Page 15 - Mercian Eagle Year of 2023

CO Foreword
Lt Col Grant Brown
It feels like we say that we have been busy every year, so this year we are going to buck the trend. This year we are going to be honest and admit that our year has been ‘normal,’ which
just happens to be fast-paced and has seen our people do magnificent work all over the place.
The year since the amalgamation has witnessed elements of the ‘new’ 1 MERCIAN deploy to Germany on numerous occasions, the USA, Sweden, and Romania. It has conducted operations in support of the Home Office and has assisted entitled Afghans transiting through UK sites, having travelled here from Pakistan. It has been involved in training Ukrainians, which has been an immense privilege.
The next few years promise to be as active
as ever, and not without challenge. The 1st Battalion will reduce in structural size to meet the demands of the Integrated Review, losing 99 posts to fit into its future Heavy Mechanised Infantry structure. However, it will continue to operate the Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle until 2026, when it is likely to deploy to Cyprus for a 2-year residential tour. On return to the UK,
in mid-2028, the current plan sees the battalion convert to the BOXER vehicle. Of course some of these high-level decisions may change, but we march to the sound of the drum.
In closer proximity, 1 MERCIAN will deploy to Poland in 2024 with a company from
4 MERCIAN integrated, as part of a wider brigade-level deployment. The regiment will then lay up the Colours of the 2nd Battalion, before the 1st Battalion begins its preparations to deploy to Estonia, which it will do in April 2025, for 6 months.
The 1st Battalion remains a positive place despite the pace of life. It is a diverse battalion, with 1 in 6 members of the battalion either
from the Commonwealth or holding a second, non-UK, passport. The result is a melting pot of ideas, outlooks, and cultures, but always fiercely proud of our regimental identity. We continue
to reflect on our past – we respect our heritage immensely – but we are a forward-looking battalion that seeks to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. As such, we continue to Stand Firm and Strike Hard.
Soldiers from A Coy operating at night on Ex IRON CYLCONE – Jul 23 – SPTA
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THE MERCIAN EAGLE
1MERCIAN