Cambrian Patrol 2010 - Lt. Basit Saleem (Team Leader Pakistan) - Pakista...

Lt. Basit Saleem (Pride of Pakistan).

Exercise Cambrian Patrol is a prestigious British Army exercise which is organized annually in United Kingdom in Wales. Apart from teams from British Army, teams from military establishments all over the world are also invited to participate. It is a three days exercise in which the teams, comprising eight members, are required to infiltrate into simulated enemy lines and perform multiple tasks including obstacle crossing, close target reconnaissance and exfiltrate successfully in real time environments.
For Year - 2010, a total of 86 teams participated in the exercise, including 70 British and 16 teams from other countries of the world including USA, Canada, Germany, France and India etc. Rawalpindi Corps team represented Pakistan Army in Exercise Cambrian Patrol - 2010, held from 11-13 October 2010 and by the Grace of Allah, the team showed an excellent performance by winning a Gold Medal in the event, which is a big honour not only for Army but for the country as a whole.
Team returned to Pakistan yesterday. Commander Rawalpindi Corps and Inspector General Training and Evaluation (IGT&E) appreciated the efforts of the team during meeting held with team members. The "Team Manager" conveyed the feelings of all participating teams and Command echelons of United Kingdom Army, who appreciated the training standards of Pakistan Army and termed it capable of accomplishing its mission in the most trying circumstances.

The competition consists of teams of 8 men carrying up to 55 kilos each across some of the most unforgiving terrain. There have been account of teams trudging through bog land up to their waist for 4 hours only to cover 1.5 km. It's a test of leadership, self discipline, courage and determination. The exercise usually starts with teams arriving at a Rendezvous before having their equipment checked to make sure they have everything required. Missing equipment will be replaced by dead weight and will mean points will be deducted. From there the team leader will be taken to orders while the rest of the team set up a quick hide, start their battle prep and prepare to receive orders i.e. prepare a model of the ground which will be covered during the patrol.