Page 48 - MERCIAN Eagle 2021

2 Platoon
Lt Park, OC 2 Platoon
A first year on regimental duties will always be an interesting one, and during 2021 I have had the opportunity to experience
a particularly busy one with 2 MERCIAN. Arriving in Cyprus having finished training, three months spent in Kenya as a Platoon Commanders on Ex ASKARI STORM and routine life in Weeton Camp have kept me as busy and engaged as I had hoped. With Op TORAL and BATONNE removed from the forecast of events due to changing circumstances, 2 MERCIAN began to receive numerous trawl opportunities from 4 Brigade. This resulted in my deployment as an Observer Mentor (OM) for Exercise KHANJAR OMAN 21 with the Royal Irish battlegroup.
Deploying as a platoon commander to BATUK on ASKARI STORM proved both challenging and an amazing experience. The opportunity to lead my platoon over new terrain whilst surrounded by unique wildlife was a life experience that many of my peers from Sandhurst will not have due to regimental commitments and varying FOEs. It was the quintessential deployment for a light role infantry platoon commander and instantly gave me the opportunity to gain credibility as an infanteer and to see the outstanding skills possessed by my section commanders.
The first two weeks of deployment saw the battalion acclimatise to the Kenyan heat and gave time for the platoon commanders to recce LFTT ranges that progressed from static shoots all the way up to platoon live by night. Following the completion of LFTT, the Company moved to Archers Post where daily temperatures reached forty degrees and the only wildlife that liked to visit you
in the night were the abundant number of scorpions. This was a stark difference from the elephants, lions and giraffes that had surrounded us during the LFTT phase just
days prior. The company validation phase was split into four distinct phases which were defensive, offensive, enabling operations and a CALFEX. This time allowed A (Grenadier) Company to cement its reputation as a reliable and effective fighting force and demonstrate the power of force integration with DRAGON company and attached ISTAR elements, bringing a light role company swiftly into the modern battle space.
Following a summer of routine work in Weeton camp, I deployed as an OM for
the R IRISH battlegroup on Ex KHANJAR OMAN 21. Pte Grindey and I arrived in
the Renaissance Village outside of the
Port of Duqm on the 12 October 2021.
This complex housed the battlegroup
prior to their deployment onto the ground. Here we had some breathing space to acclimatise to the intense desert heat and to meet the EXCON team. The role of OM proved different to what I had seen before; we primarily facilitated the close medical support to exercising troops on the ground and facilitating their battle using SAAB TES equipment. During each mission, we would capture photographs and battle data via TES to later feedback in after action reviews to the Royal Irish troops. This was based
on the Company Commander’s training objectives and the points he wished to observe and improve upon.
Additionally, the exercise was an excellent insight into the inner workings of an EXCON and HICON at brigade level. As OMs we directly feed into the reporting and planning phases of the EXCON team to allow improvements as the missions developed
in complexity and intensity. The insight
was a valuable experience to see the roles available at brigade level and the complexity of the planning process required. With Canada soon closing as a training facility, the reports generated from EX KO 21 will be invaluable in establishing this training area as the future armoured and mechanised training area of the next decade.
During some occasional down time, the OMs were able to escape the heat and dust of the dry desert and spend the day at a rather pleasant hotel in nearby Duqm. This gave the perfect opportunity to relax by a luxurious swimming pool and enjoy the sun which had previously been such a burden when clad in MTP. This was one of the more rarely experienced moments that during work hours you can honestly say... “living the dream”.
46 THE MERCIAN EAGLE