Over 800 British Army reservists have taken part in the largest overseas Reserve deployment since the 1980s during Exercise Rhino Heart in Germany, the Army stated.
The two-week multinational exercise at Sennelager Training Area brought together the UK’s 19th Light Brigade alongside Canadian and Estonian forces to test their ability to operate jointly under demanding, realistic conditions.
Brigadier Lisa Brooks, Commander of 19th Light Brigade, said the deployment demonstrated both the capability and cohesion of the UK’s only fully reservist brigade. “If you want to go faster, go alone, but if you want to go further, go together,” she told her troops. “You’ve gone further than any Reserve formation has in decades, and you’ve done it together.”
She added that “Rhino Heart shows that 19th Light Brigade can deploy at speed and operate effectively on the European continent, a clear demonstration of our readiness to support NATO and deter aggression.”
British troops worked alongside Canadian and Estonian partners to strengthen NATO interoperability and shared learning. “We’ve been proud to train with our Canadian and Estonian partners,” Brigadier Brooks said. “What we’ve achieved together has absolutely put us on the map within NATO.”
The Army said the exercise also hosted senior UK employers who observed how skills gained through Reserve service, including leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving, translate into civilian workplaces.
Ex Lionheart in Germany in Sep/Oct 1984 involved 30,000 TA deployong from the UK. I suppose we should somehow be impressed that 800 members of the Army Reserve deployed on Ex Rhino Heart.
I mean, I would point out that as much as we might want to winge, this is the first time the Reserves have managed to form a Battlegroup and deploy at that scale since the cold war, and that is a positive step. Even if the BG was formed by by bringing force elements from across the brigade.
As a side note, 800 elsewhere is being reported as the combined international deployment not the British one. Would be good to know who is getting the right info.
19 Light Brigade.
How did the Bde deploy and operate effectively on the continent without a single reserve CS CSS element allocated to it Brigadeer Brooks?
Or did it steal them from elsewhere or ho without? Being Infantry only?
The Army Reserve are not structured to operate as formed units or in their own Brigade, but as sub units as IBRs or paired with regular formations.
There are a few exceptional exceptions to this of course from the Intelligence Corps, 21 and 23, and the HAC.
19 Bde is a “Golfbag” for most of the reserve Infantry Battalions.
The bulk of the Reserve RLC, REME operate within 101, 102, 104 Logistic Brigades, it’s RE reinforce 8 FE Bde, and it’s Artillery is allocated to regular units. The regulars are so short that 4 Bde has a reserve RA Regiment allocated, it has no guns of its own any more.
The considerable Reserve RAMS is in its own Group and would in war be overwhelmed on home soil as its NHS staff would be needed here, as J has pointed out before.
Interestingly, one snippet to emerge regards future structure of the Reserve is two Infantry Brigades “structured as they will fight” or words similar, so I’m intrigued on that to see what they intend to do.
Anyway, don’t let this fool anyone that we have reserve Brigades like the US National Guard, all arms and ready to deploy and fight as self contained formations. We don’t.
I’d love to see it, but the spin spread by the Army MoD, and HMG needs highlighting.
Um, nobody is claiming the Brigade deployed?
Afternoon Dern.
Indeed, neither did I to be fair, and it clearly says over 800 personnel, which to me implied not many more with that terminology.
But the Brigadeers comment –
“Rhino Heart shows that 19th Light Brigade can deploy at speed and operate effectively on the European continent, a clear demonstration of our readiness to support NATO and deter aggression” was what I was questioning. It was a part, not all, and as we know it lacks, like other formations.
MoD like to exaggerate, well I like to expand in response and consider the formation she is talking about, for right or wrong.
Was I incorrect in any of my wider observation? Did you hear about the changes afoot?