Page 18 - Bugle No. 17 Spring 2021

2 RIFLES
D COMPANY
GO BACK TO BASICS
2 Rifles Rear Operations Group (ROG) have experienced a 6-month period that few ROG’s have had to contend with. The ROG Company, named “D” consisted of three Platoons. Names drawn from previous deployments seemed fitting for the platoons: - Wishtan, Inkerman, and Alma. The Company was a formidable size and each Platoon’s manning was on average of 50 Riflemen.
The Platoons were a mixed bag; from senior Riflemen to those freshly qualified and passed out Riflemen from the Infantry Training Centre. Due to Covid-19, which has impacted all service personnel at some point this training year, some of
the Riflemen required further training to complete their phase two.
From mid-August and into September, D Company deployed to Magilligan training area to conduct a 2-week BCS Exercise. The Exercise was appropriately named, “Silver Bugle.”
The first week of the exercise focused
on remind and revise lessons of basic field craft and Section and Platoon level tactics. The Platoons covered skills, ranging from individual navigation by day and night,
up to Section level operations. Cpl Kinfu particularly enjoyed the 2 days of section advance-to-contacts whilst being closely observed by the CSM, producing unwanted flashbacks of his own Pre-Junior NCO Cadre. Week two’s focus was geared toward Platoon level tactics: working from harbour
areas, receiving and delivering orders,
and conducting section level patrols.
The Sections conducted a number of standing patrols, recce patrols, section attacks, compound clearance, section level ambushes and CASEVAC serials.
The final serial was a Platoon advance- to-contact across the punishing Magilligan training area sand dunes, with a machine gun section and javelin detachment in support. The FUP was kindly marked by CSjt Hemmings and his recce section, who facilitated the Platoon’s movement across the line of departure. No less than 9 enemy positions later, and the limit of exploitation was finally reached - much to the relief of one LCpl Bowden who struggled to see the enemy on occasions (but this was not because of his height).
The exercise proved to be a great success. The mixed natures of experience within D Company ranged from junior Riflemen to senior snipers proved to be its strength - eagerness to learn from one another and a competitive streak between individuals and sections made it a success. The exercise showed that the tactics and skills work no matter what the groupings are, as long as the pre-training is conducted thoroughly.
Shortly after the exercise, the ROG and D Company were back on the training cycle with an eight-week range package to find out who are the best shots. Who said the ROG wasn’t the place to be?
CSjt Robottom
Members of D Company prepare to launch from their last
No less than 9 enemy positions later, and the limit of exploitation was finally reached - much to the relief of one LCpl Bowden
bound position during the final attack of their back-to-basics
exercise across the sand dunes in Magilligan Training Area
Mental Health Education During COVID
It has been an interesting year, to say the least. With the Battalion deployed on OP TORAL 10, 2020 should have been a year full of new opportunities with many members of the Battalion deploying on their first Operational Tour. However, Phase Alpha, the drawdown of troops from Afghanistan and Covid-19 had other ideas.
What should have been a year of BCR rotations and continued training events, now involved a higher degree of awareness regarding the Mental Health of our junior ranks. The Battalion was already committed to the wellbeing of the Riflemen, however, the Covid-19 situation added further complications. Like much of the UK, we had to adapt to the current situation and how best to educate the Riflemen whilst maintaining social distancing and Covid-19 force protection measures.
What proceeded was a year of virtual learning and education like no other. With the use of zoom and other platforms, we as
a Battalion were able to provide a vast array of Mental Health lectures from a wide variety of sources.
The OPSMART team were paramount during this period, with the use of their instructors; the Riflemen received lessons on resilience and Mental Health awareness. Furthermore, the 51st Brigade was also pivotal in delivering training over virtual means in areas such as personnel development, money skills, and further education.
To cap the year off, we were able to qualify 32 members of the Battalion in Mental Health Level 3 Awareness. This consisted of a 3-day study package from industry leaders, helping junior ranks understand the signs and symptoms of poor Mental Health and how best to signpost their peers in a time of crisis and provide support.
2020 has shown that although the workforce at times can be dispersed, that doesn’t mean training can’t still go ahead and in areas such as Mental Health - you don’t need to gather the soldiers in a room to deliver high-quality training, although it does help! WO2 Edwards
Mental Health First Aid was provided to
2 RIFLES with lectures from visiting SMEs,
and a series of talks via remote means
18 RIFLES The Bugle