Page 6 - 1RHA 2021

MACA (Military Aid to Civil Authorities), has burst into the public consciousness over the past 18 months in an unprecedented fashion. The COVID-19 pandemic par-
ticularly has placed pressure on the infrastructure of government which exceeds anything seen in the post-War period, including notable periods of instability such as the Suez Crisis fuel short- ages (1956-7) and the ‘Winter of Discontent’ under the Callaghan government (1978-9). The performance of the British people and its institutions, when considering this remarkable challenge, has been admirable.
This period has been particularly testing for medical profession- als dealing directly with the human cost of the global pandemic. However, acknowledgement must also be forthcoming for the Army, which has served an impressive supporting function with- out complaint, relieving pressure from civilian agencies where this was most needed. Throughout this period 1 RHA in particular has stood ready to fulfil a wide range of tasks, from providing Local Resilience Teams to schools and hospitals (as part of Op RESCRIPT) to supporting the resettlement of Afghan refugees in the wake of the fall of Kabul (Op PITTING/Op WARM WEL- COME).
MACA is nothing new. In the last twenty years alone the Army has been called upon to support Op FRESCO (2002-03 Fire Brigades Union strikes), Op PITCHPOLE and Op SHAKU (2013–14 and 2015 winter floods), Op BRIDLED (the 2016 collapse of Didcot power station) and Op TEMPERER (Manchester Arena bombing and the Parsons Green train bombing in 2017), to name but a few. The role of defence within the MACA framework is broadly to provide ‘niche’ capabilities where required (for example EOD, which it would not be efficient or necessary for the rest of govern- ment to generate independently) and to stand ready to support the civil authorities when their capacity is overwhelmed. It is fair to say that the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has leaned heavily on the latter of these provisions.
1 RHA has formed part of UKRU 5. The ensuing period has been one of huge complexity and ever-changing demands from gov- ernment, requiring unprecedented flexibility from 1 RHA person- nel. The magnificent response to this from the Regiment truly exemplifies the best traditions of 1 RHA and this will undoubt- edly come to be viewed as a worthy chapter in our long and sto- ried history. It is also accurate to say that 1 RHA has developed a true ‘culture of readiness’ over this demanding period, becoming accustomed to calmly facing compressed readiness timelines, large deployments at short notice and challenging tasks well outside the usual scope of that which might be expected of an armoured artillery Regiment.
Every Battery in the Regiment has been extensively committed to MACA taskings, with almost every member of the Regiment deployed at least once to support a wide range of taskings.
Despite a busy rotation of Op CABRIT 7 as part of the 5 RIFLES Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup, Chestnut Troop personnel found time to support Op RESCRIPT in Bolton, deliv- ering COVID tests to local residents, and Op PITTING for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, in response to the fall of Kabul. B Battery were heavily involved in two major deployments; one to Reading and the wider South West region in February (supporting NHS hospital staff across the South-West), and another to Bolton in May (75 B Battery soldiers deployed in support of Bolton Local Authority building surge capacity in the vaccination pipeline). E Battery deployed 18 personnel at short notice in support of Op RESCRIPT, delivering four Local Response Teams (LRTs), and were particularly focussed on pro- viding support to the NHS at Frimley Park Hospital and Slough Wrexham Hospital. In June 2021, 75 E Battery soldiers, almost the complete sub-unit, deployed to Bolton. O/HQ Battery depart- ments worked tirelessly throughout Op RESCRIPT to ensure all Batteries went out of the door correctly equipped and prepared to effectively deliver assistance where and when it was needed –
1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
Spotlight on MACA Captain C C Dodd RHA
B Battery personnel pictured with NHS staff
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