Page 13 - RSDG Year of 2013

able to provide security against insider attack at the Academy without suffocating the ability of the British, Australian, New Zealander, Danish and Norwegian officers and senior non commissioned officers to men- tor their Afghan Directing Staff equivalents. The ANAOA, the UK’s flagship and legacy project from the campaign in Afghanistan, aims to produce a new breed of Afghan combat officer. Strong, fit, competent and with a grounding in values based leadership to take forward the future of Afghanistan’s campaign against its internal divisions. These men and women are sorely needed by the operational kandaks of the ANA’s field army and will begin to pass out from the summer of 2014. The whole of counter insider threat theory was neatly summarised by an Australian Corporal the day following the attack. “Give peace a chance – I’ll cover you in case it doesn’t work.”
If one half of the Squadron’s role was to deliver secu- rity and protection in this new environment the other was to take over a US camp and turn it into a British military camp. The majority of the effort required on this was in equipment support, transport manage- ment, infrastructure, facilities management and logis- tics. Captain Dave Barclay led the Squadron efforts in this area assisted by the SQMS – Staff Sergeant Pratt, SQMS(T) – Staff Sergeant Chart, and Staff Sergeant Artificer – Staff Sergeant Hewitt. This team worked extraordinarily long hours to bring in processes com- pliant with UK policies in the space of a few months and to a standard which assisted the Regiment in its high grades in equipment care and logistic support inspections.
So much of delivery of military capability is about effective creation and communication of ideas. Getting each individual soldier to understand where he should be and what he should be doing as part of a team is something we are good at in part because we under- stand these principles so well in the Royal Armoured Corps, switching between roles and platforms so fre- quently brings a commonality of approach to military problem solving that can be adapted for each new task. It is the basis of the flexibility of the soldiers and the Regiment, and will be the kernel of our future success in our new role as Light Cavalry.
The squadron kept going throughout a demand- ing year only with the support of their families and friends. The former were ably supported by the Rear Operations Group, Mrs Katie McLeman, Mrs Nicky Beveridge, Mrs Talicia Macawai and Mrs Courtney Crosbie. These wives of members of the squadron ran a number of events over the periods of separa- tion during training and deployment and encouraged A Squadron families to attend the Regimental events
Part of Qargha’s varied vehicle fleet...
organised by the Welfare Office. The squadron was buoyed by the receipt of BFBS radio messages, mes- sage walls and personalised Christmas tree decorations made in Fallingbostel by the families. Congratulations are due to Staff Sergeant Khoo and Marie and Trooper McDonald and Louise on their marriages. The Squadron was also delighted on receiving the news of a son born to Trooper Polson and Miss Jenkins and a daughter born to Staff Sergeant and Mrs Khoo.
The operational squadron is now almost entirely moving on as the Regiment transforms itself into the light cavalry structure for the process of conver- sion that will take much of 2014. SSM Beveridge moves to Regimental Quarter Master (Technical), Staff Sergeant Chart on promotion to C Squadron as Squadron Sergeant Major. Staff Sergeant Pratt moves to the Sergeants and Warrant Officers Mess. Corporals Barr, Messenger, Mitchell and Degei move to Troop Sergeant’s appointments across the Regiment. Amongst the officers, Captain Fred Roberts departs for the Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment as a Troop Leader. Captain Ramsden becomes D Squadron Secoond-in-Command and Captain Crawford leaves the Army for a year of study in petrochemicals and geology at Imperial. Mr Tim Graham becomes the Regimental Signals Officer and both Mr Freddie Rider and Mr Olli von der Heyde join D Squadron as Troop Leaders. Captain Rupert Grinling, not yet resigned to the fact that his complexion is ill suited to the Middle East becomes an instructor at Jordan’s Military Academy in Amman. The Squadron Leader departs for Bulford and the Headquarters of 12 Armoured Infantry Brigade as Chief of Staff.
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