Army
Engineers Have A Blast On Exercise
Soldiers from 35 Engineer Regiment, based at Paderborn in Germany, will be joining a new NATO formation.
The Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) was created in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea and Moscow's suspected involvement in the Ukraine conflict.
Throughout next year, Britain will lead the multi-national force and contribute 3,000 troops.
35 Engineer Regiment is sending around 100 soldiers and their VJTF preparations include urban warfare training.
They've been put through their paces at a mock village deep inside the Sennelager Training Centre known as "Tin City."
It's where sappers, more used to road and bridge building, have been brushing up their infantry skills.
Troop Commander Lt Mike Thaibsyah says:
"First and foremost every sapper is an infanteer. But it's a skill we don't often get to practice."
The Engineers' attack on the village involves a liberal helping of explosive charges to blast doors away.
They also managed to unleash 10,000 rounds of ammunition.
Section Commander Corporal Chris Quigg says:
"You wouldn't do it if it wasn't fun. Exercises are what you join the Army to do. Run around and play soldiers."
For more than a decade, Royal Engineers have been supporting counter-insurgency operations in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.
35 Engineer Regiment's Training Officer, Captain Pete Mackenzie, said on the changing nature of his role:
"In Afghanistan, a lot of the focus was on survivability, building camps, providing water. But mobility and counter mobility has always been a big part of what we do and that's what we're mostly practising here."
And the nine-day exercise in Germany is only the start of 35 Engineer Regiment's VJTF preparations.
Their next stop is BATUS, the British Army Training Unit Suffield in Canada.
On the Alberta Prairie, the pace and scale of training for the sappers is expected to intensify dramatically.
Britain's 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade will lead the VJTF from 1st January, 2017.
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