Page 29 - Chiron 2024

a worthwhile exercise all by itself, proving that we can move 1MWD
en masse if required, something that may have previously been
put in the ‘too difficult’ category. Upon arriving at the CAGE facility, exercising troops were broken down into formed Troops and put onto twenty-four rotations around three stands that were designed to reflect potential operating environments for 1MWD. These were a Non- Combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) stand, a Stabilisation and Security Operations (SSO) stand and a Conventional Warfare stand, each led by one of the respective task Sqns. Each twenty-four hr period was designed to have a teach phase, enabling troops to truly understand their roles before they then executed them. Serials included Vehicle Check Points, which highlighted
that it was becoming a lost art, security of critical assets (in this case a refuelling Tornado) and extraction under fire with a canine casualty. Throughout QMSI MWDs was rotating through the stands to assess the MWD teams. Memorable moments included a particularly rowdy RHQ (read: CO) trying to get through the gate of an Evacuation Holding Centre. One of the most popular stands, was LCpl Jones 400 delivering his Voice of Experience brief from Op PITTING. It is safe to say that everyone, regardless of rank from Pte to Comd 8X (who came to visit) was hung on every single word.
Upon return to SGB, the third week was focused on CONSOLIDATION. This week focussed on allowing
QMSI Dogs concentrated time to look at the MWD fleet and rectify any training issues identified over the previous two weeks. Officers and Seniors engaged in an eight hour planning cycle to shake out cobwebs from various career courses and
a mock mass casualty event was simulated at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue (a fantastic training area) that saw most of 1MWD’s AES teams to ‘deploy’ to support. The week
also saw an external study day that invited external units across the Army to come and see what we do, how we integrate and also offer their feedback on how we can better support them. This included a brief from 23 (Para) Engineer Regiment on their experiences of MWDs
from Op POLARBEAR. Finally,
the week was wrapped up with a large all ranks function in 1MWD Officers’ Mess that saw all troops, but particularly the Ops Cell, let their hair down and celebrate what had been achieved over the previous three weeks.
To the mind of the author, Ex CHIRON COLLABORATE was a great success, bringing 1MWD together in a way that had not been done before, proving that the Regiment can be moved en masse, and showcasing best practice in operational MWD use. If a Regimental exercise were to happen again on this scale, I would argue that it is vital to add in some form of clinical validation for both dog handlers and the veterinary team as well as use the opportunity to properly validate entire MWD troops. 1MWD has been running hot
for several years and this trend is only set to continue but the short- term pain is crucial for the long- term gain that it brings. My thanks for pulling it off goes to all involved, particularly the G4 team, but I must mention WO2 Bambro who was
vital in the OSW preparation for the exercise, despite not yet being in the
unit, and also SSgt Cox who was a pillar of calmness throughout, picking up a lot of work from
a distracted Ops Officer as well as ensuring that his
feet remained firmly on the ground!
Chiron Calling / 27