This summer, Norfolk Army Cadet Force hosted 40 international cadets at its Cadet Training Centre in Thetford, Norfolk. Cadets and adults travelled from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to undertake a 12-day international cadet exchange programme with UK cadets.
During the exercise, the cadets completed Adventurous Training (AT) at Whitlingham Broad, where they all tried sailing, paddleboarding and kayaking alongside laser shooting and paintball.
After the AT, the cadets got the chance to practise shooting with the UK’s SA80A2, 12 bore shotgun and cadet air rifle.
The cadets also completed two days of fieldcraft training, including practising personal camouflage and concealment, stealthy movement in the field, and learning to work as part of a team to accomplish set tasks.
Another two day session of this international cadet exchange centered around STEM. This included Cyber Security activities, a visit to Norwich Research Park and Muckleborough Tank Collection on the beautiful North Norfolk coast.
The trip even included cultural visits to London and some of its military museums. The cadets were in mixed nationality sections and troops, so they all had the opportunity to improve their communication and teamwork skills across a variety of tasks and situations over the 12 days.
As well as the Norfolk ACF cadets and adult volunteers who made this exchange such a success, there was a lot of work behind the scenes by our RFCA staff embedded in to the Norfolk ACF. Our Logistic Support Officers transported all necessary equipment and supplies so that they were available for cadets and adults on Exercise Baltic Guard at the right place at the right time. RFCA also manage the fleet of Norfolk ACF vehicles; the minibuses were used daily during Exercise Baltic Guard, although additional coaches were brought in for some trips like the London visit, to accommodate the large group size.
As well as the images below, additional photos and stories from Norfolk ACF can be found on their facebook page and the Army Cadets UK website.