More than 1,300 troops from 3rd (United Kingdom) Division (3 (UK) DIV) are currently deployed to the United States in order to take part in its largest Warfighter exercise for 30 years.
Exercise Warfighter will test UK troops alongside their French and American counterparts in modern combat operations in a realistic multi-domain simulation, allowing commanders to test the headquarters ability to plan and conduct high intensity operations.
Soldiers from all three armies have joined forces at two military bases in Texas (Fort Hood and Fort Bliss) to put their combined capabilities to the test.
Working alongside our closest allies and leveraging our relative strengths makes us more lethal as a whole. Maj Gen Mike Elviss MBE, GOC 3 (UK) Division
The 10-day exercise which begins today (6 April), unifies real world armour and troops on both sides of the Atlantic on a simulated battlefield to test their warfighting readiness and future agility.
“Warfighting capability remains the cornerstone of deterrence and the bedrock of a world-class British Army that will be more agile, integrated and lethal” said General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith KCB CBE ADC Gen, Chief of the General Staff.
Supported by information operations and intelligence experts working remotely from an operations centre in the UK, all three armies will fight alongside each other to defeat a common enemy.
Major General (Maj Gen) Mike Elviss MBE, General Officer Commanding 3 (UK) DIV said:
“It is fundamental for us to be able to work together and that means training as we would fight. In essence, working alongside our closest allies and leveraging our relative strengths makes us more lethal as a whole.”
While British and French forces are integrated at Divisional level into a U.S. corps for this year’s Warfighter, U.S. brigade combat teams are being inserted into each British and French division and for the first time a UK brigade (7th Infantry Brigade) will also be integrated into a U.S armored division (1st Armored Division).
“As the US Army’s principal partner, we routinely work closely together in all five domains. This Warfighter we will see us go further to integrate those unique capabilities in cyber and space that the UK is really investing in.
When utilised with manoeuvre forces and deep fires these make us more agile, bring more tempo to the battlefield. This is a 21st Century force in being.” Maj Gen Elviss added.