Ex Cerberus tests and validates the five Brigade Headquarters of the UK’s Warfighting Division, according to a press release from the British Army.
“The Brigades are 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team and the 1st Aviation Brigade Combat Team, who are both part of the Army’s Global Response Force; 12 Armoured Brigade Combat Team, 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team and 101 Operational Sustainment Brigade. In addition, a U.S. Armoured Brigade Combat Battle Team (ABCT) will join the exercise acting as the sixth Brigade under the command of the Division.
Cerberus is a British lead, but also includes the participation of five other NATO members: Denmark, France, Germany, Canada and the USA, providing another opportunity to fully integrate with our NATO partners.”
Major General James Martin is the General Officer Commanding 3rd United Kingdom Division, he was quoted as saying:
“We are consistently looking at ways to test our ability to be ready. Ready to secure the United Kingdom and ready to work with our allies and partners in the defence of our values and our security. Exercise Cerberus is about making sure our Brigades are fit to deploy on operations all the way from peacekeeping at one end to warfighting and high intensity operations at the other. Hopefully this exercise will provide reassurance to both the British people and our allies and NATO partners.”
Thousands of troops and hundreds of vehicles deployed by land, sea and air at speed to the NATO Forward Holding Base Sennelager (NFS) where, over several weeks these Brigade Headquarters would be put to the sternest of tests on this large-scale Command Post exercise.
Staging the exercise in Europe further tests and demonstrates the British Army’s ability to respond to any unfolding crisis in a timely manner and shows our commitment to NATO and the wider security of Europe, say the British Army.
You can read more on this here.
Hi folks hope all is well.
Does anyone know what type of kit we will be sending, and in addition some extra to to help bolster our efforts in support to Ukraine.
Cheers
George
Your not working for the Kremlin are you? 😀
Hi George,
I read that article to mean that it is primarily the HQ units deploying.
My guess is that only a limited subset of each Brigade will deploy with the balance made up ‘digitally’ and ‘inserted’ into the C2 system to give the command teams a serious planning and command workout without the cost of deploying the full division. There will still be a significant number of troops deploying but not the whole division if I have read the article and others correctly.
Cheers CR
Yep, CPX not FTX.
Hi George, it’s a CPX, a Command Post Exercise so few real units or people. The idea is to stress systems and support in different scenarios rather than have lots of track miles and diesel used up.
cheers
I wonder if they will throw in a bug out exercise as well? Where the HQ is targeted and needs to move quick. Plus what or sho is in command whilst HQ relocates?
Yep, main thing is for the Scaleys to practice communications (up, down and sideways), and for staff officers to plan, conduct reconnaisssance, do appreciations, craft orders, move and run their HQs, transfer command etc.
It’s a CPX, not a CFX or an FTX – so the kit is what the various Bde HQs have plus what the Div HQ has.
There will also be units there to supply Life Support and LOCONs to represent units under bde command.
Impressive list of brigades, sending 7th Light Mechanised, 16 AAB and 12 armoured is more then we deployed to Iraq in 2003 if you don’t count 3 commando as an Army brigade. Hard to argue for the magic 100,000 number in the army if we can deploy this level of force to Europe without too much effort. if the rest of NATO matches this on a per capita basis you would be looking at a force of 20 divisions. I’m very happy the army finally decided to copy the brigade combat team but would be good to see each deployed… Read more »
It’s nowhere near the level of deployment on TELIC. It’s just the Bde HQs, not the Bdes themselves. 3 UK Div on the invasion was also bolstered with extra units into each Bde to ensure combat resilience. The 100,000 number is generally accepted as a benchmark to keep a division in the field indefinitely. At best effort we can now put a Division in the field for a finite period. US is moving back to a divisional structure as the Brigade Combat team is seen as not providing the right level of punch for warfighting. Also, we don’t use attack… Read more »
A good summary Bob A. The difference between the US aviation brigade and the UK one are not so much doctrinal as numbers and organisation. The US bde is a divisional asset, able to deploy as a unit or to allocate companies (aka squadrons) in direct support of the division’s 3 bdes. So the US bde will have – frontline – * An Apache attack regt, with 3 companies each of 8 helos, one per Bde; * A combat recon regt, currently Apache but to be replaced, again with 3 companies each of 8 helos, one per Bde ” A… Read more »
7 LMBCT is part of 1 (UK ) Division, not 3 (UK ) 16 AA and 1 Avn are the GRF. As always it’s a bit of a mash and mix to get a “Division” in the field and these are not whole formations but bits exercising the logistics trails and HQ elements primarily. I’m not into the BCT term myself and would have preferred they stuck with the perfectly good “Brigade” as beneath the name there is no difference. Each BCT with its own aviation section!? 😳 If only, with the cuts the AAC had in 2015 and with… Read more »
You say impossible but the MOD says agile and adaptable😂😂😂😂😂😂
Indeed! The MoD talk B****** and spin, I talk facts! If only our “Warfighting” Division was exercising with 3 square Armoured Brigade HQ’s like they used to rather than just 12 ABCT, or the 2 ABCT HQ’s 12 and 20 plus the HQ of DRSBCT as it should be. 20 ABCT HQ is not taking part and 1 ABCT has been “merged” The other brigades are not even a part of the division. But a “Warfighting Division” exercise with the HQs of 1 brigade and 1 logistics brigade would have the great unaware wondering what sort of Division it is,… Read more »
I just recall the heady days when just a tank regiment got some avn support under command!
3 AAC Regs in BAOR. 9 Squadrons of Lynx and Gazelle.
That would suffice for 1 Squadron for each of 1 (BR) Corps 9 Brigades, and there were 3 Armoured Divisions then plus 2 Inf in the UK. As you know Graham.
