US soldiers tackle Tully tracking course
Footprints, discarded rations and disturbed vegetation are some of the ways an enemy can be tracked through the terrain that the ADF may operate and fight in across Australia’s region.
CAPTION: US soldier Private Isaac Davis participates in a visual tracking course at Tully. Story and photos by Corporal Luke Bellman.
Such skills were taught to US students in Tully as part of a visual tracking course run by the Combat Training Centre’s Jungle Training Wing over three weeks in November.
Participants refined their ability to read the terrain and anticipate enemy movement.
The course is designed to equip participants with more advanced skills, including the ability to build a track picture by piecing together clues to identify the enemy.
Course instructor Sergeant William Blanck said indicators varied over the terrain.
“It might be the muddy jungle or the dry desert; indicators are crucial for effective tracking,” he said.
“It is difficult to track someone because of the weather elements, but if you stick to the drills you can pick it back up again.”
The course is one of the more specialised individual training courses Army conducts annually for soldiers and non-commissioned officers, and frequently hosts personnel from the Philippines, United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Sergeant Blanck instructed at the US Army’s Lightning Academy in Hawaii and said they had a similar style of teaching.
“Having worked with them I found the gap isn’t that great – besides terminology and acronyms,” he said.
“They keep their soldiers at an instructional standard as well.”
Staff Sergeant Michael Ochoa, a US Army medic from Hawaii, attended the course as an observer to see what could be incorporated in American training.
“Not only is it an essential skill for fighting in the jungle, but one of the things for me is I can use it for search and rescue,” Staff Sergeant Ochoa said.
“When tracking, it’s important not to make assumptions. You might think you see something, but you need to carefully investigate the track or spore to be certain of what it is.”
CAPTION: US soldier Staff Sergeant Michael Ochoa during a visual tracking course at Tully
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