Page 82 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2017

80 REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) United Nations Peace Support Training, Brazil
2017 proved to be an extremely interesting year to be working in 104 Logistic Support Brigade Headquarters (104X HQ). The focus in the first half of the year was very much NATO ori- entated. We were on high readiness to support 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade (20X) as the main component of the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Land) (VJTF(L)). This was the force that in the event of a crisis in Europe would de- ploy to deter and, if needs be, fight an aggressor to NATO ter- ritory. 104X was the United Kingdom element to provide the enabling component to this force, getting them in to theatre via various airheads, railheads and sea-ports. This concept was tested in June when a VJTF(L) force deployed from a num- ber of NATO countries and arrived in Central Romania as a final destination to conduct a field exercise. United King- dom troops from 20X arrived in Alexandropoulos (South East Greece on the border with Turkey) then drove north through Greece, Bulgaria and finally into Romania to arrive at the fi- nal destination on Chincu where the exercise was being held.
I deployed as Second-in-Command of the United Kingdom National Support Element (NSE) which was, essentially, a go between for the United Kingdom forces and the host nations. It was absolutely fascinating to see a force conduct the 1000km road move, the exercise and then the route back down to the port in Greece. There were a number of frictions, but broadly the exercise was a great success and proved that NATO – and the United Kingdom’s force elements within the deployed force – can project force with a limited planning time.
I was also lucky enough to be chosen to deploy to Brazil as the United Kingdom representative to the Brazilian Armed Forces (BAF) United Nations (UN) pre-deployment training centre in Rio. I heard about the opportunity, pitched it to my Chief of Staff, which resulted in a slightly cocked eyebrow as he sweat- ed me to provide a decent enough answer as to why he should allow one of his Captains to deploy for a month to Rio, as op- posed to conducting his regular duties in the Headquarters. I must have said something right as he allowed me to go with the only stipulation that I return with a fridge magnet for him.
The BAF have a long and proud history of deploying on UN operations with Haiti and Cyprus the main opera- tions in recent years. They have now been requested by the
Captain O’Shea at Brazil's Peacekeping Headquarters
UN to force generate a force of circa 1000 troops to deploy to the Central African Republic (CAR). This represents a real step-change for them in terms of threat and associated pre-deployment training that needs an associated re-scrub.
The training was broadly similar to what United Kingdom forc- es had to conduct prior to deployments to Helmand, but with a greater focus on peacekeeping and soft effects as opposed to counter insurgency. I was deployed there for all of November 2017 and was hosted excellently by the Brazilians. They were extremely keen that I explored their awesome city and set up some great trips to see the sites of Rio. I also had a chance to meet the Defence Attaché, Royal Navy Captain, Kevin Flem- ming, who organised an excellent evening in the palatial sur- roundings of the Rio Hilton. In one of those strange coincidenc- es he had spent six months at the start of his career attached to the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales’s Own). All in all, it was a real highlight of my career, and an excellent opportunity for any officer who has aspirations of getting into the ‘Defence Engagement’ field.
I come to the end of my time at 104X this summer. It has been an excellent place to work and I would fully recommend it to any of the Captains looking to take a junior staff job away away from the Regiment. I now look forward to going to Staff College in September 2018 and will hopefully see many of you at upcoming Regimental events. My very best to all those serving at Regi- mental Duty and in the wider Army.
RAOS
Guanabara Bay
Defence Engagement at its best