Pry the door open, shoot the lock off or break into the building using a charge. All this was the content of training for course managers, which focused on the implementation of forcible entry to objects or so-called breaching. During 14 days, soldiers of the 15th Engineer Regiment at Bechyně, the 601st Special Forces Group Prostějov and the 43rd Airborne Regiment Chrudim exchanged experiences from foreign courses and operations, harmonizing ways and procedures to best introduce this innovation into the training of Czech Army units.

Picture: Initiation of a slider charge during explosive breaching | army.cz

“It is one of the key capabilities, not only for special forces and paratroopers, but across all sections, for all conventional units, because there is a great prerequisite for fighting in built-up areas,” said the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of the Czech Republic Army General Aleš Opata during an inspection.

The task of introducing this new course was given to the 15th Engineer Regiment in May this year. “The mission of this focused training is to prepare the course managers, i.e. the people who will lead the individual parts of the course, for forcible entries to buildings,” said the deputy commander of the 15th Engineer Regiment, Colonel František Richter, describing the key point of the entire training.

Fighting in built-up areas requires breaching training

Breaching is simply a forcible entry into a building through a weakened place, usually a door, and serves to get the attack team inside. According to one of the course managers, Captain Jan Hanudel, this is a complex ability that has been missing in the Czech Army for a long time. “I first practised breaching in 2014 as part of a specialized course in the USA. Similar experience was acquired by dozens of other soldiers from foreign operations with coalition partners. For years, this training has not been successfully implemented in our training, and only the intensity of contemporary conflicts in built-up areas has confirmed that its introduction can no longer be postponed.”

Picture: Practical training in the use of shotguns for ballistic breaching | army.cz

It is important for future managers of this course to teach soldiers to follow safety precautions above all. “We also want to show them that there’s nothing to worry about. We want to train them in the construction and placement of charges and all tactics in general,” added the instructor from the combat training center of the 43rd Airborne Regiment in Chrudim. “During training, we will focus mostly on individuality, so that soldiers will be able to work independently without other superiors or more experienced colleagues. We want to focus directly on the individuals,” said the engineer training instructor at the 601st Special Forces Group Prostějov, explaining his ideas about future training.

Picture: Mechanical breaching using crowbars and training door frame | army.cz

The first course will take place in mid-February in Prostějov and the second at the end of March in Bechyně. A maximum of 15 soldiers will take part in each.