Recruits from the Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) and the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment (TCIR) participated in a two-week training exercise in February 2026 in Bermuda designed to build basic military skills and regiment morale among the newest members of the military forces of the two British Overseas Territories (BOT). Twenty-two members of the RBR and 12 members of TCIR participated in the latest collaboration between BOT militaries. RBR Lt. Scott Brown, the recruit camp platoon commander, said the experience was a valuable one. “It was a fantastic group … We had a really solid platoon,” Brown said in an RBR news release. “Overall, it was a mix of very capable and intelligent people but, most of all, eager and willing to get stuck in and soldiering.”
The training was designed to increase recruits’ physical fitness and build troop morale while mastering the basics of soldiering: foot drills, weapons handling, first aid and communications. Highlights included live firing and overnight inclement weather exercises at the RBR’s main facilities at Warwick Camp, the release stated. The recruits also completed an obstacle competition and RBR’s two mandatory fitness tests.
Both regiments are mostly filled with reservists who train and serve part-time. The RBR, the older of the two defense forces, was created in 1965 and has a force strength of about 400, most of whom serve about 30 days a year. Formed in 2020, the TCIR is smaller with about 50 Soldiers. In recent years, the forces have trained together several times and recently collaborated in hurricane relief efforts in Jamaica. The regiments focus on disaster relief and territorial defense.
The overnight exercise, structured to mimic battlefield conditions and test troop skills under pressure, was a success, said RBR Sgt. McLaren Smith, who led the drill, according to the Royal Gazette, a Bermudian newspaper. Troops learned hand signals, camouflage and concealment, sentry duties, and movement methods. They weathered thunderstorms as they carried out night-time observation exercises. The next day, troops completed patrol exercises, practicing taking cover and returning fire after enemy contact. The experience proved difficult, especially the lack of sleep, but gave her a sense of accomplishment, said Yaiisa Russell, 21, an RBR recruit. “We camped out and there was a thunderstorm, so that was a lot. … We set up our tents, stayed the whole night, which was a very original experience,” Russell said. “The storm was horrendous, but we just had to persevere.”
After returning to the Turks and Caicos Islands, the TCIR thanked the RBR for the training opportunity, characterizing the experience as “intense and transformative.”
“The Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment’s newest recruits have returned stronger, sharper, and more unified than ever. This overseas training exercise pushed them beyond their limits physically, mentally, and emotionally, and each recruit rose to the challenge with determination, discipline, and pride. Their performance throughout the training period reflected not only their individual commitment, but also the growing strength and professionalism of the Regiment as a whole,” according to a March 3 TCIR Facebook post.