Page 29 - Bugle Issue 18 Auntumn 2021

4 RIFLES
B Coy train on the
HMG in Lydd Ranges
B Coy have continued to develop their operational partnering capability through the complexity of COVID.
The year started with Dari and Arabic language courses for all members of the Coy, continuing to ensure that our soldiers are proficient at engaging with operational partner forces across our area of operations. It is very rare for a Coy to have a prolonged period of training time on ranges and so a 3-week LFTT package was seized upon to hone our live fire skills. The Coy of 60 Riflemen dedicated days at a time into perfecting their pistol, rifle, GPMG and HMG firing with every member making a marked improvement. The Teams also had an opportunity to conduct a conventional attack with their 12-man ORBAT, continuing to rely on JNCOs and Rfn to act 1 and 2 ranks up and take on the role of the Team Commander and Team
Ops Officer. The 3-week package culminated in simulation training where the Teams had an opportunity to test their improved marksman- ship in a CQB environment with a live enemy.
The Coy also deployed on an exercise
to Bramley Training Area. The Teams had
an opportunity to run through a complete planning process in their Ops rooms before presenting a CONOP for their deployment and subsequent raid onto several targets. The CONOP back brief was presented to the CO, ensuring that we continue to expose Rfn and JNCOs to delivering their outputs from the combat estimate to higher ranks. Once deployed, the Teams completed a Find, Fix, Finish, Exploit and Analyse (F3EA) targeting cycle requiring bottom up targeting and the coordination and layering of assets.
The Coy is now committed on the opera-
tional cycle where they continue to put their training into use and to build networks and relationships with partner forces across the globe. There is a real sense of excitement for the future and B Coy will continue to train for the challenges ahead.
Capt S Clarke, Team Commander
B Coy Teams train with
KESTREL night vision devices
Once deployed, the Teams completed a Find, Fix, Finish, Exploit and Analyse
Officers’ Mess Matters
Unsurprisingly this has been a challenging period for the Mess. Working from home and COVID-19 restrictions are not natural bedfellows of a vibrant and active Mess. However, the high tempo of activity in recent memory, with Coys discon- nected by different deployment cycles, has created a level of resilience in the Mess that has served us well.
The Battalion has remained busy and this has generated some opportunities to socialise where restrictions have permitted. Fireside chats, Zoom presentations by guest speakers, and an almost obsessive lunch time routine of completing the Times Daily Quiz have kept minds and wits sharp. We have also re-started our programme of tasting evenings enabling us to hone our whisky recognition skills.
The Mess has also benefitted from two members of an exchange with the Green Berets that have contributed richly to life. We look forward to gradually helping them experience even more of the UK as COVID restrictions lift.
Planning is afoot to reinvigorate the Mess further with a series of events. The future looks very bright indeed!
Maj Tom Foulkes-Arnold, PMC
As we entered 2021, we also entered the third national lockdown which continued to limit Mess life as we once knew it. Socially distanced lunches had well and truly become the new normal and continued up until the 12th April when the Mess bar could open and something reflecting pre-COVID Mess life could resume albeit outside and in limited numbers only.
In April we said farewell to WO1 (RSM) Al Scott on promotion to Capt and welcomed WO1 Will Rigby on appoint- ment as the new RSM. The RSM quickly appointed WO2 Williams (myself) as PMC for a second appointment – a great honour (cheers sir)!
into the Mess on exchange form the Green Berets. He quickly integrated, despite his initial struggles understanding our broad regional variations on the Queen’s English. Northerners proved to be his Achilles heel with WO2 Danny Long and CSjt Gaz Hunt receiving the most confused looks in his first couple of weeks.
June saw us also say farewell to Capt Chris Dowling (QM 3 RIFLES) and WO2 Long (RSM 8 RIFLES) on promotion and posting out of the Battalion. We managed a limited numbers BBQ in the Mess garden and took the opportunity to reflect on some of the key moments of Chris and Danny’s career - both will be sorely missed by 4 RIFLES.
WO2 Jonathan Williams, PMC
May saw us welcome a Sgt 1st Class
RIFLES The Bugle 29
B COY TRAINING JANUARY – APRIL 2021
SJTS’ MESS MATTERS