‘Lack of officers sees battle training curtailed’

Putting troops through battleground training exercises involving live bullets and grenades has been severely curtailed due to the lack of suitably-qualified officers.

Live-fire tactical training is essential for soldiers to ensure they become used to operating in a high-pressure environment and to prepare them for a real attack.

Yesterday, a RACO (Representative Association of Commissioned Officers) conference heard that tactical training exercises for those undertaking missions overseas are no longer part of regular training.