Commentator: The Parachute Regiment currently numbers over 2,000 soldiers and officers, all of whom are selected, trained and equipped to operate in the most difficult of circumstances. The Regiment is characterised by its high standards, embodies by the soldiers and the training they undertake. This is combined with the willingness to embrace risk and to operate under the most testing conditions with minimum direction and support.
The Parachute Regiment has a proud and distinguished history, with its most famous hour being the combined airborne and ground assault in Holland in September 1944. The success of this operation was entirely dependant on a surprise airborne assault. It firmly established the Parachute Regiment as an elite force: tough, well-trained and capable of undertaking hazardous operations deep in enemy territory.
This tradition is no less true today, with the post-war period having seen many further examples of the Regiment’s skill and valour throughout the world; from Suez and the jungles of Malaya to the mountains of the Radford, the Falkland Islands and duties in Northern Ireland. More recently the Regiment has been the favoured weapon of choice, seeing operational service in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Macedonia, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Today and 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Regiment are designated as Specialist Air Assault Infantry within 16 Air Assault Brigade, the Army’s Rapid Reaction Force which comprises a potent mix of ground troops and APACHE attack helicopters. The 1st Battalion has recently undertaken a new and demanding challenge of providing direct support to special forces
Life in the Parachute Regiment lives up to its motto Utrinque Paratus – Ready for Anything – and the training you undertake in battalion reflects this ethos. You can find yourself training anywhere in the world from the jungles of Belize and Brunei, the deserts and plains of Africa and Oman, to the frozen landscapes of Norway and Canada. As a soldier in the Parachute Regiment you’ll find life is extremely varied and you could be called upon at a moment’s notice to deploy as the UK’s lead force on a variety of missions.
The Parachute Regiment remains the “best of the best” – be amazed at what you can achieve
