Paras endure Belize jungle for tough training

Paratroopers from 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment have completed a month of intensive training in the jungles of Belize, an environment the Army describes as one of the most demanding it routinely uses.

The British Army says the aim is to harden airborne forces for operations anywhere, under any conditions.

Exercise Mayan Cyclone placed around 170 troops from 3 PARA’s B and D Companies, along with engineers and gunners from supporting parachute units, into continuous field conditions marked by heat, humidity, dense vegetation and limited external support. According to the Army, the combination of environmental hazards and isolation is intended to build resilience and force soldiers to adapt at every level.

Major Louis Maclaren, Officer Commanding B Company, said the experience goes far beyond learning jungle-specific techniques. He noted that “Belize is the only place that the British Army regularly trains where a unit will spend a month unsupported in a hostile environment.” He added that “the jungle provides a genuine risk to life and brings friction that you must adapt to and overcome,” arguing that this mindset is central to airborne operations where troops are deliberately deployed at distance from support.

Living in the jungle quickly wears down troops, Major Maclaren said, explaining that hydration, infection risks and the simple challenge of staying dry all place pressure on basic soldiering skills. “Personal administration, which is the lowest level of a soldier’s skills, need to be delivered at the highest level,” he said.

Lance Corporal Harry Stone reinforced the strain on routine tasks, stating that in the jungle “you have to do the basics times 10” and that equipment care must be constant rather than occasional. Lance Corporal Jake Threlfall highlighted the cumulative effect of heat, terrain and workload, saying that “time management is much harder in the jungle, because there’s so much more to do.”

Communication and navigation are also degraded. Thick vegetation absorbs electronic signals, reducing radio reliability and rendering GPS less dependable. Major Maclaren said commanders must abandon attempts at tight control, explaining that “you can’t be in constant radio communication… You need to fix a rendezvous and trust that everyone will be there up to 36 hours later.”

He argued that the demands placed on individuals and leaders are the exercise’s core purpose. “The jungle forces leaders at every level to take responsibility for their teams and individuals to take responsibility for themselves,” he said. “A soldier who can operate effectively in the jungle is better prepared for any mission, in any environment, against any enemy.”