Professional Military Training (PMT)

This week for the Professional Military Training (PMT) period on 28 Jan 15 at the Royal Military College of Canada, each of the four years of the Cadet Wing had lessons from instructors. Notably, the Ambassador of South Korea spoke with the fourth year Officer Cadets.

PMT article coordinated by: Officer Cadet 27079 (II) Joshua Siu – 7 Squadron – Cadet Wing Internal Information Officer

• I Year

• II Year

• III Year

• IV Year

More

I Years – Two perspectives

After receiving our new kit items 2 weekends ago, 1st years were instructed on how to assemble their rucksacks during this week’s professional military training session.

DIV/SQN NCOs (Division/Squadron Non-Commissioned Officers) used a PowerPoint and demonstration to teach Cadets how to properly attach all of the components of the rucksack and assemble it into marching order. After this lesson the 1st years were split into two groups, and those who had already assembled their rucksacks assisted the others with the process.

With finished rucksacks the 1st years can now begin preparing for BMOQ (Basic Military Officer Qualification) by ruck marching with their flights and peers. Papa flight (5 SQN) plans on ruck marching every Tuesday morning before class to increase the stamina that will be demanded of them this summer.

– OCdt 27386 (I) Kane O’Brien

Second perspective from a I Year

Every Wednesday, cadets at RMCC attend PMT. This military training varies between the classes and may take the form of an instructional brief, ruck march, inspection, or some other form of training.

This past Wednesday, all first years were taught how to properly build a rucksack. This is extremely helpful to first years, especially considering that Basic Military Officer Qualification is coming up this summer. We can predict what the next step is: a proper ruck march. This would be beneficial as it helps to prepare first years for the 13 kilometer march on BMOQ.

Such instruction and training is valuable to all cadets, no matter the year, but it is arguably the most important for first years, as first years are the newest additions to the Forces and have the most to learn.

OCdt (I) 27513 Lara Shalab Alsham – 12 Squadron

***

II Years

This week’s Professional Military Training, the latest in a series of presentations given as part of the Leadership Level II training plan at RMCC, was a presentation on how officers ought to give their own presentations to troops and how to properly handle classified and designated military documents.

The presentation was given by Captain Ready, the squadron commander for 1 Squadron, and was held in one of the annexes of the Cadet Dining Hall. Though there was initial confusion among the class owing to the fact that the presentation was scheduled at the same time as the end of breakfast inside the dining hall, Captain Ready’s easygoing manner and understanding of the material proved enough to gain the attention of the second year class over the bustle and noise of the room.

Highlights of the brief include Captain Ready’s frequent jokes and memes embedded into his presentation (effectively demonstrating a good method of gaining an audience’s interest, a key teaching point in the lecture), as well as his tangential musings on the effective use of knife-hands. Likely the biggest laugh of the morning, however, was at the list of document classifications, the most secret of which is (and I’m not making this up): NATO Cosmic Top Secret Atomal. I know that I wouldn’t want to find one of those on my desk.

Overall, the presentation proved effective and interesting, due to both the useful information presented and Captain Ready’s ability to entertain and teach a (captive) audience.

– OCdt 27087 (II) Danny McCall

 III Years

This week’s PMT for Leadership Level 3 Officer Cadets was a critical lesson regarding Leadership at the Senior Level. Major Hook, B Division Commander, gave a presentation in the CDH and New Gym, drawing from examples to underline and emphasize the roles of leaders at the Senior Leadership level that we will be undertaking next semester.

Cadets took this opportunity to further develop their comprehension of the tasks at hand as future leaders of the Cadet Wing, from the Flight level as DCFLs and CFLs, to the Wing HQ level as CWTO or CWC. Through the use of not just a presentation, but also scenarios and concrete examples, cadets were able to learn first hand the importance of the roles they will fulfill before the end of the calendar year.

Moving forward, this presentation will have been important as it identifies changes in college orders, bar position requirements and the standards required to succeed as leaders at the Senior Leadership level.

In short, the Cadets are now more prepared to lead the Cadet Wing next semester thanks to their interactions during this PMT with not only a senior officer, but also a Division Commander at RMCC.

– OCdt 26559 (III) Alexander Landry

***

 

Photo by: Steve McQuaid – Base Photo (click on photo for better viewing)

IV Years

As part of the class of ’58 lecture series, the fourth year cadets had a presentation by the Ambassador of South Korea. He provided insight into how Korean and Canada are different and similar, both on the international and domestic stage. He covered topics of military spending, free trade and geographic tensions.

With an emphasis on the importance of trade relations with Canada, his Excellency explained that because Korea and Canada specialize in different markets, pushing for a strong free trade agreement would be beneficial for all.

In terms of military relevance, he praised RMCC for continuing the tradition of producing the future leaders of the Canadian Armed Forces. After his lecture he took the time to answer a number of pertinent questions, posed by Cadets, with regards to the recent attacks on military members. He also expressed that his favorite part of Canada is our multiculturalism, something that is not as widespread in Asia.

– OCdt 26257 (IV) Zach Day