A female engagement team (FET) from the British Army has recently made history by helping train a group of women infanteers from the Jordanian army. The exercises that they were a part of took place in the hard desert terrain in Jordan.

Two exceptional soldiers were leading the FET, i.e. 2nd Lieutenants (2Lt) Emily Smith and Scarlett Knight. Riflemen (Rfn) Taylor Lewis and Gemma Reynard also supported them. The exercise was meant to help Jordanian women soldiers boost morale, confidence and skills.

Talking about the activity, 2Lt Emily Smith said: “The ladies initially were shy, but we soon built up a great rapport, with the help of their Canadian liaison officers and two fantastic translators. We focused on integration and training on urban operations, building up to include live firing. Basically, getting down to some interesting fun, safe, live ranges which the Jordanian Platoon very rarely get access to.”

Photo Credit to Ministry of Defence

Major Stacy Weir RAMC, a reservist normally based with 205 Field Hospital (205 Fd Hosp) in Scotland carried out basic medical training such as the use of tourniquets, emergency field dressings and triage training. Major Weir said: “It was a pleasure to work alongside the Jordanian female platoon and I think we’re pushing boundaries in the work we are doing.”

The two-week engagement was an interesting experience for all those involved. FET’s contribution helped make the platoon from the Jordanian army stronger and better.

Photo Credit to Ministry of Defence

Talking about the progress of the ones they were mentoring, 2Lt Scarlett Knight said: “They told us today it was their favourite training they’d ever done, which is exactly what you want to hear. We’ve seen them progress from being shy and unconfident to super confident, like eight people dealing with a casualty and two enemy walking into a whole building floor and clearing it properly. It is amazing to see what they have achieved and how much they enjoyed it.”

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the quality and calibre of the ladies in our armed forces. We already knew they helped set the standards for many out there, but the fact that they’re mentoring other armies is a feat worth celebrating. It is not the first time our soldiers have stood out, just a few months ago British and American soldiers conducted a joint training too.