avons par la suite eu la chance de conduire les zodiacs. Ce sont des petits bateaux à moteur servant à secourir les hommes à la mer, ou autres tâches ayant besoin d’être effectués par des bateaux facilement manoeuvrables. La deuxième journée, nous avons écouté un film historique sur les guerres navales britanniques lors de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale Sink the Bismarck, et durant l’après-midi, nous avons visité le musée de la marine de Kingston. Ce fut une journée bien historique! La troisième journée, mercredi, nous avons pu expérimenter la survie en mer dans la piscine, et le jeudi, nous avons eu une agréable journée de sport suivie d’un BBQ au Cataraqui. Le vendredi, nous avons écouté deux présentations sur la navigation de nuit ainsi que sur les drapeaux, soit deux sujets forts pertinents pour les marins de tous niveaux! C’était une semaine très bien planifiée en général, et je tiens à remercier tous les organisateurs! Vive la marine! –
Aspm 26192 (IV) Marion Agier
More Navy EPT photos by Curtis Maynard here