Tanjung Gelang: A total of 123 trainees in the National Service Training Programme (PLKN) 3.0 Series 2/2025 were seen to be excited with the opportunity to undergo a shooting exercise with real guns like the M16 at the Naval Region Headquarters (MAWILLA) 1 Target Range in Tanjung Gelang here today.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, National Service Training Department (JLKN) Training Operations Division director, Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Colonel Mazlizan Shaikh Osman shared that these trainees are part of the 257 male participants in the 45-day programme at the 505th Territorial Army Regiment Camp in Pekan. 'We are holding two shooting sessions, today with the Alpha and Bravo companies and tomorrow with the Charlie and Delta companies,' he mentioned.
The training exercise is included in the 70 percent of military elements embedded in the PLKN programme. Apart from shooting practice, the trainees are also trained in navigation, survival skills, and crossing obstacle courses, as stated by Mazlizan at a press conference.
Additionally, Mazlizan noted that female PLKN trainees stationed at the 515th Territorial Army Regiment (Askar Wataniah) Camp in Kuala Lumpur will undergo similar shooting training and basic military modules. These activities aim to build discipline, confidence, and identity among the young generation as the country's frontliners.
He further explained the significance of the outdoor training. Based on past studies, many trainees desire outdoor training and do not have the chance to use real weapons in other locations. The trainees use M16 rifles with live ammunition, learning to shoot at distances of 25 and 100 meters in various positions, including prone, sitting, and standing.
The trainees are first provided with relevant knowledge about the weapons and protocols to ensure everyone's safety during the drill. Aiman Khawarizmi Kamaruddin, a 20-year-old trainee from Kota Bharu, Kelantan, expressed his enjoyment of the shooting exercise. He emphasized the value of the experience, which provided him and his peers with exposure to using real weapons.