![A Gurkha trainee, wearing full uniform including helmet and body armour, and carrying his weapon and a bergen, kneels in an area of young, growing trees. A mature wood is in the background. [Crown Copyright/MOD2018]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2018/09/IMG_1599cropped-copy-e1544028628324-1024x681.jpg)
Did you know the MOD has foresters on staff? Given that the defence estate includes 18,000 hectares of woodland, its a vital job.
![Firefighters from Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service monitoring the fire on Salisbury Plain Training Area. [Photograph courtesy of Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2018/08/20180706_210200-1024x768.jpg)
Hi, I’m Brigadier Simon Stockley, Head of the DIO’s Overseas Region and Defence Training Estate (OR&DTE). My role includes the provision of military training facilities here in the UK, and around the world, to enable our Armed Forces to be …
![Volunteers and archaeologists at Barrow Clump [Crown Copyright, MOD 2018]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2018/07/B33E8BFD-E44C-416E-A1F8-04B16CB63AA9-1024x768.jpeg)
Hi, my name is Richard Osgood and I'm the Senior Archaeologist at DIO. Today I'll be blogging about the team of military veterans, service personnel and volunteers from Wessex Archaeology and Breaking Ground Heritage who helped to unearth the excavation …
Hi, I’m Lt Col Stewart Andrews and I’m DIO’s Senior Training Safety Officer for Salisbury Plain. Last year, 2948 illegal incursions were reported in the South West; most were caused by people illegally driving 4x4s and motorcycles on the Plain. …
![Alan Grant, MBE SCOTS, DIO Training Safety Officer in Belize [Crown Copyright, MOD 2018]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2018/06/Alan-1024x683.jpg)
I am Major Alan Grant MBE SCOTS. Currently I’m posted to Belize with DIO Range Control as the Training Safety Officer (TSO) in support of the British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB) and I love my job. This is …
![Challenger 2 tank crews training at BATUS. [Crown Copyright/MOD2014]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2018/05/45158850-1024x420.jpg)
As DIO’s Chief of Staff I have the privilege of being able to visit our staff located both in and outside the UK. I recently visited the British Army Training Unit Suffield (otherwise known as BATUS) for a familiarisation trip. …
![A Byway Open To All Traffic sign on Salisbury Plain. [Crown Copyright, MOD]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2018/04/Byway-Open-To-All-Traffic-sign-Kirsty-Williams-1024x684.jpg)
Last week we looked at some ways to risk your life on the Defence training estate. When we catch people ignoring the rules, they use a variety of excuses for their actions. Here's a countdown of some of the more ridiculous we’ve come …
We want people to enjoy the military training estate, but it can be a dangerous place if you don't follow the rules. There are a number of ways you can put your life at risk and here's a few of …
![Opening of new Dunker facility [Crown Copyright, MOD 2018]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2018/03/VL180023002-1024x693.jpg)
Hi, I’m Simon Jones, DIO’s Senior Project Manager working for PPD in the South West of the UK. You would of course imagine that service personnel would be extensively trained to operate aircraft and other vehicles, but what about training …
![Roy Canham, Sanctuary Silver Otter Winner 2017 [Crown Copyright, MOD 2017]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2017/11/image1-e1511360931159-768x1024.jpeg)
Our latest blog features the winner of this year’s coveted Sanctuary Silver Otter Award, Roy Canham, and his several years of work to preserve archaeology on Salisbury Plain. How can you co-ordinate military training on a site with some of …