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THE BLACK WATCH 3RD BATTALION THE ROYAL REGIMENT OF SCOTLAND
3 SCOTS UPDATE JUNE 2019 – MAY 2020
Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Graham Sefton Second-in-Command: Major Nick Colquhoun MBE Adjutant: Captain James Ramsay
Operations Officer: Captain Nick Hannay
Regimental Sergeant Major: Warrant Officer Class 1 (Regimental Sergeant Major) Kev Pedder
The summer of 2019 saw the Battalion preparing to assume readiness as part of the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF). After three wet weeks in Warcop conducting a full live fire tactical training package, 3 SCOTS was rewarded with two sunny weeks in Sennelager, Germany where we conducted a simulated exercise in the Combined Arms Staff Trainer. This afforded us the opportunity to train together as a battlegroup for the first time and, more importantly, gave many of the jocks their first experience of the delights of the German beer hall. Concurrently, Capt Liam Herbert organised a battlefield study looking at the tactical actions in the last push towards Berlin by Allied and Russian Forces at the end of the Second World War.
Three weeks of stand down in July and August allowed the Battalion to recharge prior to our deployment - alongside a company’s strength of soldiers from 7 SCOTS - on Ex WESSEX STORM. The image of our PM fleet being moved by rail over the viaduct in Scotland not only caught the eyes of the public, but it illustrated to the Army that we were a force on the move, prepared to be tested, once again, on Salisbury Plain. The exercise was an outstanding opportunity to train the entire battlegroup – over 900 soldiers and 300 vehicles strong – and to confirm our preparedness to take over as the UK’s contribution to VJTF. We were successful and were able to return to Fort George confident with our tails up, ready to embark on the next training event.
Machine Gun Platoon in overwatch on Salisbury Plain
Clearing woodblocks during Ex WESSEX STORM
Public Order is always viewed as an exciting training opportunity, so with the addition of the Military Working Dogs building on from the relationships of Ex WESSEX STORM companies took part in a five-day rotation in Whinny Hill, Ex BLACKWATCH LEGIONNAIRE coupled with urban skills. Little beats the adrenaline of being on the baseline during a riot and really tests one’s nerve! As the winter weather closed in on Fort George, the battalion finalised their preparations with a few days of Cold Weather training delivered to us by instructors from the Royal Marines.
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