A BRITISH Army medic from Harlow has taken part in a major military exercise close to the border with Russia.

Private Kara Bull, 2 Medical Regiment, is currently deployed to Estonia where she provided medical support for soldiers on Exercise Hedgehog.

Over 3,000 British Army troops took part in the multinational exercise which involved 17,000 troops from 12 nations.

The exercise, which ran from 9 to 24 May, had two purposes. Firstly, to test the ability of the Estonian armed forces to respond to potential attack by Russia and, secondly, to practise the rapid and large-scale deployment of allied forces to Estonia.

Kara, aged 20, was born in Harlow and attended St Mark’s West Essex Catholic School. As soon as she completed her GCSEs, she went into Army training after passing an assessment centre. 

She said: “I joined the Army because I didn’t want to carry on studying but to do something different.”

Kara carried out her basic training at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate. She said: “It was tough because coming out of Covid I was around my family all the time but then went straight to not seeing them for six weeks.”

Kara’s assessment centre set her up for a role in the infantry but, while at Harrogate, she had a change of heart, saying: “I switched to the medics because I wanted to help people, and it was more interesting.” 

Kara completed her Phase 2 training as a combat medic at Defence Medical Services in Lichfield. She said: “It was very interesting learning all the different parts of the body. The way Lichfield was run was really good, you get all the help that you need.”

After finishing her medical training, Kara was posted into 2 Medical Regiment. She said her most enjoyable times in the Army have been: “Deploying to different places, getting to travel, working with different nations and making new friends.”

Kara has deployed to Norway, where she provided medical support at an Army winter sport event involving the luge, skeleton and bobsleigh, and to France and Germany.

Of her experience in Estonia, Kara said: “It’s good but the weather could be better, it’s been snowing with the temperature in the minuses although the sun is out now.”

While in the chilly Estonian forests, Kara and fellow Army medics warmed up with a brew during a break in training to mark National Tea Day.

As well as taking part in Exercise Hedgehog, Kara’s regiment is supporting Operation Cabrit, a six-month deployment to Estonia that will see her return home in September. 

Operation Cabrit is the name of the UK’s operational deployment to Estonia where British troops from the 1^st Battalion The Mercian Regiment are leading a multinational battlegroup providing security for the Baltic nation.

Kara said: “I will be going home for two weeks in June to see my family and my partner before coming back here to finish the tour. This is the longest I’ve done away from family and friends. My family is very supportive, I try and call and FaceTime them as much as possible and stay positive. They are very proud.”

The Royal Army Medical Service (RAMS), which includes Kara’s regiment, deploys at short notice anywhere in the world to provide medical support. The RAMS will be there to maintain soldiers’ health and provide the very best patient care.

Exercise Hedgehog serves as a Forward Land Force (FLF) mission rehearsal, providing the opportunity for the FLF and allies and partner nations from across NATO to deploy to Estonia. 

Thousands of British troops travelled from the UK to Estonia by road, rail, sea and air in less than 48 hours. The mass transit of troops demonstrated the British Army’s ability to rapidly deploy a large-scale force to support a NATO ally that borders Russia.