Page 9 - Bugle Spring 2023

1 RIFLES
Ex ASKARI CENTURION and ASKARI VIKING
Eyes peeled during an advance to contact
The culmination of Exercise ASKARI DELTA 2022 saw the 1 RIFLES Battlegroup deploy on ASKARI CENTURION and ASKARI VIKING. These two exercises allowed commanders and Riflemen to build on their work from ASKARI WARRIOR and the Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise. The CENTURION exercise was broken into three clear phases, each increasing in complexity. These
gave each Company the opportunity to operate independently within
a wider battlegroup context. The actions included force protection
of battlegroup assets, obstacle crossings, raids on small urban areas in search of high-value-
targets, offensive actions into villages with a civilian population, as well as defence with a CBRN threat. The progression
and increased complexity of each phase set the Companies
up well to operate within a Battlegroup context.
The VIKING phase was the culmination of our time on
exercise in Kenya. It began with a Battlegroup obstacle
crossing supported by assets from the Royal Engineers.
The Battlegroup then advanced north where it
faced a free-thinking enemy who were constantly looking to outfight and outwit the 1RIFLES Battlegroup. Fighting an enemy with their own agenda and tactics tested everybody’s ability to adapt to an ever-changing situation and at times step up to roles they had never done before. The Battlegroup put into practice everything they had learned throughout their time in Kenya – starting with
setting the conditions for attacks onto key terrain, then executing the attacks and fighting the enemy from varying distances, and then moving into defence, to hold the ground they had just secured. Negotiating the civilian population that were in every village was challenging but was a situation Riflemen would face on operations, and they were more than up to the challenge. It was a testing phase of the exercise for everyone involved and the tempo was different to anything many Riflemen had experienced before.
One of the biggest learning experiences for everyone was the introduction of media teams. These seemed to find you no matter where you were. However, the Rifleman studied
the scenario and their ‘lines to take’
and handled the media with utmost professionalism. Exercises CENTURION and VIKING were a fitting test for the Battlegroup and its performance is a testament to the quality of our Riflemen and the attached arms involved.
2Lt Ribeiro
5 Pl Comd
A GPMG gunner takes aim
The last bound
RIFLES The Bugle 9