British troops come ashore in Albania

Exercise Austere Wolf, part of Operation Chelonia, has brought together 18 British Army units, both regular and reserve, for a large-scale training operation at the Pashaliman Naval Base in southern Albania.

According to a news release, the exercise, overseen by 104 Theatre Sustainment Brigade, focused on landing an entire Theatre Enablement Group (TEG) from the sea, replicating conditions under which British forces might operate in a real-world scenario.

The TEG, which is composed of a tailored formation of various military trades, showcased its logistical prowess by establishing facilities and services designed to support a notional follow-on force. Central to the success of this exercise were troops from the 17 Port & Maritime Regiment Royal Logistic Corps (RLC), who worked alongside their counterparts from 165 Port & Maritime Regiment RLC.

Together, they landed essential equipment and vehicles using the Mexeflote, a world-leading motorised floating platform, which enabled the transfer of heavy military hardware from ship to shore.

Major Mark Player, Deputy Chief of Staff for 104 Theatre Sustainment Brigade, spoke of the importance of this exercise in the press release, saying, “It’s our opportunity to showcase that the UK can do this at a time and place of our choosing. The troops are going up against practical and injected exercise role-play challenges working out how to overcome them as they arise.”

The exercise tested the ability of commanders to integrate new teams and capabilities, and it provided junior soldiers with the experience of operating in austere conditions.

The Hartland Point, a 13,500-tonne roll-on/roll-off vessel, carried the equipment from the UK to Albania. A total of 2.6 kilometres of vehicles and equipment were transported, underscoring the scale of the operation.

The event also highlighted the UK’s maritime trades, with personnel stationed around the globe, including Australia, the Falklands, and Cyprus. Exercise Austere Wolf underscores the UK’s commitment to maintaining high standards of operational readiness and integration with NATO allies, demonstrating the ability to project forces into various environments effectively.