MVT Rifleman Challenge

MVT RIFLEMAN CHALLENGE

(Details may be subject to change):

Outline: MVT will offer ‘MVT Rifleman Challenge‘ weekends where a series of light infantry skills will be tested. Successful completion of these tests will result in the award of an ‘MVT RIFLEMAN’ patch.

Intent: To foster excellence among the community of armed civilians, in order to raise training standards and provide a readily identifiable, achievable, skill level.

Scope: Three day MVT Challenge weekends will be scheduled, during which a number of the required Rifleman skills will be tested. MVT Rifleman patches will be awarded to all who meet the standards. A number of the individual skills will be tested in a pass/fail manner. A number of other skills will be tested on a random and team basis, in order to ensure that the individual students have mastered the Rifleman tasks.  For some topics there will be instructional periods followed by testing.

Two Rifleman Patches will be awarded on completion of all tasks successfully, depending on performance on the PT test:

MVT Rifleman

MVT Rifleman Reserve

There has been discussion about patches and tiers etc. This competition does not seek to define members of the III community. It simply seeks to provide a meaningful standard of Rifleman training for those suited to strive to achieve.  Patches are already awarded at MVT classes for successful completion. The MVT Rifleman patch is a goal to attain, a challenge.

CORE RIFLEMAN TASKS TESTED :

• PT Test: ‘2-Miler’

• Shooting qualification: rifle & handgun

• Weapon Manipulation

• Navigation

• Casualty Evacuation

• Move Under Direct Fire

• Break Contact Under Direct Fire

• Conduct Tactical Combat Casualty Care

Detail on Mandatory tested Events:

MOVE:

PT Test: ‘2 miler’:’

30 lb ruck, rifle. MVT 2 mile course run as an individual. The MVT course is hilly and more challenging than a standard 2-miler route:

Goal: Sub 22 minutes:               

Rifleman Pass: Sub 25 minutes

Rifleman Reserve Pass: Sub 30 minutes  

The 2-Miler is an individual best effort event, designed to simulate a rapid movement to relieve troops in contact. It is a physical and mental challenge that will asses an individual’s aptitude for the Rifleman role.  It tests physical fitness, heart and determination.           

Slings may be used on rifles, but the rifle must not be carried on the back or on/in the ruck. It must be carried either to the front of the body or at the trail.

Note: for training purposes, for the 2-Miler run on a flat or gently rolling course, the goal is sub-18 minutes, sub 20 minutes for Rifleman, sub 25 minutes for Rifleman Reserve.

Navigate: MVT navigation course: use a map and compass, navigate point to point across country as an individual. Load Bearing Equipment (LBE) and rifle.

Movement  of  a Casualty: team casualty evacuation. Physical event.

SHOOT:

The shoot takes place with a  short break after the 2-Miler. Time will be given to walk from the end of the course to the range, drop ruck, drink water and put on LBE. This is designed to simulate combat and the stress of engaging the enemy after the 2-Mile approach.

Pass marksmanship standards on rifle and handgunt:

Course of Fire:                   

5 x 10 round magazines rifle, 1 x 10 round magazine handgun.

Short run onto the 50 yard firing point:

10 rounds kneeling

10 rounds prone

40 seconds including magazine changes.

Advance to 25 yards on command:

10 rounds standing

10 rounds kneeling

40 seconds including magazine changes.

Advance on command:

Ready up standing controlled pairs x 5 on command from 25 to 10 yards.

10 yards: transition to handgun, 10 rounds 15 seconds.

Total rounds 60 (rifle 50, handgun 10), max score 300, current pass mark 225. To be beta tested further and adjusted if necessary.

Below: Example Ivan Qualification Target. It will either be this fig. 11 or the fig. 12.

Weapon Manipulation: Perform speed reload, tactical reload, and malfunction/stoppage drills on rifle and handgun: tested to standard.

FIGHT:

Move under direct fire: fire and movement:  Conduct live fire buddy pair or team fire and movement to standard.

Perform unit SOP break contact/anti-ambush drills: Perform 4 man team live fire break contact drills to standard. Contact front or flank (left/right) will be tested.

Conduct tactical combat casualty care (TC3) to combat lifesaver standard. This will take the form of an instructional period followed by trauma lanes for testing.

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ADDITIONAL CORE RIFLEMAN TASKS:

The following are skills which are expected to be known for the MVT Rifleman Standard. In some cases, instructional periods will be provided prior to testing. These will be tested either at random or as part of training scenarios (wildcards):

SHOOT:

Load, unload, strip and reassemble, clean and maintain personal weapons, including field cleaning.

Prepare a range card.

MOVE:

Familiarity with squad and team movement SOP techniques and formations.

Basic fieldcraft: camouflage and concealment, movement under enemy observation.

Avoid thermal surveillance utilizing terrain and vegetation masking.

Knot tying: TBD

COMMUNICATE:

Perform voice communications including reports, voice procedure, phonetic alphabet: TBD.

Perform visual signaling. Hand signals: TBD.

Competency with group communication equipment (squad level).

FIGHT:

Enter and clear a room: an instructional period will be provided.

Perform unit ambush, hasty attack and raid SOPs.

Perform unit reconnaissance patrol, observation post and security patrol SOPs.

Perform unit patrol base SOP and establish a buddy pair shelter area.

 Theory of cover. Identify temporary fighting positions.

Construct buddy pair fighting positions.

React to indirect fire.

Duties of a sentry

Search enemy dead.

Prisoner handling.

Conduct personal administration in the field: maintain combat effectiveness.

Unit patrol ‘actions on’ drills SOP testing: actions on:

                Lights/flares

                Halts: conduct security halt formation.

                Enemy pre-seen

                Conduct of a hasty ambush

                Linear Danger Areas: conduct 4 man team LDA crossing drills.

Example Outline Weekend Training Schedule

Day 1:

Arrive. Administration.

PT Test

Shooting Qualification

Tactical Combat Casualty Care training and trauma lanes.

Day 2:

Navigation Course

Break Contact under direct fire*

Weapon Manipulation

*Note: some wildcard core skill testing will take place as background activity during wait times.

Day 3:

Casualty Evacuation

Random Skill Testing – Wildcards

Awards

Depart

Note: attendance on MVT Progression training classes, including Combat Team Tactics and Combat Patrol, will train the majority of skills on this list. 

The MVT Rifleman Challenge is intended to form the first rung of a training progression. MVT will construct leadership classes in order to award patches for successful completion. The next level patch will be MVT Squad Leader . This class will teach SUT, leadership and troop leading procedures.            

It is an aspiration that these standards will be adopted by other III Trainers in order to foster excellence , mutual support and cooperation, and trust within the III community.

Max

Note on comments: some of the comments below reference the initial proposed shooting qual, which has been changed and updated. Those comments are therefore  no longer relevant and refer to a different proposed target, prior to the Ivan target above, and course of fire.