Officer takes leading role in Europe's biggest exercise – two weeks after qualifying

A newly qualified British soldier found himself thrown straight into the action as a troop leader on Europe's largest military exercise of 2023.

Second Lieutenant William Ferguson is currently serving with the Light Dragoons, and he played a crucial role on Exercise Spring Storm in Estonia – during only the second week in the job for the 25-year-old.

"It's certainly a step change," he said. "It's been fantastic. I think it's the best possible way I could hope to leave my Phase 2 training, by going straight into a Nato exercise overseas. 

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"Not many troop leaders get to do that straight out of the door as early as week two and I'm extremely fortunate to do so."

2Lt Ferguson admits he was a bit nervous with "quite a few new people looking up to me now".

He went on: "I have a group of 12 who I'm in charge of and it's a lot of responsibility but everyone has been extremely welcoming and are there to help me along so we can all get the most out of this exercise and I can get the most from my troops."

From Bovington, Dorset, 2Lt Ferguson was with one of two Dragoon squadrons which were made up of around 400 personnel.

A total British contingent of more than 1,000 under the command of 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team were on the Nato exercise.

2Lt Ferguson said: "Our role is to enable training of 1st Estonian Brigade. We're here to prepare them for if Nato had to defend against Russia.

"We began with an integration package with our Polish and Danish partners, and this saw us attacking them in their defensive positions.

"We moved through obstacles, across rivers and through to an advance, clearing through the terrain we had in front of us.

"We then swapped around, so we screened their advance and looked to delay and defend against them."

Mr Ferguson commissioned from Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in August 2022 and completed his Phase two training at the end of April.

He said: "I decided to join the Army when I was halfway through university.

"I was studying for an engineering degree at the time, and I realised I was more a people person than a numbers person.

"My cousin and uncle have served – one currently, the other previously – and they suggested it would be a fantastic place for me."

He added: "The people you get to work with, the places you get to go and the way it challenges you, both mentally and physically, were things that made me think it was definitely a place I could work.

"The biggest draw is that it's a very varied career. No two weeks are the same."

He added: "Engineering is a very interesting field – I love it – but getting to work with a platform like Jackal is extremely satisfying."

The UK rehearsed the reinforcement of the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup Estonia to brigade-level strength alongside its French allies.

The British Army's 7 Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team (7LMBCT) HQ and Light Dragoons Battlegroup joined the Queen's Royal Hussars for Exercise Spring Storm.

Participating countries were the UK, Estonia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the USA.