TAG wish to see a better informed and engaged community using the lands. We recognise the massive value and benefits to physical and mental health it brings. Our community is a nicer place to live because of the access we enjoy and its our responsibility to treat the training areas with respect and the TAG code of conduct is aimed squarely at that outcome.

“The campaign was called ‘Respect the Range’ and was framed around reciprocation [TAG emphasis] of respect between the army and the public, acknowledging each’s need and desire to use the land.”

Respect The Range Requirements – Background to your Requirement 1.8

The Respect The Range campaign had good intentions but the messaging was far too simplistic. Specifically, for the Aldershot areas the shared content was off-message.

TAG felt the campaign was unlikely to generate mutual respect. The clumsy approach represents a series of lost opportunities to work with the community.

TAG also ask the question; would the money been better spend on making the world a better place elsewhere? Like improving the quality of military housing perhaps? Thats not for us to answer but our politicians should be asking that very question.

So why are TAG going down the educational route? Because casual access is not free of responsibility.

We have and enjoy access and humans are mentally and physically better and able to cope with modern life stresses by immersing in wild, natural open spaces. It is a fantastic feeling of freedom but recreation on the lands must acknowledge soldiers need to train.

Rational education with a sound evidence base is well overdue, to help everyone understand – often from the solider’s perspective – why we support and help enable the primacy of military training.

This guide has been created by volunteers in their own time and the cost is considerably less than the £480,000 spend so far on the national Respect The Range campaign. Plus one of the primary sources of this guide is the Standing Orders Aldershot Training Areas, something those who train must follow. The insights this document offered was priceless.

So with that in mind, what should we be doing to support army training when enjoying the lands?

Distance is Everything

We know there is a lot of space out there. The recent survey and mapping exercise confirms 15,300 acres of land but this does not mean it can all be used by the army. The copy of the Aldershot Standing Orders apply the following minimum distances from a public road or right of way, such as a footpath or bridleway:

• Use of blank ammunition – minimum distance of 30m
• Use of pyrotechnics – minimum distance of 100m

In absence of any official line these should serve as a guide for us and these are the minimum distance we should aim for.

If you see troops actively training, keep these distances in mind. 30m and 100m is approximately 30 and 100 yards respectively, in old money.

“Despite post-campaign data showing an increase in the number of respondents saying they’re aware of, and follow the access rules (85% and 95% respectively), both sites continue to suffer incursions from dog walkers, cyclists and political activists who oppose bylaw changes in Aldershot.“

Respect The Range Requirements – Base Location 1.29

Taking a look at the restrictions from the army perspective the physical space available to train can be choked. The issue is neatly visualised by taking a close look at Hankley Common and applying the Standing Orders. As we saw in the area analysis Hankley is well served with public rights of way, which is great for access but partitions the common small parcels.

In the image below we have created the 300m buffer around the boundary and bridleways. The orange areas reveal the potential area for training with pyrotechnics:

Not all training involves battlefield simulation, flares or smoke grenades but it remains a restriction. Ironically Hankley Common is a) well served with public rights of way and b) situated in an area of relative low population density. Around 10,000 people live within 5km of the area.

Total land area for Hankley Common is 1255 acres/507.9 hectares. This sounds a lot but for pyrotechnic use the available land drops to a tiny fraction with 129 acres/50 hectares available.

Conversely, Caesars Camp and Beacon Hill have no rights of way but have approximately 97,000 people living within a 5km radius. From a military point of view the open space enabled by Caesars grants training opportunities over a wider area and once inside the 100m limit imposed by the boundary its game on for pyro and blanks.

Until TAG share this info and spread the word, who knew it was 100m minimum distance?

Yet who carried the responsibility of knowing why and how its important to give soldiers space to train? Why would anyone think fear based messaging alone would deliver a positive outcome?

