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Managing wildfires and much more on the Defence Training Estate

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Land Management, Military Training
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]

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 …

Excavating military tracks at Barrow Clump

Volunteers and archaeologists at Barrow Clump [Crown Copyright, MOD 2018]

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 …

New vehicles crack down on illegal activity on Salisbury Plain

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. …

Monumental effort restores ‘Bulford Kiwi’ to its original splendour

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Archaeology, Army Basing Programme, Salisbury Plain Training Area
The Bulford Kiwi from the air, showing its white chalk figure, facing to the right, against the green hillside together with the letters "NZ" also in chalk. [Crown copyright, MOD 2018]

Hi, I’m Richard Osgood and I’m DIO’s senior archaeologist. Part of DIO’s role is to look after the MOD estate and we do a lot of work to preserve and protect monuments and sites of historical and scientific interest. Last …

It really is a jungle out there - Keeping troops safe in Belize

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: BATSUB, Belize, Environment and Ecology, Health and safety, Military Training
Alan Grant, MBE SCOTS, DIO Training Safety Officer in Belize [Crown Copyright, MOD 2018]

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 …

Six ridiculous excuses for risking your life on the training estate

A Byway Open To All Traffic sign on Salisbury Plain. [Crown Copyright, MOD]

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 …

How people risk their lives on the military training estate

Cartoon from Reynolds News, 1941, showing someone picnicing in front of a line of tanks

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 …