Dragoon Guards Conduct Urban Warfare Training
)
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards have recently practised the urban combat skills needed as part of NATO’s Allied Reaction Force (ARF).
The ARF is a high-readiness multi-national task force made up of 800,000 troops ready to deploy quickly to crises and threats to NATO allies. These could include anything from disaster relief to security operations or warfighting.
The first Reaction Force tier consists of 100,000 troops who are prepared to deploy within zero to 10 days’ notice to move. They can be followed quickly by 200,000 troops ready to deploy within 10 to 30 days. A further 500,000 troops are also ready for action within 30 to 180 days if needed.
The land component of the ARF is made up of eight brigades including the 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team, part of which is the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.
The two-week urban combat training at Royal Marine Condor, Arbroath came ahead of the regiment’s deployment on Exercise Steadfast Dart, a major NATO exercise in Romania and Bulgaria which will practise the deployment of the new ARF.
Leading from the front, the UK is providing the largest contribution of forces with over 2,600 personnel and 730 vehicles deploying to NATO’s eastern flank.
B Squadron Troop Leader, Lieutenant Robert Boylin said:
“As members of the ARF, we must be ready to engage in the full range of operations from peacekeeping to conventional high-tempo warfare.
“The aim of this exercise was to develop and test our soldiers on the complexities of close-quarter fighting, room clearances and searches.
“The skills the soldiers have enhanced can be used on small-scale targets identified in our role as formation recce.”
The training started with developing the competences and drills required to fight in an urban environment and tested their ability to enter and move decisively through rooms of buildings. In an enclosed environment, soldiers must be able to consider multiple scenarios that can change at any given time, such as what might be the other side of the door or who could be shooting from a top floor window.
To read more, please click here.