The Assam Regiment Cambrian Patrol team has won a Gold Medal at Exercise Cambrian Patrol 2026 in Wales, United Kingdom. The Indian Army patrol finished among only 10 teams awarded gold from a field of more than 100 teams drawn from armies across the world.

Assam Regiment Cambrian Patrol team among 10 gold winners

According to the Indian Army, the team showed endurance, tactical skill, leadership and teamwork through the exercise.

Ten golds. More than a hundred teams.

Patrols at Cambrian Patrol are not ranked by who reaches the finish first. Each team is assessed through the exercise on its battlecraft, leadership and robustness, and medals are awarded against a set standard rather than handed out by position. A gold means the patrol met the highest grade the assessors award. Not every team that starts the course completes it, and a pass without a medal is a common outcome for those that do.

48 hours across the Welsh mountains

The exercise is organised by the British Army. Over around 48 hours, each patrol crosses mountainous terrain while carrying out a run of military tasks, including reconnaissance, navigation, casualty evacuation, tactical decision-making and combat drills, all under strict operational and time limits.

Teams receive orders built around a battlefield scenario and must plan and carry out the mission themselves.

Headquarters 160th (Welsh) Brigade, based in Brecon, delivers the exercise on behalf of the British Army's field command. It has run every year since 1959, when a group of Welsh Territorial Army soldiers first set it up as a weekend training event. The 2026 edition ran from 2 to 13 October, split into eight phases of 48 hours each, with patrols allotted to different phases.

Overseas participation has grown steadily, and recent editions have seen dozens of international patrols enter alongside British Regular and Reserve teams.

Army credits fieldcraft and coordination for the gold

The Indian Army said the team displayed exemplary fieldcraft, operational preparedness, mental resilience and close coordination. It described the result as a reflection of the force's training standards, professional competence and fighting spirit.

The Army also tied the gold to its JAI se VIJAY transformation ethos, and in particular to the idea of the vigilant, battle-ready Yoddha. It said the determination, adaptability and commitment to excellence of such soldiers remain central to its operational effectiveness.

Gold comes during a busy month for India-UK defence ties

The medal lands in the same month as Exercise Konkan 2026, which took INS Trishul to Plymouth for drills with the Royal Navy.

In August, the two countries held the 25th India-UK Defence Consultative Group meeting in New Delhi, where officials reviewed defence industrial cooperation under the Vision 2035 framework and the Ten Year Defence Industrial Roadmap. Army-to-army contact runs on its own track through training events and courses of this kind.

Indian Army builds on its Cambrian Patrol record

Indian teams have done well in Wales before. According to reports at the time, 4/5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) won gold at the 2021 edition, and 3/5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) took gold again in 2023.

The Assam Regiment Cambrian Patrol gold adds a new name to that list. The regiment recruits from the northeastern states, and this is its second turn on an international stage this year. In June, an Assam Regiment marching contingent of 32 personnel represented India at Seychelles' 50th National Day celebrations in Victoria.