Green Berets surfaced in Cape Wrath, the most north-westerly point in mainland Great Britain, aboard an attack submarine as part of Exercise Strike Warrior, which marks the first time since the war in Afghanistan that all the specialist elements of the UK’s elite commando formation have worked together.
More than 2,000 personnel from six nations (UK, Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Norway, USA) are deployed across Scotland, including the Western Isles, North-West Approaches, Galloway, the Borders region, and the North Sea, for the commando-led workout designed to rehearse allied crisis-response operations in the High North and North Atlantic region.
Expert Navy and Army commandos from 148 Battery Commando Forward Observation Battery—part of specialist units trained to carry out reconnaissance and direct naval gunfire from behind enemy lines—slipped silently away on inflatable raiding boats to establish an observation post on the cliffs, from which they directed the guns of Portuguese warship NRP Dom Francisco de Almeida onto ‘enemy’ positions.
148 Battery Operations Officer, who cannot be named for operational reasons, said: “This level of complexity and coordination of live assets has not been achieved by 148 Battery for nearly 30 years.
“We wanted to demonstrate to our partners across the United Kingdom Commando Force, wider UK Defence and NATO Special Operations Force community the type of missions we are prepared to execute against future threats.
“Warfighting is our focus, and we are prepared to employ specialist assets to deliver Multi-Domain Fires and Targeting.”
148 (Meiktila) Commando Forward Observation Battery has conducted a Full Mission Profile (FMP), integrating a German Navy submarine and Portuguese warship during Exercise Strike Warrior 26.
The serial was designed to rehearse a submarine link-up and develop the Battery’s maritime integration, including float-on/float-off drills with 148’s boats. The force subsequently conducted a submarine infiltration and discreet small-boat insertion towards the target area.
The FMP culminated in the establishment of an Observation Post (OP), from which the team coordinated live Naval Surface Fires from the Portuguese warship, resulting in a successful engagement and extraction.
The serial demonstrated the capability of NATO partners to integrate specialist assets and coordinate complex activity across the maritime and land domains. The submarine provided Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) support to identify and develop the target, before deploying Special Observation Teams to conduct a tactical beach landing and establish a hasty OP. The Portuguese warship subsequently delivered live Naval Surface Fires against the designated target.
“This level of complexity and coordination of live assets has not been achieved by 148 for nearly 30 years. We wanted to demonstrate to our partners across the United Kingdom Commando Force, wider UK Defence and NATO SOF community the type of missions we are prepared to execute against future threats. Warfighting is our focus, and we are prepared to employ specialist assets to deliver Multi-Domain Fires and Targeting.” – Operations Officer, 148 (Meiktila) Commando Forward Observation Battery, Royal Artillery.
The UK Commando Force are taking part in their largest collective workout in 15 years to demonstrate their ability to safeguard the country—and its allies—against a myriad of threats.
The submarine operation showed the powerful combination of bringing allies together, with the German U-boat charged with identifying targets, commandos discreetly landing ashore, and the Portuguese bringing the firepower onto the target.
Earlier in the exercise, 148 Battery controlled the naval gunfire of warships from NATO’s premier task group in Northern European waters, Standing NATO Maritime Group One. Dutch frigate HNLMS Van Amstel and Royal Canadian Navy Frigate HMCS St. John’s both linked up with the commandos in their observation posts to bring gunfire down onto ‘enemy’ positions.
In all, eight warships and 19 aircraft are involved in Strike Warrior, which started on September 28 and finishes this Friday (October 9).
The rehearsals have also included amphibious landings, boarding operations, intelligence and surveillance missions, logistics and sustainment work, maritime security, and anti-submarine warfare.
Commandos have also conducted drone missions, including strikes and resupply to troops in combat, as well as building underground medical facilities.
