Page 76 - Wish Stream Year of 2016

Exercise ORYX ENDEAVOUR
Capt W Butcher RLC
On 8 December 2016, a group of 32 Interme- diate Term Of cer Cadets from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst deployed to
Qatar to take part in Exercise ORYX ENDEAV- OUR. This pioneering exercise (the rst from the Academy to take place in Qatar) was an eight day, platoon-level tactical exercise hosted by the Ahmed Bin Mohammed Military College (ABMMC). A demanding and physically challeng- ing exercise, it was facilitated superbly by the Qatar Armed Forces who, among many things, provided extensive aviation and air support.
Arriving in Qatar in the early hours of 9 Decem- ber after a ight by C-17 from RAF Brize Nor- ton, the cadets were collected from the airport and shown to their new accommodation at the ABMMC. After a short rest to catch up on some well needed sleep, they went straight into a theatre speci c training package consisting of desert navigation, environmental health briefs, cultural awareness lessons and many more activities designed to familiarise them with their new surroundings. After this training was con- ducted, they were given orders and deployed by Sea King into the desert to establish a pla- toon harbour. After only a short period establish- ing the position, the cadets pushed out recon- naissance patrols to nd and x the enemy in
Practicing helicopter drills prior to deployment from ABMMC into the desert
OCdt Mortlock waits with his signaller in the forming up point for the nal attack
Of cer Cadets deploying into the Qatari desert on Sea King
preparation for subsequent offensive operations. Once the enemy had been located, the cadet platoon commander (OCdt Thorpe) gave orders for a deliberate attack and the platoon quickly deployed to strike the enemy. After a six kilo- metre insertion through the night, and with a call-sign held on the ground to watch over the enemy, the cadets conducted a night attack and quickly took the enemy position. This rst phase of the exercise was conducted at a frenetic pace and saw the platoon deployed away from the harbour for a full 24 hour period without rest. After this initial phase they conducted a number of further low level offensive actions which cul-
Cadets moving to the assembly area for the nal attack
74 SANDHURST