UK Paratroopers complete rigorous training in Africa

British airborne soldiers have wrapped up a challenging humanitarian and combat training period in East Africa, exemplifying their ability to be “comfortable in chaos”, a sentiment echoed throughout their recent missions.

This April saw the 3 PARA Battlegroup, straight off the back of major exercises on Salisbury Plain, heading to Sudan with the task to “provide security and logistic support to the evacuation of British civilians.”

Not resting on their laurels, the troops immediately switched gears post-Sudan, heading out to Kenya for “six weeks of training for high-intensity warfare.”

The rapid transition between such diverse missions underscores the unique responsibilities of the 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, the British Army’s rapid-response ensemble. Spearheading this battlegroup is the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, stationed in Colchester. They operate in tandem with a gamut of specialists, from artillery to logisticians, all of whom are trained to deploy by “parachute, helicopter or airlanding.”

Reflecting on the team’s adaptability and resilience, Lieutenant Colonel Will Hunt, the Commanding Officer of the 3 PARA Battlegroup, shared, “Sudan and Kenya were completely different situations, requiring different skills and mindsets. But in both situations what really stood out to me was every soldier’s willingness to work tirelessly to do what needed to be done and to be comfortable in chaos, which is what our role demands.”

Exercise Haraka Storm in Kenya was no walk in the park. Soldiers faced simulations of “high-intensity combat, with the equipment and vehicles they would be able to deploy by air with on an operation.” The training regime was progressive, starting with foundational drills such as “infantry practising their patrolling skills by day and night,” and engineers getting hands-on, “building bridges and defensive positions.”

This eventually scaled up to intensive live-ammunition exercises, culminating in a full-force operation. Their final trial? A gruelling “16-mile (25km) overnight march to assault an enemy position at the top of a rocky outcrop.”

Under a standing agreement with the Kenyan Government, up to “six infantry battlegroups per year carry out exercises in Kenya,” ensuring robust preparation for units on the brink of deployment or transitioning to high-readiness roles.

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