Royal Dragoon Guards - Squadrons and Organisation

Squadrons and Organisation

The five Squadrons of The Royal Dragoon Guards take their history and traditions from the four antecedent Regiments that make up the current Regiment. They are known as:

• Headquarters Squadron - "The Prince of Wales' Squadron"
• A Squadron - "The Blue Horse" From the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards
• B Squadron - "The Black Horse" From the 7th Dragoon Guards (Princess Royal's)
• C Squadron - "The Black Dragoons" From The Inniskillings(6th Dragoons)
• D Squadron - "The Green Horse" From The 5th Dragoon Guards (Princess Charlotte of Wales's)

The Prince of Wales’ Squadron takes its title from the Colonel in Chief of the RDG, HRH The Prince of Wales. This Squadron provides the command, logistics and reconnaissance support for the Regiment or Battle group, both in barracks and when deployed. To achieve this they are structured to contain:

• Command troop, equipped with CVR(T) Sultan command vehicles and a pair of Challenger 2s for the Commanding Officer and Second in Command.
• Reconnaissance troop, equipped with CVR(T) Scimitar reconnaissance vehicles and manned with the best soldiers selected from across the Regiment.
• A Quartermasters and Quartermasters technical department to provide for the immediate logistic requirements of the Regiment.
• A Light Aid detachment of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers to carry out repair of the Regiments vehicles and weaponry.

A, B and D Squadrons are all equipped with Challenger 2 tanks. These are organized into 3 troops, each of 4 tanks commanded by a junior officer, and a 2 tank headquarters troop for the squadron leader (major) and second in command (captain). Their role in conventional war, as the prime manoeuvre and armoured punch in a brigade, is to destroy enemy armour and, working closely with armoured infantry, to seize and hold ground. In Hybrid Warfare they have proved flexible, deploying in armour where necessary, in a variety of vehicles, or on foot as the situation has demanded:

C Squadron is equipped with CVR(T) Scimitar light armoured vehicles, it is organized in the same manner as the tank squadrons in the Regiment. Its role is to support infantry in complex terrain (such as woods or built up areas), provide rear area security and to raid.