Though of dubious training value, having people jump or dive through flaming hoops is a staple of displays of martial prowess by military forces around the world, as well as in training camps that terrorists and militants operate. Recently, the Egyptian Army posted a video online showing that they have put a new twist on the concept, putting the hoops in motion, rather than on static frames, by bolting them to the sides of jeeps.
The video in question appeared on the Egyptian Armed Forces’ official YouTube channel on Dec. 28, 2020. The title says that it shows members of the country’s Second Field Army preparing for operations in the Sinai Peninsula, where a branch of ISIS continues to be active and present a very real threat to Egyptian security forces. No further information is provided about this particular display in the caption.
The mobile flaming hoops, which are mounted, one on each side, to the rear of what appear to be U.S.-made 4×4 Ford M151 Military Utility Tactical Trucks (MUTT), are among the first things highlighted in the video. The jeeps are seen driving around in a race track pattern on the parade ground as lines of troops run in place, leaping through the hoops as they come around.
Later in the video, Egyptian soldiers are also seen diving through square frames, which are also on fire and are being pulled toward them on a sled-like arrangement by trainers. All around, other troops are seen making other displays of strength, including moving through various obstacles, flipping over large truck tires, and doing calisthenics.
Other parts of the footage show troops conducting various other kinds of training, including working together with M113 armored personnel carriers in areas that appear to represent, relatively simplistically, forward operating bases and urban environments. There are also clips of simulated firearms training, as well as hand-to-hand combat drills.
Circus-like stunts could help inure an individual to the kind of dangerous situations they might experience in combat, making them less likely to freeze up when it matters the most. There are multiple kinds of drills that many world militaries employ ostensibly for this purpose.
Whether or not jumping through a ring of fire in this kind of very controlled environment really has the intended effect is, at best, debatable. Nevertheless, it does certainly promote a certain esprit de corps among the participants. This often seems to be the bigger point of these types of drills, which focus heavily on individual strength and trust in one’s comrades.
Any morale-boosting benefits of a demonstration like this would be a boon for personnel assigned to the 2nd Field Army, which has been among the units engaged in the fight against ISIS in the Sinai in recent years. That campaign has been a bloody slog that shows no signs of ending any time soon. Just this month, the terrorists have reportedly stepped up attacks specifically on civilians by booby-trapping their homes.
If nothing else, the Egyptian Army has definitely taken this spectacle of literally jumping through hoops to an entirely new level.
Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com