A New Zealand Army patrol has earned a gold medal at the British Army’s renowned Exercise Cambrian Patrol, a gruelling international military competition held annually in the Welsh countryside.
The eight-person team from the 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (1 RNZIR), competed against more than 100 patrols from around 30 countries, traversing roughly 60 kilometres of rugged terrain in Wales’ Brecon Beacons over a 48-hour period, according to the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).
A demanding test of soldiering skills
Now in its 65th year, Exercise Cambrian Patrol is regarded as one of the most challenging military field tests in the world. Designed to assess leadership, teamwork and endurance under pressure, the event places soldiers in a series of tactical and combat scenarios while they carry loads exceeding 40 kilograms each.
The 1 RNZIR patrol demonstrated proficiency in a wide range of skills, including fieldcraft, navigation, reconnaissance, and command. Over the course of the exercise, they executed simulated operations such as minefield clearance, a tactical water crossing, the assault of an enemy trench, and battlefield casualty evacuations.
Of the four performance levels — gold, silver, bronze and basic pass — the New Zealand team achieved the highest distinction.
Preparation and teamwork under pressure
Sergeant Jesse Faulkner, who led the 1 RNZIR section, said the soldiers were well prepared for the conditions and challenges they faced. “We knew what to expect in terms of skills, terrain and the distances to cover in the time constraints,” he said. “The biggest challenge was that none of us had worked together before. We were a mixed bag of soldiers, including junior troops, wanting to operate at a high level — and everyone did.”
Faulkner, who previously served as a team manager for a New Zealand patrol at the same event in 2017, described the Brecon Beacons’ landscape as comparable to the rugged backcountry around Waiouru, the Army’s main training area in New Zealand’s central North Island.
Continuing a record of excellence
Captain Mitch Berryman, who managed the team, said the result reflects the depth of professionalism across the New Zealand Army. “We’ve done a lot of exercises and operations this year, and doing this on top of that shows the capability and endurance of our soldiers,” he said. “If we had given them more rations and water, they would have been good to go for another 48 hours.”
New Zealand teams have a strong record at Cambrian Patrol. In 2023, soldiers from Queen Alexandra’s Mounted Rifles also achieved gold — an achievement mirrored this year by the 1 RNZIR contingent.
The annual exercise remains a key proving ground for soldiers from across NATO and partner nations, reinforcing interoperability and testing the fundamentals of infantry soldiering under realistic conditions.
Source: New Zealand Defence Force
