On February 25, 2021 the Cadets from the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program conducted it’s 8th Leadership Lab of the Winter Quarter at the Cheney Waterworks property. After drawing equipment and conducting pre-combat checks the Cadets moved out to conduct their training.
Like our prior labs, the MS-III Class, which is comprised of Junior level students, led the squads during the training because they are preparing to attend Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky within the next 3-4 months. Providing as realistic training as possible to prepare them for camp is extremely important since passing Advanced Camp is a mandatory requirement for all Cadets who want to commission as an officer in the U.S. Army after graduation.
During this lab the Cadets learned how to conduct a squad ambush. An ambush is a surprise attack from a concealed position on a moving or temporarily halted target. Ambushes are categorized as hasty or deliberate. A hasty ambush is when the unit makes visual contact with an enemy and has time to establish an ambush without being detected. A deliberate ambush is conducted at a predetermined location against an enemy element that meets the commander’s engagement criteria.
The different squads each had their own training lanes where they had to setup each type of ambush against other Cadets that rolled played an opposing force (OPFOR) enemy. Once the OPFOR walked into the squad’s kill zone the squad leader which initiate the signal to begin the ambush. After the initial firefight the squad then had to assault through the objective, secure the area, and search for any intelligence information to report over the radio to their higher headquarters. The Cadets once again did a great job conducting the lab and learning the basics for another tactical skill that will help them succeed at Advanced Camp.
Eagle Strong!
Note: More pictures from the Leadership Lab training can be viewed on our EWU Army ROTC Flickr page.
