National Guard Platoon Commander

Requirements:

• National Guard member;
• Secondary or higher education.

Admission Conditions:

• Previous training – at least secondary education, completion of the Basic Military Training Level 1 Course, and the Junior Instructor Course.
• Medical fitness – a medical examination must have been completed and the participant must be deemed fit for service in the National Guard of the Republic of Latvia (LR ZS).
• Physical fitness – in accordance with Ministry of Defence Regulation No. 43, “Regulations on the Procedure for Enrolment of National Guard Members, Taking the Oath, Concluding Contracts, and Reviewing Complaints and Proposals in the National Guard of the Republic of Latvia.”

For additional information, see the “Admissions Regulations of the Latvian National Defence Academy”.

To apply for the course, the applicant must contact their immediate superior at their National Guard battalion.

The course is organised in four stages, combining in-person and distance/remote learning.

Stage 1

Infantry Squad Tactics – 20 days of in-person training.
Participants who have already completed the Infantry Squad Tactics Course (KNK) begin their training with Stage 2.

Stage 2

The academic block is conducted through both in-person and distance learning.
In-person training consists of 16 weekends (Saturdays and Sundays), held at three-week intervals.
Distance learning takes place between the in-person sessions. Distance learning begins only after the first in-person session.
Distance-learning classes, theoretical material and tests provide preparation for the subsequent in-person sessions.

Stage 3
Summer field camp – platoon-level training, 14 days of in-person training.

Stage 4
Practical training in National Guard battalions – 7 days of in-person training.
The final course examination consists of preparing and delivering a platoon commander’s order.

*The content of the course programme may be updated and changed during the period of study.

The course programme is completed over 22 months, through a combination of in-person and distance learning.
The timing of the field camp is coordinated with the cadet training programme of the National Defence Academy, while the practical training period in National Guard battalions is coordinated with the NAF military training phase “Namejs.”

During the course, the following subjects will be studied:

• Infantry platoon tactics;
• Small arms design, capabilities and employment;
• Indirect fire support;
• Capabilities and employment of air defence and anti-tank units;
• Combat engineering support;
• The adversary and reconnaissance;
• Combat service support;
• Protection against weapons of mass destruction;
• Communications;
• Medical support;
• Military law;
• Military leadership and command;
• Military psychology;
• Military pedagogy;
• International and national security;
• Environmental protection during military exercises;
• Infantry squad tactics (for participants who have not completed the Infantry Squad Tactics Course).

The objectives of the National Guard Platoon Commander Course are to:

• provide theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the effective planning, organisation and administration of the activities of a sub-unit/unit and military operations;
• plan the execution of an infantry platoon commander’s assigned task and issue an order to the personnel regarding the task;
• provide students with military leadership knowledge and skills for leading and training subordinate personnel, while developing their leadership abilities.

Participants have the opportunity to continue their education in first-cycle higher education study programmes, subject to meeting the admission requirements of the respective study programme.

Course Director

First Lieutenant Jānis Eglītis   Email: janis.eglitis01@mil.lv Mobile: 26135161

Training institution:
Latvian National Defence Academy, Riga