A Queensland soldier has become the first Australian to complete a gruelling nine-week jungle warfare course in the Amazon rainforest of French Guiana. Sergeant Matthew Reid, from the Townsville Combat Training Centre’s Tully Jungle Training Wing, was among 35 participants who braved the Jaguar Course, internationally recognised as one of the toughest military challenges on the planet.
The two-month challenge includes a week of preliminary tests before contenders are taken into the Amazonian forest. There, they face a series of endurance, combat, and survival tests, including carrying casualties through waist-deep mud and building shelters while foraging and hunting for food. The course culminates in a five-day mission alongside France’s 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment in a local village.
Adding to the difficulty, all instructions are given in French. Despite the hardships, Sergeant Reid described the experience as “once-in-a-lifetime”. He told the Gold Coast Bulletin, “I loved it, probably not while I was doing it. There were definitely parts where I was like ‘this is rough’, but afterwards, I absolutely loved it.” He praised the French Foreign Legion staff as “extremely professional and incredibly proficient.”
The Jaguar Course runs from February to April and is organised by the French Foreign Legion’s Jungle Training Centre.
