In order to be selected to become a Lance Corporal, the Gurkha soldier has to undergo one of the toughest tests in the British Army - the Junior Leadership Cadre.

The cadre is run over six weeks and aims not only to select the battalion's future leaders, but also to train all the soldiers of a particular intake, and instill in them a sense of pride and achievement in themselves and their regiment.

The cadre involves a combination of mental and physical activity. Log races, stretcher races, combat fitness tests, endurance marches over hills and many sessions in the gym are combined with lessons on subjects ranging from leadership to tactics. 

The cadre involves extensive field exercises in which students will be required to lead their team on tasks such as covert insertion, setting up a hidden observation post, clearing through an enemy trench system or just getting from A to B, in the dark, across mountains and rivers, and without being seen. 

Those that pass gain the sought after recommendation for promotion, and the privilege of leading their comrades, both at home and on operations, where their experiences enable them to make the right decisions when it really matters.