Page 52 - Mercian Eagle 2014

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This photo was taken from an FUP with zero moonstate and a Millilux level of 1. Despite not being a perfect shot it was very useful to brief commanders about to assault.
Without listing endless examples the main lesson we learnt is that reconnaissance
is no place for the timid. The old adage
of ‘got to be necky to be Recce’ could
not be more true in Kenya and a cautious commander will find himself out of time and with little information to show for his work. Dead ground studies by the BGE and G2 products were very useful in assessing where we could take risk.
Fight Light.
For the final exercise the platoon was Orbatted into 3 x Recce Patrols, 1 x G4 Section and our 8 sniper pairs attached. The G4 section was commanded by the
Pl 2ic and was equipped with a LR FFR (Complex fit). This allowed us to resupply quickly using live letter boxes; vital because we needed to spend as much time as possible on target. The G4 section also carried out the standard role of sponsoring RVs and supporting the CASEVAC chain.
Throughout the exercise the BG worked hard to ‘fight light’ under the Project
Payne principles. As a platoon we found it impossible to backload and forward load
kit in the same way as the Rifle Coys and so we adapted to a ‘fight lighter’ plan. We deployed with only daysack and belt-kit and so took limited personal kit and no sleeping bags. Due to the fact that we generally worked through the night we did not suffer excessively when the temperature dropped and we were able to cover long distances quickly due to our light loads. As a rule
we deployed with 2 DOS and conducted resupplies from any call-sign that came close to us on the ground. This worked well and at no stage was the platoon held back by a lack of rations, ammo or water.
DH3.
DH3 proved to be a very useful asset and worked well alongside the Platoon. The AO on the BG exercise is vast and complex and so Named Areas of Interest needed to be relatively focussed in order to give us a realistic chance of covering them. When the weather and terrain permits, DH3 provided us with an ability to cover much larger areas very quickly and fed information directly back into the Ops Cell in BG HQ. Crucially this saved both time on target and our feet. On one target DH3 managed to produce such detailed imagery of a complex village
The cameras gave BGHQ the detail needed to produce accurate models and make assessments of the ground.
that we were able to focus all of our
efforts onto finding FUPs and Fire Support locations rather than spending our limited time working out what the target consisted of, we had that information before leaving the harbour area.
ISTAR Cell.
During the BG defensive phase the Platoon HQ set up an ISTAR cell in BGHQ along with the DH3 Detachment and overseen by the BG Warfare Officer. The Platoon 2ic’s LR FFR was bolted onto the side of BG HQ alongside the DH3 Det to form the cell. The Platoon was deployed into a series
of OPs alongside the snipers and FSTs in order to provide a screen forward. This allowed information to be passed back to the ISTAR Cell where it could be properly analysed by LRCC trained commanders and immediately
the Bell makes up for its low lift capacity with the ability to drop troops almost anywhere. The pilots were quite happy to hover above an outcrop and let us jump off or climb on. This asset allowed us to deploy into OP screens quickly and redeploy. Whilst the compromise risk is high the use of dummy drops, low flying and darkness allowed us to take some risk for a high payoff.
BG vs. ISTAR Net.
Doctrinally the Recce Platoon should always operate on the BG net. Whilst this worked most of the time, in heavy contact the net became very clogged and despite the platoon working hard to achieve
brevity it became very difficult to actually manoeuvre the patrols around and report timely information during the advance. As a
passed up to the Ops
team and the JFC.
Green Eyes and DH3
were able to identify
targets at range and
pass them on to the
OPs as they closed in.
Accurate triggering was
vital for the Rifle Coys
particularly when the enemy used multiple axes of advance and this system achieved that. Whilst it always feels wrong for a Platoon Commander to be in the rear, in this case it worked and it allowed myself and the 2ic to plan and analyse information where we could use some white light and not be restricted by the need to remain fully tactical in an OP.
Aviation Ops.
During the exercise the BG receives real life and exercise aviation support from the Bell helicopters of 25 Flight AAC. The BG reserved most of the available flying hours for the Recce and Sniper Platoons and we used them extensively. As a mobility asset
result we had to switch to an ISTAR net with the snipers and then use the FFR to relay information on the BG net. This took longer to relay information down to the Rifle Coys but at least it allowed us to manoeuvre properly.
The patrols were able to relay info face to face once the Rifle Coys had met us in the RVs for their attacks. The platoon switched back to the BG net as soon as it calmed down or if we had vital information.
Camera Kit.
We borrowed camera kit from the SRR and Infantry Recce Wing 3 weeks before the exercise and used them throughout. They were very useful in briefing OCs and the CO during COA and FUP briefs and were used to good effect on heli recces. We sent the SD cards back through the G4 chain using the FFR to bring them back via live letter box to BG Main HQ. In BG Main we used
a civilian laptop to analyse the imagery. If
Doctrinally the Recce Platoon should always operate on the BG net.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE