Page 63 - The Bugle Autumn 2016 Issue 12

2 RIFLES FTCC
The 2 RIFLES FTCC took place between 21 but challenging four week battlecamp.
THE STUDENTS DID RESPOND WELL TO
THE MIX OF CLASSROOM AND FIELDCRAFT TUITION
September and 30 October 2015 in Northern Ireland. 73 Ri emen from all ve regular Battalions were put to the test by instructors from 1,2 and 3 RIFLES in a battlecamp run from Ballykinlar Training Centre, prior to moving to the extremely unfor- giving Magilligan Training area on the north coast of Northern Ireland. The students did respond well to the mix of classroom and eldcraft tuition from a group of extremely talented NCOs, despite the use of the cold Ballykinlar beaches as wake up exercises when performance targets were not achieved.
Throughout the battlecamp strong trends emerged from the students with an impressive group from 1 RIFLES leading the initial weekly grading board, indicative of the bene t high readiness training for Op SHADER had given them. During the weekend instruction, most of the students responded well to the CLM components of the course and some spirited, well researched debates on the legality of Marine A’s actions and leadership in dif cult circum- stances encouraged the staff that the ethos of the Thinking Ri eman is very much still alive.
All students passed the M and K quali cations, giving them experience of safely supporting static range activity including coaching training. The sword range was the culminating event in an educational
Real time Dissident Republican threats in the Magilligan Training Area location caused dif culties to the staff who were required to re-plan and adapt exercises during the weeklong nal training exercise but the NCO instructors rose to the challenge admirably. Recognition is also due to Lts Swindells and O’Brien as platoon commanders who enabled training to continue during a testing time both for the students on the arduous terrain and the instructors managing the threats against the exercise.
Despite the dif culties, the FTX was a success and the students contending for top student were put into section 2ic, section commander and platoon serjeant roles. During the nal three attacks, they solidi ed their ranking in the eyes of the staff and OC RIFLES Training Team, Captain Dave Youngs who kindly visited the training. Rfn (now LCpl) Vowles from B Coy 2 RIFLES narrowly beat a highly competitive best ve students to the title of Top Student, which he can be rightly proud of. Many thanks go to Maj Mike Hosegood as Cadre OC, WO2 Broughton, CSjt Walker, B Coy CQMS staff and the enemy platoon who supported the training in the face of both changing circumstances and weather.
Capt A Carrow, 2IC B Company
Gabon Anti-Poaching Short Term Training Team
In April 2016 the second team from 2 RIFLES made the journey down to the Atlantic coast of Equatorial Africa to the small country of Gabon. This oil rich nation has lost 11,000 Forest elephants since 2004 as foreign poachers feed the Asian ivory market with lucrative Gabonese ivory. The Gabonese response has been to create the Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux (ANPN) – a small organisation of 2000 men and women, some ex-poachers, mostly city boys from the capital Libreville, to patrol the national parks of Gabon and essentially track and stop illegal ivory poaching.
After a few days in Libreville, the capital city, where Cpl Brooks (RLC) bought half of the provisions in Gabon, much to CSjt Pratt’s dismay, the small group of 12 moved along the few Tarmac roads for seven hours before nally arriving in Lope National Park. This park is the size of Belgium. With 2 RIFLES training the 60 ANPN students in ambushes, contact drills, navigation, battle casualty drills (BCD), weapons handling and various other lifesaving measures.
Although the ANPN are currently unarmed (the government hope to change this) we taught them the gold standard of all of the drills. This culminated in one of the senior ANPN of cials asking us if we could teach the ANPN machete contact drills - Cpl Wagstaff’s expression told them the answer. Moving from the basics of navigation and patrolling over the next four weeks the ANPN progressed steadily to a standard that 2 RIFLES can be proud of and the
ANPN can actually use in the Jungle when hunting the poachers.
We culminated in running an IBSR for the ANPN, which they thoroughly enjoyed, even if there were some nervous bodies, and then a 72 hour FTX of contacts, ambushes and search and detain serials. My personal highlight was LCpl Hudd’s “contact elephant” and questionable screams down the net.
This STTT really showed what a small team in isolation can achieve. The four section commanders were given their 15 ANPN students and moulded them into something much better, a useful anti-poaching unit. However now we have developed their eld craft, it is vital that the next STTTs, of which we have four over the next two years, build on Ops room management so that ANPN patrols can have a greater effect on the poachers.
In conclusion the six weeks that 2 RIFLES spent away in Gabon were epic, it’s an amazing country with fascinating people and the anti-poaching job is unlike any other currently occurring within the British Army. This STTT was different, engaging and utterly unique for all of the Ri emen who were deployed. 2Lt Gillard, OC 5 Platoon
MY PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT WAS LCPL HUDD’S “CONTACT ELEPHANT” AND QUESTIONABLE SCREAMS DOWN THE NET
2 RIFLES anti poaching team pause for a quick team photo
THE RIFLES
SECOND BATTALION 61