Serve to Lead - A Sandhurst Documentary 1996

[Music] the final exercise some 11 months after the commissioning course began confirmation that the Sandhurst cadets have acquired the military skills and style of leadership essential in tomorrow's peacekeepers Suzy astok young men and wind with the skill and character to command soldiers effectively by example and leadership the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as we know it today was formed in 1946 bringing together the officer training concepts of the Royal Military Academy Bullock and the Royal Military College Sandhurst old college completed in 1812 this houses the junior term of the commissioning course and also accommodates the short specialist courses new college completed in 1911 this accommodates the commissioning courses intermediate and senior terms [Music] stalls lecture halls library headquarters Chapel Hospital classrooms the facilities have been expanding ever since to keep abreast of the needs of the day the Academy occupies nearly 600 acres some have been transformed into playing fields and ranges but a further two thousand acres remain as lightly wooded heathland known as Barossa it's ideal for athletic pursuits and basic military training central to the Sandhurst training program is the commissioning course it brings together young men and women from the United Kingdom and approximately 40 overseas countries it lasts one year and is divided into three 14 week terms a new intake is received each term with the effect that three courses arrive concurrently nearly 80% of the cadets will be graduates between 22 and 25 years of age and most newcomers will have experience of the outside world thus a high standard of education is assumed and the Sandhurst commissioning course can get straight on with the major task of developing character integrity military knowledge and above all leadership today parents meet staff there will be a number of such opportunities during the course Lenin one mr. Madden Thank You Adam Thomas members include pre mr. Bennet is totally free [Music] you may sincerely welcome you to Sandhurst and to the College [Music] you're going to go out of here with a warm feeling of what being an army officer is all about hopefully and that really is my a so this evening is your introduction to leadership [Music] most of map you sir [Music] we've got the 5.56 millimeter rifle [Music] the range of voluntary activities displayed at the freshers Bazar his impressive indeed even though the demands of the course will be full and time-consuming cadets are encouraged to employ every spare moment useful and enjoyable a great chance to develop and broaden skills ranging from drama to drag fishing another method of judging distance three weeks into the course and the cadets experienced the first time the realities and value of a field exercise in this week they will acquire some of the military skills essential for their leadership development in the turns ahead and equally important learn how to work together as a team by section blue toon and company this is the passing off the square parade some five weeks into the course where the bearing of the cadets is assessed in groups and individually having passed the cadets mean a venture outside the academy using modern methods were possible the theoretical training continues soon for practical application do you want to take that path down to the south of the main road and then go straight across from there down to the main very ghost week six long reach the cadets first physically testing leadership exercise their night marching interspersed with challenging command tasks [Music] with little time of asleep body and brain grow weary performance is at risk but points must be amassed for the interpret in competition so the long march towards leadership continues [Music] a wider aspect of the training is the arms and services exhibition where first-term cadets are given the opportunity to see what all sections of the army do and to talk with people involved get around get a feeling for what they do and how they'll be supporting you've got four and a half minutes of a very rewarding and very exciting together is how you get on the interview more career plans will be confirmed indoor changed and the additional knowledge will prove most useful in the years ahead firstly timings guests are arriving here at half past number one outside just minutes away now is the cadets first formal dinner night and entertainment yes but equally an education it has been organized by the cadets themselves and its overall success will now depend on their skills as hosts [Music] guests will include senior members of the staff as much interested in the performance of the cadets as the vintage of the wine [Music] customs of the services and awareness of social niceties are not leftovers from a bygone age but essential requirements for the modern commissioner skill impersonal diplomacy has never been more important for offices villages today [Music] in addition to these social graces the course teaches the young officers the importance of spiritual and moral awareness [Music] [Applause] for one group of Cadets the commissioning course still lies ahead this is Rohan accompanied by youngsters with obvious but unrealized leadership potential are given the chance to attain the high standard required for entry to Santos their 10-week course places them under great physical and mental stress creating ideal circumstances for character development as confidence grows so do the opportunities to lead some 65% of the row Allen cadets who would otherwise have been lost to the army will pass on to the commissioning course for commissioning course cadets many professional and military skills can be most effectively taught in the classroom and often with no loss of realism the fight is already working erecting one of the largest threats he was gonna bring NBC attack just 12 weeks from entry and the cadets are ready for their first major tactical exercise now they have the physical stamina and basic infantry skills to enable their leadership qualities to be developed in a realistic military setting first as ever meticulous preparation our mission is to destroy the enemy's position at grid eight five four nine five eight whilst obviously important military success is not the entire purpose of such exercises there will be many more in the months ahead the cadets must learn to think to give orders to take orders and to encourage the best effort in others such qualities are fundamental for leadership on and off the battlefield [Applause] [Music] during their Sandhurst year cadets will reach the highest standards of fitness that they're ever likely to