News | 10 November 2026

3rd Battalion in Denmark on Ex PANTHER CYCLONE 26

Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment, have been putting their skills to the test in Denmark on Exercise PANTHER CYCLONE 26 (Ex PC26). This was a major Army Reserve Exercise delivered by 19 Light Brigade on behalf of 1st (UK) Division.

Bringing together around 1,200 personnel from across 1(UK) Div and international partners, the exercise provided demanding and realistic training in Denmark, with activity focused around the Oksbøl training area.

3rd Battalion in Denmark on Ex PANTHER CYCLONE 26

For the Steelbacks, Ex PC26 was particularly significant. The 3rd Battalion, forms part of the Rear Area Operations Group for 1st (UK) Division, giving the Battalion a newly defined warfighting role and preparing Army Reservists to contribute at greater scale to UK operations.

The role matters because success on operations depends on far more than activity on the front line. Forces need secure infrastructure, protected lines of communication and the freedom to move people, equipment and supplies where they are needed.

Rear Area Operations help provide that security, with key tasks including protecting critical infrastructure, maintaining lines of communication and contributing to homeland resilience.

Army Reservists deployed to Denmark conducted training within a Battlegroup construct, alongside combined-arms support and international partners. The exercise was designed to develop individual and collective operational effectiveness while improving the ability of headquarters to plan and execute operations and strengthening interoperability with NATO partners.

Ex PC26 also demonstrates the increasing contribution that Army Reservists can make to UK Defence. 19 Bde, the Army’s only fully Reservist brigade, provides command and control as well as mobilised Reservists for operations. Exercises such as this allow those capabilities to be practised at scale and alongside the wider Army.

Training in Denmark also reinforces the UK’s ability to generate and deploy Army Reserve forces into north-west Europe and operate within a NATO construct. One of the exercise’s stated Defence Engagement objectives is to demonstrate the credibility of both the Army Reserve and the UK within NATO.

The 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment remains firmly rooted in the communities of the East of England, but its Reservists are training to be ready to serve wherever they are needed.

We are recruiting now so get in touch or come along to our Insight Evening in Peterborough on 18 November. Details on the link below.