How Syrian Soldiers Are Prepared at Training Center

After a regular training cycle, Syrian soldiers and officers acquire significantly advanced combat skills.

Syrian soldiers in one of the training centers of the Syrian Armed Forces (Photo: otvaga2004.ru / Alexander Kolotilo)

According to independent experts, progress in the fighting of the Syrian Army against terrorist groups indicates the rise of skill of Syrian troops, the Otvaga military-patriotic website reported. The battles in the provinces of Hama and Aleppo especially confirm this fact. Of course, the effective air support contributes to successes of the Syrian Army, but Syrian commanders of many divisions and units of the ground forces also have noticeably matured professionally. Recently, a special correspondent of the website visited one of the training centers of the Syrian Armed Forces.

As one of the senior officers of the center told the correspondent, they are currently working with units of a regular training cycle. The officer explained that the cycle is a training period, which lasts several weeks. The order of priorities of training subjects is clearly defined in the framework of the cycle: an individual training, a team training of divisions, platoons, squadrons, and, finally, a team training of a battalion. The officer noted that the exercises are conducted daily; they take at least 16 hours. He also stressed that the main emphasis is on practice.

After the full training cycle, Syrian soldiers acquire stable skills of actions in combined arms operation – in offensive and defensive operations, as well as during a march and performing of other missions. They are ready to act skillfully on signals of control, notification and interaction, and effectively use assigned light weapons and combat hand grenades at day and night.

In the center, Syrian servicemen are trained to adjust the aim of a gun and conduct aimed fire from it, act in an observer post and patrols, exchange the radio traffic, using organic communications equipment, equip and mask trench lines and hideouts, install and overcome reinforcing obstacles.

As the officer noted, it is very important to teach soldiers to protect themselves against incendiary and high-precision weapons, cultivate their ability to use individual and collective protection, protective means of combat vehicles, fortifications and terrain, as well as to act in an infected area, if it is necessary. He also added that they train servicemen to orientate themselves with respect to terrain, using a topographical map and without it, give first aid for wounds, burns, acute poisoning and other injuries. In addition, depending on a military job, the center gives all the necessary skills to leaders of squads, detachments, deputy platoon commanders, commanders of platoons, squadrons, mechanized infantry, machine gunners, antitank grenadiers, automatic riflemen, gunners of infantry combat vehicles, gunners of tanks.

The most attention is paid to the training of officers. The aim of this training is to ensure the readiness of commanders to conduct training of military personnel and develop their ability to control units during a battle. In fact, the training begins already during a meeting of commanders on the eve of the training cycle.

According to the serviceman, officers are trained during planned classes with subordinate units, together with military personnel, in all subjects, as well as during exercises and conducting combat firing. The training of commanders of battalions, squadrons and platoons in order to teach them to control military units, airstrikes of the air power, artillery fire and anti-aircraft weapons is conducted at the final stage of the team training of battalions and squadrons before the control tactical and combatant trainings.

The officer noted that commanders of platoons are trained to control the fire at an armament training camp or mean line of fire. He also stressed that the training is carried out under the supervision of Syrian military trainers.

According to the serviceman, the first graduates of the center are already successfully fighting, defending their country’s future. And there are no doubts that all combat tasks are within their scope of abilities.