Page 40 - Bugle Spring 2024

7 RIFLES
Ex BALTIC FIST
In July regular and reserve troops from
14 different units massed at RAF Brize Norton for the largest deployment of reserve personnel in years. Ex BALTIC FIST was the next stage in the Ex SPEARPOINT evolution which concentrates Army Reserve personnel into a single delivered Annual Training Camp to provide efficiencies for resources and demonstrates capability their Operational Readiness.
The Exercise was designed to test “Battlecraft Syllabus Training Level” (BCS TL) BRAVO (Platoon) and CHARLIE (Company)
in three specific areas of warfare: Deliberate Operations, Obstacle Crossings, and Specialist Operations (Trench Warfare and Combined Arms Operations). The two light role Infantry Companies were made up of 7 RIFLES personnel, and a composite Company of
4 MERCS, 5 RRF and 3 PWRR. Battalion Headquarters, which was a composition
the three reserve units with 20th Armoured Brigade Combat Team (20 ABCT), was trained to BCS TL-DELTA.
The exercise was broken into two main phases:
PHASE ONE saw each Company move through three TL-BRAVO
missions in a combination of teach, practise and assure. This enabled
all participants to be taught the required skills to achieve the missions, run through dry drills and experiment before completing a blank firing scenario. This gave everyone a chance to dust off old skills and learn new ones.
PHASE TWO saw the Company’s deploy in a fully tactical scenario on orders from Battalion Headquarters. With the assistance of TCVs the Companys embarked on a demanding five-day package which tested and assured them to TL-CHARLIE. For some, this was the first time that they had been in a scenario where they had Combat Arms (Sqn of Challenger 2 tanks), Combat
Support Arms (Combat
Engineers) and Combat
Service Support Arms
(RLC) incorporated
within the ORBAT.
The effect of having
tanks in support whilst
conducting a clearance
of a complex target, or the
TITAN Armoured Bridge
Layer and tanks as part
of a Company Obstacle
Crossing, made the
whole exercise as
realistic as it could
have been.
Ex BALTIC FIST has been one of the highlights of my military career
There was even time between the separate phases for NATO engagement with the attached American and French troops and some Adventure Training in the form of sea kayaking and canoeing.
By the end of the exercise, 7 RIFLES, who
led the design, planning and execution of the exercise, delivered to 20 ABCT two extremely competent and professional Companys. Overall, the exercise was a major success and certainly a model to follow.
Maj Nick Hedges, XO
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