AO4- Discipline

Chepstow Army barracks. 28th-30th March



We all assembled in the hall at around 8:45 AM. we left for the coach at around 9:00 and headed towards Chepstow in Wales. This showed uniformity as we all met at the same time and got on the same coach. this is important as it showed that everyone would be treated equally on the stay. The coach drive was only around 1 hour long but because i wasn't that confident about the stay, it felt as though the time past too quickly and I was there before i knew it. once we passed  over the Seven Bridge and entered Wales i felt a little bit out of my comfort zone as we were in another Country.



When we arrived at the Army Barracks, the first thing I noticed was a solder on guard duty armed with an SA 80, driving through we could see soldiers practising their marching, all in ranks looking professional, which proves how important uniformity is to the Army. When our coach stopped, we got out and headed for the recruitment camp at the far end of the barracks under the Seven Bridge. We were greeted by three of our leading Soldiers, (Tristan, Paddy and Danny) where they assigned us in 1, 2, 3 sections where we would compete against each other in tasks and the winning section overall in the 3 days would receive a prize. Unfortunately, 5 of the 7 sixth formers were put into 1 section and me and Adam were assigned to 2 section with 5 year 10's which we had to mentor. we then had to go into our cabins and do a mini ice breaker. The ice breaker is where you have to stand up in front of a group and introduce yourself and speak about your hobbies likes etc.



We were all given the same bibs, same water bottles in which we had to keep full at all times and the same sleeping bags in which we had to to take to our section cabins. This again highlighted the importance of uniformity to the Army as everyone had the same bottles and sleeping bags so that no one could complain about having better or lower quality equipment.
The first challenged we did was paint balling. We were taken to the woods where targets of animals were placed around the woods, there were 11 targets, but one was a badger in which if we hit, we were deducted 2 points. we gained a point for each hit target and then within our sections we added up the scores and who ever had the highest score overall won the task. When it was my turn, I put on the safety  mask and listen to the instruction's i was given. I had a strategy of getting down on one knee as it was more accurate to aim. Danny the soldier who took me through the course was impressed as that's what the British Army do when they shoot during exercises. I managed to hit a maximum score of 10. After all 3 sections had been, my section and 3 section were tied for 2nd place and therefore we had to do a sudden death shoot out in which there was 5 targets and we were given 5 bullets and the3 highest score won. It was a 1 on 1 shootout between me and Jordan in which i won 3-2.



Once we had finished paint balling we were taken over to a play are where Tristan brought out a 24-hour ration pack in which is used by the British Army. All the food in the pack is very high in basic sugars and are edible cold but usually boiled. There are 5 different types of ration packs, in this pack was:

• Burger and beans for breakfast. 
• Steak soup as the main meal.
• Sponge pudding for dessert.
• Boiled sweets
• Chocolate bar
• Flap jack bar
• Fruit biscuits
• Tea, coffee hot chocolate sugar etc.
• Jam

This highlights uniformity again as every soldier eats the same food whilst on tour to show that all of the soldiers are treated equally no matter what rank or type pf soldier they are to prevent any disagreements
After this we had some free time before we went to the canteen for food in which we were able to play table tennis, basket ball or football. Me, Adam. Ash, George and Mr Hooper played table tennis.



When a member of the British Army shouted "LINE", we had to immediately stop what we were doing and stand on the line and number of from 1- 20. we had to do this every time they shouted line. This showed our discipline as we followed given instructions immediately. This also showed that we realised the importance of following Instructions as we did things immediately so that we on time   



We then had to get in 3 ranks and walk to the canteen. We had to have a basic meal where i had a Chile con Carney and i sat at the table with the group. This shows uniformity because we all lined up at the same time and went to the canteen and ate the same selection of food and sat at the same table in the same dinner hall



After food, we went back to camp and took on the BATTACK challenge. this was a challenge of                co-ordination and reaction speed. there was 8  buttons that flashed and you had to push them ASAP and get as many as you could within 30 seconds. i managed to get 39 which was an average score across the camp. We came 2nd in the task to 1 section. 

we then went into the DVD room where we were given a weapon show. they showed us the SA-80 assault rifle, LSW (light support weapon) and an RPG. the soldiers then briefed us on types of sights and ranges of weapons etc before testing us later. after the test, we all went t the shop where we could buy snacks for the night. When we got back to our cabins, we all went into the DVD room and watched 'Are we done yet'. however, this was cut short due to the fact that the year 10's were banging on the doors of the 3 cabins and on the soldiers cabins. this showed a lack of discipline and respect towards the soldiers who were hosting our stay.