Again totally different capabilities now but so so few.
I agree with you about the BCT appelation – we are just copying the Americans for no reason – to me ‘Team’ is a very small thing, eg Fire Team is 4 men!
Of course nothing like as many as 34 Wildcat and 50 Apache will be in the Field Force as many are with training units/OCUs, the Repair Pool and in the Attrition Reserve.
Indeed.
32 Apache available forward fleet, assuming they are all able to fly on a given day, plus those with the OCU at MW.
Wildcat no idea, they’re a bit vague on numbers per squadron and they just mention they are pooled.
1 AAC also shares it’s assets with 847 NAS which supports the RM.
Its only the Bde HQs going and signals personnel – it is a CPX not a FTX (or even a CFX) – plus Div HQ, some LOCONs to represent units under bde command and a few units/sub-units providing Life Support.
Can’t go anywhere without the “slop jockeys”!
Both blokes got there in time FFBNW weapons and equipment!
How much more can they chop and trim our military. Each consequetive Government has shaven more off than the last. Now we have our Russian Apocalypse facing us again. A sight I thought would not return when I left the Army in 92.
What’s left to protect our way of life is no longer there. Name it whatever, but it’s numbers that count.
What Russian apocalypse is the UK facing exactly? Considering Russia is struggling to move a couple of hundred miles from the home land the only threat Russia is to the UK is an all out nuclear attack which in that instance the size of the military that we have is basically irrelevant.
The UK has a division?
We have three deployable divisions (on paper) – 1st, 3rd and 6th (which is a specialist div). In reality it will always be a massive struggle to get just one div ‘out of the door’. This exercise was of course not a full div deploying, just the command posts.
Depends how you look at it. 1XX div only has 7X that is actually deployable, and 6XX just straight up isn’t a conventional formation (how would you even rate 77X’s ability to deploy?)
Dern, yes I mentioned that 6XX was a specialist div – perhaps not everyone understood what that means – so, fair point. We both know that it does not have manouevre brigades of BGs.
Why do you consider 4X and 19X as undeployable? Granted 4X is light role infantry bns plus a lt cav regt and lt gun regt, but they can surely deploy. Granted 19X is all-Reserve Army but that does not mean they cannot deploy.
6XX is just such a weird kettle of fish, it has an extremely agile, deployable brigade, and one that deploys only through laptops and modnets, so it’s always worth bringing up. While I get the urge to resurect the division, I wish it would have been given a different title, like directorate or something. 4X is undeployable because all it’s CS and CSS formations are reservists. In theory 7X could deploy and 4X follow on a few months later after it’s reserves had all been called up, but given the fact that we couldn’t muster a reserve Battalion in 20… Read more »
I find it puzzling that the Army Reserve (AR) is considered undeployable. On Op Resolute (FRY) we deployed 2,800 TA. In Gulf War 2 (Telic) we deployed 9,500 TA out of a force of 35,000 and the TA component was always at least 20% of the deployed force. When I was in Afghan (2008/9) the Bastion FP Coy was 2/3 AR including the OC. Other than Med units only sub-units of Reservists deployed and individuals – there was never an attempt to recruit an entire TA/AR battalion. A decision was made in 2009 (Wiki) to cease deploying formed units of… Read more »
Agreed it’s not that individual reservists are undeployable (and I’m in favour of creating a Linked In style job shopping service for them btw that would make individual deployments easier), but as you said, it’s full units being deployed. That’s not so much an issue in 3 XX where you can use AR units to back fill Pids, but in 1 XX; how often is 4X going to be able to do brigade or even battlegroup level training if you have to call up enablers at battalion strength? We don’t do that so the chances of us pulling it off… Read more »
Thanks Dern. It would be ideal if the Orbats can be improved as you suggest – but the army always seems to be the loser with Orbats. I am very used to the army Task Org’ing to create a deployable sub-unit, unit or formation; some call it mix and match. I am sure that if 4x had to deploy as there was no alternative bde, and was short of manpower on D-day, then other folk (individuals, sub-units or units) would be attached from regular units outside 4x to round out the numbers – as is usual. I have never known… Read more »
The issue is, if you want to deploy 4X, sure you can simply task org and move blokes from elsewhere to attach to them; but then you’ve just moved the problem. E.g.: I want to deploy 4X so I take enablers from 7X and attach them to the 4. Cool 4X is now deployable, but 7X isn’t. Your total number of deployable formations hasn’t gone up, you’ve just changed which one you’re sending. This has knock on effects for readyness cycles and enduring operations as well. You can’t have 4X do a 9 month tour of an op, RIP them… Read more »
True. As I remember it, the army was always shifting the goalposts/robbing Peter to pay Paul – as the whole Orbat was never properly resourced – I recall members of 28 AER and some if its regt wksp (my unit) deployed on Granby to round out some other deployed engr regt.
Glad you say that CS and CSS are integral parts of a bde (I was CSS ie REME) – pity that not all bdes get CS/CSS or a good chunk of reg CS/CSS! So it has got worse since I served (1975-2009).
Hi folks hope all is well.
As ever many thanks to the experts for the clarification on this article.
I can always rely on the details you supply there’s so much to learn in the fascinating subject of military matters.
Cheers
George
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Meanwhile, the Swedish, Slovak, Dutch, Czech, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, and Baltics can deploy modern tracked, armoured, vehicles. Hmm.
True. Very depressing. I think the last AFVs fielded were 66 Titans and Trojans some 20nyears ago.