Page 268 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
RAF freight transport which already supported Exercises in Kenya. The Veterinary Officer was to be attached to the Veterinary Training Squadron, where she would take part in the day-to-day running of the hospital and have the opportunity to absorb information and see best practice regarding the care of dogs.
The four handlers were attached to Canine Training Squadron as follows: one enrolling on the Infantry Patrol dog handler course and three enrolling onto the Vehicle Search dog handler course. And to ensure continuity, personnel were specifically selected for the tasks and the courses were tailored to meet the Kenyan Defence Force requirements with the Instructors researching Kenyan cultures to enable improved communica- tions, which also included learning some simple Swahili phrases.
The four Military Working Dog teams success- fully completed their training on 21st June 2013. The Kenya handlers visited a number of other UK MOD establishments in accordance with their respective training programmes, and at weekends they were able to sample the cultural aspects of the market town of Melton Mowbray. The fifth and final week involved essential final deployment preparations and also a cultural visit to London where the handlers soaked up the atmosphere visiting Wembley and taking in the sights of the capital on an open top bus tour. A walk in Hyde Park included the chance to watch the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment conducting parade rehearsals.
On 2nd July 2013, the Defence Animal Centre Short Term Training Team, Kenyan contingent plus the twenty dogs and the assorted equipment, landed back at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. The group was greeted by the Officer Commanding the 1st Canine Regiment and members of the British High Commission, and once through the necessary customs check, they embarked on the short journey to Embakasi Garrison.
It was necessary to hold an initial period of training plus acclimatisation with the four teams. On 5th July 2013 the Chief Trainer and the Regimental Second in Command commenced the deployment with the three Vehicle Search teams at various locations within Nairobi and Mombasa, an exercise that included ‘show and tell’ sessions with the respective Access Control Units and Commanders.
On 7th July 2013, the Instructors commenced a Vehicle Search dog handlers’ course with three Kenyan handlers, and an Infantry Patrol
dog handlers’ course with one student. On the Infantry Patrol course, there were two Kenyan ‘shadow’ Instructors and a military Intelligence Corporal who had previously instructed on numerous Kenyan Patrol dog courses and also the student who completed his course in the UK. The handlers were teamed with their Military Working Dogs and prepared to deploy on completion of the course.
The Vehicle Search teams managed to use numerous Kenyan Defence Force locations during their course, including the sites where they were to deploy. This gave the Instructors an opportunity to provide capability demonstrations to user Units and it also provided the opportunity to conduct assurance checks on the Vehicle Search teams that deployed on 5th July 2013. The Infantry Patrol dog handlers’ course made full use of the adjacent training areas to the Humanitarian Peace Support School, and also the Karura Forest located on the outskirts of Nairobi.
The VS dog handlers’ course was successfully completed and saw the handlers deploy to their respective locations, with one team remaining at the Humanitarian Peace Support School to enable the Military Working Dogs to receive necessary veterinary care prior to deployment. The first of two Protection dog handlers’ courses commenced on 12th August 2013, and that was followed by a Kennel Management course on 26th August, to ensure the candidates had the ability to oversee their respective kennel facilities.
On 5th September, the regiment organised and hosted a visitor’s day to showcase the Military Working Dog capabilities as delivered by the Short Term Training Team. A number of high-ranking Kenyan Defence Force Officers, including the Chief of the Kenyan Defence Force, attended along with the British High Commissioner and the Defence Attaché. The display concluded with the two guests of honour signing the official document handing over the trained dogs to the Kenyan Forces.
The final part for the Short Term Training Team was the delivery of the Explosive Detection Dog course – six weeks that finished with a collective training week with the Kenyan combat engineer EOD capability. This gave everyone an opportunity to observe and understand each other’s Tactics Techniques and Procedures which would benefit inter-operability.
In summarising the success of the Short Term Training Team in Kenya and the overall personal experience, WO2 Kevin Gavin concluded: “Opportunities such as this one are sometimes a
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