Page 39 - RADC Bulletin 2022

Exercise BELLOWING DRAGON
Maj Georgina K. Padgett-Duncan
2022 saw the return of Exercise BELLOWING DRAGON (BD), an annual Army-led Tri-service exercise for Regular and Reserve deployable dental teams. It was last run in 2019 in Catterick, led by 5 Medical Regiment’s Dental Team, but due to COVID, had been put on hold until we were finally able to reinvigorate it for a 5th iteration this year.
The 2-day exercise was organised and facilitated by the Dental Team at 1 Medical Regiment, taking place in Tidworth in May. A challenge was posed when I was deployed on a Dental Readiness Preparation Team (DRPT) tasking, arriving back in Tidworth only 2 days before the exercise began. 1
Med also currently has no Dental Nurses to support. Fortunately, Maj Varinder Bassi had been assigned to 1 Med in April and so had a baptism of fire, cutting around on my behalf checking that all the arrangements were actually happening. It’s one way of getting
to know everyone very quickly on arrival at
a new unit!
Ex BD 5 comprised a mixture of classroom-based and practical serials, with the aim of developing understanding about the capability of deployable dental teams to
deliver safe and effective dental care in the Land Environment (LE). It was great to be face-to-face after so long, and learn from each other’s experiences, challenges faced with kit and deployments and how they overcame them.
We heard from LCpl Cacho about her and Capt James William’s deployment
on Op CABRIT and from Surg Lt (D)
Josie Kane about her dark and snowy deployment to Norway, covering issues from Med Log, to radiation zones (trying
not to irradiate the staff room!) and power transformer requirements. We also heard perspectives from HQ DMS, Army HQ and Chief Dental Officer (Army), so it was a useful environment to bring together the grass-roots experiences and understand the higher-level intent.
The post lunch (traditionally graveyard) serial was jazzed up by a walk down to
the hangar to have a hands-on tour of
the Bulldog armoured ambulance variant and a walkabout of the Dental Readiness Preparation Team (DRPT) tented facility. Two Combat Medical Technicians (CMTs) gave a lively demonstration of its manoeuvrability (and doubtless needed to spend the rest of
the day repairing it!).
Day 2 included serials about the RADC
Reserves, delivered by Lt Col Greaves, Royal Navy/Commando unit experiences and Dental Public Health perspectives from Surg Lt Cdr (D) Clow. It also drew out the helpful unknowns, saving individuals time and effort, replicating work that already exists. An overall enjoyable exercise, washed down with a great curry, providing a basis to launch the next iteration in 2023.
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