OP TIEKE TEACHING SKILLS TO TAKE THE FIGHT TO THE ENEMY

By Judith Martin

The passion shown by Ukrainian soldiers and their commitment to fight for and defend their country is what struck Major Tom Kelly most about his time as Senior National Officer of the New Zealand contingent responsible for preparing soldiers for combat from the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Major Kelly and the Infantry Training Teams from 1 and 2/1 RNZIR returned home just before Christmas last year.

Equally impressive was the fervor shown by the Kiwi soldiers delivering the training who were determined to produce competent, capable soldiers able to help defend their homeland, he said. “The trainers on the ground were the unsung heroes of this mission. They put their everything into making the Ukrainians just that bit better, a little bit harder to kill and that little bit better at killing the enemy.”

Relaxing in New Zealand after his deployment Major Kelly, OC Whiskey Company, 1 RNZIR, says the training aspect came naturally to the soldiers and officers deployed on Op TIEKE.

“Those who deployed have a wealth of experience delivering infantry training, and some have been instructors at TAD and Depot Coy, so it wasn’t new to them – it’s their bread and butter. There were just the nuances of the British and Ukrainian doctrine which had to be acknowledged.” The training, which is continuing throughout 2023 is in the Salisbury Plains, United Kingdom.

The training is divided into modules, with the initial module being a basic introduction to soldiering and survivability, through to live field firing at section level.

A New Zealand Corporal and Lance Corporal would have up to about 10–18 Ukrainian soldiers to teach.

They cover tactics, learning to fight in open, close and urban environments, including trench warfare. Range practice involves shooting out to 300 metres, as well as live field firing. The Ukrainians practiced using British SR 80 weapons and AK 47s.

The average age of the Ukrainian soldiers was 34, with about a quarter of them currently serving. The remainder had recently been mobilized to fight for their country.

For the soldiers delivering the training it was about the small wins that happened daily.

“Seeing the Ukrainians pick up a new skill and apply it. Seeing things start to click.”

He says it was a tough time farewelling the Ukrainians at the end of the training with some likely to deploy to the front lines within days.

“We had a barbecue and a prizegiving and handed out certificates and awards to the top soldiers and top shots. In the weeks before that we took part in the Ukrainian National Day, and also the Ukrainian Defenders Day parade which is similar to our Anzac Day where the Ukrainians honour their fallen.

“The Ukrainian soldiers have a strong drive to fight for their country. A lot of them have had their villages and family homes devastated in the war, and they were switched on and keen to get be there and get after it. Although we only had 35 days with them that sense of drive and passion to defend their homeland produced a confident and capable soldier at the end of it.

“We always said we wanted to produce a Ukrainian soldier who was hard to kill, battle worthy and who could understand the rigors of dismounted, close-quarter combat, and enemy artillery. We weren’t there to make the perfect trained soldier, we were there to ensure they had the skills to survive, and take the fight to the enemy.”