Dozens of teams from The Royal Logistics Corps (RLC) have battled for supremacy in a test of their military skills.
Lance Corporal Lewis takes aim at a target on the 25 metre range during the shooting phase of the competition.
Concentration and a strong core does it. A soldier from the 13 Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps veterans team, traversing a water crossing obstacle as part of the competition
Soldiers from 157 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps team, carry tyres and full jerry cans down a hill, to be loaded during the representative military task (RMT) phase of the competition.
Soldiers from Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment traverse an obstacle during the 8km loaded march.
The gruelling three-hour contest at the Defence School of Transport in Leconfield, East Yorkshire pitted 51 groups of soldiers against each other to test their abilities in a series of trials.
Participants came from 27 RLC (19 Regular and 8 Reserve) units, plus various unique and smaller sub-units from RLC including:
· 44 Squadron Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
· Defence Munitions (DM) Kineton
· Gurkha ARRC Support Squadron
· 4 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
· (RLC Stores) and British Forces Cyprus
Sharpening military skills
The annual RLC competition Exercise Northern Strike sharpens soldiers' basic military skills so they can advance onto a specialised career path.
Key components included kit checks, an 8km march carrying kit and personal equipment, military skills tests, live firing, and a 2km stretcher carry - designed to replicate an advance to contact manoeuvre with a casualty.
Lieutenant Colonel Dan Cornwell MBE, from 25 Leconfield Support Regiment RLC, said: “The exercise exhibits the basic level of training that all our soldiers should hold, executed within a time constrained and physically arduous course.”
“It incorporates all Regular and Reserve units, so it’s the baseline training that we require before we go into any more specific collective training.”
“The exercise exhibits the basic level of training that all our soldiers should hold, executed within a time constrained and physically arduous course.”
Tough challenges
The course allows teams to develop many skills, but challenges also allow for real-life scenarios to be tried and tested.
Lance Corporal Megan Newton-Hague, from 7 Regiment RLC, said: “The biggest challenge for me was the stretcher at the end.
“We are all different heights, so the stretcher was at different levels throughout, it impacted on our backs and at that last stage we were quite tired.”
Although challenges were tough, it allowed the teams to focus on their camaraderie and communication.
Corporal Kerry Keane, from 6 Regiment RLC, said: “The competition is about the core values of the RLC, so it's the teamwork, the camaraderie and just everyone getting involved.
“It’s a good way to get the troops training and it’s just a great competition to be a part of.”
“The competition is about the core values of the RLC, so it's the teamwork, the camaraderie and just everyone getting involved.”
Testing teamwork
Corporal Keane added: “I was part of an all-female team and we were able to run the whole of the 8Km loaded march, which was really good. We all stayed together and worked hard as team.”
Lance Corporal Joshua Wood, from 20 Transport Squadron RLC, had similar experiences developing his teamwork skills.
He said: “During the competition you look around at your peers and realise that not everyone is at the same level of fitness capabilities, therefore you go as fast, or as slow, as your slowest team member. You stick together.”
At the end of the day a prize giving ceremony took place with trophies ranging from ‘best shot’ to ‘fastest 8km run’.
The overall RLC Military Skills Competition champion was Colchester-based 13 Air Assault Support Regiment.