Page 7 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2018

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) 5
Commanding Officer’s Foreword
The Regiment passed a major milestone this year with its first operational deployment. The Nicosia-based Urban Roule- ment Regiment (Sector 2) commitment is well-known to many old-sweats, but to the vast bulk of those Lancers who we took this year it was their first operational deployment (and impor- tantly their first medal). With Cypriot politics in a period of downward spiral the tour proved particularly interesting. Our soldiers were immaculate, spending many hot hours out on pa- trol maintaining a visible presence in the Buffer Zone and deal- ing with a range of incidents. I was impressed by how fast our young troopers, lance corporals and junior officers developed over the six months. They grew in confidence and self-reliance; a leadership dividend I’m sure the Regiment will enjoy for sev- eral years. Away from the UN the Regiment very much made the most of Cyprus; 207 adventurous training qualification were completed, Lancers took part in the Troodos marathon, road cy- cling, parachuting – and much more. And it was fantastic to see so many families make the trip out there for R&R periods. The Rear Party did a tremendous service to the Regiment; they were faultless in support to both those on tour and our families back at home.
The Regiment has been very active this year on the Formation Reconnaissance front. First, C Squadron led 12 Brigade across the Prairie in Canada as their Brigade Reconnaissance Group. The exercise very much tested C Squadron and probably amounts to the most demanding formal field training the Regiment’s com- pleted in this discipline for many years. C Squadron took much from the experience, in spite of some major challenges, not least the fragility of the ageing CVR(T) fleet. Second, the Regiment has continued to drive the (re)development of Divisional-level reconnaissance. We’ve enjoyed direct support from both the Divisional and ISR Brigade Commanders, both critical players
in reforging the skill-set. The Regiment has also been a leading contributor to the much needed formal re-write of ground re- connaissance doctrine, the first re-write in a generation.
Concurrently, whilst we continue to wait patiently for our new wagon (Ajax), we have much training to do to get fully match fit. We deployed BGHQ in armour under the Divisional HQ in early ’19 on a large Command Post Exercise involving most of the Field Army’s key command nodes. It is the first time in many years this has been done and was of tremendous value to both the Division and Regiment. This year the squadrons have comprehensive plans to train both on armour and Land Rover. This dual approach ensures we learn to apply reconnaissance across public spaces. As an example B Squadron made the most of a week-long exercise in Denmark. The Squadron Leader took his squadron out there over two weeks via a number of military training areas and public spaces in the UK and Germany com- pleting many useful training objectives en route.
As you read further into the Journal you’ll notice that the Regi- ment has been active on the sporting, adventurous training and social fronts. Many individual achievements stand out, and col- lectively the Regiment has made the most of the year. A narrow second place on Hodson’s Horse has whet the appetite for ’19...
Reflecting on the year, the Regiment has much to be proud of. It has a strengthening reputation, a successful operational tour un- der its belt, and is leading the way for the formation reconnais- sance community. As I hand over this New Year to Lieutenant Colonel Adam Foden, I wish him and the Regiment continued good fortune and happy hunting.
HLS