The Bulletin - June 2011 (v2) - ARRC - Nato

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HQ ARRC completes final preparationsfor deployment to AfghanistanBy Major Graeme Hood Public Affairs OfficeAs part of their pre-operational training, a number ofHQ ARRC, 1 (UK) Signals Brigade and ARRC SupportBattalion personnel deployed to Rogiet Moor Rangesnear Caerwent in Monmouthshire, South Wales. Inthis picturesque (and surprisingly sunny) locationoverlooking the Severn Estuary, officers and soldiersspent two days being put through their paces on avariety of tests designed to ensure that personnel areup to the standards required to deploy intooperational theatres.can quickly react to enemy action and then effectively return firefrom different positions out to a range of 300m (which is equivalentto the length of 3 football pitches). On a separate range complexback at Imjin Barracks, personnel were tested on their close quartershooting skills using the service issue 9mm pistol.First aid procedures in the Army are known as Battlefield CasualtyDrills. These are the actions taken in operational theatresimmediately after an injury, in order to save the life of a casualty,prevent further injury or to ease later treatment. The testing atRogiet Moor ensured that officers and soldiers had the necessaryknowledge and skills to ensure their comrades’ survival. During thetest, personnel were confronted with a resuscitation mannequinwhose “life” they had to save in a variety of situations. The resultscaused much amusement to the watching training staff as officerstried in vain to speak to the doll and ask it questions in theirattempts to deliver treatment.The training covered a variety of practical disciplines including RifleMarksmanship, first aid and protection against Chemical, Nuclearand Biological attack. In concert with these practical elementsthere were lectures to train personnel on compliance with theLaws of Armed Conflict and their duties under Equality andDiversity legislation.Rifle marksmanship was the centrepiece of the training camp. Herefacing out towards the sea, personnel using the SA80-A2 5.56mmrifle were tested on their expertise in weapon safety and then theirskills in firing at different sizes of targets representing standing orkneeling enemy figures. This test is designed to ensure that a soldierThe training task least enjoyed was that which tested individualskills in Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear survivaltechniques. For this test the training staff had constructed amakeshift test chamber which was then filled with CS gas. Thisensured that personnel carried out all their drills correctly; thosewho did not were quickly given away by the coughing andspluttering that accompanied their exit from the chamber!This was a well-run training camp that provided staff with the skillsthat they will need when they deploy to Afghanistan. Additionally,it provided an escape from the normal routine of office duties, anddespite it taking place in Wales it did not rain.6 ARRC The Bulletin | July and August 2011• Soldiers undergoing first aid training
Exercise UNIFIED ENDEAVOURBy Capt Dirk Mathes: HQ ARRC Public Affairs OfficeMore than one hundred personnel from themultinational Headquarters Allied Rapid ReactionCorps (ARRC) based in Innsworth took part in theExercise UNIFIED ENDEAVOUR from the 4th of June tothe 24th of June in an army camp south of Seattle,USA. Surrounded by the impressive scenery of MountRainier and the beautiful coastline of the Olympicnational park, the US 1st Corps hosted ARRCpersonnel during a three week exercise at theirhome base of Fort Lewis-McChord in Tacoma.The exercise was the final stage in the pre-deployment activities forARRC group personnel deploying on our second rotation out toAfghanistan. The aim of the exercise was to prepare personnel fordeployment to Headquarters (HQ) International Joint Command(IJC) in Afghanistan from mid July for up to 6 months. The mainstructures and daily tasks of HQ IJC were simulated across hundredsof computers and global internet links to help educate and trainpersonnel on the roles they would be expected to perform in Kabul.Having participated in combat alongside British and Commonwealthforces in New Guinea in 1942, during the Korean War and in Iraq,I Corps is no stranger to the British Army and multinational operationsso will no doubt be an excellent host for multinational ARRC personnelwhen they all deploy to Kabul in the near future.During nearly three weeks of training in the USA, procedures wererefined and everybody had an opportunity to meet and work withthe new colleagues that they will work alongside during their sixmonth deployment to Kabul.American commander, Lieutenant-General Curtis Scaparrotti said:“Unified Endeavour is the capstone exercise that will prepare us forour deployment to Afghanistan. It provides us with an outstandingopportunity to build and train our team.”Two thousand personnel from 21 allied nations participated in theexercise. They were linked by satellite communications from FortLewis-McChord on the US west coast to five separate locations,including the east coast of the US and across 10 time zones andnearly 5000 miles to participants in Poland. Coordinating this hugeexercise was vital, as was keeping it as realistic as possible. This wasdone via several daily video conferences across the globe and throughcontinuous on-line discussions between troops stationed all overthe world.Open Monday to Friday7.30am to 6pmHigh Quality Care and Educationfor 0-11 year oldsFull and Part Time NurseryFree places for 3 & 4 year oldsBreakfast, After-School and Holiday ClubBaby Sitting and Mobile Crèche ServiceOpen to allMilitary and Sibling discounts availableBased at Imjin Barracks, InnsworthJuly and August 2011 | ARRC The Bulletin 7
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The Bulletin - June 2011 (v2) - ARRC - Nato

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