Page 114 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

Snipers on their quads at the head of FSp Coy on Ex TAPA BUGLE
THE LADS ENJOYED PUTTING OPS INTO ESTONIAN GARDENS, AND PATROLLING PAST LOCALS GOING ABOUT THEIR DAILY LIVES
Snipers in Estonia
At the start of 2017 three Ri emen with one Senior NCO as an instructor, went on the 12 Brigade Sniper course in Warminster. This demanding 10 weeks tested every aspect of the Sniper’s trade, and all three Ri emen successfully badged; a signi cant achievement. This took place alongside a busy programme of preparation for Estonia, and so we arrived in theatre fully prepared.
On arrival on OP CABRIT, the overriding rst impression was the difference in the operating environment. Swamp, miles of deep forest, and swamp forest (where the trees grow directly out of the swamp) covered the training areas, very different from Salisbury plain! Also, despite unseasonably warm April weather in the UK, there was still snow on the ground and temperatures down to minus ten in Estonia. The rst month was spent developing our TTPs in these conditions.
The rst signi cant event for the Platoon was the sniper competition. Teams from across Estonia as well as the US, Canada, France and the UK took part, and there were certainly some unusual shoots. At no time in training have the Ri emen practised ring their .338 from the standing unsupported position at 400m following 20 burpees. Despite
these challenges, the team nished a very creditable third from twelve overall, with one member of the Platoon nishing an outstanding second in the individual competition.
Two exercises, EX SPRING STORM and EX SABER STRIKE, represented the culmination of the rst phase of the deployment. Both were demanding and well-resourced, with troops from ten different nations taking part. The exercises tested our ability to operate in deep woods and severely restricted terrain against an enemy that viewed this as their natural environment. Conducting training on civilian land was also an entirely new experience; the lads enjoyed putting OPs into Estonian gardens, and patrolling past locals going about their daily lives.
Through the preparation phase for OP CABRIT and the deployment itself, the Sniper Platoon from 5 RIFLES has been tested in new and exciting ways, and has grown as a result. The operation has given a number of opportunities to learn from our NATO allies and to operate in a challenging new environment. In the ground-breaking context of OP CABRIT, 5 RIFLES Sniper Platoon continues to strive for excellence.
Rfn Mbang and Rfn Vatuvilli with mortar colleagues from the French Company