Thanks to Section 2 and its casual access provision we share this space. It is up to us to do our bit. No one wants to be “the one” who disrupts or stops training. Give soldiers space to train and divert your planned route if necessary and if in doubt use the boundary buffer zone where noisy training is forbidden as a handy guide to divert to and use if troops are training.

With expansive lands available not every area will be in use. Seek alternative routes or areas if in use for training,

Pick It Up

There has been a bit of a campaign in the press that suggestst the stick-and-flick method is an alternative to picking up your dog’s poo when on a walk.

It might work elsewhere. But stop and think for a moment and ask will it work on military training land?

Ask the question from the solider’s point of view. Where do they seek cover? Where is going to be a firing point? A place to observe yet remain unseen?

Cover is under the bushes at the edge of a track or path. Right where anyone using the stick and flick method has deposited a nasty surprise for anyone laying under cover.

And before anyone points out cattle graze the lands do please bear in mind the differences. Herbivore dung is great for gardens and roses. On the other hand carnivore scat is….best disposed of anywhere but a rose garden.

The stick-and-flick might have its place but not here on military training land. In the eyes of DIO the evil of mountain bikers is second only to their number one complaint – dog mess. It interferes with training and from a natural habitat perspective is adding nutrients to an environment that is special thanks to their absence. The dry lowland heath, just like the army, works best when not covered in crap. Its the same reason soldiers are provided with chemical toilets, to keep the nutrient load down.

The dog carries it in so the owner carries it out. A simple act that helps keep the place a little bit special and a far more pleasant training experience.

Don’t Pick It Up

Compared to the 1970s and 80s the amount of stuff left lying around after a military exercise is close to zero. Units are disciplined and know leaving discarded or lost kit lying around is very bad form. A neat and tidy land is left behind and for this they are to be applauded.

However stuff can get left behind or missed during the cleanup. If you find anything the best approach is to leave it alone. This really applies to blank ammunition and pyrotechnics – typically, battlefield noise simulation (loud bangs – known as BATSIM), illumination and trip flares, and smoke grenades.

“At the conclusion of the exercise or as soon as practically possible, all expended ammunition and unused pyrotechnics (trip-flares) are to be removed. “

Aldershot Training Area Standing Orders – 36.b Training Area Restrictions

Whilst not intended to be lethal mishandling blank ammunition can cause serious physical harm. The same goes for pyrotechnics or BATSIM with the added bonus/risk of burns.

Pyrotechnics involve a chemical reaction and the residue may be less benign as it appears. TAG have not seen the COSHH forms but will wager the best approach is to limit exposure and the easiest way to do that is leave spent pyro alone.

Irrespective of the appearance of pyro or ammo – used or live – the single best action is leave it alone.

If you find anything that is obviously live, or gives any cause for concern, then the best course of action is to report it to MOD Ops Room:

MOD Ops Room – 01420 483405

Provide either the Ordnance Survey grid reference (Highly recommended – see this link) or use What3Words to give a location of whatever concerns you find.

It makes no difference if the ammo or pyro are live or spent – just leave it all alone.

Trusted – Red Flags

Ranges – areas where live firing of small arms – account for 3,950 acres of the 15,300 total. Both areas – Ash and Longmoor are fenced and display red flags when firing is taking place.

There are just two areas subject to red flag control and open to the public when not in use:

The red flags are clear and easy to understand and have been established as means to highlight live firing for decades. The system is treated with respect by both operators of the ranges and the local community.

The system is simple, established and it works. Records indicate no one abuses the system and recreation is only and rightly denied when in use.

Bottom line; Easy to understand and follow, the respect for the red flags must be adhered to and maintained. Stay out of fenced range danger areas when the flags are up.

Untrustworthy – Flip Boards

Using internal records maintained by DIO, the flip boards displaying DANGER at Long Valley have been repeatedly challenged. The abuse of what should be a system of safety has seen hundreds of hours of recreational access lost per month. The worst case example remains October 2020 with just 7.6 hours of use from 498 hours of locked gates and between October 2020 and February 2021 the gates were locked for 2215 hours to enable a mere 117 hours of military training.

