Exercise SHADOW IRIS saw eight Royal Marine ranks from Specialist Wing’s Information Warfare Coy deploy to Gibraltar to conduct long range High Frequency Sky Wave communications training. 

The current operating model for Commando Forces will see dislocated teams deployed at significant range from each other; the requirement for dismounted ranks to communicate long range with a low probability of intercept and detection has never been more prevalent. 

This exercise provided a realistic and operationally relevant training opportunity for ranks to practice their tactical employment of High Frequency Comms, while developing their skills on the new Commando Forces High Frequency radio. 

The team arrived and settled in at Devils Tower Camp before deploying to the training area the following day. 

Back in the UK, a three-man team deployed from Commando Training Centre Royal Marines to Mutters Moor to establish the reach back station while our Dutch Marine counterparts in Rotterdam also began preparations for the Exercise. 

Operating the well-known Bowman 325 and the new Commando Force High Frequency radio that has been in development, we tested different types of antenna constructions such as the half wave dipole, 3⁄4 end-fed antenna, horizontal dipole, and the Marlborough antenna, which would be used in different tactical situations and offer different capabilities; testing how they faired transmitting back to the UK and Rotterdam. 

It quickly became apparent that the new, soon to be in-service, Commando Force High Frequency radio was far superior and more versatile than the legacy Bowman 325. 

As part of Enhanced Virtual Environment, the new High Frequency radio will be fully networked and integrated into the Commando Forces ‘on the person’ Communications and Information system which allows imagery to be transmitted among other things. 

It was not all Comms work, however and once the exercise had concluded and the kit de- serviced, the team enjoyed a historical tour delivered by a retired veteran with decades of experience and a vast knowledge of Gibraltar. 

The group received a comprehensive tour of the Lower Northern Defences, including batteries, tunnels, and lookout posts. The principles of defence outlined in today’s doctrine were clearly evident throughout the tour; the defences proved hugely effective in countless battles over the centuries in the defence of Gibraltar, proving its strategic nature geographically.