DORSET Echo reporter Catherine Bolado will be reporting from Cyprus this week on a major Territorial Army (TA) exercise.
She will be sending reports from the ground as those from Dorchester-based 6 Rifles, C-Company undertake a high profile training exercise alongside regular army soldiers.
The government plans to boost the Territorial Army’s role and they will be renamed army reserves.
Reserves will double in size from 15,000 to 30,000 troops.
But the regular army will be cut by 20,000 to 82,000 troops under cost-cutting plans outlined in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review.
The troops, from across the south west, will be training with the army as they prepare for their new roles.
Secretary of State for Defence Philip Hammond said that in future he wants reservists to play an integral role in the military.
Catherine will be meeting the reservists and observing the training exercises, learning about what life is like in the TA.
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