Pak Army Cambrian Team wins gold in UK

67 Punjab Regiment secures highest-ever 864 points in British Army's premier patrolling competition

By Murtaza Ali Shah
October 13, 2024
Pakistan Army team poses for a photo after winning gold at Exercise Cambrian Patrol 2024 in UK. — Reporter
Pakistan Army team poses for a photo after winning gold at Exercise Cambrian Patrol 2024 in UK. — Reporter

LONDON: The Pakistan Army Cambrian Team has achieved Gold in Cambrian Patrol 24 by securing highest points 864 in Ex CP-24 and defeated 118 teams representing Europe.

The 67 Punjab Regiment won the gold medal by securing highest-ever 864 points in the competition which also included teams from entire Europe. 67 Punjab participated in the event for the second consecutive year after standing first in Pakistan Army’s internal competition.

The Exercise has been running for over 60 years, and is the British Army’s principal All Arms Patrol Exercise and is open to all three Services (Regular and Reserve) and international participants.

Army and Air Adviser UK Col Taimur Rahat said Cambrian Patrol is the world’s most challenging test of basic soldiering skills, especially under fatigue, sleep deprivation, and stress. Participants are assessed on their performance throughout the event, based on factors such as battlecraft, individual training, robustness and leadership, he said, commenting on Pakistan’s win.

He said: “Exercise Cambrian Patrol is an annual international military exercise that involves its participating units covering a 65km course in less than 48 hrs while performing numerous types of military maneuvers and patrols placed throughout the rugged Cambrian Mountains and swamp lands of mid-Wales (Brecon Beacons National Forest)”.

Exercise Cambrian Patrol is a mission focused and scenario-based exercise. The patrol performance is assessed throughout based on Battlecraft Syllabus (BCS) and Individual Training Requirement (ITR) in addition to robustness and leadership.

The Exercise is currently made up of eight phases, each of 48 hrs, over 10 days. Each patrol will cover approximately 60km (average climb and descent is over 1000m) carrying no more than 32kg per person.

Pakistan team was trained, mentored and guided by Maj Saqib Ali Malik, training officer, Maj Usman Iqbal, team manager, Capt Raja Hassan Raza, patrol commander and Captain Hamza Tahir Shah, reserve patrol commander.