Page 85 - Bugle Issue 20 Autumn 2022

3-116 ATTACHMENT IN THE US
MORE STORIES
For the last training year, 2Lts Alex Copestake (A Coy, 7 RIFLES) and Charles Griffith (HQ Coy, 6 RIFLES) have been on
the Foreign Residence Military Reserves Exchange Program (FRMREP) while in Washington D.C. for work and study respectively. They have been attached to Headquarters Company of 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Virginia Army National Guard.
2Lt Copestake has been serving as the Company Executive Officer, overseeing supply chain demands and administration with the supply Sergeant, co-ordinating with other company XOs, and assisting the OC with the day to day running of training weekends.
2Lt Griffith has been serving as a Staff Officer in the S3 Operations and Planning section, creating CONOPs and orders for various training events alongside Senior NCOs, Lieutenants and Captains, as well as assisting in the creation of the training plan for the battalion’s annual training event in June.
The battalion is currently largely deployed
in Kosovo and the Horn of Africa on Task Force Red Dragon, so is in a lull in its training cycle. Therefore, they are focusing on individual skills training for those not deployed and are now starting to ramp up in preparation for the return of deployed personnel in August, and
a move to focus on completion of the ‘Expert Infantryman Badge,’ an infantry qualification testing individual skills and leadership, similar to SCBC.
The detachment has provided a fantastic opportunity for the two 2Lts, allowing them
to learn about the command structure and operational procedures of the US Army, whilst working with NCOs and Officers of exceptional calibre. They have been thoroughly welcomed into their new roles and have enjoyed strengthening the defence relationship with the US and improving interoperability.
2Lt Copestake continues to train with the battalion until 2024, but 2Lt Griffith’s attachment has ended and he returns to 6 RIFLES to help them prepare for their upcoming Kenya deployment.
RIFLES The Bugle 85