British land forces conduct command and staff maneuvers in Germany under the code name “Cerberus 22”. London reported that this is the largest British ground troop exercise in 2022 and the largest British military maneuver in Europe in over a decade. Moreover, their preparation became a huge logistical challenge, as nearly 3,500 soldiers and almost 800 military vehicles were sent to Germany.
The 3rd Division moved by land, sea and air. Staff flew to a training center in Celle, northern Germany, flown by the Royal Air Force in A400M aircraft. Further – to Sennelager in North Rhine-Westphalia – British troops with equipment were transported with German heavy Sikorsky CH-53G helicopters. Vehicles and equipment traveled by sea: from Portsmouth to Emden on the North Sea. Some of the equipment used was already in Germany, in particular in warehouses in Sennelager.
“The forward NATO base at Sennelager is essential,” said Colonel Owain Luke, Chief of Staff of the 3rd Division. – It is one of the regional logistics hubs that the British Army has around the world. Sennelager is a European regional ground troop center that provides a continental training base, vehicle storage, and the ability to start operations anywhere on the continent should the need arise.
Nevertheless, transporting the equipment over such long distances requires checking logistic capabilities and operating in expeditionary conditions. The previous exercises were not so problematic as they were held in the Salisbury Plain in Great Britain.
In addition to these challenges, “Cerberus 22” is to confirm the readiness for action of five brigade staffs of the 3rd Division, whose history dates back to the Napoleonic Wars and which the British want to have as a showcase of expeditionary activities. The command hierarchy will be as follows: the brigades will be subordinated to the division command, which in turn will be subordinate to the British-led Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. The Corps will provide overall NATO command and control.
Before an operation can be executed, a rehearsal of concept (ROC) drill is carried out so that everyone knows their part in the plan
On CERBERUS the GOC took the opportunity to reinforce his intent to the Brigade commanders of the Warfighting Division # StrongerTogether # CERB22 pic.twitter.com/RsUFRRx7YS
– The Iron Division (@ 3rdUKDivision) October 28, 2022
The personnel of the Brigade Combat Teams – the 16th Air-Assault, the 12th Armored, the 7th Light Mechanized and the 1st Air – and the 101st Operational Support Brigade taking part in the exercises will be tested against an equal opponent. In other words, the soldiers will face the enemy in a symmetrical conflict, so it is not difficult to guess that this is about a possible war between NATO and Russia in Eastern Europe. The British will be supported by the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team “Gray Wolf” from the 1st Cavalry Division of the US Army, which moved to Germany from Żagań.
The US-British forces will be supplemented by soldiers from five other NATO countries. The cooperation is to strengthen interoperability with American forces, as well as adaptation to NATO procedures and operation within the Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
This year’s exercises, in addition to checking the standard procedures and readiness of the British “Iron Division” to defend Great Britain, will test the ability to quickly transfer forces to the continent in order to strengthen efforts for the joint defense of the North Atlantic Alliance countries. Moving troops to expeditionary operations on the continent also allows you to assess the related risks and detect weak points.
While CERBERUS is validating our Brigade HQs for warfighting operations, it’s also looking to the future
The Experimentation & Trials Group @YORKS_REGT are deployed on the exercise to examine pioneering new capabilities to transform the way we fight under Future Soldier # CERB22 pic.twitter.com/0Ji4sMF22p
– The Iron Division (@ 3rdUKDivision) October 30, 2022
“Our forces were in Germany to take advantage of the Land Regional Hub in Sennelager, which is also a test of the real ability to deploy troops on the continent at a rapid pace,” said Colonel Luke. – Each headquarters will be assessed for operational readiness on the continent, including the ability to plan and execute operations under a simulated war scenario in Europe.
Finally, it is worth paying attention to one more issue. Cerberus 22 can provide a partial answer to an important question: has Britain come close to deploying a planned “warfighting division” dedicated to NATO operations and fighting against an equal opponent? The 2015 Strategic Review of Defense and Security assumed that in the 3rd Division, two brigades were to be reorganized into strike brigades. In view of the failures, these plans were changed and eventually two brigades were to be created: a mechanized and an “interim maneuvering support brigade” to replace the assault brigades.
The Achilles’ heel of the 3rd Division is the hardware issue. The reorganized division was to have 116 MBTs, 370 lighter combat vehicles, and 72 self-propelled guns and missile launchers. So far, these assumptions have not been fulfilled. Although in May 2021 the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) joint venture concluded an agreement to upgrade 148 Challenger 2 tanks to the Challenger 3 standard, the program is progressing very slowly.
The Ajax IFV program is a complete flop, even though it has recently been decided to continue. A few days ago, the UK Ministry of Defense announced the delivery of twenty-six vehicles whose problems have not been resolved and which may never enter service. Soldiers have to rely on the outdated FV510 Warriors, which are upgraded to the working standard Warrior 2.
See also: Defeat of the demobilization of militants in the Ambasonia
British Ministry of Defense