Today, breakfast was at 7:30am. We had to get up at 7:00am and showered before going to breakfast. we had a full English for breakfast. After breakfast, we had time to let our food settle before starting our day. during that time we had to clean the camp area. This involved in us cleaning our cabins, the showers, the toilets and the area in which we chill in. This showed the roles of discipline uniformity  as we were all ordered to clean the showers etc at the same time.

The first challenge of the day was 3 tasks. we learned how to apply face paint and the 6's (shape, shadow,sunlight, silhouette etc.). we the learned how to set up a ...... these were like tents but lighter and are situated low on the ground. they are used as shelter and camouflage when soldiers ore n duty. the last section of our challenge was to learn different soldier formations such as heliborn.

In the PFA, we had to do 3 laps of a course mapped out for us that was equivalent to 1 1/2 miles. The minimum pass time was 12mins 30secs, I did it in 9 minutes and 34 seconds and came 2nd to Mr Hooper. Although i won out of the pupils, my section came second as alot of them finished at the back of the race. i think that i could of run the time in under 9 30, however due to the heat, i had to stop and was almost sick due to the fact that i hadn't hydrated myself enough throughout the morning. 



we went back to our camp and showered before going to play a football tournament. i knew that we wasn't going to win as 1 section had a team full of sixth form football players.

 We played a mini tournament where each team played each other once, then the 2 bottom teams played each other to get into the final against the top team. we played 1 section first and went 2-0 up as paddy scored and i scored a penalty. we somehow gave away the 2 goal lead and ended up losing in penalties in which i hit the bar. we had to play 3 section in the semi's and lost to them in penalties after drawing 1-1. 1 section went on to win the tournament
After this, the sixth formers played the Army leaders, but unfortunately the Army won 1-0 although we dominated the possession of the ball.  Then the year 10's played them and drew 0-0.

There was one point where the importance of rules, regulations and procedures were disrespected when someone put some tissue paper in a urinal. nobody had the decency to own up and as a result of this, everyone was punished and kept getting punished until someone owned up we had to so press ups and run around a goal post in which we did about 10 times. because no one owned up, we all got punished and had to clean the whole camp. this shows uniformity as we were all punished and we all had to clean the camp. Punishing us showed the importance of discipline in the Army.



The 'dragons den' task had us try and create a new weapon/armour/equipment for the Army. The younger kids in our section decided to make a huge "iron man" war machine in which I didn't really want much to do with as Mr Hooper dismissed mine and Adams idea of a silent grenade (which the soldiers thought would have been decent). Working as a team, showed the importance of uniformity as we all had the same job to finish and all had the same  task.
After this, we went outside and were shown the basics of first aid training. we were taught CPR and how to put someone in the recovery position. Dinner was at the same time again. Just as bed time was however this time we wasn't allowed to go to the shop. this again showed uniformity as everyone eats and sleep at the same time everyday.

Friday 30th March

Today, was the hardest day of the three, even though we were leaving at around lunchtime.

the first task was 'casulty evacuation' which was different ways to carry injured soldiers from the battle field. this was the most challenging and physically demanding task we did whilst at Chepstow.we had to pair up with someone around our body size and carry them using different types of evacuation methods. we then did team evacuations with 3 people before learning how to leopard crawl (which i found harder than it looked).


we were then split up into teams of 2 and had to do an assault course in which none of the equipment we used was not allowed to touch the floor otherwise we had to run around the goal posts. everything we used had to be carried with us through the course. my team was doing really well and was way ahead before one f the year 10's fell off and we had to start all again which meant we eventually lost overall.

 The overall  winners of the challenges (1 section) got given goody bags, which involved a t-shirt, water bottle, magazines and a DVD. everyone was given a water bottle which showed uniformity still as everyone got a prize or souvenir. We were given lunch, and then left the barracks to go home.

On each of the days, we all had to clean the showers, toilets, kitchen and cabins. This shows the role of discipline in the Army as it shows they keep everything clean and safe for everyone to use. We learnt about the rules, regulations and procedures of the Army whilst there, like lining up, cleaning etc. We also learnt the importance of following orders as we were always being told what and what not to do, like lining up, taking showers, having free time, when breakfast/lunch/dinner was.



To conclude, I gained many benefits from chepstow and were taught the importance of discipline and how it affect our everyday lifestyle.

