The US Army has introduced new bayonet assault drills at Ranger School in Fort Benning, Georgia, as military leaders prepare soldiers for future combat situations wheredrones, communications systems, and battlefield technology could suddenly stop working.
The Army announced the updated training this week, saying the new bayonet course is part of a larger effort to prepare soldiers for harsher and more unpredictable wars.
Ranger School is already known as one of the hardest military training programmes in the world. Soldiers go through weeks of little sleep, physical exhaustion, and stressful exercises designed to test their performance under pressure. While bayonet combat may seem outdated today, Army leaders say the training is not about copying old wars.
Instead, they want soldiers to be ready for situations in which modern technology and communication systems suddenly fail, forcing troops to rely on basic fighting skills and instincts.
The new assault course puts Ranger students through trenches, tunnels, smoke-filled areas, and physical obstacles before they must attack silicone human-like targets using bayonets fixed to their rifles.
According toBusiness Insider,Army officials said the training is meant to build what they described as 'grit' and 'violence of action' early in the programme. While those terms sound harsh, military leaders say the concern is practical. Modern warfare depends heavily on technology, and if communication systems or electronics suddenly fail, soldiers may be forced into close combat with little support.
Command Sgt. Maj. Patrick Hartung of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade said the drills are designed to make sure troops can still complete missions under extreme conditions.
'If all technology fails, [Ranger students] will have the fundamentals,' Hartung said in an Army release. 'This is why we have them navigate terrain, close with and destroy the enemy with a bayonet — so they're capable of accomplishing their mission with the people to their left and right.'
Army planners said they are increasingly preparing for future wars in which cyberattacks, electronic interference, or damaged communication systems could quickly render advanced technology unreliable.
Bayonets are not commonly used by American troops today. The weapon is basically a large knife attached to the end of a rifle and is usually linked to older wars, such as World War I trench fighting. Even so, bayonets have never completely disappeared from military training.
Source: International Business Times UK