achieve to help them the food is not only good and varied but extremely generous in quantity the culmination of term one is the steeplechase [Music] running style is not a test brother maximum individual effort in the service of the team [Music] [Applause] [Music] so term one draws to its close fit and well-versed in basic military tactics the cadets move out of bold college for a well-earned break [Music] [Applause] but leave does not mean late lions and a book on the beach events are expected to take full advantage of the many adventurous training facilities available through the Army with a view to mounting a major expedition in the break of after term - then it's down to earth again with the progression into new college where the cadets will be based for the remaining two terms of the course now the training will move away from military basics towards a closer study of leadership and its relevance and application in the modern world advanced field exercises academic instruction and professional studies will move on side by side core element really of the Defense and international affairs course they've already dealt with British defence planning what we're going to do this afternoon is we're going to deal with the British independent nuclear deterrent [Applause] a more advanced tactical exercise and more opportunities for the cadets to put their developing leadership skills to the test in such exercises the training syllabus is exactly the same for female and male cadets the toons are segregated but the companies may be mixed so a little bit later on in the seminar we'll also be looking at other British counterinsurgency campaigns and also the French in Algeria to see why they haven't been so successful one day the application of these military skills may become necessary so it's important that the cadets understand the many theoretical aspects of Party of Malaya actually gets the support that it does in the years just after the Second World War and it was in fact Timoshenko who recommended to Zhukov that he be made deputy supreme commander-in-chief and throughout these academic studies every cadet is individually monitored and steered through what is after all a highly complex subject from the party he was less of a target style it encouraged darling to think he has no prospects of paradise well one of these you don't pick up in me in the paper is the importance of the ideology of the red commander as it developed in the 30s it'll probably be a skit of some sort yeah but it's just basically a lecture yes it is but this logistics lecture proves unexpected and effective [Applause] [Music] sport forms an important part of Sandhurst life both for team development and for individual enjoyment a full program of matches against first-class civilian and Army teams is undertaken as well as matches against Dartmouth and Cranwell and when life is led to the full on the playing field and on exercise some injuries are inevitable we see a few bucks but not a great deal the Academy has its own team of specialists on hand in a well-equipped hospital and physio Center the main things that we treat our lower limb injuries which a lot of analysts ankle inversion injuries and a lot of knee and tyranny pain other specialists come to Sandhurst on a short course good PQ owes the professionally qualified officers doctors dentists vets chaplains lawyers they come to acquire basic military training and learn how the army works they also learned by practical experience the importance of leadership in the Army through simple command tasks they quickly discover for themselves the need for a clear chain of command six inches but above all the short time at Sandhurst shows them what life at the sharp end of the army is really like the overwhelming reaction is appreciation and deep respect for those who do it for the cadets on the commissioning course however a career choice has yet to be confirmed as an intermediate term in cadets must satisfy the formal questioning of their intended core or regiment a helicopter with its own defenses there's also the formation of a new Army Air Corps regiment in the near future so there's a great deal of potential for army aviation in general [Applause] they've learnt the basic form section attacks will now put them under pressure by having live ammunition and see how they react to that situation when they're tired exhausted and keep keeping their in that way we're using infantry tactics as a basis for leadership and they have to understand that before you necessary leadership values and if live ammunition isn't challenging enough nature's own obstacles also have to be negotiated this exercise provides highly realistic training using and coming under fire from live ammunition in just a few days and with sensible safety supervision the cadets progress from individual tuition to fall for tune attacks but Santos is not just interested in winners and losers the progress of every cadet is individually and meticulously analyzed at specified intervals throughout the course company warning first have a good session with him okay that cut me warning orienteering even more than a sport it's another event in the sovereign's platoon competition they actually call it cutting running so the whole idea is actually obviously running as fast as you can around the course and being a part of navigate as well so it's a thinkers as a sport do you have the pressure the stressor that have of being tired and actually having to then make the decision as to which we're really going to select and then closing in on to the control actually navigating on to it so it does surface it's a good thinking sport and a good good military value as a training event [Laughter] term two is coming to its end a chance now for cadets throughout the course to stage some entertainments of their own devising you ready let's go up on the stage just outside [Music] [Applause] needless to say the achievement is participation not the result into their next leave and on to the other event of their own devising the overseas adventurous expedition which they're trained during the previous leaf [Music] the more successful amongst them will be chosen to compete for the cash prizes donated by the host trust winner will be decided through formal presentations in the final term [Music] from flying the flag to military affairs once more turn three the emphasis is now turning towards the practical application of the cadets newfound leadership skills there must not only be sound military knowledge but also the ability to teach others on the firing range for example with the magazine of four rounds load I am in charge of running this range this is a test to see if we are capable of running