NATO Multimedia

Would you be brave enough? UK troops take the plunge into icy water in freezing conditions in Estonia.

UK troops from 5 RIFLES-led NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Estonia jump into icy water as part of the cold weather operator’s course in Estonia. This training ensures that they can operate in adverse weather conditions and enables them to be prepared should they fall through the ice in training or on operations.

All NATO eFP Battlegroup Estonia training, for Exercise Winter Camp, was conducted in line with Estonian national COVID-19 policy. The Battlegroup is currently operating as a ‘bubble’. Exercise Winter Camp ran from 1 to 12 February 2021.

Footage includes various shots of British Army soldiers jumping into an icy hole in a lake in Estonia.

1. (00:00) VARIOUS SHOTS – BRITISH ARMY TROOPS FROM NATO EFP BATTLEGROUP ESTONIA JUMP INTO ICY WATER IN A LAKE IN ESTONIA DURING COLD WEATHER OPERATOR’S COURSE
2. (04:38) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – COLOUR SERGEARNT JIMMY KEENAN – ROYAL MARINES

“The training culminates with this, which is the water immersion or ice-breaking serial. And this is where we expect the soldiers to come forward, go through the ice, come out, go back to their tents and re-warm with nothing more than the equipment they’ve got in their bergens and it just goes to reinforce to them that they can operate in any environment and particularly in the winter, out in the Baltics, when things get really tough, using only the clothing and equipment they’ve got.”
“Soldiers need to be exposed to cold weather so they can learn that they can re-warm themselves. They don’t need the assistance of anyone. And they will get cold hands, they will get cold toes, they will get frost nip but all of that can be treated on the ground and I think this training teaches these soldiers that right down at the sort of most basic of levels.”


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