Exercise Cerberus puts Army's warfighting ability to the test amid a changing battlefield

The battlefield is changing, and to ensure the Army is combat-ready thousands of troops and hundreds of vehicles have been deployed to Germany to take part in Exercise Cerberus 2024.

The aim of this year's iteration of the biennial exercise is to ensure the Army's warfighting armoured division – 3 Div – is ready for anything an enemy can throw at it.

This includes drone warfare, which has come to define the war in Ukraine and elsewhere.

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"We've taken all the lessons from Ukraine, particularly with drones, particularly with air defence," exercise lead planner Major Tony Meagor explained.

"We've tried to incorporate that within the exercise design to try and replicate what our brigade might face should they deploy anywhere in the world or particularly in central Europe."

Using the vast 120 square kilometre training area of Nato's Forward Holding Base in Sennelager, you might expect to see all 3,000-plus soldiers on the field.

However, this exercise is mostly simulated and focuses on testing 3 Div's commanders in tactics, battlefield communications and decision-making.

Maj Meagor added: "The key challenge for this exercise is training the brigade headquarters.

"They are deployed in their HQ as you'd expect them to be, eating rations as you'd expect, but to do that they need support from above them and underneath them, and the best way they can do that is by simulation."

The units out in the field in the training area respond to the decisions made by HQ. 

"They are essentially almost playing an old-fashioned Call of Duty, moving their icons around and following the orders that have been given to them," Maj Meagor said.

This exercise is no small feat. It has taken a year of planning.

"It's a two-yearly centrepiece event where we test the fighting brigades of the British Army to prove that they are capable and competent at delivering warfighting output," Major General Olly Brown, General Officer Commanding the warfighting 3rd (UK) Division explained.

"It's a really big deal for them to show that they can deliver the fighting outputs that Nato and the British Army need from them, and it also offers an opportunity for my headquarters to be tested and put through their paces as well.

"All of that is in a Nato context – so really valuable, incredibly important and it sets us up for delivering readiness to Nato."

A German brigade, which was not being validated, was instead involved this year to help 3 Div sharpen the interoperability between the allies.

It was the first time a German headquarters element had participated in Ex Cerberus, and like their British colleagues, were subjected to the tests on the large-scale Command Post Exercise.

Maj Gen Brown added: "It's been a fantastic opportunity, as Nato allies, to work alongside a German brigade – Panzerlehrbrigade 9 – a fantastic organisation, full of enthusiasm.

"But what it's been really important to do is test how we can work alongside them: the procedures, the communications and the drills to work seamlessly together to deliver lethality on the battlefield.

"So we have learned a great deal, but it's been a great experience as well and I look forward to doing much more of it in the future which is essential to how we will function as part of Nato."

Lieutenant Colonel Florian Loges, the Commanding Officer of the German British Engineer Battalion, said: "It's a big learning process. Each day is a learning day and this makes the exercise very special."

There were little to no concerns with the language barrier for the cooperation.

"At least since all the deployments after 2011, English has become a standard in all European forces and so also in German forces, so I think all officers and staff officers really are required to have high language skills, especially in English, and also our NCO are very well trained."

Having observed and worked alongside 3 Div during the exercise, Lt Col Loges was keen to highlight what a good example the British presence had been.

"Absolutely good example, the integration, absolutely good, brilliant to work with... really good experience, great to work with them," he added.

Simulated exercises are just one part of training exercises like this one, ensuring British troops are always ready to deliver lethality on the battlefield.