Page 45 - Light Dragoons 2022 CREST

The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
Op Newcombe CH47 Force Protection
As most of us will be aware, 2021 saw the Regiment deployed on the first rotation of Op Newcome in Mali. As with any operational deployment there will always be a BCR (Battlefield Casualty Replacement) troop on standby to backfill and support those on deployment. Last year, B Sqn were tasked with this duty and upheld it for the duration of the Op Newcombe tour. This kept a troop on per- manent readiness and at a high deploy- ment standard to be able to replace troops if needs be or, as it turns out any other tasking required. As Newcombe started to come to an end, the Regiment received a warning order to assemble a team to poten- tially fulfil a different task in Mali.
At this point ROG OC had very little detail and gave the order to start prep with what we had. A team of 4 were required to deploy in support of the RAF, as a Force Protection (FP) team of the RAF CH47 operating as Medevac in Mali. The BCR Tp then started a very broad and general pre deployment training package for the team before being given the final green light and isolation dates a couple of weeks later.
The team soon went into isolation fol- lowed by a surprisingly successful and timely flight with a C17 via Gib, arriving in theatre mid April 21. After two months, the team had made good ground and suc- cessfully set up the capability that was required. This included everything from building good alliances and SOPs with the MERT (Medical Emergency Response Team) and TacCast(Tactical Critical Air Support Team), to physically building technical accommodation from scratch.
In the end the CH47 FP team had two main roles, Medevac FP for Medevac response supporting Op Newcombe and an organic CH47 FP supporting the heavy lift capability for the French Op Barkane. That led to some very interesting and unique experiences.
Op Barkane is supported by a plethora of nations and organisations including Italy, Estonia, Switzerland, Sweden and the French Foreign Legion to mention a few. By directly supporting them via the heavy lift capability, it gave the team a unique opportunity for very specific integration training and exposure to their capabilities and equipment.
It was not all work though. The Italian Carabinieri were more than happy to sup- ply the “play” by sharing their age-old pizza recipes in a one-on-one lesson on traditional pizza making. It was safe to say that every Friday from then on, the scoff house was out of the question and Italian was on the menu.
Working for and under the RAF, was to say the least, a daunting thought with many horror stories leading up to the deploy- ment. However, it is safe to say they know how to have a good time, with things like every Sunday being BBQ Sunday and being allowed to hold a much needed “get together” after the week in the “local”, Queens Head bar.
The team were deployed for a total of four and half months and returned safely in early Sept 21 with a very successful tour to look back on. The team have worked tire- lessly under another CoC, integrating with other nations and agencies and maintain- ing excellent relations throughout. In rec- ognition of this, they have been awarded the General Service Medal - West Africa.
AdP
CH47 team
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