Page 40 - Example Journals

4 The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars
Foreword by The Colonel of the Regiment
While we can expect the strategic context
for 2015 to be de ned by uncertainty
and danger, whether from Islamic Jihadists in
the Middle East and closer to home or from
continued Russian adventurism in Eastern
Ukraine, the Army faces, yet again, the chal-
lenge of a Strategic Defence and Security
Review, almost before the ink is dry on the
last reorganization. We cannot be sanguine
about this. While the Prime Minister waxes
apocalyptic about the threat to national secu-
rity presented by the so-called Islamic State,
joins with other NATO leaders at the NATO
Summit in presenting a strong (-ish) front to
Putin and is prone to wrapping himself in
the ag of patriotic sentimentality in talk-
ing about the Armed Forces, the alarm bells
should nevertheless be ringing at his reluc-
tance to commit himself to a continued 2% of
GDP spent on defence. Unlike the NHS and
overseas aid, Defence is not ring-fenced from
further cuts and despite general public sup-
port for the Armed Forces, is not an electoral
issue. So anything in the Army structure not rmly underpinned by defence policy and embedded in defence planning assumptions is likely to be fair game when the Chancellor (whoever occupies that seat after the election) looks for the next round of austerity to meet his debt reduction targets by 2017. On a more positive note, however strategically inept this Government has proved itself, given the dangers we face in the world, it would be gross
irresponsibility for any government to make further cuts to the Army’s ability to respond to the unexpected in which KRH plays a key role as armoured regiment.
Whatever happens in Whitehall, nothing bar- ring an operational deployment will prevent The King’s Royal Hussars from commemorat- ing and celebrating our heritage. 2015 marks the Tercentenary of the formation of the 10th, 11th and 14th Dragoons in 1715 to counter the threat of the rst Jacobite rebellion and much planning has already taken place to mark this epochal occasion properly. We will cement our local links in Winchester and Preston, scene of the rst battle in which our anteced- ent regiments fought by exercising our right, conferred by the Freedoms of both boroughs, to march through the city with bayonets xed and swords drawn on 9th and 11th July respectively. But the date for everyone’s diary is the weekend of 17th–19th July when we will mark the Tercentenary at Tidworth with
a series of events in Messes and a major parade on the Saturday at which we hope the salute will be taken by the Colonel-in-Chief. I encourage all elements of the Regimental Association, whether KRH, Shiners, Cherrypickers or Noah’s Arc to make the trip to Tidworth to see old friends, to reaf rm our commitment and sup- port our Regiment and to take pride in the quality, professionalism and comradeship of those who serve today.
Foreword by The Commanding Of cer
The principal theme for the Regiment in 2014 has been train- ing for readiness on our core platforms. This involved a full training season for the Regiment, including A, D and Support squadrons, which culminated in a 36 day exercise in BATUS, Canada, as the 1350 strong Lead Armoured Battle Group. B and C squadrons followed a similar path as part of the 1 R WELSH and 1 YORKS Battle Groups respectively. It is fair to say that all have spent plenty of time on tanks this year; we were recognised by Army HQ as being the busiest regiment in the Army in 2014.
During the spring oods in the south-east both B and C squad- rons deployed to assist the civil authorities at short notice. As well as some aggressive sandbag lling they were extremely well received by the local community; never ones to miss a trick, I know of at least one relationship that is still going strong!
Whilst the Battle Group were on the prairie we heard of plans for an imminent deployment to Poland as the largest part of a raft of NATO Immediate Assurance Measures in central and eastern Europe; contingency had very much become reality in the form of Exercise Black Eagle. Within 24 hours of nishing the exer- cise at the end of July an initial Recce team ew back via a brief stopover in the UK to visit Zagan training area and our Polish hosts – 10th Armoured Cavalry Brigade. I will leave the detailed updates for the rest of the team to deliver. Safe to say we more than exceeded our overall aim which was to reassure our Polish colleagues and deliver a wider deter effect at the strategic level. By way of proving that the Army is still capable of force projec- tion on such a scale we picked up around half of our eet from storage in Germany on route to Poland. After plenty of routine
trips to Canada in recent years there was an expeditionary feel and a certain novelty to Ex Black Eagle. It allowed all the key enablers to forge a plan and execute it with great success, as well as offering a good opportunity for the squadrons and companies to conduct their own bespoke low level training. In the early stages there was not quite as much bilateral training as we would
The CO with GOC 11th Polish Armoured Division