British paratroopers of 2 PARA train in the deserts of Morocco.

Soldiers from the British Army’s Global Response Force are putting their desert warfare skills to the test alongside their Moroccan counterparts on Exercise Jebel Sahara, the British Army reports. The exercise has seen Colchester-based A Company Group, 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (A Coy Gp, 2 PARA) working in Morocco alongside troops from 2e Brigade d'Infanterie Parachutiste of the Royal Moroccan Army.
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For the British paratroopers of 2 PARA, the three-week-long exercise near Marrakech provides an opportunity to learn from the Moroccan troops’ experience of operating in the hot, dry and demanding conditions of the desert. (Picture source: British Army)

For the British paratroopers, the three-week-long exercise near Marrakech provides an opportunity to learn from the Moroccan troops’ experience of operating in the hot, dry and demanding conditions of the desert. In return, they have shared with the Moroccans their hard-earned skills in patrolling, both on foot and in vehicles; marksmanship; demolitions; and casualty care. Troops also honed their fire and maneuver tactics on live-fire battle runs.

The exercise is building toward a six-day war game with British and Moroccan troops fighting side-by-side to seize an airstrip to use as a base to launch strike operations from. Morocco is a long-standing partner of the UK in North Africa, with the first bilateral Exercise Jebel Sahara held in 1989. Training together helps build shared skills and relationships between the two armies to improve their ability to operate together.

2 PARA is training to serve as the lead infantry battlegroup for the 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, which is held at very high readiness to deploy on operations anywhere in the world. The BCT is specially trained and equipped to deploy by parachute, helicopter and air landing.

The exercise has seen Colchester-based A Company Group, 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (A Coy Gp, 2 PARA) working in Morocco alongside troops from 2e Brigade d'Infanterie Parachutiste of the Royal Moroccan Army (Picture source: British Army)