3 SCOTS Personnel Begin New NATO Role

The Third Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland has taken on its new role in NATO.

3 SCOTS are now part of the alliance's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, meaning troops have to be on standby 24/7 and ready to deploy within days.

The soldiers will be part of the task force's 'Spearhead Force' - tasked with responding to a range of threats, including an attack on a NATO border.

The unit has spent the last year gearing up for the post.

"We're very pleased to have been selected," said Major Nick Colquhoun, Second in Command.

"To have the chance to show our professional skills and to maintain those skills through the next year, and be ready to respond if or when required, is a challenge that we relish."

The soldiers have also undergone cold weather training, as well as practising their medical emergency skills.

3 SCOTS will help form part of a wider, multi-national NATO force, tasked with responding to dangers across air, land and sea. 

"It's been a good training year," said Lieutenant Fergus Haigh.

"We started off in January/February, doing lots of vehicle training.

"We use Foxhounds... this is a light-mechanised battalion, so having a good understanding of how our vehicles work and how best we can use them is very important."