The IDF has revived an operational shooting instructor course for elite units after a lengthy wartime hiatus, expanding the month-long program to incorporate lessons learned from combat and new training focused on the growing drone threat.
The course, run by the Marom Brigade Fire Array and designed for reconnaissance units and commando battalions, now includes instruction on specialized weapons and ammunition for use against drones, as well as testing and integrating machine guns, lasers and advanced scopes. The goal is to give units greater independence in training sharpshooters and machine gunners while maintaining maximum operational readiness and lethality.
Lt. Col. S., commander of the Fire Array, said the unit is responsible for the entire weapons process, from analyzing operational needs to integrating solutions in the field. He described the course as a major force multiplier because graduates return to their units and pass on new methods and weapons training to other soldiers.
“When more new weapons are introduced, I don’t need to stop the IDF,” he said. “I bring those people, teach them what’s new, and they return to the unit and teach all the soldiers. That’s how we optimize the transfer of information and training.”
Addressing the drone threat, Lt. Col. S. said the solution is a significant “X-factor.” He said the IDF had already identified and ordered a solution, but accelerated its delivery as the threat intensified. Through operational learning and studying the enemy, the Fire Array works to understand emerging capabilities and develop ways to gain the upper hand.
“The adoption took time, but we are in a totally different place than we were two months ago regarding the drone threat,” he said.
Maj. A., the Fire Array’s chief instructor, said another major improvement is the quality and battlefield experience of the instructors. He said the personnel teaching the course today previously completed it themselves, returned to combat over recent years, gained operational experience and have now come back to train the next group.
Maj. A. said the drone threat forced the military to develop a very rapid response, with personnel closely connected to battlefield units examining multiple possible solutions and working to integrate them directly into operational forces.
As the IDF continues returning to a regular training routine and rebuilding force readiness, the Fire Array is already planning to expand the course in the future to regular battalions, additional military branches and reserve units.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
