Fourth-gen soldier prepares for defence of NATO’s eastern flank

A fourth-generation soldier tested his readiness to do battle in intense training with French allies.

Kingsman Charlie McIvor, joined around 120 personnel from 1st Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment (1 LANCS) in deploying to Europe’s most advanced military urban training facility, CENZUB, in northern France.

A light role infantry battalion, Weeton-based 1 LANCS is one of NATO’s pivotal Army units in the role of Forward Land Forces (FLF) Strategic Reserve, on high alert to deploy rapidly to strengthen frontline forces in Estonia should conflict break out.

Working alongside their French partners from 152nd Infantry Regiment on Exercise Gaulish, they exchanged tactics and enhanced their abilities to work together as one force should the call come.

Following an intense firefight at the sprawling 46-square-mile site, designed to provide state-of-the-art simulation of warfare in real town environments, Charlie said it had been extremely valuable to learn from each other.

Working with different nations

“It’s been a great exercise. It’s good to work with different countries and get out on a different ground and experience different things.

“The French have different tactics to us so it’s useful learning to work with foreign countries, the teamwork, I’ve learned something new every day.

“We went to Estonia previously, working with the Swedish Army and other countries in a very different environment, so it’s a constant learning curve.”

The 21-year-old from Burnley has the military in his blood. He said: “For me, joining the Army was always something I wanted to do.

“From being a small child, it always appealed to me, as my father, grandad, and great grandad were all in, so I thought it only right I carry it on.

“I wanted to travel the world, meet new people, and experience the sort of environments you can’t anywhere else.”

Proud regimental lineage

Charlie’s dad and grandad served with 1 LANCS’ antecedent regiment, The Queen's Lancashire Regiment (QLR) which amalgamated with The King's Own Royal Border Regiment and The King's Regiment in 2006 to form The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.

He enjoys the variety and intensity of life in the battalion. “Your standard day to day is doing physical training, whether that be a circuit, run, tab, or even a game of football.

“Then we have scoff and go into daily training, either out in the back area, training in urban environments, or even battlefield casualty drills. The day can be made up of anything to make sure we are operationally ready.”

Last November, Charlie participated in the Remembrance Day parade in his hometown, which was a source of great pride.

Experiencing new countries

The opportunity to travel has also been a major plus. “My favourite place I went with the Army was Val-d'Isère in France,” he says.

“It’s a luxury ski resort where I learned to ski from some of the best ski instructors about and enjoyed the nightlife.

“On the trip to Estonia, we stopped off in Germany and got to enjoy the nice sunny weather and have a day out in the town.

“We are deploying to Kenya for a couple of months in August. It will be interesting to see the wildlife over there and how we cope as a regiment in that environment.”

This summer’s exercise at the British Army Training Unit Kenya, will further develop his skills in radically different conditions.

The £70-million headquarters and training facility delivers combined arms, light role infantry battle group exercises to a world-class standard.

Qualifications and sport

Training and sporting opportunities are other perks. Charlie said: “The amount of courses you can do is really good. You can gain so many qualifications from this job.

“As a new lad I joined the battalion boxing team where we trained to fight in the infantry boxing cup. We fought other regiments, my bout was against a soldier from 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, which I won.”

He says the Army has helped him to grow and push himself. “I have learned how to maintain myself in the field and be disciplined. It’s brought me to a place of discomfort, but in a good way. I’ve learnt to take bigger risk and go for what I want.

“I now say ‘difficulties be damned’. To anyone considering a career in the Army, if you want to join, do it. It’s better to open a door than never open it at all.”

The United Kingdom's commitment to NATO's Forward Land Forces demonstrates our unwavering dedication to collective defence and deterrence. UK units in this role, maintain high alert status and undertake extensive training with allied nations.

This posture underscores the UK's view that deterrence and defence of NATO's eastern members is fundamental to Euro-Atlantic security and, by extension, UK national security.