ANNUAL ARMY EXERCISE

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29194, 3 May 1960, Page 21

ANNUAL ARMY EXERCISE

Indoor Course Al Rumham

The Army’s annual exercise in battle theory will this year be held in the South Island, the Chief of the General Staff (Major-General Sir Stephen Weir) told “The Press” yesterday. General Weir said that the exercise would be entirely indoor and would be based on a model at Burnham Military Camp. He said that at this stage he could not disclose the phase of war to be studied by those taking part in the exercise. In the past, similar exercises have been held mostly at Waiouru and sometimes at Linton, in the North Island. “We thought we would like to spread it around a little,’’ said General Weir. “Burnham is very suitable and has one or two people who have experience on the things we want to talk about and for those reasons it was decided to locate it there.” General Weir said the exercise would be conducted in two phases. The first phase will be for Regular Force officers and the second phase will be for the benefit of senior Regular and Territorial Force officers. The second phase will be from July 1 to 3.

Two of the principals of the exercise are now at Burnham writing their plan. They are the genera] staff officer, grade 1. of the New Zealand Division (Colonel H. A. Purcell! who has come down from Linton especially for the task. Before-taking up his present post last year he was on the South-east Asia Treaty Organisation's militatry planning staff. With Colonel Purcell is Lieu-tenant-Colonel F. Rennie, director of infantry training and director of the Special Air Service at Army headquarters in Wellington.