An Aberdeenshire soldier has returned to Scotland after spending a month in Hawaii for a major jungle warfighting exercise.
Corporal Jack McGregor, who is originally from Drumoak in Royal Deeside, turned 23 when he was overseas.
Jack went to the Pacific island with 15 other soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland’s 3rd Battalion (3 SCOTS).
Based in Fort George near Inverness, the soldiers took part in exercise JPMRC 25-01.
They were joined by counterparts from United States, Indonesia and Maldives.
More than 1,000 soldiers from partner forces joined the exercise aimed at strengthening military ties in the Indo-Pacific.
The drills were also designed to enhance combat capabilities and improving regional security.
Combat scenarios in the jungle
Offensive and defensive operations were also conducted, which focused on real-world combat scenarios.
They also trained “contested logistics”, ensuring soldiers are able to provide and sustain vital supplies – such as ammunition, food, fuel, and medical – when operating in environments where adversaries may look to disrupt, hinder or attack those.
Led by Washington-based 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade (5th SFAB), the Royal Regiment of Scotland has fostered a robust working partnership with the brigade following numerous joint exercises in the Indo-Pacific region.
Corporal McGregor, who was part of a jungle warfare instructors course in Brunei last year for two months, said it was “quite an epic month” away in Hawaii.
He added: “The environment was different to what a lot of people have experienced.”
With wars taking place between Russia and Ukraine in Europe, as well as conflict in the Middle East, the British Army is ready in case they are called into action.
‘There’s always a real-time threat within the world’
Acknowledging this, Corporal McGregor told The Press and Journal: “I think the main thing we were trying to focus on was to increase the survivability and lethality of a real-time wartime situation.
“After the exercise and when the results came in, the survivability piece definitely increased.
The lethality piece was definitely increased as well, so I think it was worth our time.
“There’s always a real-time threat within the world, whether that’s somewhere in Europe or in the Indo-Pacific.
“It’s not really up to us, it’s just about other adversities and just being aware of them.”
Conversation