Rapid deployability of troops put to test on exercise Noble Jump.

British soldiers from 3rd Battalion The Rifles are taking part in Exercise Noble Jump with troops from the Romanian Army and Turkey’s 66th Mechanised Infantry Brigade. The Riflemen have been put through their paces as part of a Very High Readiness Joint Task Force in the Balkans.
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British soldiers from 3rd Battalion The Rifles have been put through their paces as part of a Very High Readiness Joint Task Force in the Balkans. (Picture source: British MoD)

The exercise, in Cincu, Romania, is part of the overarching US-led exercise called Defender Europe 21 – the largest deployment of multinational troops in Europe for decades. The exercise involves more than 30,000 personnel from 27 nations, conducting coordinated operations across more than 30 training areas in a dozen countries.

The British Army’s leading role is illustrative of its ever-ready posture, positioned around the world, globally ready to respond to any threats that emerge – one of the key abilities driving the Army’s Future Soldier ambitions. The intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) group from 3 Rifles is made up of their Fire Support Company, with enablers from its Headquarters Company, 1 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps and 6 Armoured Close Support Battalion, Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers.

Major Richard Thatcher, Officer Commanding Fire Support Company 3 Rifles, said: “I’m hugely proud of the ISR group because this isn’t just about the Rifles, it’s about the enablers and supporters, without whom, this would not be able to happen. Exercise Noble Jump tests our readiness to deploy at pace across Europe, our interoperability and our strategic projection. The Riflemen have found it immensely useful to come out to a training area they’ve not been on before to develop and gain experience, really honing their professional military skills. With technology advancing the way it is, it’s even more important for us to work in person with our allies to overcome those technical barriers. These types of large-scale exercises don’t happen often, so when they do, it is a huge benefit for us and our NATO partners.”

Exercise Defender Europe 21 brings together various capabilities from across the British Army, such as airborne and parachuting capability from 16 Air Assault Brigade, logistical expertise through 1(UK) Division and 104th Logistic Support Brigade, as well as infantry fighting forces from 3 (UK) Division.

British soldiers from 3rd Battalion The Rifles are taking part in Exercise Noble Jump with troops from the Romanian Army and Turkey’s 66th Mechanised Infantry Brigade. (Picture source: British MoD)