Page 83 - Chronicle Vol 17

Our primary operational focus has been on providing basic training for Ukrainian forces in the UK, where we have provided the largest contingent of mobilised Reservists (27) on the British Army’s main training mission, Operation INTERFLEX. Our Riflemen are based in Wiltshire, Hampshire, Kent, and Norfolk and are conducting a variety of roles with our own and other nations’ forces. On my visits it has been apparent that they are demonstrating huge enthusiasm, set- ting high standards, and making a real difference to their trainees’ warfighting ability. Although the task does not involve overseas deployment or exposure to especial hazard, it has been hugely rewarding for all involved, so much so that seven Riflemen have volunteered to remain mobilised for a further six months to continue this vital work.
This year we have also had an officer complete a six month tour with the UN in Somalia, two Riflemen return from a four-month rotation in the Falkland Islands, and one of our soldiers mobilise to support security operations in the UK. Our Medical Officer has also been something of a one-man Army having deployed to Brazil, Algeria, and Oman, and is currently mobilised to support the 1st Battalion in Cyprus.
The Battalion’s workforce remains strong, with a total strength of 444. We were the best recruited unit in the Army Reserve in the year to April 2023 and are on course to do well again this year; much of the credit for this must go to the hard work of our recruiting staff, however a lot is also owed to our Riflemen who provide the best advertisements for Army Reserve service in our local communities.
The Battalion has undertaken a wide variety of training. Weeknights and week- ends have seen a steady drumbeat of low-level activities; although unremark- able in themselves they are the foundation on which all success is built. We have also run sharpshooter cadres and an extremely successful battlefield study to Normandy where we integrated the experiences of 1944 with modern doctrine and lessons from more recent conflicts. We have also continued to benefit from the excellent work of The Rifles Training Team in Chepstow who have given over 40 of our Riflemen the opportunity to train arduously alongside their Regular counterparts. The advantages of this training are shown by our performance at the Infantry Battle School where we have had six officers and NCOs pass through revamped battle courses designed to better prepare infanteers for the modern-day battlefield. Finally, we elected to run this year’s Annual Deployment Exercise as a combined event with the 3rd Battalion of Your Royal Highness’s Royal Anglian Regiment; this saw us training across the UK in mortaring, machine gunnery, sig- nalling, and rifle company tactics.
Our Cambrian Patrol team trained alongside teams from Exeter, Southampton, and Oxford University Officer Training Corps, which allowed us to introduce over 40 Officer Cadets to the Regiment over an extended period. The Cambrian Patrol is the British Army’s premier military skills competition and enjoys inter- national renown. I am therefore delighted to report that this year our team won a much-coveted gold medal – the first Reservist unit to do so in 10 years. Five
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