Reservists from 2nd Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment and 7th Battalion, The Rifles have completed two-weeks training with the Michigan National Guard in the USA as part of the annual camp with NATO partners.
The ancestral home of the Michigan National Guard, Camp Grayling is a vast land space encompassing 500 square-miles, situated two hours North West of Detroit. Established in 1913 as a ground for military training, today, known as a Joint Manoeuvre Training Centre, it spreads over three counties providing training capabilities for NATO allies and partners.
"This is an opportunity to really come and hone their skills as infantry soldiers, but also being here in America it's an opportunity to practice working together, both human and procedural, with and alongside our key allies." Brigadier Carl Boswell,
20th Armoured Brigade Combat team
The two-week annual camp is an ideal opportunity to get in some vital training with reservists from other NATO partner countries such as Estonia and Latvia and a good test of the interoperability and cooperation that is the backbone of NATO.
The training has taken in all aspects of soldiering from field-craft, public order training to planning and executing an attack. The terrain within the training area is tough and varied, from forested areas where the reservists make the base camps - or ‘harbours’ - to purpose-built structures and areas where they can practice attacking a dug-in enemy force; Camp Grayling has it all.
Once away from the main accommodation and administration blocks getting around the training area can be tricky. Four-wheeled vehicles and Black Hawk helicopters proved invaluable resource to multinational reservists training in these fields.
Brigadier Carl Boswell, Commander of the 20th Armoured Brigade Combat team who was over visiting with the reservists. said:
"This is an opportunity to really come and hone their skills as infantry soldiers, but also being here in America it's an opportunity to practice working together, both human and procedural, with and alongside our key allies."
"The reservists are absolutely integral to the Armoured Brigade Combat Team establishment. They provide not only sort of combat mass, but they provide a completely different skill set." Brigadier Carl Boswell,
20th Armoured Brigade Combat team
Brigadier Boswell, who understands that reservists are an important part of the UK’s Future Soldier strategy balancing to deliver across the defence spectrum, continued:
"The reservists are absolutely integral to the Armoured Brigade Combat Team establishment. They provide not only sort of combat mass, but they provide a completely different skill set."
He adds: "A lot of these people work in civilian employment throughout the week and they bring completely different experiences and skill sets to the party which are a massive benefit to the regular force."
For some of the reservists the last two weeks have been a challenge, for others it was a defining moment in their careers, but for all of them what they have achieved in the dust and heat of the mid-west will be an experience that they will never forget.