Page 9 - Mercian Eagle 2012

HFT to MST – A Platoon Commander’s View
By Lt Jack Brierley, OC 1 Platoon
Still recovering from the indulgences of a busy Christmas period,
1 MERCIAN deployed on Ex Askari Thunder in January 2012, determined to make the most of the demanding exercise and trim some of the post-holiday fat. As a result of the Battalion being bolstered by a platoon from the Coldstream Guards, A Company received a section’s worth of B Company soldiers. I was tasked with commanding them
for the duration of the exercise; a task that I viewed as a privilege, only tarnished by some comical navigational embarrassment on the part of a particular LCpl who shall remain unnamed.
As most will be aware, Ex Askari Thunder is designed as a Hybrid Foundation Training (HFT) exercise and although it is not technically part of MST it is viewed by many, myself included as the first step
a unit takes on the long road to deployment on
Shortly after the return from Kenya, A Company was reduced
to two platoons; a decision taken based on our role in theatre
which will be to take over the Advisor Team Enabling Company (South) [ATEC(S)] role from the Royal Anglians in the Nad-Ali AO. The reduction to two platoons was a mixed blessing for a number
of reasons. On the plus side, it allowed the company to streamline and make best use of training time, since we were now training two platoons instead of three. Conversely, it meant that we would have to undertake the MST exercises such as CFX, CALFEX and FTX, which are designed for three platoons as two. Despite this challenge and with some minor changes made to the exercises, the company performed admirably and learned a number of important lessons on
Op HERRICK. A Company were keen to utilise the exercise as an opportunity to ensure that the base-level soldiering skills and drills were nailed down before progressing onto the comparative complexity of the Afghanistan orientated MST scenarios. As an added bonus, the Kenyan heat gave the exercise an extra layer of difficulty.
i can honestly say that it adds considerable value at the start of the HerricK training cycle
how to operate with reduced manpower.
In addition to the smaller size of the company,
another challenge that presented itself lay in
the understanding of our role for HERRICK 17. The ATEC role is relatively new, the first one being the Royal Anglians who, at the time of writing, have only been formed as an ATEC for six weeks. The purpose of an ATEC is to enable the Police Advisory Training Teams (PATT) and Tolay Advisory Training Teams (TATT) to conduct their work in a specific AO. In the case of Nad-
Often people talk about the differences
between MST and HFT, and the relative
importance of the latter. I can honestly say that
it adds considerable value at the start of the HERRICK training cycle, despite not employing Afghan TTPs or kit. The exercise allows commanders and the soldiers to concentrate on the things that really matter: fire control orders, fire positions, spacing, etc. These skills form the base that allows a soldier to continue training right up to deployment.
A Company performed exceptionally well over the course of the 7 week exercise; the highlight of which was the insertion on to the final attack, a brutal 8 mile tab along a dried riverbed, which transpired
to be full of boulders the size of small cars. Never has the added weight of the HMNVS been more helpful!
A Company – FOB SIMBA
Ali, this means assisting the various teams in their movements and supporting any operations that the Afghan National Army or the various Afghan police units wish to conduct.
At the time of writing, A Company are 17 days away from deploying into theatre and are at the end of that long road I mentioned previously. The company is in an excellent position to move into the new role set out for it and no doubt will meet the challenges the tour has in store with relentless enthusiasm and vigour. The pace of life over the last 10 months has been intense, but the Goats have performed to an excellent standard and are ready to Stand Firm and Strike Hard on HERRICK 17.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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