3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment

The 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment, known as "The Steelbacks", is the Army Reserve unit of the Royal Anglian Regiment. As part of the British Army's reserve forces, the battalion trains volunteers who serve as part-time soldiers, maintaining the same standards and capabilities as their regular Army counterparts. The regiment's Colonel-in-Chief is Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and among its notable commanders is General Sir Michael Walker, who went on to serve as Chief of the Defence Staff.

The 3rd Battalion was formed on 1 April 2006 from five of the six companies of the East of England Regiment. A, B, C, E and HQ companies (all wearing the Royal Anglian cap badge) transferred to 3rd Royal Anglian, whilst D Company (Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters cap badge) joined the 4th (V) Battalion of the Mercian Regiment. In 2021, under the Future Soldier programme, the battalion was assigned to the re-formed 19th Light Brigade, headquartered in York and tasked with home defence and homeland resilience operations. The brigade re-formed on 23 July 2022 under command of 1st (United Kingdom) Division, adopting a Black Panther Head as its formation sign, replacing the historic Desert Rat flash.

As an infantry unit, the battalion comprises multiple rifle companies spread across training centres throughout the East of England. Reservists undergo regular training commitments, typically one evening per week and one weekend per month, with annual concentrated training exercises. They learn weapons handling, fieldcraft, tactical operations and maintain high standards of physical fitness. Reservists from the battalion have deployed on operational tours to Iraq, Afghanistan and other theatres, serving alongside regular soldiers in frontline combat roles and demonstrating the operational value of the Army Reserve to Britain's defence capability.'