The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) is hosting a five-day Patrol and Skills-At-Arms Competition to assess the physical fitness and shooting skills of its personnel.

The competition, which will take place from November 18th to 22nd, will be conducted in the Hastings, Peninsular Hill, and Benguema areas.

Six teams will compete for top honors, including teams from various infantry brigades, training centers, and support units. The competition will be conducted in two phases: a patrol exercise and a skills-at-arms exercise.

The patrol exercise will involve a jungle walk and fighting, testing participants’ abilities in weapon handling, harbor drills, and casualty evacuation procedures. The skills-at-arms exercise will involve running and live firing, with participants assessed on rifle and pistol marksmanship, close-quarter battle skills, and GPMG handling.

Major General Dauda Alpha, Commander Joint Force, stated that the competition aims to develop soldiers’ potential, enhance their self-confidence and combat skills, and ensure continuity of training.

Nine awards will be presented at the end of the competition, recognizing the best pistol firer, best female firer, best patrol team, and overall best team, among others.

In addition to RSLAF personnel, the competition will also include participation from State House, the Ministry of Defence, Office of National Security, Ministry of Finance, Sierra Leone Police, National Fire Force, and Sierra Leone Correctional Service. Their participation will be limited to the skills-at-arms exercise and will be on a non-scoring basis.

Major General Alpha emphasized that the competition will foster camaraderie and teamwork among the participating institutions.