Page 49 - Example Journals

territory of its neighbour in an effort to annex mineral-rich provinces and unite ethnically identical groups who were sepa- rated by a UN-imposed border. The two weeks were designed to be extremely testing, with the Battlegroups afforded little rest and forced to react to unforeseen enemy actions at every turn. Over the fourteen day period, the KRH Battlegroup engaged the forces of the ctional Northern Democratic Federation (NDF) in all forms of combat: massed attacks, airborne raids, defence and counter insurgency in both the open prairie and large urban areas with civilian populations (played by locally hired Canadian nationals).
The men and women of 30 AES frequently had to support the advancing Battlegroup by clearing safe paths through mine elds or building assault bridges to enable onward movement, or dig defensive positions to give the KRH subunits the best protec- tion against an attacking enemy. This was conducted in all con- ditions, day or night, in brilliant sunshine and burning heat as well as torrential downpours and sudden chills. In order to really put strain on the BGHQ and its elements, most tactical scenarios forced the KRH Battlegroup to react to multiple different events simultaneously. The best (and most stressful example) was dur- ing the clearance of a shanty town divided by a river. Having been assisted by combat engineers who built a bridge over the water feature, two infantry companies were dismounted and ght- ing through the town when a chemical weapon was detonated by insurgents, causing multiple friendly and civilian casualties. Just as this occurred, BGHQ was informed that there was a friendly unit surrounded by attacking enemy forces in a base nearby, and that the KRH had to link up and relieve them. Added to this was the threat of an enemy tank company, whose location was unknown. The atmosphere in BGHQ at this point was fairly stressful, to say the least. But the excellent build up training both in the UK and in BATUS stood the KRH Battlegroup in good stead and the situation was handled with relative calm!
In a world where information is communicated via conventional and social media almost instantaneously, it is vital that soldiers understand the impact that their actions and their words can have on the global public, both in a positive and a negative sense. In order to simulate this opportunity or threat, journalists (profes- sional reporters contracted by the MOD) would appear at the most stressful and inconvenient moments, lming and interviewing
Dismounted infantry clear through Kirikay in the aftermath of a chemical attack
soldiers and commanders in the hope of gaining information that would lead to a breaking news story. The CO was adamant that every man and woman under his command should understand the necessity of communicating effectively and professionally with the media, and the subunits were repeatedly given media handling training, with key messages constantly passed down the chain of command to the lowest level, so that every soldier would be able to con dently talk about why they were deployed and what their mission was.
After a truly exhausting fortnight of TES, which culminated in a 30-hours-long non-stop action to nally defeat the NDF forces in a pitch-black night assault, the KRH Battlegroup proved that they were able to overcome every challenge that they might face. The soldiers, proud of what they had achieved, recovered their vehicles and equipment back into Camp Crowfoot and pre- pared to hand them over to the next incoming Battlegroup. The Regimental Command Group and many of the squadron and com- pany commanders were immediately own back to the UK and then on to Poland, to prepare the KRH Battlegroup for the next challenge: assuming the role of LABG and deploying on a NATO exercise of national importance with strategic implications.
The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars 13