THE largest joint exercise for 15 years, Saif Sareea 3 is drawing to a close and soldiers from Bulford based 1 Armoured Infantry Brigade are preparing to return home in time for Christmas after three months in the deserts of Oman.
This includes four Reserve Army soldiers from Old Sarum based B Squadron, The Royal Wessex Yeomanry who have been deployed on the exercise.
In the final stages, the Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson visited CYCLOPS Squadron of Tidworth based Riyal Tank Regiment seeing what the Challenger2’s are capable of and getting a feel for Tankie life in the desert. The final stage was a huge firepower demonstration showcasing the combined effects of UK and Omani forces.
Soldiers from Bulford based 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment were the key element of the demonstration firing all infantry weapons including the Javelin missile.
Some 2,000 soldiers, mainly from Salisbury Plain based units, were deployed on the exercise, with around 800 on the ground as exercising troops, 185 Armoured Fighting Vehicles and other equipment travelled from the UK to Oman for the exercise.
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