Page 62 - WishStream Year of 2023

WExercise CHURCHILL’S CHALLENGE
ith daylight hours being short at this time of to remove the enemy threat from the area. Whilst year, the insertion into Forward Operating QRF, we were at different levels of readiness, with Base (FOB) George on Caerwent training one multiple sitting in kit ready to push out to assist
area was under the cover of darkness. Each pla- toon took a different route to avoid pattern setting and convened inside the FOB to set about making it functional. After what felt like an eternity laying cables to connect field telephones to the Com- mand Post, the sun was finally rising, and we set off for our first platoon-level offensive operations.
The next few days flew past in 4-hour rotations of guard, Quick Reaction Force (QRF) and patrols. Whilst on guard, we cycled through resting and time on sentry in the sangar positions, with eve- ryone secretly hoping for excitement in the form of civilians turning up for a chat. During the patrols, rotations multiples would go out to conduct vehi- cle check points after receiving intelligence regard- ing weapons in the area, or deal with IED threats. This was sprinkled with a few offensive operations
a patrol if required.
For the final night we extracted from the FOB into a hasty harbour in anticipation of a company level operation to secure another FOB and local sur- roundings in the morning. The final operation com- bined rural and urban warfare and was a fitting culmination to Ex CHURCHILL’S CHALLENGE.
The introduction of a civilian population and oper- ating between a range of different environments was an opportunity to test thinking and commu- nication skills learnt in CABS and our basic under- stating of LOAC. All in all, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the increased levels of complexity that was on offer during the exercise and that will set us up well for subsequent exercises and future opera- tions when we commission.
60 SANDHURST