ranges so that when we leave Santos we will be qualified to run ranges watch and shoot I will be in command mainly of the safety aspect here obviously running ranges is quite dangerous so the safety is the major factor and then after that it's obviously training soldiers to shoot properly that's the most important thing as far as soldiers against another of the short Sandhurst courses trains in patina tax the situation may look familiar but these young men and women are different they are civilians and they voluntarily given up their annual leave to attend they are of course trainee officers of the territorial army with time so short you'll have to work hard to attain the standard required but their leadership skills will be soundly based for full development should the need arise they are enthusiastic they're here and the Army's all bats could not be achieved without them I'm a recruitment consultant training officer for local government I'm a medical student just graduated from Sheffield Hallam University I'm an engineer my research technician qualified Baker the commissioning course for the territorials is intensive and varied volunteers there may be but the increasing responsibility of the reservists dictates a matching raising of standards in all areas of leadership tactics military skills and teamwork but enjoyment remains a primary ingredient of the course [Applause] Sandhurst opened a in these still trouble times it's extremely important that a spirit of trust and understanding is fostered between the Armed Forces and the public [Music] as the Army's flagship Sandhurst is a particular significance get over for the commissioning course the sovereign's platoon competition goes on the March and shoot event is a tough team test of marksmanship whilst under physical duress six miles will be covered some of them under over and through obstacles some 20 targets will be engaged and all in the course of a single afternoon second we have Tennant Forrester can I ask you first of all what exactly has happened well as you can see the academic and professional studies continue in parallel with the physical aspects of leadership development communication skills are seen as particularly important Sandhurst is well equipped to teach confidence and performance in front of the camera first hold it for a minute there what's your reaction to them to the terminology of disaster scene I think it was a bit of an exaggeration we've only got the one corpse the one body I wouldn't class that as a disaster as such no how would you describe it I think I think maybe incident would be better than disaster I think disasters definitely exaggeration for that okay what's the rest of the group think do we all go with incident is a better way of it for the finalists in the Holts trust competition to select the best adventurer training expedition these lessons in personal presentation will shortly come in very handy good afternoon general and gentlemen I'm obstacle Yates and I was the expedition leader in planning the expedition it was our intention to Trek in an arid climate we therefore immediately looked at Arabia additionally we required a country with good diplomatic relations with Great Britain D Squadron 22 SAS were deployed in Oman in November 1958 and this mark the start of Britain's involvement in the Jebel Akhdar campaign the main trick itself focused upon the route taken by D Squadron 22 SES in the nineteen January of 1959 up the tonnage slab and the route is shown here [Applause] term threes concluding sovereign spittoon event the skill at arms competition is organized and run entirely by the cadets serious work of the day gives way to a final event in lighter vein the race for the falling plates the banner parade the formal conclusion to the sovereign's platoon competition takes place during the final term [Music] Wow many events will have been covered embracing physical and military skills and the banner will now find a new home displayed in the quarters of the winning Futuna blowing up to the north to establish a cordon around what is supposed to be a car which has got a form in it so this is a foot Sonia fun way to get out there and see it the risk of conflict between power blocks may have receded but local conflicts remain a real threat in exercise Terra Firma the cadets experienced the realities of rural and urban peacekeeping [Applause] there someone has to be very very careful about how we control the civilian population to make sure that each incident develops in exactly the way we wanted but as you can see the cadets are under pressure they're being tested administrative skills are another reality of modern soldiering which they will soon need as young officers good [Applause] years intensive training is coming to its conclusion and the cadets are on the threshold of their Commission's a final exercise and the challenge on an overseas location two weeks of tactical exercises prepare the cadets for full responsibility for the final battalion attack tomorrow we'll see the climax of their training the cadets do the planning and the briefing with just a minimum of supervision by the instructors the guys doing the new motorway your fourth - Delta that evening all attend the traditional field service with nightfall the long march will begin to mount the assault at first light [Applause] traditionally the conclusion of the exercise marks the proud transition into a new career and a well-earned Commission [Music] a commission in the army is a position of responsibility and privilege past achievements and sacrifices are the foundation for the work that must be done tomorrow and formal ceremonies like the colors to chapel service remind young officers to be of their perspective in history [Music] the commissioning dinner the last of several formal dinners attended is by far the most significant this is an occasion birth to celebrate and to reflect on the cadets performance and achievements which include some lighter observations by the winner of the sword of Honor the stage [Music] within minutes now the commissioning course will draw to its world-famous conclusion and after that a new batch of young officers will be ready to join their us the world over [Music] the years training at Sandhurst would have added to their enthusiasm sound military knowledge devotion to duty and the fullness of character necessary to uphold the Academy's motto serve to lead [Music]

Channel: British Army Documentaries

Views: 31,343

Rating: 4.866221 out of 5

Keywords: Sandhurst, RMAS, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Army Officer, British Army

Id: 2-dXYn0mMxk

Length: 34min 45sec (2085 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 10 2019