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Liaisons Dangereux: Linkman to the French on Op CABRIT
Lt Dair Watson
As a Liaison Officer (LNO) embedded
with the French Company during Op CABRIT 8, I had several functions: act as translator between the British and French Headquarters; advise on the movements of each and build relationships with the French to aid effective cooperation.
We had no direct means of communicating via common radios, as the LNO, I had to provide a bridge between the various Company’s and act as a direct link to provide real-time information and battle updates. What better place for me to first attempt this than Ex SPRING STORM; the culmination of months of training together between the British and French in a test against Estonian conscripts! Keen to go, I presented myself to the 1 MERCIAN Chief of Staff to request a vehicle to accompany the French. My vision of cutting about the battle space in my own PANTHER were short-lived when I was told there were no vehicles available! I duly reported to the Signals Officer to sign out a 354 radio, 20 batteries and ground spike antenna.
Not to be deterred, I met with the
French Company Commander, 20kg of batteries in tow, and discussed where I would be best placed to have an effect. The decision was quickly made that I would be attached to the French Recce Platoon and would follow just behind in their Artillery Observer vehicle, which the vehicle commander informed me was affectionately named “Saucisse de rouille” which translates to “rust sausage”, most likely because of its cylindrical shape and the abundance of rust that permeated
the chassis. In true French fashion we left fashionably late and arrived at the evening’s hide location where I proved to be the main source of entertainment for the evening. I dug a lonely shell scrape whilst the Recce soldiers watched with
polite interest...from
a distance...by their
cooking fires.
them achieve the Estonian and British’s combined Intent. This mainly involved reducing the friction that can so often be caused by linguistic and cultural differences not to mention doctrinal
It is important to note that by creating opportunities for individuals in the same job roles to meet and build working relationships the result both in camp and
Honestly, my first
impressions were not
the best, but that would
soon change. Over the
course of Ex SPRING
STORM, I would see the
professionalism which
they could display in contact, found their humour to be extremely similar to ours and their hospitality second to none. The French are welcoming and keen to help and inform anyone willing to try speaking French with them even though their average level of English at all ranks puts our own to shame.
Exercise for me, aside from working as an LNO, meant mainly assisting the French in any way they needed, whilst helping
differences. The best
way to reduce these
frictions is to embed
fully with any nation and
live as they do. It helps
to build relationships
faster and can ensure
that understanding of
how another nation
operates can be filtered
back correctly to the
LNO’s own chain of command, thereby helping them to understand how to best utilise their partner nation.
The biggest challenge I found was attempting to get either nation to accept the diversities in doctrine and for each to not attempt to force the other to adopt their own. We must strive in future to make doctrinal diversity a virtue and foster interoperability at all levels. Freedom of action is a strength of NATO. For example, the French always operate using vehicles and have no purely dismounted infantry, so dismounting from their vehicles for
any length of time or distance is going
to be regarded with suspicion and little enthusiasm.
I was also surprised to find after one set of Battlegroup orders that the French Army does not use effect or action verbs, which led to me spending a significant portion of my time translating the meaning and Intent
deployed means a far more efficient unit. Often these relationships
may not require an
LNO at every future meeting or discussion. To be successful as an LNO you almost need to work to the point where your presence
is no longer required. If individuals are confident
in liaising with their respective counterparts and others it speeds up any transaction, often with more successful end results.
Ultimately, I found working with the French was extremely rewarding and an incredible opportunity to both learn and teach. I have built long lasting friendships with some truly brilliant people and developed a far better understanding of how to work with other nations, as well as a greater appreciation and understanding of the shortcomings and strengths of our own military and the ways we could improve. Finally, it is important to remember that relationship building happens at all levels, not just through the LNO. We cannot be afraid to try talking to others from a different army or nation even if you might make a fool of yourself – it is likely in the longer term to work in your favour. Finally, a tip for anyone interested: do not mix up “Virages” with “Vierge” when giving directions in French!
of the Estonians and British for the French company. Elements such as this are easily solved as an LNO; however there are times when elements are far more troublesome, such as cultural differences, that could lead to arguments or worse
between nations.
Breaking up and mediating difficulties
between different nations’ personnel requires delicate handling and if wrong it can lead to several long nights undoing a mistranslated word that causes offence or leads others to the wrong conclusion. That said, it is very rewarding when resolved and often leads to stronger relationships between previously intractable individuals.
To be successful as an LNO you almost need to work to the point where your presence is no longer required
Breaking up and mediating difficulties between different nations’ personnel requires delicate handling
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