UK, Oman complete desert training exercise
Omani soldiers attack a simulated village as part of Exercise Khanjar Oman. (Photo: UK MoD)
The desert warfare exercise took place from 3-14 February and saw British troops operate alongside the Royal Army of Oman in the Ras Madrakah joint training area, culminating in a mock assault on an urban area.
Battlegroup commander Lt Col Ben Hawes of 2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, is preparing troops to assume command of NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) in January 2024.
He said: 'Since March last year, the focus of our training has been to ensure that we are ready to fight against a peer enemy force. This exercise is the UK ensuring that its spearhead battlegroup is in exactly the right place to go out the door.'
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The 4th Light Brigade Combat Team is delivering the first series of exercises for Desert Khanjar, the two annual, four-month deployments of UK troops to the British Army’s Land Regional Hub in Duqm, Oman.
During deployment, personnel undertake unit training, exercise with partners and provide a forward-based force capable of building regional security capabilities and responding to threats where they arise.
Aspects of the exercise included operating in GPS-denied environments and with jammed radio communications.
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