Page 106 - QDG Volume 9 No. 5

104 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
MOD Main Building
– Euro Atlantic Security Directorate
After a ■■■ two years as Operations
our Defence Attaches and interna-
tential crisis faced by them should not
Officer, batting off daily trawls for our
tional partners, taught me an incredible
be underestimated, and they continue
talented cohort of officers and NCOs, I
lesson in humility and the value of
fight on in the face of incredible odds.
finally received the green light to trawl
Defence Engagement. I witnessed
It is not all doom and gloom
myself to the dizzying heights of the
first hand the incredible work that
however, the MOD has some of the
fourth floor in the Ministry of Defence.
policy advisors and military officers
most talented, intelligent, and capable
Blue eyed and bushy tailed, I zipped off
were doing in the building as the UK
civil servants, military officers, and
to Whitehall where I thought an 8 year
remained steadfast in its support to
government officials who all uphold
stint at Regimental Duty had prepared
Ukraine.
the values we in NATO we all stand
me well for a 6 month tour in the Euro
I was also fortunate enough to get
for. The importance of human life, the
Atlantic Security Directorate… With
a huge amount of travel around the
sheer bravery of the Ukrainian people
Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine well
world, including Japan, RoK, Sweden,
and the right that every country has
over two years in, I joined a department
Brazil, Nigeria, Malaysia and Kazakh-
to self-determination in the wake of
that was at the height of operational
stan, briefing our partners and allies
Russian aggression is abundantly clear
tempo.
on what Ukraine is facing. They are
now more than ever.
Daily meetings with the great and
in a fight for survival, something that
JK
the good from the MOD, Cabinet
the United Kingdom has not had to do
Office, FCDO, as well as engaging with
since the second world war. The exis-
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The high numbers of Queen’s Dragoon
arms and digital elements to the syllabus
Guards represented on the staff at Sand-
to acknowledge the ever-increasing pace
hurst continues, with Maj David Hoey as a
of battlefield developments and give
company commander, Capt Bertie Lewis
young officers a grounding from which to
as a platoon instructor and SSgt Tom
develop themselves once commissioned.
Warner as a platoon assistant instructor.
Having said that, much of the course
There are also a number of sergeants on
will remain familiar to those who have
forthcoming instructor cadres too so this
undergone or instructed on it, with log
good level of presence should persist.
races round Barossa, long afternoons
The Academy is going through one
in Faraday Hall and platoon attack sets
of its periodic changes, this one named
and reps up and down Sennybridge, not
Project Adair. One of the focuses is
to mention weird and wonderful plans
to make life more sustainable for the
presented with absolute confidence on
instructors, so it deheats the programme
‘PRACTAC’. The new Commandant Maj
slightly with more private study done
Gen Nick Cowley is a cavalryman, which
online (some officer cadets are surprised
can only be a good thing – albeit he is
to find this is tracked and chased up if not
also taking the Soldier Academy under
done!) and the AT week brought forward
command so Sandhurst itself is back
into the middle of term. Another part of
under a brigadier again. There are plenty
the intent is to introduce more combined
of RAC instructors too which is excellent.
Sport took a bit of a hiatus but is widely
acknowledged as needing to be re-intro-
duced so is steadily coming back.
Appetite among the officer cadets for a
career in the light cavalry remains highly
popular, with interest often at 30 or even
40:1 for spaces. Such competition means
we have the luxury of selection in the
Choice of Arm process, with hopefully
good effects felt at Regimental Duty as
a result.
Life here can be ■■■ during term
time but has lots of protected downtime
to compensate, and as a job is hugely
enjoyable and incredibly rewarding. We
would all encourage officers and NCOs
to think about applying here and would
be happy to talk to anyone interested.
BL
The good, the bad, and the ugly