Page 87 - The Bugle 2018

Estonia – 13 Platoon Latvian Exchange
Latvia is Estonia’s southern neighbour and host to Enhanced Forward Presence (Latvia) which is led by the Canadian Army. The regiment who took on the responsibility of the first deployment was 1 PPCLI (Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry), The Rifles sister regiment in Canada. This is a lineage that goes as far back as 1915 when the Rifle Brigade disobeyed orders from higher to abandon the PPCLI on a defensive line and returned to resupply the Canadians at the battle of Frezenburg. This is where the regiment gained their unofficial motto “holdin’ up the whole damn line”. With this strong regimental link in mind and the organisations working side by side during NATO’s largest current deployment it was a great opportunity to learn a thing or two about each other, so a platoon exchange was organised. 13 Platoon of D Company, 5 RIFLES would swap places with 5 Platoon of B Company, 1 PPCLI from 07 – 27 Oct 17.
(Ed: See also PPCLI in Alliances & Affiliations page...)
The integration training programme, planned meticulously by Major Chelsea Braybrook and her team at the B Company “Bulldogs” covered social, conceptual and physical components that then culminated in Exercise SILVER ARROW. This was a Latvian Brigade readiness exercise that B Company would be taking part in.
The Bulldogs took great pride in ensuring that 13 Platoon were made to feel at home in Latvia. We were hosted at a ThanksGiving dinner and a BBQ during our first week and Riflemen from both sides were quick to agree on the standard of feeding across NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence! A sports day that tried to accommodate both nations brought out the competitive side in a few of us and gave 13 Platoon a chance to integrate with the LAV (Light Armoured Vehicle) crews from 5 Platoon who would be our direct hosts for the trip. We tried our hand at ball hockey (ice hockey on tarmac) and they tried theirs at football. The highlight in the social calendar for us was the trip to a Riga Dinamo ice hockey game. The Bulldogs talked us through the rules and warned us off about when to stand for the Russian National Anthem (we wouldn’t want to upset anyone!). Throughout our stay these efforts continued through movie nights and trips out for dinner which made working with our counterparts easier in the long term.
There were certain training objectives that needed to be covered before deploying on Exercise SILVER ARROW which would require a great deal of organisation by the Junior Officers and NCOs of B Company, along with a lot of ammunition. A 3-day urban operations training package organised by Lieutenant DeViller and his team of urban warfare instructors was a fantastic opportunity to exchange knowledge, experiences and Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) at the tactical level. The focus then switched to ensuring that 13 Platoon could operate all the weapon systems that B Company had available to them. Every man fired claymore, grenade, pistol, C8 Rifle, C16 Grenade Machine Gun, LAV 25mm, 66mm Rocket, Underslung Grenade Launcher and the 84mm Anti-Tank Rocket. This was
a truly unique range package that probably came at great expense to the Canadian tax payer but was an exciting and rare experience for 13 Platoon.
Our spare time in Latvia was used to prepare ourselves for Exercise SILVER ARROW. It was the responsibility of Serjeant Brooks to get 13 Platoon ready to work out of the LAV during the exercise, the stabilised turret and heated rear seats were a well-received comfort that us Warrior users would welcome in the next upgrade. A battlefield tour to ‘More’ enabled us to develop our conceptual effec- tiveness as an integrated company by studying the exploits of the Latvian SS contingent in the defence against the Red Army in WWII. Corporal Webb and Lance Corporal Hunt, 13 Platoon Physical Training Instructors, were keen to put the troops from both nations through their paces in a 1000 rep fitness challenge, which was as bad as it sounds.
Exercise SILVER ARROW was a Brigade level deterrence and defence exercise which allowed us to test all our new skills in the field. Although more time was spent digging than shooting, there was plenty of good practice to be shared from both host and guest and a first for many to be involved of an exercise of that size.
The exchange has been described as the “highlight of the tour” by most of 13 Platoon. It was a fantastic experience that we were very lucky and humbled to have participated in and similar activ- ities should be encouraged across the Army. It was an amazing opportunity to work with a foreign counterpart who shares the same values and a similar history but operates with their own tactical nuances. Both Enhance Forward Presence battle- groups are trying to achieve the same mission and it was useful to study the different methods in which that mission can be achieved. All of 13 Platoon are truly grateful to the Bulldogs for the effort they put into hosting us and would be honoured to work with them in the future.
Lieutenant R Smart
13 Platoon Commander
THE BULLDOGS TOOK GREAT PRIDE IN ENSURING THAT 13 PLATOON WERE MADE TO FEEL
AT HOME
IN LATVIA. WE WERE HOSTED AT A THANKS GIVING DINNER
AND A BBQ DURING OUR FIRST WEEK
THE RIFLES
FIFTH BATTALION 93
Cpl Friend and Rfn Almond with their Estonian counterpart
‘Backblast!’ Firing the 84mm Anti-Tank Rocket