Army training regiment (United Kingdom)


An army training regiment provides Basic Phase 1 Training for all elements of the British Army, except the infantry. There are currently four army training regiments.

Regiments and sub-units

Under Future Soldier, a new British Army Soldier Academy will be established in Pirbright. The sites at Winchester and Grantham will be closed.
The British Army also used to have army training regiments at;
Army training regiments deliver a 14-week training course that is completed by all adult recruits when they join the Regular Army.
Recruits are taught and tested on a variety of military subjects, including;
  • Weapon handling, marksmanship principals and live firing with the L85A3 rifle, and how to strip, clean and maintain it.
  • Physical training that involves running, circuit training, battle PT, swimming, loaded marching, assault course, calisthenics and more.
  • Battlefield casualty drills including triage and stabilisiation of casualties, treatment of gunshot wounds, catastrophic bleeds, loss of limb, breathing difficulties, bone breaks, burns, shock, evacuation procedures and more.
  • Field craft including constructing a shelter and erecting a 'basha', animal traps, cooking, filtering and disinfecting water, personal hygiene
  • Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense drills, including the rapid donning of CBRN suit and respirator, decontaminating themselves and their equipment, administering first aid for poisoning, and testing the environment for agents. A key part of this training involves recruits entering a room filled with tear gas, removing their respirator, and attempting to shout their name, rank, number, and the regiment/corps they are aspiring to join, before the effects of the tear gas become too much to handle.
  • Field exercises where recruits are taught vital military knowledge such as patrolling discipline and formations, section/platoon attacks, room clearance drills, ambushes, searching enemy/civilian prisoners and vehicles, the 6 section battle drills; "Prep for battle, react to enemy fire, locate the enemy, suppress the enemy, attack the enemy, re-group", how to locate the enemy and accurately communicate the enemy's distance and location/target indication via methods such as direct method, clock ray method, bracketing etc, why things are seen and the "7 S's of camoflauge"; Shape, Speed, Skyline, Shadow, Silhouette, Spacing, Shine, Sound, defense of FOBs and 'harbour areas' and static and dynamic sentry, standing guard or "stag", river and obstacle crossing, hand signals, and radio communication voice procedure.
  • Navigation and map reading including navigating at night and in dense forest, using only a map and compass.
  • Courage, discipline, respect for others, integrity, loyalty, and selfless commitment are the Army's Values & Standards and are taught and discussed in presentations and practical scenarios.
  • The Law of Armed Conflict and Geneva Conventions.
  • A "Realities of War" trip.
  • Bayonet fighting and hand to hand combat.
  • Foot drill and rifle drill.
  • Grenade drills.