Page 72 - The Bugle Issue 12 Autumn 2016

Practising with foreign weapons for STTT
Operations and Exercises
The past year has been a busy and demanding one for 3 RIFLES, but one that has seen the battalion deliver success across a diverse range of operational and major training tasks. The main unit-level commitment of the year has been as the UK Standby Battalion and also as a battalion held at readiness to support against a serious terrorist incident within the UK. This required the battalion to be held at readiness to provide support for UK contingency tasks for most of the summer. With the increased threat of terrorist attacks the commitment as a UK readiness battalion allowed 3 RIFLES to focus on the basics of force preparation and gener- ation; regular kit checks, administration and deploy- ability assurance, rehearsals and call-outs became the normal battle rhythm.
Outside of the main commitment the battalion has experienced the full range of opportunities involved with being in the Adaptive Force. Ri emen have been sent, either as individuals, teams or formed sub-units to over 20 countries on a wide variety of tasks. A
RIFLEMEN HAVE BEEN SENT, AS INDIVIDUALS, TEAMS OR FORMED SUB-UNITS TO OVER 20 COUNTRIES ON A WIDE VARIETY OF TASKS
number of rapidly generated Short Term Training Teams (STTTs) have deployed to allied countries across the world to conduct Defence Engagement and capacity building, a job in which the Ri emen have excelled – the ethos of the regiment being a key element to this success. In June 2015 the battalion deployed Lt Tom Marshall and Lt Mark Topham to provide support to the Nigerian army in their ght against Boko Haram. Throughout the second half of the year two teams deployed to the Middle East to deliver training in support of Op SHADER under Capt Ben Yates and Lt James Eaves.
Throughout the year the battalion has been focused on activities in the Middle East. Also in June, the battalion headquarters deployed a team including the Commanding Of cer, Operations Of cer and Detachment Commander to mentor and develop a Qatari headquarters as part of Ex FEROCIOUS FALCON. The battalion has also forged close links with other Middle Eastern countries, building on the links established with Qatar last year. In August an STTT deployed to Oman and then subsequently hosted an Omani team before they competed in the Cambrian Patrol where they earned a silver medal. Further to this, we have sent multiple teams and individuals to Saudi Arabia on Defence Engagement tasks, including a number of individuals to Operation CROSSWAYS. We also sent two STTTs from B Company to the country which was an extremely
70 THIRD BATTALION
THE RIFLES