Page 45 - KRH Regimental Journal 2022

Light Aid Detatchment
Keeping the punch in the Regiment’s fist
Who are they?
The Light Aid Detachment (LAD) has supported the Regiment throughout 2022, from the West coast of Wales to Europe’s Eastern border with Russia. The LAD comprises one Officer Commanding supported by 3 Warrant Officers who oversee c. 75 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers tradespeople, with ‘fitter sections’ of around 14 people supporting each of the Regiment’s squadrons. With Vehicle Mechanics, Electronics Technicians, Armourers, Recovery Mechanics and Technical Stores Specialists who can recover and repair (almost) anything, the team are the better look- ing and most professional soldiers within the Regiment.
2022 has seen the LAD held at readiness supporting the British Army’s lead armoured battlegroup, it has been the battlegroup lead on Exercise DEFENDER EUROPE 22 (Germany), supported Operation INTERLINK (Poland) and deployed on Operation CABRIT 11 (Estonia). The KRH and its LAD has organically grown through these commitments into a highly capable force. Electrical and Mechanical Engineers from B Company 1 Scots Guards, 3 Armoured Engineers’ Squadron, Danish 2/1 Jutland Dragoons, and 127, 176 and 9 Battery Royal Artillery have com- pleted this strong team.
Exercise DEFENDER EUROPE 22
In April, The KRH battlegroup projected to Poland. The LAD collected and rehabilitated equipment from across the UK and delivered them to Marchwood to be loaded onto Roll-On/Roll- Off ships. Concurrent to this, the majority of the newly formed KRH battlegroup LAD deployed to two locations to begin acti- vating the Stored Equipment Fleet in Monchengladbach and the Land Training Fleet in Sennelager. In total c. 500 vehicles were moved to Poland; a truly Herculean effort by everyone involved, less the Junior Officer (Lt Abbas), who spent half his time ‘lost’ in the bars of Germany. Exercise DEFENDER EUROPE 22 saw the KRH lead a battlegroup with two Sabre Sqns, a Danish Tank Sqn and an Anti-Tank Mechanised Infantry Company. Despite numerous challenges, the fitter sections maintained availability of equipment above 90% throughout.
Operation CABRIT 11
In September the KRH battlegroup deployed on Operation CABRIT 11 in the same configuration as Exercise DEFENDER EUROPE 22; the familiar faces of the battlegroup subunits delivering a swift takeover of equipment. Deploying on Exercise BOLD HUSSAR, the battlegroup integrated an French Mountain Infantry Company within the taskorg of 1 Estonian Brigade and swiftly began to remember why previous deployments had told them to stay on the tracks. Ignoring this, they discovered that the green fields were hiding deep bogs. The battlegroup braced itself for winter and conducted its first exercise below zero degrees whilst integrating another French Infantry Company, which realised new challenges for recovery and mobility. With tanks regularly driving into bogs and wheeled vehicles constantly slip- ping off the narrow tracks across the training area, the recovery mechanics were kept busy winching and towing in the ice and snow. The remainder of the year deployed has seen a projection test on Estonian motorways, completion of the Cold Weather Operators Course and the maintenance of equipment availabil- ity, all enabling the highly lethal KRH BG to deter any potential adversary.
The Rear Operations Group
The KRH LAD rear operations group established under the watchful eye of Warrant Officer Class Two Dave Mason to cover UK commitments, whilst the remainder deployed to Estonia for Op CABRIT 11, and has continued to deliver against all tasks. Providing equipment support to a variety of tasks and preparing a fleet of WARRIOR for handover to 1 Royal Welsh has kept the team busy. With an influx of new faces arriving, there has been opportunity to conduct esprit-de-Corps activity, key to building and maintaining new relationships.
Innovation and Training
The LAD has integrated new ways of working throughout 2022. The creation of a readiness dashboard by Warrant Officer Class Two Jack Coates has automated individual and joint training requirement. Corporal Gavin Batty has developed both a novel
The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars 43
Lance Corporal Ward getting down and dirty
Rear operations group team cohesion
Capt Charlie Lee REME, OC Light Aid Detachment