Discipline
To be effective on operations, the Army must act as a disciplined force: commanders’ orders carried out, everybody confident that they will not be let down by their comrades. Discipline is the primary antidote to fear and maintains operational effectiveness: it is supported by team loyalty, trust and professionalism. Discipline instills self-control and breeds self-confidence. Good discipline means that all soldiers will obey orders, under the worst conditions of war, and to do so with imagination and resource. The best discipline is self-discipline: innate, not imposed. The Army expects self-discipline from every soldier, and training aims to strengthen it. Discipline requires clearly understood rules and a military legal system to enforce it. This discipline system must be fairly applied both on and off duty by all those in positions of authority

Integrity
12 Soldiers must be welded into strong and robust teams in order to achieve success on operations, where individual needs and desires are subordinated to those of the team, however unpalatable or dangerous. Therefore, integrity has a unique significance to soldiering, it is essential to trust: soldiers must have complete trust in each of their comrades for their lives may ultimately depend on it. Integrity means being honest and truthful. All forms of deceit and dishonesty constitute a lack of integrity: they call into question whether an individual can be relied upon, damaging the team and therefore operational effectiveness. All commanders are responsible for defining and maintaining standards of personal behaviour in the Army by example, direction and education. Integrity also demands that those who are in positions of authority, at whatever level, set the highest standards and are fair and consistent to their  subordinates. A leader’s example in personal behaviour is vital, and this responsibility increases with rank.Integrity 12 Soldiers must be welded into strong and robust teams in order to achieve success on operations, where individual needs and desires are subordinated to those of the team, however unpalatable or dangerous. Therefore, integrity has a unique significance to soldiering, it is essential to trust: soldiers must have complete trust in each of their comrades for their lives may ultimately depend on it. Integrity means being honest and truthful. All forms of deceit and dishonesty constitute a lack of integrity: they call into question whether an individual can be relied upon, damaging the team and therefore operational effectiveness. All commanders are responsible for defining and maintaining standards of personal behaviour in the Army by example, direction and education. Integrity also demands that those who are in positions of authority, at whatever level, set the highest standards and are fair and consistent to their subordinates. A leader’s example in personal behaviour is vital, and this responsibility increases with rank.



Respect for Others Respect for others is a hallmark of the British Army: it comes from the duty to put others first and means that there is no place for prejudice or favouritism. Like loyalty, respect for others goes both up and down the chain of command and sideways among peers. The Army’s recruiting motto ‘Be the Best’ can only have meaning if all members of it have equality of treatment and opportunity. Respect for others also extends to the treatment of all human beings, especially the victims of conflict, the dead, the wounded, prisoners and civilians, particularly those we have deployed to help. All soldiers must act within the law and the nature of modern, complex, land based operations makes it essential that they maintain the highest standards of decency and fairness at all times, even under the most difficult of conditions. External scrutiny, including intense media interest, is now an attendant part of all aspects of military life. Soldiering is about duty: so soldiers should be ready to uphold the rights of others before claiming their own.

http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/v_s_of_the_british_army.pdf





 hierarchy structure

why is it important to have an hierarchical structure

• improves morale so that soldiers know what rank they are and know what they need to do in order to be promoted
• so that the soldiers are disciplined and that they all have a leader or a boss. this is important because if they step out of line they are punished but also if they have any problems, they know who they need to go to and speak about their problems/ issues
• soldiers become loyal to their departments/ regiments, this helps boost morale as a soldiers closest Friends are going to be in their regiment so they wouldn't mess around and would want to let their Friends down  

The Armed Forces Act 2006

The Armed Forces Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It came into force on 31 October 2009. It replaces the three separate Service Discipline Acts (the Army Act 1955, the Air Force Act 1955 and the Naval Discipline Act 1957) as the system of military law under which the British Armed Forces operate. The Armed Forces Act harmonises the service law between the three armed services.  One of the beneficial changes are that the Act is trending towards tri-service operations where our 3 Services operate together to improve the defence and effectiveness of the British Army.  

this has an effect on the Army because it unites all of the 3 major public services together as they all have to abide by the same rules and regulations and therefore whilst on joint operations, all the soldiers will know what they can and cannot do.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/52/notes/contents 

Queens Regulations

Queen's Regulations (first published in 1731 and known as King's Regulations when the United Kingdom has a king) are a collection of orders and regulations in force in the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force, forming guidance for officers of these armed services in all matters of discipline and personal conduct. Although originally a single set of Regulations were published in one volume, by the mid 19th century there were separate editions of Queen's Regulations for the Navy and the Army, and there is now one for each of the United Kingdom's armed services.

this has an affect on the British army because ther soldiers were given laws about combat and what they were allowed to do whilst they had engaged combat. for example, the rule about only firing when they have either been fired at or they feel and can justify why it was nescessary.

http://www.army.mod.uk/linked_files/ag/servingsoldier/termsofserv/discmillaw/QR%20(Army)%20incl%20A26%20Mk2.doc