Page 87 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

A Company readiness, Spec Inf Kenya 2017
A Company was given the privilege of being the rst Specialised Infantry Company to enter the operational readiness cycle. After completing an assessment cadre in April, the company deployed to Kenya as part of the 1 SCOTS delivered Exercise Askari Spear; the rst Specialised Infantry eld training exercise. Huge value and experience was gained from working in such an austere environment with some excellent training including close inter- action with a B Company of 9th Kenya Ri es. The deployment to Kenya lasted over eight weeks, with the longest deployment the British Army has had to the arid Archers Post Training Area, and was supported by US and UK Special Forces advisors. This unique training experience simulated opera- tions in a high threat environment, operating at reach from its chain of command.
Ex ASKARI MARKSMAN
mentorship enabled this to translate into a standard of marksmanship that, outside a shooting team, is rarely achieved in the Field Army. This edge, in skills, marksmanship and suf cient subject matter expertise, has provided the competence to pass on the learning to host nation forces in future. Towards the end of the package, teams conducted high threat environment speci c shoots and vehicle contact drills with dispensation for reduced arcs. Varied, exciting and with extreme focus on training all to standard meant that this was a favourite phase of the exercise for most of the company. It provided the men of A Company with unique opportunities that saw everyone hone their skills to an impressive level.
Ex ASKARI DAGGER.
During this phase, 1 Platoon of B Company, 9th Kenya Ri es were attached to A Company. A Company used this phase to develop training, advising and mentoring skills that will be essential in our future role. The teams were split, with one team fully embedded and living with the KDF, developing key individual KDF commanders, building rapport, including drinking goat’s blood, and providing vital feedback to the training team. One 12 man team focused on the delivery of dry training objec- tives. The team was given full mission command on how best to deliver the required training, but the programme was designed to be as exible as possible, allowing our Kenyan partners to work on their concerns and perceived capability gaps which they had identi ed from their recent and challenging
A COMPANY USED THIS PHASE TO DEVELOP TRAINING, ADVISING AND MENTORING SKILLS THAT WILL BE ESSENTIAL IN OUR FUTURE ROLE
A Company improving their marksmanship ring over 150,000 rounds of ammunition in the process
Lasting approximately three weeks long, this phase
saw A Company progress through a compre-
hensive live ring package during which the 61
strong company red over 150,000 rounds of small
arms ammunition. The company worked from the
basics up, beginning with basic individual skills and
moving onto team ranges that were planned and
conducted by the company. Operating from FO
TWIGA there was plenty of scope for exibility in the
training progression and the culture of training to
standard not time pushed by Green Beret advisors
became rooted in the company’s psychology. US
and UK Special Forces advisors pushed the impor-
tance of honing basic skills through repetition. An
abundance of ammunition with Special Forces operational tour to Somalia. A third team planned a
THE RIFLES
FOURTH BATTALION 85