Page 11 - 1RHA 2022

Once again, it gives me great pleasure to write the overview of B Battery’s past 12 months as part of this year’s Regi- mental Journal. This time last year, the shadow of COVID-
19 still loomed large both in our day-to-day activity as, like every- one, we had to manage the risk of infection, but also in the roles that B Battery were being asked to fulfil, which were focused on supporting the government’s national response to the global pandemic. While last year saw B Battery deployed multiple times in support of the NHS and other government departments, this year has been marked by a return to normality, which has seen B Battery return to conventional armoured warfare training with a focus next year on a deployment to Estonia as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence, known as Operation CABRIT. With less than a year to go before a 6-month deployment, our collec- tive focus is very much on ensuring that we maximise the training opportunities up until our deployment.
As an artillery unit based next to Salisbury Plain, we can be called upon to support the Royal School of Artillery with live fire support to courses. This is used infrequently but allows 34 Battery who would normally conduct the live firing, the opportunity to conduct additional training. This year saw B Battery fire in support of the Level 4 OP Ack course. Having not conducted any live firing for over 12 months, this was an excellent opportunity to get the gun line back into the swing of things, both those who hadn’t fired for a long time and those who had never live fired before. This
B Bty soldiers inspect the danger area on Ex IRON STORM
Captain Vincent RHA and his ack conduct a brief period of planning on CSTTX in Germany
training serial was an excellent steppingstone as B Battery very quickly found itself aligned to the 1 MERICAN Battlegroup for the next 4 months.
Ex IRON STORM is classed as a Collective Training Level Foxtrot exercise – in old money, this is a Combined Arms Exercise, and covers simulated planning and execution, live firing in a com- bined arms context and a force-on-force blank exercise using Tactical Engagement Simulator otherwise known as TES. Collec- tive Training Exercises are used to test and assure Battlegroups prior to them being held at readiness. Due to the restructuring of Battlegroups across the Field Army, the 1 MERICAN Battlegroup, who had recently returned from Estonia, were due to be validated and held at readiness, but did not have the normal Combat Sup- port, and Combat Service Support available to them, and for this reason, B Battery were tasked with supporting them.
After a very hasty staff training package, the Tac Group deployed to Germany to conduct the Combined Arms Tactical Training exercise. This facility allows the Battlegroup HQ to plan an oper- ation, which is then executed in the simulators by the soldiers who would fight it in reality. The simulators allow the plan to be tested against a free-thinking enemy in a simulated world and thus allow the Battlegroup HQ to react and enact contingency plans as appropriate. The simulators also offer the opportunity to ‘dial up,’ or ‘dial down’ the complexity and challenges of the sce-
BC’s Tac – Ex IRON STORM
Gnr Blewett providing situational awareness from the back of the Warrior OPV simulator on CSTTX in Germany
1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
B Battery RHA Maj A J L Coffey RHA
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