A special task force has been named to end internal warfare in the highest ranks of the Bermuda Regiment, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

Now top members of the Defence Board will bring together rebel Regiment officers and commanding officer Lt. Col. Patrick Outerbridge in a bid to bring peace to Warwick Camp.

Deputy Governor Tim Gurney confirmed yesterday: "The plan is that a small group from the Defence Board will get together and have meetings next week with various individuals in the Regiment who have raised concerns.

"They will try and iron out the difficulties which have arisen within the Regiment.'' Defence Board chairman Lt. Col. Allan Rance will head the task force, reinforced by Capt. Larry Burchall, the Rev. Goodwin Smith and Regiment honorary Colonel Eugene Raynor.

The Royal Gazette exclusively reported yesterday that the Officers' Mess of the Regiment was fragmenting over the direction the Regiment was headed.

Insiders said the ranks of the officers had begun to split along racial lines -- and that the gulf was widening fast.

And they added that the mini-mutiny -- spearheaded by a group of officers -- had gotten so bad that rebels had written to Premier Jennifer Smith and Governor Thorold Masefield to lodge their complaints about the Regiment regime.

It is understood one of the conditions for a ceasefire being declared was that British Army staff officers Maj. David Napier be drummed out.

Insiders claimed black officers had been left feeling out of step with the way the Regiment was being run.

And they insisted that Lt. Col. Outerbridge was relying too heavily on Maj.

Napier's advice -- to the exclusion of Bermudians.

But other officers formed a square around their CO and insisted there had "always been confrontation'' between some Bermudians and seconded British advisors.

One claimed attempts to modernise the Regiment structure and training programme in line with that of the all-professional British Army -- a bigger emphasis on problem-solving and character development as opposed to square-bashing and physical training -- had been met with stiff resistance from some officers and NCOs.

Maj. Napier -- on detachment as staff officer from the Royal Anglian Regiment -- has been with the Regiment for just over a year.

He is due to quit his post and return to the UK this year -- but sources say he is so unpopular with sections of the Regiment, they want him returned to his own regiment as fast as possible.

Regiment could start surveillance unit: Page 8