British Army staff travelled to the island to provide tactical awareness training to a group of officers from Bermuda and overseas.

Taking part were 14 junior officers from four defence forces who boosted their understanding of strategic planning during a two-week programme hosted by the Royal Bermuda Regiment at Warwick Camp.

The Junior Officers Tactical Awareness Course aimed to equip participants with the knowledge and tools to effectively contribute to mapping out battle group operations in a contemporary environment.

Members of the RBR were joined by counterparts from the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment, Cayman Islands Regiment and Jamaica Defence Force for the programme, which was adapted to meet the operational requirements of the region’s battalions.

The objective was to arm each of the students with the military knowledge and tactical understanding required of a junior captain.

Lieutenant-Colonel Vicky Fraser, of the Royal School of Artillery, and Major Tom Brown, of The Rifles, travelled from Britain to provide the instruction, which focused on what’s known as the combat estimate – a series of seven questions used to formulate a plan of action.

Colonel Fraser said: “In the first week, we used conventional warfare as our vehicle for the students to apply the estimate process and plan against.

“In the second week we almost reversed the scenario back to the students’ area of comfort, area of most knowledge, so we gave them a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief scenario in which to use the combat estimate.”

She described her experience working with the cohort as “overwhelmingly positive.”

Colonel Fraser said: “The students have all approached the course in a pragmatic, positive, can-do, collegiate attitude.

“They have been a wonderful group of people to be around. They really learnt from each other and shared experiences.”

Lieutenant Scott Brown was among the RBR participants on the course and said that students were “pushed to the limits” during deep analysis of a range of topics.

He said: “The biggest takeaway was to realise how, by using a structured process, it is possible to achieve an in-depth understanding of a particular circumstance.”

The 41-year-old, from Warwick, who is a senior trust administrator in civilian life, added: “At times it felt like we were a bit lost while we were in it, but when you come out the other side of a six to eight-hour session of analysis, you can see why it’s so beneficial.

“We were able to reach a final understanding that was far more thorough and substantive than where we began.”

Lieutenant Brown added: “The quality of people on the course was exceptional and, as is usually the case with the seasoned UK instructors – they were phenomenal, their prestige and gravitas was notable.”

Captain Cassandra Jocson, of the Cayman Islands Regiment, said that she already enjoyed planning, but the course provided a deeper awareness of how to do so effectively.

She said: “Jotac has shown me the level of depth that goes into producing a properly considered plan.

“I was familiar with the combat estimate and its seven questions, but the course has shown me that within each question there are numerous sub-questions and considerations that must be taken into account.”

It is hoped that the RBR can offer Jotac every three years.