Page 28 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

Introduction
It has been a very busy year for the First Battalion. The 16 month long deployment on Op SHADER concluded in January 2017. Testament to the Battalion’s capacity building training to the Iraqi Security Forces and Peshmerga has been the remarkable progress in liberating Daesh held areas in Iraq, most notably the liberation of Mosul from Oct 16 to Jul 17. Many of the Iraqi forces participating in the Mosul operation were trained by 1 RIFLES training teams. As the Op SHADER commitment ended, the Battalion took on Op ELGIN, providing a Company at very high readiness to reinforce EUFOR in the Western Balkans.
Defence Engagement activity has seen persistent engagement with our Central Asian partners. The main event has again been Ex STEPPE EAGLE, this year hosted by Kazakhstan but with signi cant planning and assistance provided by C Company. 1 RIFLES has also helped train the latest Ugandan Army Battlegroup to deploy as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to counter Al Shabab. This entailed a series of training teams delivering pre-deployment training, culminating in a Mission Rehearsal Exercise, at Singo Camp north of Kampala in Uganda. B Company also deployed on Ex Mayan Warrior in Belize during May and June.
At home, the Battalion completed 3 months as UK Standby Battalion for London, while also continuing to build on its now well-established links with the local community, most notably with the Freedom of Chepstow on 7 July.
Alongside operations, defence engagement and UK resilience activity, the First Battalion has achieved
notable Adventure Training and sporting success. 1 RIFLES gained a team silver in the Alpine Ski Infantry Championships and were the Infantry Champions in Nordic Skiing. On the sports eld, 1 RIFLES won the Army Rugby Union Premiership League 2 and will return to Premiership League 1 next season. 1 RIFLES was also Army Marathon and Army Half Marathon Unit Champions, while the Cycling team won the Infantry Championships. To make the time to enable these opportunities and achieve such sporting prowess speaks volumes on the leadership and dedication of those who have organised the teams and events, and the quality and willingness of the Ri emen to participate and do so well.
The First Battalion now moves on from a very busy other tasks year. Autumn 2017 will see the resto- ration of training events disrupted by Op SHADER, including a Battalion SAAM, a Chosen Man compe- tition and Ex Cambrian Patrol. A Company will also deploy on the Op ELGIN operational rehearsal to Sarajevo. The rugby team will undertake a rugby tour of Canada and there will also be a diving expedition to the Canary Islands.
In 2018, the Battalion will deploy to Kenya on Ex ASKARI STORM for the rst time in 6 years before taking on the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Land) Spearhead Battlegroup role from March. This will see the Battalion exercising alongside NATO partners on NATO Assurance Measure exercises in Romania and Georgia during the summer of 2018.
Lt Col Matt Baker,
CO 1 RIFLES
1 RIFLES WON THE ARMY RUGBY UNION PREMIERSHIP LEAGUE 2 AND WILL RETURN TO PREMIERSHIP LEAGUE 1 NEXT SEASON
A2020R Re-ORBAT
Some important announcements in 2016 meant that 1 RIFLES learnt the direction it was to take in terms of role and location under the A2020 Re ne measures; 1 RIFLES was to remain as a Light Role Infantry Battalion (with some restruc- turing) and move out of its home in Beachley Barracks, Chepstow no later than 2027. Although the change in base location has been disappointing to some, the Battalion now has a clear path of travel for the future.
The restructuring has increased the manpower establishment of 1 RIFLES from 561 to 629; an increase of 68 personnel. The Ri e Companies get their third Ri e Platoon back, Support Company has swelled to 179 personnel with the addition of a specialist Machine Gun platoon
and there has been some minor bolstering of the QM’s and LAD departments; all welcome news. This uplift has been managed by an increased ow of recruits from ITC Catterick, but mainly by the transfer of Ri emen from 4 RIFLES as they shrink to take up their Specialised Infantry Battalion role. 56 Ri emen of varying ranks have arrived from 4 RIFLES; we are forecast to be at full strength by December 2017- particularly timely as we will deploy on the CT4 exercise ASKARI STORM in Kenya in January 2018 under the A2020R ORBAT where we will be able to fully test the new structure.
Capt James Reaney, Adjutant
26 FIRST BATTALION
THE RIFLES
FIRSTBATTALION