Twenty years of 23 in 2023: Who are 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment?
The British Army's only Airborne Engineer Regiment, 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment, this year marks 20 years since its formation in 2003.
The regiment provides military engineering support to 16 Air Assault Brigade, ensuring in the process that the British Army's Global Response Force is possible.
Wearing their well-known maroon beret, they are specially trained and equipped to insert by parachute, helicopter and air.
Airborne sappers are tasked with making sure that 16 Air Assault Brigade can live, move and fight anywhere, often at short notice.
Captain Marc Dorkings, Operations Support Manager, 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment told Forces News: "So we're their combat engineer air support, but we're also their backup infantry as well, if you like.
"We complete P Company and we jump out of aeroplanes the same as the Parachute Regiment.
"We still do intensive inventory training cadres. We have plumbers, we have electricians, we have carpenters, every type of trade you could possibly think of.
He added: "We have lots of strings to our bow, whether that be water purification, providing fresh drinking water from whatever is on site for the troops to drink.
"We also provide their bridging support, so building any bridges that they might need to get across any gaps, whether that be ferry or fixed bridges with MGB that we use, medium girder bridge."
Although the regiment formed in 2003, airborne engineers were first formed in 1941 and have lived up to the corps' motto of 'Ubique', which means 'everywhere'!
The airborne troops have been deployed to provide specialist support all over the world, on numerous exercises and operations since the Second World War.
23 Parachute Engineer Regiment also provides 16 Air Assault Brigade with their explosive capabilities, "explosive entry as well as demolitions", Captain Dorkings added.
"Mouse-holing, making holes in walls for people to go through and into buildings... building construction, or trench digging, or field defences, we cover a grand scope of stuff that we can do for the Parachute Regiment and other units."
Immediate deployment to Iraq in 2003 was followed by Operation Herrick in Afghanistan, through to more recent evacuation missions from Kabul and Operation Polarbear in Sudan.
Timeline
1941 - 1st Air Troop Royal Engineers formed
1944 - The invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord) Airborne engineers demolish and capture key bridges
1944 - The famous Arnhem Bridge is defended by airborne engineers
1982 - 9 Parachute Squadron and attachments deployed to liberate the Falklands Islands
2003 - The invasion of Iraq saw 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault) formed and deployed
2001-2011 - Deployed in Afghanistan on Operation Herrick 4, 8 and 13
On their involvement on Op Pitting, the British military operation to evacuate British nationals and eligible Afghans from Afghanistan following the 2021 Taliban offensive, Capt Dorkings said: "Op Pitting was a very fast put-together operation to get those people out of Afghanistan.
"A lot of that was, again, combat engineer solutions to force protection, whether that be using iso containers as well as even finding vehicles to move people out."
Current priority
In response to 'What's keeping 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment busy today?', Captain Dorkings said: "The primary one that we are doing a lot of work on at the moment is airfield damage repair (ADR)."
He added: "So we have got a lot of light roll equipment that we are trialling at the moment, because obviously for the parachute regiments they parachute in, but to get everything else in afterwards those airfields need to be open and running.
"We are doing a lot of training on that and that was also seen out on the previous operation – Polarbear – we were out there preparing the runway to keep the runway running for aircraft to come in."
The Operations Support Manager for the 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment highlighted that he was "happy to see that the regiment is still growing".
He added: "Who knows what's around the corner. That's the beauty of 16 Brigade, it keeps us interested all of the time, anything could be around the corner that we could be involved with."
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