NZ Army conducting stability and security training in Whanganui

More than 40 officer cadets, supported by about 80 NZ Army personnel, including engineers, signallers and intelligence officers, will be tested on their ability to lead and command sections and platoons in one of their final assessments, before becoming fully commissioned officers later in October.

Exercise Santici is based on a fictional conflict on a Pacific island. It assesses the softer skills required by officers in a potentially volatile peacekeeping situation.

For about two weeks from Monday 17 August, between 7am -10pm people may hear loud noises in controlled areas not accessible to the public. 

While soldiers will be carrying weapons - the MARS-L rifle and Light Support Weapons (machine guns) - they will carry blanks and there will be no firing within the urban environment.

The exercise will cover scenarios that test decision making, urban patrolling and checkpoints, locating and neutralising improvised explosive devices and protecting key resources and infrastructure. 

Chief Instructor, Officer Cadet School, Major Ken Nicholson said urban security and stability operations require finesse, especially when working with key leaders in the local community.

“You rely on their goodwill and cooperation to achieve your mission. It's about nuanced communication and building relationships while keeping people and property safe. 

“In complex situations, commanders at all levels must be able to make the best decision with the information they have, sometimes very quickly.”

He said officer cadets may need to make hard decisions in dangerous places that will affect the lives of soldiers under their command. 

There are 11 cadets from partner nations Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, Tonga, and Australia taking part. Major Nicholson said training together improved interoperability between military forces and their ability to work seamlessly with each other. 

“It develops a diversity of culture, which supports diversity in thought.

“Our partners do some things differently to ourselves, they have different cultures and different ideas, and learning from them makes us all better.”

Following Exercise Santici, the officer cadets will head to Waiouru for Exercise Nemesis, which will test their mental, emotional and psychological resilience over a 72-hour period, when carrying out physical and mental challenges with no sleep and minimal food.