Page 35 - 1RHA 2022

1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
UK Resilience Unit Activity –
Op PITTING and Op CUSTOM HOUSE Capt P E Clarke RHA
In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic numerous UK Resilience Units (UKRU) were established in order to allow Defence to respond to the rapidly changing situation. Ini-
tially formed as UKRU 17 in Dec 20, 1 RHA ultimately became UKRU 5 in May 21 and saw numerous deployments across the country in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, assist- ing with testing in schools, carrying out general duties in hospitals and containing the spread of the Delta Variant in Bolton. Additionally in Autumn 2021, UKRU 5 deployed to London to assist the Home Office with Operation CUSTOM HOUSE after a small element had assisted the Foreign Com- monwealth and Development Office (FCDO) with Operation PITTING.
Op PITTING
Operation PITTING was the operational name given to the evacuation to the UK of around 15,000 Afghans and British Nationals from Kabul as NATO allies withdrew their final force elements from Afghanistan. Personnel from the Regi- ment deployed to London on Op PITTING in August 2021 in response to the request for support from the FCDO.
Upon arrival in London, the 1 RHA team worked as one of three subunits within the FCDO Crisis centre and were used to contact Afghan nationals and gather information in order to enable their successful evacuation. Working on an 8-hour shift pattern, the team worked tirelessly for over a week and a half to contact Afghan civilians and gather information to pass onto the Home Office to assist with security checks.
Once the individuals had been cleared, the 1 RHA soldiers were responsible for contacting the Afghans again and advising that they make their way to Kabul Airport as soon as possible; this often happened whilst those in Afghanistan were actively being searched for by the Taliban. An excep- tionally difficult task, firstly because many did not speak Eng- lish but also given the deteriorating situation in Kabul and the individuals unsurprisingly becoming more distressed as time elapsed and their opportunity to escape the Taliban Regime diminished.
As the situation around Kabul airport continued to worsen, the 1 RHA personnel had to deal with more desperate and upsetting interactions with those still in Afghanistan. Every one of the team showed total professionalism and conducted themselves exceptionally well under extreme pressure. Throughout the operation, they all had multiple encounters with FCDO staff and other departments, many times having to back brief senior staff which were always conducted with confidence and ease. Over 2000 Afghans were contacted during the operation and although this is a small total within the wider evacuation, it is important to note that almost all from 1 RHA that deployed did so without prior experience of such a challenging and unsettling situation. To date, the 1 RHA team are partially responsible for the evacuation of
over 1000 Afghanistan civilians from Kabul. The outstand- ing efforts the individuals put in were acknowledged by the FCDO and they were commended for their strong profes- sional attitudes during the deployment.
Op CUSTOM HOUSE
Operation CUSTOM HOUSE was the operational name given to the MOD support to Operation WARM WELCOME, the cross-government activity for the integration of persons from Afghanistan into the UK. UKRU 5 deployed to London in Autumn 2021 in response to the request for support from the Home Office.
In September 2021 immediately post Ex ARIES STORM, 267 personnel deployed to London as part of UKRU 5 on MACA 21/146 in support of the Home Office. This was in response to the Afghan Refugee Crisis and the need to collate informa- tion on those who had been evacuated from Afghanistan and were residing across 16 bridging hotels in London.
A short notice task, the deployment was phased to allow for the HQ element from 1 RHA to gain a foothold from Horse Guards Parade and begin liaising with the various stake- holders involved, including Joint Military Command London (JMC(L)), the hotels in which the refugees were accom- modated, various charities and other governmental depart- ments (OGDs). Having been allocated hotels in London to conduct the data collection, what followed was the rapid deployment of Sub-Units in quick succession which saw the soldiers of 1 RHA descend upon London. For many, this was their first venture into the capital and an exciting prospect given the chance to continue the exemplary work conducted on Op PITTING. Being accommodated in the Strand Palace Hotel, only a stone’s throw away from Trafalgar Square, was an added bonus.
The task involved the collation of data on Afghan Refugees accommodated in 16 bridging hotels across London and was one which required careful planning, the utmost dili- gence regarding data protection and a great deal of empa- thy towards families who had experienced fear and terror in their own country at the hands of the Taliban. With areas of operations allocated to SUs, the soldiers collected data using secure IT and forms prepared by the Home Office and inter- viewed and collected data on a total of 4488 refugees over two and a half weeks, an impressive feat. The greatest care was taken to ensure every refugee was accounted for and the hotels’ manifests were checked, and triple checked with hotel management, the Home Office and JMC(L) to ensure no one was missed and that the data was highly accurate. The soldiers of both regiments displayed the highest degree of professionalism throughout and completed the monumental task at an impressive pace and to an exceptional standard.
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