The 'Super Bowl' of military exercises brings 7,000 allied troops to Michigan
Army Reserve soldiers from 4th Battalion The Royal Yorkshire Regiment (4 R Yorks) have deployed in the USA to take part in the 'Super Bowl' of military exercises.
The deployment on Exercise Northern Strike includes students and drivers from the regiment who, if Nato did go to war, would form the UK's second echelon - integrated alongside allies just like full-time soldiers.
The exercise, which took place in Northern Michigan, brought together thousands of British Army reservists and American National Guardsmen to train together in a range of scenarios.
Training took place on Camp Grayling, a base twice the size of Salisbury Plain, which has over 150,000 acres earmarked for the exercise.
The reservists with 4 Yorks, some of them students and HGV (heavy-duty vehicles) drivers, trained much like the regular army.
Northern Strike offered soldiers opportunities to practice in built-up environments, described by Private Dale Bolton of 4 R Yorks as a "very claustrophobic" place where being fast and accurate was vital.
British and American soldiers also practised raids in the open, in both daylight and night.
There are 7,000 allied soldiers taking part in the exercise.
The training area offered reservists a range of combat scenarios which included air lifts with Black Hawk helicopters.
British personnel also received training with the American M4 rifle.
Private Brennan-Vaccaro of 4 R Yorks said: "It's like so much better than just trying to do something on a Tuesday night, or on a weekend because you get the chance to go away like this and you get so many more people to come.
"There are so many more moving parts.
"You've got to have the confidence to build yourself better."
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