Page 34 - Bugle No. 17 Spring 2021

5 RIFLES
Fighting through on Dartmoor
JNCO CADRES
Last autumn saw the Battalion deliver two simultaneous JNCO Cadres in order to train and test our next generation of leaders. In Estonia A Coy invited soldiers from across the Battlegroup on a 6 week tour around Estonia whilst B Coy in the UK settled for bleak Dartmoor, scrutinising the best from across the Regular Battalions.
The A Coy led eFP BG JNCO Cadre ran over 6 weeks, with the course forming up on the Battlegroup’s return to Tapa from CT4 valida- tion in Latvia, immediately testing the mental
resilience of tired soldiers. The course was deliberately inclusive and welcomed students from six different UK regiments and corps drawn from all the major sub-units in the Battlegroup as well as our Estonian partners and an Army Reserve student. The instructors were drawn similarly widely, and the major exercises were supported by every eFP BG sub-unit and a range of NATO partners. High- lights of the course included a live fire platoon attack (supported by US Osprey Helicopters and a live Javelin missile fired by the Anti-Tank
Platoon), an ambush against BTR-80 (Russian reconnaissance vehicle) operated by the Estonian Defence League, trench clearance in a CBRN environment on an ex-Soviet airfield, a sword lane, an urban clearance of an ex-Soviet Naval Base and an assault on a disused prison in Tallinn. Not content with their already signif- icant mileage, the final attack saw the course deploy to the island of Hiiumaa, off the NW coast of Estonia, before assaulting onto WW2 era Nazi bunkers supported by an Estonian Naval Vessel and two German Typhoon Jets.
The course was both demanding and ambitious allowing us to train in locations and with our NATO allies in ways that would not be possible in the UK. Our Liaison Officer was quoted, “This course has shown me that training opportunities in Estonia are only limited by your imagination... and you have
a very big imagination!” In total 29 Riflemen and 13 All-Arms students were on parade for the pass off, with HM Ambassador to Estonia attending as the Inspecting Officer, supported by Commander 1st Estonian Brigade. Restric- tions necessitated the Cadre Dinner be held in camp but the newly promoted JNCOs put on
Anti-Tanks live fire
34 RIFLES The Bugle
The final attack saw the course deploy to the island of Hiiumaa, off the NW coast of Estonia, before assaulting onto WW2 era Nazi bunkers
Testing our next
generation of leaders
demo for the JNCO Cadre