Page 87 - QDG Year of 2022 CREST

3rd (UK) Division
1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards 85
It has been an unprecedented year for the Iron Division, as the Army’s Europe- facing Division with its principal 2-star deployable headquarters. The new Future Soldier structure has brought great changes to the organisation, not least the establishment of the 1st Deep Recce Strike Brigade Combat Team in July and the subordination of our Regiment in September.
When we briefed the Chief of the General Staff in January on our enduring operational commitments of Operation CABRIT in Estonia and Poland and Op ELGIN in Kosovo, we could not have anticipated how the Iron Division’s work in Europe would evolve throughout the year.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we conducted hasty planning to deploy the 1 R WELSH Battle Group to Estonia early, thereby doubling the UK’s commitment to Operation CABRIT. Since then, we have also deployed soldiers on multiple exercises and operations across Europe alongside NATO and JEF partners.
In comparison to routine operations, the speed of decision making has been fascinating to watch, with Operation HARFA being a case in point, deploying a Challenger 2 Sqn from the QRH to south- east Poland only weeks after ministerial discussions and a couple of quick recces.
Exercise CERBERUS was a highlight in the Div HQ’s calendar, not only validating
Ex CERBERUS showing you can never be too careful on ferries nowadays
six Brigade HQs and gaining valuable deployed HQ experience but proving we could deploy thousands of troops and hundreds of vehicles by land, sea and air at speed on the Army’s largest exercise on the continent for over a decade.
Working as the overseas opera- tions lead for the Division throughout this unique year has been enormously
rewarding and 2023 looks to be simi- larly eventful with numerous operational deployments and validation of the Div HQ on Exercise WARFIGHTER in Texas. The Div will continue to develop within its new structure under the GOC’s strong leadership and will strive to be, in his words, “useful, useable and used”.
ADC
Divided by a common language on Ex CERBERUS