bobdina
10-13-2009, 12:02 AM
Hostile grumbling reminiscent of a riot is heard. A group of heavily-armed soldiers are standing in a sand pit in a pine forest in front of a row of white targets.
Then they start to shoot. The shell casings rain down on the side of the hill.
The soldiers are Finnish peacekeepers in training, who are to be deployed in Chad in November.
After them come the next Finns to be sent to Afghanistan.
“I wouldn’t like go to Afghanistan”, one of the soldiers says.
In a real situation, before shooting, the soldier would have shouted in Finnish, English, or in a local language: “Stop! Drop your weapon!”
Such are the rules of engagement.
Next comes a warning shot into the air. If this does not work, the soldier has permission to fire at the legs, and if this does not have the desired effect, it is permissible to shoot to kill.
The blue-capped men in the brochure on UN soldiers are far from the world that the exercise is aimed at.
However, in Chad, the caps are sometimes also possible. “Over there, the conditions can be anticipated”, says Lieutenant-Colonel Timo Vehviläinen, head of the crisis management centre of the Pori Brigade.
In Afghanistan the danger classification requires that the personal security equipment be worn at all times while outside: a helmet, body armour, and additional armour on top of the genitals.
The equipment is a compromise between protection and mobility. There needs to be as much protection as possible against bullets, but the soldiers also need to be able to run away with the body armour on.
The conditions of war are reflected at every level, and on Finland as well. Few of those going on the deployment will allow recognisable photographs to be taken of themselves, nor will they give their names out in public.
An exception is 31-year-old Janne Kauppinen, who is preparing for deployment in Chad. His wife and two-year-old daughter are staying behind. He is also leaving his job as a firefighter and paramedic for the Medi-Heli helicopter rescue service.
“I follow the events in Afghanistan, because a friend of mine is there. The risk level has risen”, he says.
The trainers and those being trained do not need to take a stand on what group may be their adversary - the Taleban, al-Qaeda, or someone else.
In any case, a person approaching can open fire, perpetrate a suicide attack, or build a homemade roadside bomb.
Previously, shooting practice involved targets that were ten metres away. Now they are closer. According to international reports, clashes are increasingly start as a discussion with a group of people at close proximity, when suddenly someone on the other side opens fire.
Training is largely planned in the country where the soldiers are to be deployed. Trainers of those going to Afghanistan include those who are currently serving there.
The next soldiers going to Afghanistan are to be picked next month. A third of those to be chosen from the reserves are already known. Their mission is expected to begin in February.
http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Crisis+management+training+prepares+soldiers+for+r eal+combat/1135249976277
Then they start to shoot. The shell casings rain down on the side of the hill.
The soldiers are Finnish peacekeepers in training, who are to be deployed in Chad in November.
After them come the next Finns to be sent to Afghanistan.
“I wouldn’t like go to Afghanistan”, one of the soldiers says.
In a real situation, before shooting, the soldier would have shouted in Finnish, English, or in a local language: “Stop! Drop your weapon!”
Such are the rules of engagement.
Next comes a warning shot into the air. If this does not work, the soldier has permission to fire at the legs, and if this does not have the desired effect, it is permissible to shoot to kill.
The blue-capped men in the brochure on UN soldiers are far from the world that the exercise is aimed at.
However, in Chad, the caps are sometimes also possible. “Over there, the conditions can be anticipated”, says Lieutenant-Colonel Timo Vehviläinen, head of the crisis management centre of the Pori Brigade.
In Afghanistan the danger classification requires that the personal security equipment be worn at all times while outside: a helmet, body armour, and additional armour on top of the genitals.
The equipment is a compromise between protection and mobility. There needs to be as much protection as possible against bullets, but the soldiers also need to be able to run away with the body armour on.
The conditions of war are reflected at every level, and on Finland as well. Few of those going on the deployment will allow recognisable photographs to be taken of themselves, nor will they give their names out in public.
An exception is 31-year-old Janne Kauppinen, who is preparing for deployment in Chad. His wife and two-year-old daughter are staying behind. He is also leaving his job as a firefighter and paramedic for the Medi-Heli helicopter rescue service.
“I follow the events in Afghanistan, because a friend of mine is there. The risk level has risen”, he says.
The trainers and those being trained do not need to take a stand on what group may be their adversary - the Taleban, al-Qaeda, or someone else.
In any case, a person approaching can open fire, perpetrate a suicide attack, or build a homemade roadside bomb.
Previously, shooting practice involved targets that were ten metres away. Now they are closer. According to international reports, clashes are increasingly start as a discussion with a group of people at close proximity, when suddenly someone on the other side opens fire.
Training is largely planned in the country where the soldiers are to be deployed. Trainers of those going to Afghanistan include those who are currently serving there.
The next soldiers going to Afghanistan are to be picked next month. A third of those to be chosen from the reserves are already known. Their mission is expected to begin in February.
http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Crisis+management+training+prepares+soldiers+for+r eal+combat/1135249976277