3 Section, 3 (Tobruk) Platoon

The 39-week long Combat Infantry Course is designed to train Nepalese Recruits into Gurkha soldiers. On the Monday of Week 4, we experienced the Dismounted Close Combat Trainer (DCCT) for the first time when we fired a grouping at 25m from the prone position. The DCCT is a computerised version of a firing range that allows us to hone our skills without the added pressures of the outdoor environment and weather. Before we started with the DCCT we were given a ‘theory of group’ lesson by our Platoon Commander where we learned about the concept of grouping before the DCCT. A grouping is how the rounds from our weapons are grouped on the target.

At the beginning of our DCCT lesson, we were briefed about the safety and layout of the areas by our Platoon Sergeant. He also briefed the details of the practice and how we would fire five rounds grouping in unsupported and supported prone positions. He notified us that our weapon handling must be at the highest standard and that we would be tested on our application of the marksmanship principles.

Despite a busy day, I was cheered up slightly knowing that we were about to start our first DCCT shoot. We had to shoot at the top left of a white patch followed by top right, bottom left, bottom right on the command of our gurujis. We were trying to make sure all the rounds hit the target as close as possible to each other.

Unfortunately, most of us couldn’t achieve the pass mark on our first attempt. Our weapon handling drills and skills require more practice, and our instructors could see any mistakes we were making, down to pulling the trigger too quickly or not holding the rifle correctly. We were inexperienced however with the mentorship and guidance from our gurujis we were able to pass on the second attempt. All the platoon staff were quite impressed with our overall performance. After the DCCT, we carried out our Normal Safety Procedures and had a final debrief from our platoon staff.