No one objects to genuinely dangerous military training requiring a closed area but the capacity to deliver unbelievable levels of blatantly incorrect information goes beyond the level of acceptable.

“I can however assure you that officials have been directed to ensure that existing gates are open for public access to Long Valley when it’s not in use for military training [TAG emphasis].”

JEREMY QUIN MP – SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEFENCE PROCUREMENT – LETTER TO CONSTITUENT JULY 2019

The presence of locked gates and mendacious notices in a liberal and open democracy is deeply worrying and brought into sharp focus when Ministers have repeated access will be maintained when not in use. Clearly politicians are comfortable seeing direct instruction ignored. TAG are not so accommodating.

The same style of flip boards are installed at Weavers Down. TAG have not analysed the locked/open status in this area of land and measured their use against booking on/off records.

TAG have repeatedly raised concerns with the flip board messaging at Long Valley. From their initial use during July 2018 the delivery of accurate and relevant information was and remains the best outcome but has proved elusive. The area remains locked for extended periods when any military activity simply does not happen.

The bottom line; seeking community obedience to notices that are not accurate remains a deep and morally objectionable concern.

A Tight Leash

Setting up an ambush, even in training, takes time. Its an important skill and gives our troops an edge in combat. Equally, learning to deal with an ambush is another part of training essential for warfare.

The best way for a civvy to disrupt an exercise like ambush training is to let the dog off the leash. Dogs are attracted to humans and their scent. Any waggy tail dog showing lots of interest in a bush is going blow the cover of whoever is trying to hide there.

Your dog is undoubtedly friendly. Most are interested in the scents on offer or are wanting to make friends with every human they encounter. But just like the ground nesting birds who cannot tell soppy pet from predator, or the nervous-of-dogs type humans, the army are unlikely to appreciate canine affection at the wrong time and in the wrong place.

If you see troops training keep you dog on the lead. Give soldiers space to train.

Parking And Gates

These two examples explain everything:

The signs are there for a good reason and not least of which is helping ambulances and the fire service access the lands.

In TAG’s view the decision to close car parks was deeply flawed and another indicator of how recreational access is treated. But that aside blocking a gate is just not going to win access back.

Think about how much space a large vehicle will need. Park sensibly.

Summary

TAG do not believe for one minute we have listed everything. Nor have we got it all 100% right. We would rather be about right than be precisely wrong by not sharing what we know. If you spot a glaring error or omission do please get in touch as we see these guidelines and advice as a living, breathing document subject to change as and when more info becomes available. And yes, that offer of corrections and additions extends to DIO…we are not precious about being right when it comes to shaping a better world.

Its all basic stuff and really simple; An informed, respected and educated community is far more likely to understand and modify behavior than one simply being told to be scared and everything-is-dangerous-here’s-a-DANGER-sign-and-fence-go-away. Fear based messaging could have its place but the analysis of Aldershot Standing Orders that spell out what the military can and cannot do is not aligned to the imagery or message attempted to date.

We cannot rely on civil servants or indeed local MPs to create a better world. So far the political message, and specifically any positive outcome, is simple; resolving these concerns isn’t seen as a vote winner.

TAG believe that we all have a responsibility to remind our councillors and MPs of the social value of maintaining access to these vital areas of land that have served our communities so well for centuries. Never more so was the need than during lockdown where so many found relief from being confined in our homes.

So its down to us, individually and collectively, to do the right thing and the thing right. Spread the word and knowledge. Set and maintain standards by being the responsible recreational users the army seeks.

Community action for a positive outcome is what will work for all, irrespective of civil servant narrative or political agendas.

References:

Standing Orders Aldershot Training Areas and Miscellaneous Training Facilities Version 1.0 Dated 31 March 2021

Respect The Range advertising campaign Attachment 3 – Statement of Requirements