Cultural Lessons For British Troops During "Brilliant" Exercise

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards have been in the UAE to build military relations with the Emirates.

It is called Exercise Desert Falcon, and the mission is to strengthen ties with the United Arab Emirates' Presidential Guard reconnaissance group. 

While the soldiers of the Dragoon Guards first learnt to adapt to the terrain, they have also been working on bridging cultural and linguistic divides.

Lieutenant Colonel Dominic Coombes summarised the mission: 

"The key... really is... human relationships, and being able to train with (and) work alongside another force, which is really what we do. We don't operate now as a British Army in isolation - we always operate with other nations."

Lt Col Coombes said that learning about the key differences and nuances of foreign allies like the Emirati troops is "brilliant training for our soldiers".

One example of the nuances explored was different cultural mores, such as halal meat. Trooper Jack Metcalf commented:

"The main thing I learnt is about halal, how they cut their meat. It's certainly different, it's an eye opener, and a lot of people have different opinions of it, but, now seeing it in person, I've got a different opinion on it myself." 

Lieutenant Benedict Dent-Pooley said:

"Eating only with your right hand is one thing that we've learnt, and also different sitting postures, how to talk to people - we've also learnt how to ride camels as well, which is a new capability we've got. At the moment, we're still using Jackels though!"

As the exercise progressed and the language and cultural barriers were overcome, early doubts were eased.

Britain’s military has spent a lot of time in the Middle East, and desert experience and a local ally can only help the Scots Dragoons if they have to serve there in future.