Page 27 - Bugle No. 17 Spring 2021

Brigade Training Package 04 (BTP-04)
3 RIFLES
LCpl Mann instructing
I deployed on BTP-04 as part of the JNCO leadership development course from 20 Oct – 8 Dec 20. 3 RIFLES were the lead unit, but we were also joined by personnel from the Scots Guards, Danish and Canadian Armies.
After isolating, we made our way to Dnipro, which is 500km south east of Kiev. It is like any other major city in Europe, full of shops, bars/restaurants etc. and is certainly a city several of us would love to come back to on
a lad’s holiday. The first week consisted of carrying out recces of the training area and the course leads sorting out the resources we required to for the training.
We had initially planned to deliver a training package like our PJNCO cadre back in the UK, but that all changed once we discov- ered the AFU were lacking in the fundamen- tals of soldiering that we would expect from Rifleman after the Combat Infantryman’s Course. Despite lacking in some skills, most of the soldiers had a wealth of experience, with some having fought back in the late 80s in Afghanistan with the Soviets and most of the rest having spent time on the front line fighting the Russian Separatists. The training
program was tweaked to focus on basic infantry skills before moving onto section attack lessons and lanes, with soldiers in command appointments.
The AFU soldiers were a pleasure to work with and showed a strong desire to improve. On a personal level I enjoyed the experience of taking part and working with different nationalities and would recommend it to anyone.
LCpl S Mann, C Coy, 3 RIFLES
Urban Defence Course 03 – (UDC-03)
UDC 03 ran from 14 Sep 20 – 16 Nov 20. The purpose of the course was training the AFU how to fight, defend their border and ulti- mately operate within an urban environment.
After two weeks isolation we ran a course in Lviv before moving to Odessa. In each location we taught a mixed age range of soldiers some of our most useful skills and drills, ranging from movement in an urban environment to full room clearance drills.
In Odessa, our purpose focused more on teaching 45 AFU soldiers to a standard where they could pass as instructors themselves and feel confident enough to teach first year officer cadets in much larger groups. This proved challenging in only a few weeks; however,
the soldiers were eager to learn and worked with us.
As a Rifleman it was a great experience
to go on this deployment as it is usually only NCOs and Officers that deploy on this as it involves a lot of teaching and leadership. However, I was trusted and supported by the urban instructors to teach groups myself and lead sessions.
During my stay I had lots of downtime and opportunities to explore the country and get to know the culture. The travel experience alone was a great trip, but this deployment gave me the chance to do something other than the usual UK based training exercises and range weeks. Would highly recommend.
Rfn J Cannon, C Coy, 3 RIFLES
The travel experience alone was a great trip
UK demo troops room clearance
CASEVAC in
Urban environment
Room clearance drill with the UAF
Op ORBITAL was a fantastic opportunity to get JNCO’s and above on an overseas deployment in a teaching role. Many will attend promotion courses and will be assessed on the content of what they were instructing in Ukraine. 3 RIFLES have handed over Op ORBITAL to The Royal Lancers, supported by the SCOTS GUARDS for 2021.
Lt B O’Brien, C Coy, 3 RIFLES
RIFLES The Bugle 27