Platoon 24/7: Preparing for War

In episode one, the thirty soldiers of 13 Platoon, D Company, 5th Battalion The Rifles come together for the first time. They come from all different walks of life and corners of the country, most with little experience beyond basic training. Their challenge is to become a fighting unit, capable of deploying to Eastern Europe in six months' time.

The platoon is back in Bulford after Top Dog. But no sooner have the Riflemen unpacked their bags when news arrives that Donald Trump intends to stop sharing American military intelligence with Ukraine, Keir Starmer says that Britain is ready to deploy a peacekeeping force within weeks. As Armoured Infantry, 13 Platoon could be some of the first deployed.

The soldiers of 13 Platoon reach the end of their training, but ahead of them are the two biggest tests of the six months. First is Exercise Iron Storm, in which they will fight alongside tanks and artillery in a large-scale exercise across the Salisbury Plain Training Area, while the second challenge is an endurance competition staged on the inhospitable terrain of Dartmoor in Devon.