20 NAVY NEWS, FEBRUARY 2008
High boon in
Wild West
DUST, DESERT, ROCK AND MOUNTAIN; in recent years these environments
have become familiar battlegrounds for the Royal Marines and their allied
units in 3 Commando Brigade. But despite its best efforts, Dartmoor can’t
quite bring this training to life in the same way as the lofty, dramatic
landscape of the Sierra Nevada in America...
I
T’S been a couple of doubt the ability of the two units various new techniques that
years since the separate
to work side by side. would be used during future
elements of 3 Commando
“This relationship is likely to stints in theatre.
Brigade Reconnaissance
develop in the near future. The empty wilderness of the
Force have had a chance to
“The combination of the cold High Sierra offered to the British
mountains of the Sierra Nevada marines and soldiers a two-
work together on Op Herrick,
rising to 14,000ft and the high, week package of range skills,
but Exercise Royal Chamois
rugged desert of Nevada provid- including day and night team
07 called together the spe- ed the ultimate training ground assaults and break contact drills
cialists of the brigade, both for our operations.” as the troops swiftly broke off
RM and Army, to the High
With base camp at 8,858ft from fierce battle.
Sierra of the United States.
and all training to take place at Once the range work was
These are the guys who get
this level or higher, the first week completed, the units were
up close and behind the enemy
concentrated heavily on accli- called together into a single ten-
line, judge the risks and send
matisation and essential moun- day exercise, sharpening their
back word about what to expect
tain training – vertical assault newly-learnt skills and honing
– the Brigade Patrol Troop, recce
and river-crossing drills. their established routines.
engineers, beach and mountain
“The normal stuff we do dur- At the end of the six weeks,
specialists, electronic warfare
ing standard mountain training the men of the BRF had forged
and indirect fire control experts.
in the UK,” said Major Haw, “but once more a fierce, professional
Major Chris Haw, officer
at an altitude you can’t get over fighting force prepared for the
commmanding the Brigade
here.” high and harsh terrain of the
Reconnaissance Force (BRF),
The US Marine Corps Mountain world’s current hotspots.
said: “The BRF trained along-
Warfare Training Center is at Lt Col Rob Magowan, com-
side their US Marine Corps deep
Pickle Meadow, described as manding officer of UK Land
reconnaissance counterparts
one of the Corps’ most remote Force Command Support Group,
throughout and proved beyond
sites, set in the Toiyabe National said: “It was both challenging
Forest on the mountainous cusp and realistic, testing the spe-
of Nevada and California. cialist on the ground, in close
The second week saw the target reconnaissance, and the
units separate to focus on their intelligence HQ.
own specific drills, skills and “During the final exer-
standard operating procedures cise, based on experiences in
with ‘Special to Arms’ training. Afghanistan, a high number of
However the close proxim- complex ISTAR (Intelligence,
ity to their Brigade colleagues Surveillance, Target Acquisition
meant that lessons learnt by And Reconnaissance) feeds
other formations were fed into were fused by the ISTAR head-
each unit’s own drills. quarters, and the information
A handful of the BRF got the was delivered to the right per-
chance to work with the experts son at the right time.
of the High Desert Special “This intelligence guided
Operations Centre (HDSOC), law the execution of two deliber-
enforcement and military veter- ate strikes against enemy
ans who set up specific training positions.”
courses for special operations. He concluded: “The exercise
“The opportunity given to the was a huge success.”
Marines was exceptional,” said ■ Units taking part in Exercise
Major Haw. “The course was Royal Chamois 07 included:
run by US ex-Special Forces 539 Assault Squadron RM;
guys with an amazing wealth of 59 Independent Commando
knowledge. Royal Engineers; Light Dragoon
“We saw cave clearance Guards; Queens Dragoon
which was impressive.” Guards; and specialist branches
As well as the caves, the of the Royal Marines such as
Marines were put through their Mountain Leaders.
paces in room and building ● (clockwise from top) 539
clearance using ‘simunition’ ASRM conducting a beach rec-
weapons – “Like a paintball but ce; the US Marine Corps about
actually a round. It hurts when to do building clearance drills;
it hits,” added PO(Phot) Dave 59 Ind Cdo Regt take people
Husbands. through a day on the explosive
All the ranks taking part in range; and members from BRF
this select training described conduct cave clearance under
it as exceptional, gaining the guidance of HDSOC
Pictures: PO(Phot) Dave Husbands
020_NN_feb08.indd 1 22/1/08 11:05:00
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