Bugle Summer 2026 - Flipbook - Page 9
1 RIFLES
EX RHINO
STORM
1 RIFLES returned from Cyprus last year
and since then its focus has been on Ex
RHINO STORM, which took place in May; a
Brigade-level exercise in Germany where the
Battalion provided an enemy force known
as Task Force Hannibal (TFH) against 1 Royal
Yorks and 1 Scots Guards Battlegroups.
The exercise itself spanned multiple areas of
public land and the Sennelager Training Area.
It served as the first true opportunity for the
Battalion to get its teeth into Light Mechanised
Infantry (LMI) tactics at scale and test the rest
of 7 Brigade as a demanding enemy.
In preparation, each of the companies has
been progressing through the fabled Ex SWIFT
BUGLE series, transitioning onto Foxhound
for the rifle companies and Jackal for Support
Company, with A Company due to complete its
conversion later this year. This transition forced
the Battalion to change tack from its role in
Cyprus, placing itself firmly on a warfighting
footing. Adapting to the ever-changing
battlefield and ongoing modernisation has
been a continuous challenge, which
1 RIFLES has met by adopting an
experimental mindset.
Leading the charge on innovation has been
the CIS Platoon, which developed a Cyber
and Electromagnetic Activities detachment
designed to intercept and analyse enemy
radio transmissions. This capability enabled
direction finding, the building of a clearer
picture of enemy forces, and, in some cases,
an understanding of their communications.
Another development was the formation of
Taranis Platoon, a dedicated drone force with
capabilities ranging from surveillance to
striking with first-person view (FPV) drones.
The exercise consisted of three phases,
the first of which took place on the Senne.
It followed a traditional light mechanised
scenario, featuring both offensive and
defensive actions – joined by a Squadron
from the Royal Dragoon Guards (using Warrior
vehicles) and 32
Leading
the
charge on
innovation
has been
the CIS
Platoon
Engineer Regiment. As this was the first time
1 RIFLES had operated as an LMI battlegroup,
the learning curve was steep. However, in true
Riflemen spirit, the Battlegroup rose to the
challenge and managed to give 1 Royal Yorks
a bloody nose, rolling through their defensive
positions in a matter of hours.
The Battlegroup then moved from
Sennelager to occupy abandoned Cold War
radar stations as defensive positions. This
presented an exciting opportunity for Riflemen
to practise defence on unfamiliar terrain. A
and B Companies combined forces to defend
the hilltop position of Laatzen, fighting a
determined last stand against 1 Scots Guards.
They withstood repeated waves of attack before
eventually being pushed back to their final
defensive position, aptly named Wagon Hill. C
Company similarly mounted a strong defence
of Goldbeck against a determined enemy.
After nearly two weeks in the field, the
Battlegroup came together to conduct a
gruelling six-hour urban assault on the
disused Princess Royal Barracks. With the
infrastructure due for demolition six months
later, Riflemen were given free rein to enter
buildings as required. This created a highly
realistic training environment, where windows
could be smashed (the Riflemen needed little
encouragement) and leaving the barracks
resembling a post-apocalyptic world. Clearing
the barracks marked the culmination of nine
months of training. Focus now turns to Ex
JERBOA STORM in the new year, offering another
opportunity for the Battalion to prove itself.
Amid the demands of a brigade-level
exercise, the Riflemen also found time to
explore the surrounding area and learn about
local history. First on the list was the site of
the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, a fascinating
archaeological location where a smaller
Germanic force defeated a significantly
larger Roman army using skirmishing tactics
reminiscent of those employed by antecedent
regiments of The Rifles. This was followed by a
visit to Wewelsburg, once an ideological centre
of the SS, providing a moment for reflection and
an opportunity to learn lessons from the past.
RIFLES The Bugle 9
