The Royal Dragoon Guards

Fast, flexible and fearless

The Royal Dragoon Guards is an aggressive reconnaissance force. The senior Irish Regiment of the British Army, we use the Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle and our superb individuals to fight at the very front of the Armoured Brigade Combat Team.

Active from: 

1685

Role: 

Armoured Cavalry

Specialism:

Reconnaissance, Anti-tank warfare, Fire support

We fight at the front of the Armoured Brigade Combat Team in any weather or terrain, and across all conditions of war. We fight for information, and destroy enemy reconnaissance, tanks and outposts. We shape the battle for the decisive act.

  • Mounted reconnaissance and close combat
  • Anti-tank warfare 
  • Dismounted reconnaissance and surveillance 
  • Sniping 
  • Acquiring targets and gathering information
  • Operating independently over long distances
  • Combat teaming and working with partners 

The Royal Dragoon Guards has extensive recent and historic operational experience. Any soldier joining the Regiment can expect to deploy on operations.

Past Deployments:

  • Operation Cabrit (P) 10 and 11 (Poland)
  • Operation Orbital (Ukraine)
  • Operation Herrick 12 and 17 (Afghanistan)
  • Operation Telic 5 and 11 (Iraq)

Upcoming Deployments:

  • Operation Cabrit (E) 15 (Estonia, 2024-2025)

The Royal Dragoon Guards (RDG) are the senior Irish Regiment in the British Army, and has centuries-long links with both the island of Ireland and the county of Yorkshire. In addition, we recruit across the UK and Commonwealth. Our soldiers are fit, determined and can think for themselves.

  • Lieutenant Mould – Troop Leader. ‘I deployed on operations two months after arriving at the RDG’
  • LCpl Hannaford – Drone Operator. ‘In the field, I use cutting-edge technology every day’
  • Tpr Thomson – Javelin Operator. ‘I was the first female soldier in the British Army to live fire a Javelin missile’

We are based in Battlesbury Barracks, Warminster, Wiltshire, England.

Address: Battlesbury Barracks, Woodcock Road, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 9DT

We are an armoured cavalry regiment. We operate at the front of the Armoured Brigade Combat Team, aggressively fighting for information, buying time and striking targets of opportunity.

The core of our capability is the Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle. Its powerful optics and 30mm main armament allow us to defeat the enemy’s reconnaissance while conducting our own.

Our soldiers include mounted reconnaissance specialists, anti-tank warfare experts equipped with Javelin anti-tank missiles, snipers, chainsaw and demolition experts, and dismounted surveillance operators.

We will always fight as part of a combined arms battlegroup, and our soldiers work side by side with elements from other regiments, including tanks, infantry, engineers and artillery. We can fight at any time, in any weather, and in all conditions of war.

Each day is a new challenge.

Carter, 26

Past to present

The Royal Dragoon Guards carries the history of four regiments: the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, the 5th Dragoon Guards, the 7th Dragoon Guards and the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons. All four were raised between 1685 and 1689, when James II and William of Orange fought for the English throne.

The 4th (Royal Irish) and 5th Dragoon Guards are formed. The 7th are formed in 1688 and the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons in 1689.

Cornet Richardson sustains 37 wounds protecting the Regimental Standard at the Battle of Dettingen.

Captain L E G Oates voluntarily walks to his death to prolong the lives of his comrades on the ill-fated journey to the South Pole.

Soldiers from the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards are the first British soldiers to engage the German Army in Europe.

Waterproofed Shermans of the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards are the first tanks ashore on D-Day.

Cpl Matthew Stenton is killed driving to the rescue of a wounded soldier in Afghanistan. He is awarded the Military Cross for his courage.

Our Kit

Used in the reconnaissance role to find and mark targets to destroy. Equipped with their own anti-armour weapons, they can also pack a punch.

The Javelin anti-tank weapon and the Next-generation light anti-tank weapon.

The ATV's alone can reach speeds of up to 75kph.