The Deployable Regional Units are a relatively new initiative, established as part of the Physical Training (PT) Transformation programme. Three units were created at Her Majesty’s Naval Bases (HMNB) Portsmouth, Devonport, and Clyde, comprising a total of 30 Physical Training Instructors (PTIs). The DRU is a key enabling capability, delivering Physical Development (PDev) to ensure that Sailors and Royal Marines meet the physical fitness, robustness, and resilience requirements needed across the full spectrum of Defence Tasks. Through PDev, the DRU facilitates activities that promote:
a. Good health, personal fitness, and physical development.
b. Beneficial physical activity, particularly for personnel in sedentary roles.
c. Physical fitness for operational tasks under stress.
d. Self-discipline.
e. High morale and esprit de corps.
f. Co-ordination, determination, confidence, and motivation.
g. Resilience and courage.
h. Leadership development.
i. Competitiveness.
j. Recruitment and retention benefits.
The DRU staff are tasked with delivering PDev outputs to their respective regions, supporting waterfront units and those in the deployed space. The DRU is designed to be scalable, flexible, and adaptable, meeting the demands of emerging workforce structures, forward-deployed units, and evolving workforce needs. Crucially, the DRU enables Royal Navy PTs to support a wider range of deployed platforms, including submarines, Mine Countermeasure Vessels (MCMVs), Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ships, Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), and other classes of ship that traditionally do not have an embarked PT. This support extends to Fleet Air Arm (FAA) and Royal Marines (RM) units operating in the land environment.
The primary outputs of the DRU are:
a. Operational Fitness – Including the delivery of Royal Navy Personal Employability Standards tests (formerly the RNFT), management of seagoing cardiovascular and strength equipment, first-party assurance for seagoing units without a PT, and Circuit Training Leader courses.
b. Adventurous Training – Promoting resilience and team cohesion.
c. Regional and Grassroots Sport – Encouraging participation and competition.
d. Health and Wellbeing – Including pre- and post-natal training, and Defence occupational health and wellbeing courses.
e. Over-the-Horizon Tasking – Supporting deployed units in remote locations.
Over the past six months, the DRU has undertaken a range of over-the-horizon taskings, deploying to locations such as the Caribbean, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Germany, Norway, Cyprus, Italy, and Australia, while also delivering training closer to home. This highly effective team has ensured the full PDev offer is available, enhancing the human performance capability of personnel serving both afloat and ashore.
WO2 PT RN (ATI) James Buttle MProf, BA (Hons), IQA, MCIMSPA(ch)
OIC Eastern region DRU