Page 516 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
Captain T Flecchia Alma 2IC PB1 CF NES(S):
The only addition to the TTPs is the concurrent use of the IE3D when the patrol is static. If working within the PC’s intent the IE3D operator is often able to use mission command to search likely routes that will be used when the patrol again moves. There have been a number of occasions where our patrols have gone firm to either conduct Bio enrolment/confirmation/LN engagement. This has allowed the IE3D operator to concurrently search the intended rte and alternative rtes under the cover of the all-round protection already in place.
Captain Dan Brown 2IC A Coy 3RIFLES CP JEKER CF NES(S):
Do IE3D teams meet the user requirement? Yes, they most certainly do, to the extent that they are taken on patrol as much as practically possible.
Captain G C F Charles-Jones Second in Command The Prince of Wales’s Company:
Do IE3D teams meet the user requirement? I feel they do, and they offer it in such a way as to ensure that momentum is maintained during operations.
Major CMB CARVER OC A COMPANY 1 R WELSH CF-BURMA:
In short, the Platoon Commanders who have an IE3D and handler are full of praise of their enhancement to the patrol, the attitude of the handlers and the way in which they operate.
Infantry Support to TMWD Sqn.69
The Infantry have been providing invaluable training in providing Military Working Dog handlers with enhanced Infantry skills and drills in Dismounted Close Combat (DCC) Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTP) as a new MWD DETECT capability embeds into the Combined Forces.
Although embedded handlers are not new, the significant uplift in the numbers of handlers has identified an urgent requirement to detach Infantry SMEs into the training programme of the new IE3D teams. The critical timeline for deploying IE3D teams has meant that RAF Police dog handlers, originally destined for the Falklands, and RAVC handlers due to handle other capabil- ities have been required to urgently train on IE3D.
The IE3D will deliver a MWD DETECT capability providing an additional level of assurance and an improved ability to detect IEDs for routine dismounted patrols.
Sgt McIlvaney, 2 SCOTS said: “After being
assigned as the Infantry Advisor to 1st Military Working Dog (MWD) Regiment I joined members of 102 MWD Sqn in Southern Pines, North Carolina, as they completed the five-week IED DD handler course with their new MWD asset in preparation for Op HERRICK 15. As an Infantry SME the time spent in the United States gave me the opportunity to closely observe the dogs and handlers in a training environment and understand the benefits they could bring to dismounted callsigns. In addition to this I was able to identify Infantry TTPs that if developed and enhanced would help successfully integrate this new asset into the patrol.”
The Infantry expertise and advice has provided the US contractor with the understanding of IED placement and insurgency tactics providing significant benefit to the technical training of the MWD themselves and also the teams. Having the opportunity to mould the final stages of a contractor delivered solution is without a doubt a huge advantage and benefit to both the handlers and user units.
Sgt McIlvaney has spent considerable time delivering current Infantry skills whilst having to consider the integration of dogs into the training such as live firing, First Aid, environmental, situational and ground sign awareness and low level TTPs in order to best prepare the teams. This training has prepared both the handler and more so the dog to counter the effects of battle noise from small arms to mortar fire, theatre variations in vehicle transportation, both in the air and on the ground, and allows the dogs to harden to the new environment.
The capability would look to improve a number of IE3D teams per Company across Task Force Helmand (TFH), significantly increasing the number of dog teams on Op HERRICK but is also seeing the introduction of non-vocational Infantry and Regimental handlers being trained to handle the new capability. The dogs have been specifically trained to provide an additional level of IED search capability trained and integrated into the dismounted patrols.
The next tranche of IE3D handlers for Op HERRICK 16 will also benefit from the integration of an Infantry SME who is currently being trawled, seeing a further significant uplift in the number of dogs in theatre.
Sgt McIlvaney said: “The new IE3D search capability is an invaluable asset to Dismounted Close Combat patrols whilst operating on the ground. Used in conjunction with existing TTPs and Search equipment it affords the DCC patrol flexibility and freedom of movement in order to counter the insurgency threat.”
The Veterinary capability’s ‘starring’ role on Op Herrick 15 was shared by LCpl Stacey Frost in the
69 Combat (UK Military Journal for the Combat Arms) dated 2012.
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