Page 523 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
Advisors course it was almost with a sense of relief that I arrived in MOB Lashkar Gah where I could finally settle for six-months. Initially working alongside 1 Lancashire Regiment and then their replacement 2RTR, PDT was over; this was it.
Since the creation of the role, the CIED Advisor role has evolved to include ensuring provision of CIED training to those deploying on the ground, management of the Brimstone Teams within the respective Area of Operations (AO), and of course the link between the MWD Sqn in Bastion and the forward locations. Despite the reduction in Brimstone activity as the EOD work is increasingly conducted by the Afghans, the requests for MWD continues and it was always a welcome part of the job to liaise with 104 MWD Sqn in Bastion or pass some time with the handlers in Lashkar Gah.
A month before the end of the tour signified the end of my third year in the Army. As a fresh-faced Officer within the Corps, I could never have imagined that three years on I would be working in a battlegroup headquarters as a CIED Advisor. As a PQO perhaps our careers can sometimes be seen as more prescriptive than regular officers, but maybe that is more reason to jump at these opportunities. There will always be the cynical that question your initial credibility as a PQO, and whilst perception is often half the battle, your abilities as an individual can soon overshadow any preconceived idea.
Would I do it again? Of course. In the meantime, though, I’m looking forward to returning to working with the military working dogs. And if anyone asks, yes, I am still a real vet!
Op HERRICK 19
103 Military Working Dogs Squadron 7 Brigade Demonstration
Operation HERRICK 19.81
By Sgt Ryan Abbott
103 Military Working Dog (MWD) Squadron deployed on Operation HERRICK 19 with the Engineer Group – 32 Engineer Regiment – as part of the 7 Brigade deployment.
On 6th and 7th May 2013, 7 Brigade held a capability demonstration at Hohne Garrison to inform members of both the Regiment and the Brigade on the various Engineer capabilities available during the deployment. 103 Sqn were invited to attend and provided capability demon- strations of all specifications of MWD, to ensure that all commanders had a thorough knowledge of all capabilities and the way in which they can be utilised on the ground. Surprisingly, as a consequence of MWDs being used in Afghanistan
for many years, the questions that came from the demonstrations proved that the dogs were well-re- ceived by commanders and they added value and knowledge to the utility and employment of MWD on operations.
The first day was aimed at the junior commanders (LCpl and above) of 32 Engr Regt, with the second day for members of 7 Brigade. We provided five different demonstrations each day, using our best MWDs from each capability; Section Commanders from each Section provided the presentation with experienced handlers handling the MWDs. The aim was to provide a demonstration which was as realistic as possible. Key to MST was the ARB (All Ranks Brief) presentations for our deployment where the risk of the insider-threat was briefed. To that end, the Protection demonstration consisted of a handler and MWD patrolling along the line of soldiers, before attacking an ‘Afghan threat’ as he jumped out in a threatening manner. The idea was to demonstrate to the soldiers that these dogs will not attack unless there is a threat, and when they do, they can be relied upon to provide the requisite force protection capability. This demon- stration proved to be the most popular at sending home the message of the utility of the Protection MWD.
For the IE3D and AES capabilities, both MWDs conducted searches of their respective areas whilst the Sect Comds provided a constructive and informative brief detailing their capability, employability and limitations. The VS MWD was pitched against a Royal Engineer soldier to see who could locate a magazine on a vehicle in the shortest time. Again, this demonstration proved popular as it showcased not only the speed at which the dogs work but also how much more effective and accurate, they are at locating items than the human eye. The High Assurance Search dog team was attached to the BRIMSTONE call-sign for the two-day period which was useful and informative in demonstrating the integration of high assurance asset.
Overall, the two days were highly successful in not only advertising all MWD capabilities to both Junior Commanders and Brigade Staff, but also in improving their understanding of each classification. Many commanders acknowl- edged that, although they had seen MWDs and indeed some had worked with them, they had limited knowledge of their differences, strengths, limitations and utility. By the end of each demon- stration, all commanders taking part were more confident in their own knowledge, and
81 Chiron Calling article Autumn/Winter 2014 ‘103 Military Working Dogs Squadron 7 Brigade Demonstration’ by Sgt Ryan Abbott.
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