Britain's elite airborne infantry
The Parachute Regiment are the UK’s elite airborne infantry. Forged in the crucible of World War 2 as shock assault troops at the request of Sir Winston Churchill, today they form the core of both 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team’s ‘Global Response Force’ and the Special Forces Support Group. These formations are held at extremely high readiness to deploy anywhere in the world by parachute or air assault to conduct the full spectrum of operations, from high intensity combat through to humanitarian or disaster relief.
The spearhead of the UK’s rapid intervention strategy
The Regiment is the only component of the Regular Army that still specially trains and selects its’ own officers and soldiers through a highly arduous selection process known as ‘P Company’; this series of tests is designed to ensure that those who are successful have both the physical and mental fortitude to deploy on the most demanding type of operations; worldwide, at short notice, routinely behind enemy lines, with little support and likely outnumbered, relying only on themselves and each other until conventional forces can arrive.
Permanently at High Readiness for world wide intervention operations
Testament to the Regiment’s fighting tenacity is the fact that it has been permanently deployed on operations since 2006, ranging from large scale full unit deployments to discreet small team activities. This track record, coupled with the fact that last five of the last six British Victoria Cross winners have been paratroopers, ably sums up the peerless pedigree of the Airborne soldier.
Learn more about The Parachute Regiment
16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team – The Army’s airborne rapid reaction force
16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team are specially trained and equipped to deploy by parachute, helicopter and air-landing. Its core role is to maintain the Air Assault Task Force, a battlegroup held at high readiness to deploy worldwide for a full spectrum of missions, from non-combatant evacuation ops to war fighting.