Page 64 - Mercian Eagle 2013

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B Company
Maj Andy Mclannahan
What is B Coy?
As the last copy of the MERCIAN Eagle went to press, B Company was the
3 MERCIAN premium AI Company.
Under the last OC, it had deployed on
Op HERRICK 14, completed a full training cycle, including a BATUS, where the soldiers of the Company demonstrated their high standards of field-craft and manoeuvre warfare.
By the time the current OC arrived, the company had dwindled to less than 20 men and they were looking for the door. At its lowest point B Company had nothing more than a lone Major and CSgt Williams (The CQMS), charged with closing the account. However, from the doom and gloom of the deserted lines the HERRICK Orbat threw up a final twist and B Company rose once more in a new, and not entirely conventional, format.
Where did it all go wrong?
By the time the Company got back from Sabre Junction a concept proving exercise in Southern Germany, all eyes were on Afghanistan, where things were changing fast. As the Afghan National Army matured, the British contribution to Op HERRICK reduced and a sizable shift in force numbers began to take shape. By mid November,
7 Brigade confirmed that 3 MERCIAN would only deploy two companies to Afghanistan as part of HERRICK 19 and plans began to be made to redistribute
B Company’s manpower.
In January 2013 Major Mclannahan arrived to assume the role of
B Company OC to find the lines
stripped and all the companies soldiers posted or awaiting posting. There was
a brief glimmer in February when the company reappeared on the Op HERRICK Orbat, but it was soon back off again.
Force numbers deploying on HERRICK 19 continued to fall over the following months, until whole Battle Groups started to be removed from the ORBAT. At this point the Commanding Officer saw the way that things were developing and made an early call to ditch the NES Battlegroup role, in favour of the Brigade Advisory Team (BAT) role. It paid off. Shortly afterwards The NES BF role folded on the ORBAT and the BAT was beefed up for a more prominent role on the coming tour.
B Company back in the
fight... Well sort of!
The new role brought with it a new ORBAT and with it a job for the newly happy OC
B Company. The Kandak Liaison Team (careful abbreviating this one), is headed up by a Major drawn from B Company, with
a TAC group (lead by CSgt Stan Bowles), which liaises with all the Kandaks in 3/215 ANA Brigade. At the Brigade level the RSM (WO1 Rob Mears), commands the CO’s TAC, who with Cpl Wrights’ team provide protection for the Brigade advisors.
Many other spurious and wonderful roles make up the slightly odd looking
B Company of today. CSgt Webster and
Sgt Franks provide Mortar specialists to teach the ANA, with Lt Nick Harrision and Capt John Coutts deploying as Mentors for the ANA training academies; Lt James Harrison and Sgt Dave Lennon lead a force protection Platoon.
Since standing up the BAT subunit in June, they have deployed on Ex Pashtun Tempest and Pashtun Panther. Both exercises took some tailoring to work
well for the BAT, but both Live Fire Group and OPTAG were extremely helpful. Sgt Pritchard was a key enabler, stepping up to provide communications equipment
at the last minute. Whilst Sgts Williams and Bostock provided Pl Sgt roles for the two TAC groups. The five Reservists that have joined the Kandak Liaison Team also provided a positive influence. All are bright capable individuals who had the chance to finesse their skills at RCMT.
The BAT now faces one final hurdle before deployment. Ex Pashtun Dawn will give everyone a chance to provide some final polish to their drills before we deploy
for the final time as 3 MERCIAN.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE