Page 466 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
having AES dog teams at an event like the Tattoo.
As well as working extremely hard over the course of the event we did get a bit of down time to relax, allowing us to run the dogs in the stunning countryside in and around Edinburgh. There was also time to take in the vibrant and upbeat atmosphere around the centre of the city as thousands of people flocked to the Fringe Festival
over the month of August.
To summarise it was a highly successful operation for
104 Military Working Dog Squadron with high praise for both handlers and dogs – even resulting in gifts for the MWDs from the Tattoo promotions team.30
Work and play
In 2018, the International Canine Biathlon – involving competitors from the NATO community – took place on UK soil for the first time. The end of year issue of Soldier Magazine carried the article Dog Days which gave a round-up of an event that established St Georges Barracks, North Luffenham as an international military competition venue:
Dog Days
As well as testing vital military skills, the Biathlon brought troops together and helped build strong relationships with NATO partners, as CO 1st Military Working Dog Regiment (RAVC) Lt Col Neil Lakin RE explained: “Climbing, lifting, jumping, shooting and endurance are essential skills that MWD handlers and their animals need,” he said. “This event is about putting those disciplines to the test in a fun environment. It has also given us the opportunity to work alongside our international partners and develop our relationships.”
Forty teams from Belgium, Latvia and the USA were among the overseas competitors. And joining the inter- national contingent on the start line were teams from the Military Provost Guard Service, MoD Police and the Defence Animal Training Regiment. Those taking part covered an arduous 10km cross-country course, and along the way were twenty-four obstacles to test the fitness, skill and endurance of both dog and handler. They included tunnels, walls to climb, a waist high water obstacle plus a section where soldiers had to carry their animals. Latvian solder, SSgt Ivar Veisis, who won the title of best individual male said: “The obstacles weren’t easy. The water was very, very cold. But it has been a good experience and I’ve enjoyed it.”
Best overall team were the Belgium Armed Forces and the Runners-up; 101 Sqn, of 1st MWD Regt a Reserve Squadron whose performance the organisers called “outstanding”.31
30 Chiron Calling dated Spring 2019.
31 Soldier Magazine dated December 2018.
Military Exercises – 2019
Through 2019 the British MWDs were put through their paces in a series of military Exercises that established their presence as nothing short of invaluable in battle scenarios with the Armoured Infantry.
Taking part in Exercise PRAIRIE STORM 1 was a career enhancing experience for this handler who offered their personal account to Chiron Calling (autumn 2019):
Ex PRAIRIE STORM 1
(2nd April – 16th June 2019)
I was deployed as one of two AES handlers at- tached to the Queens Royal Hussars (QRH) Bat- tlegroup as they sought their Collective Training Level 4 validation during Ex PRAIRIE STORM 1. Our main objective, in addition to supporting the Battlegroup’s certification, was to establish where the MWD asset best fits within the Ar- moured Infantry.
Soon after we arrived at British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS), we quickly established our position within the battlegroup. We were attached to 17 EOD and Search Squadron RE, where we worked as a cohesive entity during the pre-Ex- ercise admin phase. This involved preparing vehicles, cam-nets and other G4 related admin that we usually don’t have to contend with! We were also able to offer our search capabilities to assist them with taskings, along with the Protection asset as a force multiplier when their personnel were limited or tired from long hours on duty.
The first couple of weeks consisted of a live-firing package. We took part in fire team, section and even a Platoon level attack. These were all completed without dogs but were nevertheless a good opportunity to conduct battle inoculation preparing our MWDs for the rest of their time on the PRAIRIE.
The Test-Exercise phase was a period of two weeks where blank ammunition was used against a reactive enemy force. This was where all the dogs were distributed from 17 Squadron throughout the two weeks to assist the other units within the Exercise. These ranged from the Combat Service Support (CSS) Group, Battlegroup Headquarters (BGHQ), and being on the front line with the attached Company from 5 Rifles.
Supporting CSS was a natural fit for us. The search teams can provide information on the Main Supply Routes (MSRs) as we are travelling on “taken ground”, where the threat of insurgents is
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