Page 5 - 2023 AMA Spring

CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD
Lt Col Pete Davis
Welcome to the Spring issue of the Army Mountaineer. It certainly feels like Spring; I’m sat writing this in the Southern French Alps during mid-winter, but it’s more like the beginning of April! The ski touring is on excellent corn snow, but we ought to be skiing powder during this week. Please be in no doubt that climate change is well and truly upon us.
Mark Gregory has once again excelled himself and gathered a collection of articles that truly represents the broad and exciting range of activities in which our Associ- ation’s members participate. There are guest articles from Honorary Vice-Presi- dent Meryon Bridges and former President of the Alpine Club Mick Fowler recounting their experiences on Kirat Chuli and Chombu respectively. These articles sit alongside a plethora of expedition reports which demonstrate that mountaineering is well and truly alive and kicking in the Army. Tarquin Shipley points you towards his favourite Ogwen scrambles, there is a Sport Climbing update and Miles Hill concludes his tales from Patrouille des Glaciers 2022. Enjoy!
Now for a series of parish announcements: firstly, Defence is currently managing a small series of fatalities and serious injuries that have occurred during adventurous
training expeditions or sporting activities. As a part of the Service Inquiries inves- tigating these incidents, the assurance processes are naturally being scrutinised. The “so what” for us is that we can expect the JSATFA process to more rigorously examine our plans. For instance, greater detail and supporting information is likely to be required with regard to instructor qual- ifications and experience, and with regard to routes and venues. Please roll with the punches and accept the changes as they come. On a more positive note, there are changes afoot with regard to medical planning – frequently a bone of contention and a rate-limiting step in the assurance process. More to come on this, but the aim is to simplify the process and to avoid the requirement to elevate risk-ownership automatically (usually to a one star or two star Headquarters) when a medical plan identifies risk in an evacuation scenario for instance. Watch this space.
The Service Inquiry into the fatality and seriously injured serviceman during the Broad Peak expedition in 2022 is expected to conclude around the middle of this year. Once this occurs, we will publish a precis of the findings and lessons to be learnt in the journal.
In January, the hitherto dormant Joint Services Mountaineering Committee (JSMC) was re-invigorated and Brigadier
Corkery and I had the great pleasure of sitting around the table in London with our counterparts from the Royal Air Force Mountaineering Association and Royal Navy & Royal Marines Mountaineering Club (Air Commodore Dave Tait and Lt General Rob Magowan, and Wing Commander Peter McCreedy and Brigadier Andy Muddiman as Presidents and Chairmen respectively). We discussed many topics, but the focus was to kick start this forum for sharing pertinent and current issues relevant to mountaineers across Defence. Once again, I will share information with you as the JSMC goes forwards. One key fact that I will share now is that the next Quadrennial Joint Services mountaineer- ing expedition will be in 2026. Broad Peak ran two years later than originally planned due to the pandemic, and the decision has been taken that it is too soon to mount another major expedition in 2024 – so this has rolled to 2026. The Army will be the lead service for this expedition and we will very soon be inviting formal expressions of interest or intent from the Association for suitable objectives. So, start researching and be ready to step up!
It remains only for me to commend this edition of the journal to you and to thank Mark Gregory for his editorial efforts!
A History of The Princess Mary’s Hospital
Royal Air Force Akrotiri 1963 – 2013 Written by Colonel David Vassallo L/RAMC
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