Page 8 - 1RHA 2021

1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
A Battery
(The Chestnut Troop) RHA Lieutenant F W J Tyson RHA
It has been a demanding 12 months for A Battery (The Chestnut Troop) RHA. During this time the Battery has had to tackle a wide variety of tasks. The most notable of these has been our
deployment on Operation (Op) CABRIT 7 in Estonia, as part of the 5 RIFLES Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup and our subsequent contribution to the Regiment’s support to the National Health Service and civilian agencies as part of United Kingdom Resilience Unit (UKRU) 5. This latter task involved being held at heightened readiness for Op PITTING in support of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office amidst the evacuation of Kabul, following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in late August 2021. The year’s challenges also included our defence against the COVID-19 threat which affected daily life, and this was particularly noticeable during the Battery’s time on operations, when separated from loved ones. Throughout all of this, the resilience and fighting spirit of The Chestnut Troop, from the most junior Gunner upwards, has been remarkable and inspiring.
After Summer Leave in 2020, and a 2 week pre-tour isolation period in various locations across the UK, the Battery began its 6 month deployment on Op CABRIT 7. On arrival in theatre, we began a Reception, Staging and Onward Integration (RSOI) training package to prepare and focus us on the task ahead. It included a basic range package to zero personal weapons after travelling, as well as cultural orientation to help us further develop understanding of our new Estonian environment. From this point on, the Battlegroup conducted a number of exercises to test itself in that environment. The first of these, Exercise (Ex) FURIOUS BUGLE, utilised the local Central Training Area near our base, Tapa Camp, and was designed to test the capability and inter- operability of the eFP Battlegroup. It introduced the Chestnut Troop to the climate and terrain of Estonia and included lessons on natural camouflage to reduce the footprint of the Armoured Battlegroup on multiple spectrums. In doing so, we were able to use our own Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) to test our thermal signature. Ex FURIOUS AXE followed soon after. A road move down to Adazi Ranges in Latvia kicked off a week- long, force on force, tactical exercise with eFP Battlegroup LAT- VIA playing the Opposing Forces. Whilst the Tac Group engaged
A Estonian Robinson prepares to act as an Air OP for the Battery Tac Gp
in close quarters battles in the forests of Latvia, it was a much quieter affair for the Gun Group, which was able to utilise the time to develop some of its Op CABRIT specific Standard Operating Procedures. However, the stillness of the ARA was broken on the final morning when a Spanish Sniper Team (call sign KILL 41!) entered the harbour area causing disruption and confusion until a fireteam from the Command Post valiantly led a counter-attack. Following the weeklong tactical phase, the Battery moved into a technical live firing week. In doing so, we fired alongside E Bat- tery Royal Canadian Horse Artillery and their M777 guns as well as the 81mm Mortars of 5 RIFLES’ Fire Support Company. This included a highly successful BC’s fire plan that brought together all the indirect firepower available in synchronised support of the Battlegroup. The week’s firing ended with the British guns firing in Support of the Estonian Scouts Battalion, as they conducted their own live firing objectives.
By the start of November, the Battery had become fully immersed in the enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup. A Fire Support Team deployed to Lithuania in support of the eFP Battlegroup LITHUANIA Headquarters on Ex IRON WOLF, furthering the Bat- tery’s opportunity to practice its interoperability skills and testing the adaptability of its soldiers in the complex environment of a multinational Battlegroup. This involved a series of fierce com- bat serials, with the light role Fire Support Company deploying against the armour and mechanised infantry of eFP Battlegroup LITHUANIA.
An AS90 Moves Rapidly across the Estonian terrain whilst maintaining its natural camoflague
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