Page 88 - QDG Year of 2022 CREST

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1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
11 SFAB
11 Security Force Assistance Brigade, currently commanded by Brigadier Justin Stenhouse (late QDG) is conducting Oper- ation INTERFLEX. This operation is training Ukrainian Armed Forces in basic combat, which between June and December 2022 had generated 10,000 Battlefield Casualty Replace- ments for the Ukrainian Army and will continue into 2023. The course is a combination of the courses taught to British Infantry regular and reserve recruits, over 5 weeks in 4 loca- tions in the UK. While much of the course would be considered traditional Infantry training, much has been adapted to the unique nature of the war; some examples are the inclusion of extensive counter-UAS drills, and the exposure of Ukrainian recruits to simulations of static defensive trench warfare.
Doctrinal lessons are being learned from the experi- ence and subsequently fed out to the wider British Army; examples being that triangular harbours are outdated
In 11SFAB’s business as usual, the concept of Security Force assistance is being fleshed out with expansion of Op CORDED to Botswana, and other deployments around the world that will seek to deploy SFA Infantry Companies for 6 months to enable deeper and enduring relationships with our partners, to be able to train them in times of crisis and conflict.
TWW
by drone and thermal surveillance, and a renewed emphasis on digging in for basic survival under heavy artillery bombardment. Direct links into the front lines of
the war makes for a quickly adapting programme. The anecdotal feedback is that British-trained recruits are amongst the best that return to fight in Ukraine, which
is heartening news for those at Unit and Sub-Unit level
who have worked tirelessly. The endeavour has been rewarding to be involved in and credit must go to the Ukrainian recruits who despite their age (the oldest being 67!) demonstrate determination, pride, and unwavering patri- otism.
Ukrainians being trained in Urban Combat in the UK
Republic Of Korea, US Army
During August Sgt Pugh was lucky enough to be selected to be a part of a contingent of 17 UK service personnel that augmented the United Nations Command (UNC) HQ in the Republic of Korea (ROK).
Individual augmentees play a role in providing advice, critical staff work and expertise to the UNC HQ in its contin- gency planning during times of crises - so it was confusing to hear that Sgt Pugh had been selected!
The Crisis Management Exercise (CMX) and Exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield 22 (UFS) ran over the period of August and September 22.
The Korean Peninsula is still in a state of armed conflict stemming from the 1950s because a formal peace treaty was never signed. Therefore, the initial CMX was a UNC-driven phase to exercise the procedures to deesca- late tensions on the Peninsula prior to the outbreak of hostilities in attempts to maintain the Armistice Agreement.
This was the first time such an exercise
had been held on the Peninsula in 4 years.
The scenario for the exercise that followed was based on an armed conflict and was designed to enhance the ROK/ US combined defence posture and strengthen the security and stability on the Korean peninsula. This was the first time such an exercise had been held on the Peninsula in 4 years and was, for the first time, commanded by the ROK 4* General. The exercise was a significant complex major exercise that involved the ROK Government, ROK Combined Forces Command (CFC), United States Forces Korea (USFK), UNC and subor- dinate component commands under CFC and representatives of the United Nations Sending States [to the Korean War] (UNSS).
For the Exercise, Sgt Pugh was employed in the Non-Combatant Evac- uation Operation (NEO) Coordination Cell within the UNC Operations Centre (UOC) at UNC HQ. His primary role was to track the status of the various
UNSS NEO plans and to liaise with duty staff in the UOC, British Embassy and other UNSS to facilitate the execution of those national NEO plans. The role also required representing other UNSS concerns and requirements for a NEO.
DP
Sgt Pugh thought he had escaped doing the night shift