Collective Training Group

You may have come across the Collective Training Group (CTG) in the past and wondered what we do and how we do it, plus why it is in Sustainer. CTG is a small HQ of 35 personnel (composed of a mixture of civil servants and military including four RLC personnel) located in Warminster that delivers Collective Training (CT) to the Field Army.

As the name suggests, the HQ provides all CT from Training Level F upwards (old money CT 4). The HQ is responsible for writing, delivering and validation of all field force units either about to deploy or being held at readiness. It also provides training to individuals that are being augmented for deployments wherever the British Army is deployed overseas.

The units that CTG has under command are all focused on CT, and are about to conduct training in the coming year. These are known as Collective Training Establishments (CTE): The British Army Training Unit Suffield / Kenya (BATUS, BATUK); the British Army Training Support Unit (BATSUB) in Belize; Combat Ready Training Centre (CRTC) Germany in Sennelager and Westdown Camp in the UK; Mission Ready Training Centre (MRTC) in Bassingbourne and the Combined Staff Tactical Training Group (CSTTG) in Warminster. These Units have Combined Arms Staff Trainer (CAST) and Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (CATT) in Warminster, Bassingbourne and Germany and last but not least there is the Land Training Fleet Warminster LTF(W). A brief description of each establishment is below: o Prairie Storm Armoured Battle Group training for 3XX units. o Haraka Storm (previously Askari Storm) light role training mainly for 1XX and 16X plus the new Rangers. o Mayan Storm training in complex terrain to mainly 1XX units but also MAB and other NATO allies plus RE support. o CRTC (G) Tallin Dawn and Iron Storm (pre-deployment training for Op CABRIT and armoured battle group training that has moved from Canada to Germany in line with the Integrated Review and Future Soldier o CRTC (UK) Wessex Storm (Readiness training for 1XX units. o Pre-deployment training for Iraq, Mali, Op TOSCA and any other UN or PJHQ/LOC commitment, as well as individual readiness Regular/Reserve o Provide synthetic training using CATT and CAST to validate a BG in a simulated environment.

• BATUS. Support and facilitate unit delivered collective training in order to support the preparation of forces for readiness and operations.

• BATUK. Deliver and assure collective training for combined arms manoeuvre forces, in order to prepare force elements for readiness and operations.

• BATSUB. Support and facilitate unit delivered collective training in order to support the preparation of forces for readiness and operations.

• CRTC. Deliver and assure combat ready, and where directed mission ready, collective training for combined arms manoeuvre forces, in order to prepare force elements for readiness and operations.

• MRTC. Deliver and assure mission ready (to include individual mobilisation and mission specific training) and where directed combat ready, collective training for combined arms manoeuvre forces, in order to prepare force elements for readiness and operations.

• CSTTG. Deliver and assure command, staff and tactical training to nominated forces in order to prepare force elements for readiness and operations.

• LTF(W). Manage, sustain and deliver Land Equipment for operational (MRX/MST), (CT E/F) Fd Army and other Force Elements’ training.

• HQ Hannibal (as part of HQ CTG). TF HANNIBAL is to represent the contemporary threat across all training domains thereby delivering genuine adversarial pressures.

The composition of the CSS team within HQ CTG is mixed cap badges - currently RLC, REME, Scots Guards and RTR.

• DCOS Lt Col G Roberts RLC –Responsible for G1, G4, and G6.

• SO2 CSS Maj C Proudfoot SG –Provides direction and guidance for logistic matters for the Group and CoC

• SO2 ES Maj R Jenkins REME –Provides SME direction and guidance to the CoC and the CTEs for all equipment focused areas within the Group

• BOWO WO1 (SSM) M Walters RLC - Provides SME guidance on the supply chain and is the lead for all LSA&I activity across the CTEs

• BArt WO1 (ASM) J Reed REMEProvides SME advice on all Equipment focused areas within the Group

• Master Driver WO2 (SQMS) R Gill RLC – Provides direction and guidance on all policy relating to the use all vehicles across the Group

• WO ES Mat WO2 (SQMS) L Friend RLC – Provides direction and guidance on all ES Mat and looks after the reverse supply chain for repairables across the Group

• WO CSS WO2 M Shelley RTR –Provides direction and guidance on ammunition and ORP allocations and funding each financial year for CTE activities and is the lead for all IX systems (Churchill, Muster etc).

One of the key G4 functions is the provision of LSA&I. Each CTE receives an audit each year, with additional advisory visits as required. Post COVID-19 locations have been visited more frequently, providing personal support after a two-year absence to ensure relationships are maintained and to understand frictions so that they can be dealt with in a timely manner.

Due to the challenges of providing G4 in remote overseas locations, the delivery of LSA&I provides a real insight, as well as providing an opportunity for some R&R during the weekend that you are there (have to have some perks to job).

As the only formed G4 team within the Land Warfare Centre it also provides support to those Ops Groups as well as the School of Artillery (RSA), Combat Maneuverer Centre (CMC) and to the LWC Support Branch. Although we are always busy, it’s rewarding and good fun. If you are reading this and find yourself in one of our locations, think about the work behind the scenes that ensures you have world-class training and are ready to deploy for future operations around the world.

8 Combat bridging at CRTC Sennelager