The first battalion is an armoured infantry battalion based in Tidworth Camp, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire. Equipped with the Warrior IFV, the battalion is part of the army's 3rd Division and is held at high readiness as part of the army's armoured war-fighting reserve. In 2016, the battalion was the army's Lead Armoured Battlegroup and was held at extremely high readiness in case it was required to deploy anywhere in the world at short notice. The battalion is highly experienced with multiple deployments in the last two decades to Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. Many soldiers from the second battalion with more experience joined the first battalion on the merger, increasing the operational experience within the ranks. More recently, the first battalion deployed around the world on exercise in places as diverse as Brunei, Kenya, the Baltic States and Canada.