Page 44 - Mercian Eagle 2016

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C (Kohima) Company
OC Foreword Maj E L Charlesworth (Outgoing OC)
Another year passes, and my 2nd (and final) year in Command of KOHIMA Company comes to a close. Looking back at what
the Company have completed over the last year I am yet again vastly impressed by
the flexibility and versatility that the soldiers of the Company have shown – they have repeatedly made me proud to be their OC. I will miss them.
The last 12 months has been busy, with much adaptability having to be shown!
As part of the Battalion, the Company
have taken part in two overseas Exercises – ASKARI STORM in Kenya, and Ex BRILLIANT JUMP/ANAKONDA in Poland as part of NATO. In both the soldiers performed
very strongly – in Kenya they proved their warfighting skills, manoeuvrist approach and robustness operating in a robust environment. Particular note should be made of their performance on stability operations – the best BATUK staff had ever seen.
...the best BATUK staff had ever seen
In Poland there was a different challenge, and interacting with other Nations was
key – again the soldiers performed strongly interacting with Spanish and Canadian forces well, and putting out strong performances on Coy Battle lanes and Bde level attacks, close work with US Army Apache helicopters were a highlight here.
Sub-unit level exercises to Brecon in September 2015 and Altcar in 2016 were notable, as were the several times that
the Company were stood up to very high readiness in support of Op TEMPERER and as part of the NATO Very High Readiness Taks Force (VJTF). With the complex G4 factors this entailed the CQMS’s dept really dug out meaning the Company was ready to go for both.
In terms of training, on top of the normal individual skills that any Infanteer should be capable of there has been a focus
on night skills, fighting in woods and forests, and fighting in built up areas –
the Company have stepped up to learning these new skills admirably with JNCOs leading on the training of their Sections, before the movement to Platoon and
The KOHIMA Coy Forward Operating Base during Ex ASKARI STORM
Maj Charlesworth and the men of KOHIMA Coy during the FIBUA phase of Ex ANAKONDA
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