By Saio Marrah
Thirty-three (33) Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) personnel who successfully completed training for inclusion into the Forces Reconnaissance Unit (FRU) have graduated with a special passing out ceremony at the 15 Infantry Battalion Barracks in Lungi on Friday 13th October, 2023.
47 personnel of RSLAF were initially selected for the training into the elite FRU, but due to the rigorous and robust training regime, only 33 made it through.
The Training Officer of the graduating Cadre 21, Lieutenant Joel Augustine Koroma said that the training was conducted at the RSLAF’s Peace Mission Training Centre, which commenced on the 17th July this year.
He said the training was divided into three parts of which one is the mountain phase rescue assessment that includes physical fitness, navigation, map reading, tactical combat casualty care, and communication skills.
According to Lieutenant Koroma this is to test the fortitude of the recruits and their ability to withstand deliberate pressure.
The jungle phase dwells on jungle navigation, combat casualty care, trapping, tracking, survival and close target reconnaissance.
This part of the training ends with a 30 miles foot march and carrying of 30 pounds weight. The route runs from the Guma Forest Reserve to the Benguema Armed Forces Training Centre outside Waterloo.
There is also military tactical rappelling, convoy and escort duties, air assault support, rescue operations, urban operations and other disciplines.
The Commanding Officer of FRU, Lieutenant-Colonel Moses Oliver Gordon, said the training focuses on the mental fitness and physical robustness, navigation and skills befitting Special Forces.
He said they further tested the survival and patrolling skills of the recruits in almost all environments.
“This cadre was extremely rigorous and highly selective, and started with 47 pre-selected young soldiers ... .this number dropped to 33 as the cadre being the toughest selection process across the RSLAF,” he noted.
He said the Ministry of Defence and RSLAF have been tasking the unit to conduct critical special missions in difficult conditions that require special skills.
According to him, special operation forces are specially organized, trained and equipped to meet higher standards and to play a top tradition of excellence that have been demonstrated by their predecessors.
He called on the soldiers to be loyal to the president of the country, who doubles as the Grand Commander of RSLAF and also be as well loyal to the country and to the RSLAF.
The CO also reminded them that the MOD and RSLAF trust the FRU to remain ready, ever vigilant and highly effective. He therefore called on them to demonstrate the skills, knowledge and character they had gathered throughout the process.
Lieutenant Colonel Gordon also called on the soldiers to take advantage of the knowledge and skills impacted in them, noting that they would go a long way in shaping their career in the military and beyond.
He noted that former President, Ahmed Tejan Kabbah back in the year 2000, launched the FRU, anelite component of the RSLAF.
According to him, the unit is primarily responsible to gather vital information before, during and after all operations and at the same time conduct special operations like unconventional warfare, direct assault, counter terrorism and counter -insurgency.
Guest of Honour of the programme, Air Commodore John Alfred Sahr Gbondo, addressing the soldiers urged them to aspire in improving themselves in whatever they do.
He said they would soon assume greater responsibilities and would be challenged far beyond everything they had experienced during the training.
“The world you are graduating into is not only changing rapidly, the phase of change is accelerating as well. You are called upon from now on to join the great and noble struggle to defend our territorial integrity, national unity and democratic process,” he charged.
He also reminded them that the MOD and RSLAF expect them to be that force to defeat extremists and other criminal entities across the country that may want to disturb the peace and security of Sierra Leone.
Thus, he said the country needs a special force that is fit for purpose nowadays in a multi-dimensional security environment.
The Air Commodore said the graduation ceremony should be a pointer that they have a huge task of serving the RSLAF formations and units in peace and in war.
Ibrahim Osman Kattah, emerged as the best student of cadre 21. He and his colleagues, three of them women, were automatically promoted to the rank of last corporal.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (16/10/23)
