Page 30 - Bugle Spring 2025

5 RIFLES
THE NEXT GENERATION
Op CABRIT14 provided Fire Support Company
with an excellent chance to run Platoon
Cadres, qualifying the next generation of
Support Weapon Specialists. Thankfully,
Estonia offered a wide range of training
areas and opportunities that were exploited
to the full.
The Recce cadre headed to SOODLA and
SIRGALA training areas to conduct a 2-week
dismounted live and dry firing final exercise
culminating in a week-long recce patrol. Anti
Tanks stayed closer to home, putting the local
training area to good use with anti-armour
screens, ambushes, delays and strikes. The
Mortar Platoon developed an excellent package
that trained both armoured and light role
mortaring to huge effect. Snipers successfully
vanished to the ranges for a highly successful
range package that qualified a core of new
Sharpshooters, all of whom will make excellent
Badged Snipers in the future. Finally, the
Assault Pioneers destroyed and rebuilt all in
sight, with a well-resourced and professionally
executed rural and urban Exercise,
The Cadres successfully created a new
generation of Riflemen skilled in Support
Weapons, and the next 12 months will give Fire
Support an excellent opportunity to further
refine and hone their skills.
Also whilst in Estonia, the B Company
Potential Junior Non-Commissioned Officer
(PJNCO) Cadre aimed to develop confident,
capable, and resilient leaders ready for the
demands of a junior Lance Corporal. August
saw 82 students from across the Army attend
the course, wearing the white ‘Chosen Man
Band’ in tribute to The Rifles’ heritage. Initial
lessons focused on leadership skills and
training techniques, complemented by physical
training and sword lane lessons, laying a solid
foundation before field deployment.
The cadre’s tactical phase spanned 20
days across five Estonian training areas. It
began with navigation assessments before
The cadre’s
tactical
phase
spanned
20 days
across five
Estonian
training
areas
progressing to key lessons on Section second-
in-command (2IC) responsibilities, including
fire control, battlefield discipline, orders
delivery, and field administration. A demanding
40km patrol competition over 30 hours tested
students’ tactical skills, stamina, and resilience,
with command tasks at 10 checkpoints.
The course concluded with a final training
exercise at Nursipalu in the south of Estonia,
featuring complex platoon-level operations.
A dawn trench clearance transitioned into a
challenging urban assault, with top students
stepping into the Platoon Serjeant role under
pressure.
42 soldiers, including 10 non-Riflemen,
earned the Infantry Section 2IC qualification,
emerging as confident, professional leaders
ready to excel in their future roles. They were
honoured to receive their first stripe from Her
Royal Highness, The Duchess of Edinburgh
and the Colonel Commandant at Picton
Barrack on our return.
30 RIFLES The Bugle