RMR Environmental Training

Foreword by the Commanding Officer RMR Scotland,

Lt Col W J W Brain RM

In its 75th anniversary year, the Royal Marines Reserve (RMR) continues to be ready to support the Commando Force in any operational environment, including the High North and other regions of the world where extreme cold weather is prevalent for a significant part of each year. Therefore, capitalising on Ex Aquila 23 to train reservists in cold weather survival and Special-to-Arms skills and continue to build our pool of cold weather warfare enabling instructors, was an important part of the RMR’s 2022/23 training year. It was great to have training alongside the RMR members of 131 Independent Commando Royal Engineers, the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps (Reserves), and members of 132 Mountain Regiment (Slovenia). As with every winter deployment it was an excellent opportunity for RMR reservist instructors and enablers, to deploy with the CF and support them. It was also a golden opportunity to host Reserve Force employers and signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant, so that they can see reservists undertaking training and understand first-hand the importance of their support to the reservists. We are very grateful to the Lowland Reserve Forces and Cadet Association for their support in helping to arrange this year’s visit.

Mountain Training

by Cpl Key, Tyne Det

On a cold weekend in the depths of Welsh winter, the RMR steadily picked their way up the snow-covered Mynydd Mawr, the mountain march being the final hurdle before our upcoming deployment to Norway on Exercise Aquila 23. Ex Brennin Ridge was one of two RMR mountain training weekends. The Wales package was based out of Capel Curig Training Camp and began with the issue of kit before launching into a series of lectures. The first day finished with the teams producing route cards to the level of detail that would satisfy the ML, not a quick process!

After an early start the two teams, headed up by CSgt Marlow (UML1 RMR Scotland) and Capt Foden RM (MLO), began their yomp by going straight up the side of the steepest and highest feature in the immediate area, just to ensure we were suitably warmed up! Teamwork and physical fitness were well tested during the day. One team even had to demonstrate their flexibility when confronted with a genuine emergency involving two civilian hikers who had become trapped in a gully. Quick thinking and the expertise of Capt Foden brought this situation to a safe and speedy conclusion.

The exercise was a great success, it demonstrated the commitment of all concerned and renewed their determination to make a success of their Winter Deployment in the New Year. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Capt Foden and CSgt Marlow, as well as the HQ of RMR Scotland and the enablers from across the RMR that made the exercise possible.

Week One – Cold Weather Survival Course (CWSC)

by LCpl C White, Aberdeen Det

Stepping off the plane in Bardufoss (northern Norway), the biting cold was an eye-opening introduction to the unforgiving climate of the Arctic. A climate which makes your nostril hairs freeze the moment you take a breath, a strange sensation. The first week of training would be tailored to learning how to survive in this environment. We started in the classroom, then moved into the field. Here, we started to learn the basics of how to sustain ourselves. When in the field, we trained in tent groups, with an instructor embedded in each. We started in ten-man tents to confirm what we had been taught in camp. Morning and night routine included melting and boiling snow for cooking and drinking, preparing/de-servicing kit and setting up/taking down the tent and surrounding area if required. The first night also introduced skiing, the main method of moving on the ground, which proved to be a challenge (with a heavily ladened bergen) even for those with previous civilian skiing experience.

The next day saw us transition to four-man tents. Operating from these, the tent groups received various lessons, from avalanche training to more advanced skiing. One night, we were lucky enough to catch an incredible display of the Northern Lights, however, this came at the price of the temperature dropping to below -22˚C. The decline in temperature meant that our admin had to be fast and efficient to ensure mitigation of cold weather injuries. It was by no means the coldest night. The last 24hrs of the exercise was dedicated to survival skills. We began the day with a reminder on the fire-starting process and types of brushwood shelters, before constructing our own. Before long, our shelter was up. As night fell, the temperature plunged. Small things, such as boiling water, posed a much more challenging task without the usual equipment. Despite the robust shelter and roaring fire, it became increasingly difficult to stay warm. Due to this, there were several good learning points picked up, such as: it is worth building a more robust base for the fire if you wanted to avoid it sinking a metre into the snow underneath! Most of the night was spent trying to keep warm, spinning dits by our ever burning and growing natural ‘TV’.

The final segment of the week’s training was what everyone had been anticipating on the run up to Norway. A right of passage in the Royal Marines… the ice breaking drills. This consisted of skiing into a hole cut in a frozen lake, whilst carrying a bergen. Once in, you must compose yourself, pass out your bergen and report to the ML, asking permission to get out. If deemed suitably composed, you drag yourself out of the water, glug a very welcome Viking horn of rum, then sprint back the tent to get changed: the final tick in the box for the first week. Overall, the course was a great first step into the world of Arctic warfare.

Week Two – Special-to-Arms Training

by LCpl G Turner, Dundee Det

As with the many other Norway-novices at the beginning of Aquila 23, I was champing at the bit to get stuck into Arctic training. We had done all the preparation we could on mountain training and had high hopes of putting on a show not dissimilar to ‘The Heroes of Telemark’, right up until the moment we put our skis on in survival week! At which point ‘survive’ became our main objective. It was an excellent week in the field and despite delays at Brize, the instructors put on an excellent package, drawn from a great breadth of knowledge and experience which saw us well educated, and ultimately Cold Weather and Survival Course qualified.

In week two, alongside ranks from 131 Cdo Sqn Royal Engineers, 132nd Slovenian Mountain Regiment and our Dutch counterparts, we deployed to the Steilia ski area where the ski instructors helped develop our skiing abilities. We learnt the basics, such as snowplough stops and turns, step turns to avoid our downed oppos, and getting back up after creaming in (most of the falling and getting back up practice was unprompted by instructors). The ski instructors always kept it interesting and even introduced us to Telemarking which put smiles on our dials and even some on the MLs’. Many of us had skied before but had never had to contend with the challenges we were faced with in this environment, the tough terrain, skiing uphill (what?) and having a pulk enthusiastically assist your descent, all while carrying the equipment needed not only to survive, but to soldier, which was the next phase of the week.

At the end of day two, we packed our kit, ‘pulled pole’ and fixed skins to our skis ready for our move up to the plateau. After a steady yomp up with sporadic light shows from the Northern Lights we recce’d a harbour location and got set up in four-man tents. Day three saw us receive demos on drills in this new environment, like breaking contact on skis and snowshoes, as well as runs through of a pairs CQB lane (uphill of course). We quickly learned that there were novel considerations to take when soldiering here which us novices hope to develop on the Cold Weather Warfare Course on our next deployment to Norway. We finished the day with a lesson on the different types of snowholes and an intro to observation posts (OP) in the snow. On the morning of day four we had an eventful ski through the trees to a working OP and had an in-depth brief on the running of one in a cold weather environment from Major O’Toole RM (MLO) and then continued to the valley bottom for the beginning of ski assessments. Thanks to our patient instructors, we all passed and returned to Camp Viking to de-service and re-service all of our kit.

At the conclusion of the course, in the usual fashion there was a competition. An 8km cross-country ski race with the CO and RSM first to start. We placed our bets and despite being warned that we would not achieve our bounty if we dared to overtake the RSM, we set out at 30-second intervals and gave it beans, hoping to see the giant silhouette at every crest we came over and try to reel it in. After a couple of weeks of hard work, it was a fun evolution and a great conclusion to the course, especially having the ‘Geordie Mafia’ blasting tunes and cheering us over the finish line.

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