Page 22 - RAPTC Number 102 2018/19

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22 ENGINEER REGIMENT
SSgt (SSI) J Miller RAPTC
London Broncos RL Team conducting PFA
London Broncos RL Team conducting drill lessons
It was in December 2017 when I received my assignment order stating I would be joining 19 Regiment Royal Artillery (The Scottish Gunners) as the Regimental SSI. Previous to this
I completed a successful 2 years within ATR Winchester as a syndicate leader. After 12 months maternity leave I started my tour of duty in October 2018, what a difference a year makes! Who would have thought so much would have changed in regards to how we develop and deliver physical training to our soldiers? Stand by for a crash course and remind and revise in RAPTC policies and delivery.
With Winchester now being a distant memory and somewhere I thought to have had a very busy working environment, nothing could prepare me for the battle rhythm I was about to submerge myself in. Only 6 months into serving within 19 Regt RA it has been a baptism of fire, as the SQEP in all things PD I can now say with confidence I’m experiencing the demanding role of a RAPTC SSI in a field force unit.
The Commanding Officer’s (CO) main objectives are not only to improve his regiment’s overall health and fitness, reducing MSKI and increasing deployability but to achieve 80% Medically fit to Deploy (MFD) by Apr 19 - ”Hello SSI Baikie make it happen!”. With Battery’s going through different training cycles this would be no easy task.
19 Regt RA are a Close Support Heavy Artillery Regiment, currently at a period of high readiness. 5 Bty deployed in Feb 19 to Gibraltar. 28/143 Bty are about to hand over the Estonia task
to 127 Bty who deploy in Mar 19 as part of force multiplier on Operation CABRIT.
The CO’s priority and my main focus is the newly established rehabilitation troop (Robertson Troop) which comprises a level 1/2 PT cohort. Communication is key as you require the support of the sub units CoC to enable its success, which was not executed. Having now established a good working connection with the CoC using the Robertson Troop tracker in conjunction with the individual PT passports, this allowed me to tailor bespoke PT programmes to the individual following the APTS. This vastly improved the rehabilitation of level 1/2 PT SP. Robertson Troop has seen a 14% increase of soldiers returning to level 3 PT. When I initially briefed the concept of Robertson Troop the stigma of (Oh my god I’m part of ‘FAT CAMP’) was the reaction I met, however Robertson Troop has had a positive impact on the soldier’s general outlook and approach to their health, fitness and wellbeing.
Things to look forward to - RA boxing is upon us with 19 Regt RA Boxing Team, training hard and preparing for the prelims at the end of March. The Regiment is due to leave Tidworth Garrison in the summer of 2019 to their new home in Larkhill. This will be a testing time as the new garrison gym will not be ready until 2020 and what is already a congested area, land grabbing is going to be my new task!
Although these past 6 months have been some of the busiest of my army career to date, I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities and challenges which have been part of my development as a RAPTCI.
19TH REGIMENT ROYAL ARTILLERY
SSgt (SSI) A Baikie RAPTC
5 Bty Gibraltar 19 RA Gym staff 19 RA Christmas PT