Page 8 - The Light Blue Volunteer 2019

Ex PETRA BLUE
Continuing our success last year, Cambridge UOTC once again had the privilege of sending OCdts to Jordan to partake in defence engagement. The exercise ran in two phases; defence engagement and cultural visits. First we met Her Majesty’s Ambassador
to Jordan and the Defence Attache to Jordan, who explained some of the issues faced by the country both internal and external.
The next day we visited 91st Battalion Quick Reaction Force (QRF), a group with close ties to our own 16 Air Assault Brigade. We engaged in morning PT with the whole Battalion, before watching
the troops train on the ranges and
even had a ride in some of the MRAP vehicles. Afterwards, we went to the King Hussein Mosque in Ammann for
a tour by a representative of the Royal Court, who had trained at RMAS, and a
top government minister. The following day, we received an inspirational talk from 2Lt Ennis, the RMAS-trained commander of Jordan’s first all-female QRF platoon. Her troops undertake key tasks such as searching female refugees crossing Jordan’s northern border with Syria, a role unacceptable for men to carry out. We then spent a day at Mutah University, where Jordanians complete their Officer Training alongside regular university studies. Here we delivered lessons on leadership, camouflage and concealment, and putting up a two-man shelter to groups of cadets.
The second phase included trips to
the ancient city of Petra and the awe- inspiring landscapes of Wadi Rum, where we met with the Honorary Colonel of CUOTC, Lt Gen Sir John Lorimer KC DSO MBE. We shared a 4x4 ride through the desert and talked to Lt Gen Lorimer
about his role in the region, reflecting on what we had learnt about defence engagement.
SUO Wheater
8 THE LIGHT BLUE VOLUNTEER