Page 47 - The Cormorant Issue 14

Combined Joint European Exercise (CJEX) at Shrivenham
By Sqn Ldr Mark Harding
Week 1
As our colleagues from ACSC 14 departed for CJEX in foreign lands, the visiting students began arriving at Shrivenham on the Tuesday afternoon, ahead of a series of familiarisation briefs to integrate them into the college ahead of the Exercise. After a brief intro session on the first day of the Exercise, the planning began in earnest. The scenario was based around what can only be described as a ‘wicked problem’ in a fictional part of Africa, requiring a good level of understanding to be reached ahead of a Mission Analysis brief scheduled for the Friday. The advice from the introductory brief that it was not all about the PowerPoint, seemed to be a distant memory for most, as a batch of 60 slides were populated. Fortunately, morale remained high, much coffee was drunk, different experiences/viewpoints were shared, and a few beers were sunk. So, the first week finished with the Mission Analysis brief on Friday morning with a few sore heads after an informal meet-and-greet the previous night. The visiting students were looking forward to the weekend, with various excursions planned, ranging from an organised visit to Oxford or many mak- ing their own way to London to see the sights, attempt to get tickets for a Premiership football match or watch the Army/Navy Rugby match at Twickenham.
Week 2
The second week saw the planning effort adding detail to the Courses of Actions from the Commander’s planning guidance, and refreshingly, syndicates were joined by representatives from the world of Non-Governmental Organisations. For many, it was a first opportunity to discuss the issues surrounding humanitar- ian aid with professionals who had been in-country and seen at first-hand what works and what doesn’t in terms of providing security. Fortunately, the week was not all about work and on the Tuesday evening, all of the students and staff came together for a formal dinner and an opportunity to put the world to rights. The house band - The Plagiarists - made another appearance to the delight of the crowd, and judging by the bleary eyes the following morning, the band kept most of the crowd in the bar well into the night. The Commander’s brief the next morning was a sombre affair after the previous night’s social occasion, but despite the simulated battle fatigue, a coherent plan was briefed and accepted by the Boss. Talking with other students over coffee, most felt they at least had some understanding of the NATO planning process and many now had a better grasp of the three-column format that would prove essential in the forthcom-
ing campaigning exam. However, there was unanimous agree- ment that the true benefit of CJEX had been the opportunity to discuss problems with officers from several different European nations and to understand how they viewed issues, and how they would deal with them. For our visiting guests, their depar- ture signalled their return to sunnier and warmer climes. For the ACSC students it signalled an opportunity to do some last- minute cramming before the MA exam that would take place on Friday morning.
(LONDON)Ltd
Patey (London) Ltd. 9 Gowlett Road, London SE15 4HX
Tel: 020 7635 0030 Fax: 020 7732 9538
www.pateyhats.com
Manufacturers of individually tailored
regimental caps
BY APPOINTMENT TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN MANUFACTURERS OF HATS
45