PRO 310 · Ceremonial and Protocol · Level 300 (Non-commissioned officer)
A Royal Army College course in the planning, conduct, and supervision of the Army's ceremonial.
Course length: 10 hours, studied online and asynchronously at the student's own pace, together with any in-person practical instruction and assessment the course requires.
Foreword
On every parade that goes well, there is a non-commissioned officer who made it so. The ceremonial of the Army is rendered to the highest standard not by accident but by the steady, demanding work of the NCOs who plan it, rehearse it, dress and drill the troops, train the Colour party, and hold the standard when the eyes of the State are on the Army. The officer commands the parade; the NCO builds it. This is the course for the soldier who takes up that work.
It assumes the ceremonial knowledge of the Drill and Ceremonial course (RMT 130) and The Colours, Honours, and Ceremonial Duties (PRO 210), and the leadership of the Junior Leadership Course (LDR 301), and it turns them to the conduct of ceremonial: planning an event, rehearsing a body of troops, supervising turnout and bearing, running a guard of honour and a Colour party, conducting a military funeral with the honours owed to the dead, coordinating with the civil and State authorities, and keeping everyone safe on the parade ground. Through all of it runs the NCO's particular charge: to be the custodian of the Army's ceremonial standards and the living tradition they carry.
Who this course is for
Non-commissioned officers of the Ceremonial and Protocol speciality, and NCOs who will be appointed to plan, conduct, or supervise ceremonial. It assumes RMT 130, PRO 201, PRO 210, and LDR 301.
What you will be able to do
By the end you will be able to:
- describe the ceremonial NCO's role as custodian of standards and tradition;
- plan a parade or ceremonial event, with its sequence, orders, and contingencies;
- rehearse and drill a body of troops to the ceremonial standard;
- supervise turnout and bearing to the highest standard;
- form, train, and run a Colour party and a guard of honour correctly;
- conduct a military funeral and render the correct honours to the dead;
- coordinate ceremonial with the civil authorities and the protocol of the State; and
- keep a parade safe, and command the parade ground with calm authority.
How the course works
The course is self-paced and studied online, with a worked example and a reflection in each lesson. The conduct of ceremonial is a practical craft, proven on the parade ground; this course gives the planning, the method, and the standard, and the running of rehearsals, guards, and funerals is practised and certified in person, under qualified supervision. It draws on the Sovereign's Regulations and Orders (Chapter 26, ceremonial and the Colours; Chapter 20, dress and bearing; Chapter 9, training and instruction).
Structure
| Lesson | Title |
|---|---|
| 01 | The Ceremonial NCO: Custodian of Standards and Tradition |
| 02 | Planning a Parade or Ceremonial Event |
| 03 | Rehearsing and Drilling a Body of Troops |
| 04 | Supervising Turnout and Bearing |
| 05 | Forming and Training the Colour Party |
| 06 | Conducting a Guard of Honour |
| 07 | Conducting a Military Funeral and the Honours to the Dead |
| 08 | Coordinating with the State, the Civil Authorities, and Protocol |
| 09 | Safety, Contingency, and Command of the Parade Ground |
| 10 | The Ceremonial NCO and the Living Tradition |
A note on sources
This is the College's own course, built on the Sovereign's Regulations and Orders (Chapters 9, 20, and 26), the British and Commonwealth ceremonial tradition, and the College's own leadership and instruction courses, adapted to a small, lightly armed, humanitarian home-defence force and written fresh in Kaharagian terms.
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