Monday 7 April 2014

A Reserve Officer's Perspective of Mobilisation for Deployment - Lieutenant Sam Walton RLC



My journey began in September 2012 when I first met my CO.  Having just commissioned his first question to me was, “So, how would you like to go on tour?” 18 months later I find myself finishing Mission Specific Training (MST) about to deploy to Afghanistan.  My path has changed slightly, from originally commanding a Transport Troop drawn from my own Regiment, 160 Transport Regiment, to commanding a Troop of Suppliers from 159 Supply Regiment.  I now command Materiel Troop of 1 Logistic Support Regiment (1LSR) who deploy as the Theatre Logistic Group for Op HERRICK 20.



                     
The first stage of MST was the 159 Regiment Battle Camp.  The Regiment has a strong history of providing supply capability, deploying a troop of 23 soldiers to Afghanistan every six months since 2011.  The camp was an excellent introduction to the Regiment for me and allowed me to have an input into the selection of the lucky soldiers who were capable, robust and dedicated to deploy on operations.




 The next step was to travel to Germany and join 1LSR.  Due to the changing nature of Op HERRICK 20, the Reserves were divided across the Regiment, with only 12 under my command in the General Support (GS) Squadron.  Day One set the tone for the ethos of the ‘First Regiment’, with an ‘orientation’ run around the airfield – the first of many!




The first week with GS Sqn included the Squadron Sergeant Major’s (SSM) parade ‘under the flags’.  1 LSR, and the GS Sqn particularly, contains soldiers from all over the Commonwealth and flags from each country represented are displayed on the hanger wall.  I spent the majority of the week learning the ropes from the Technical Warrant Officer and practiced issues and receipts whilst asking lots of questions.  Gaining an idea of what each department did, enabled me to ask the right questions during the hand-over with the outgoing Troop Commander.  I felt fully prepared for the Field Training Exercise (FTX).

 The FTX was held at the Supply Training Facility (Germany) (STF(G)), a facility designed to test suppliers on the technical aspects of their trade.  The Reservists had quickly gelled with the Regulars and there was little to tell them apart as soldiers and the previous training gaps were quickly identified and remedied; both through hard work from the Reservists and from excellent teamwork and tutoring from the Regulars.




The FTX stretched everyone with a high volume of supply activity to be completed – mirroring the current operational tempo in Afghanistan.  The FTX wasn’t just about trade skills though and there were plenty of ‘kinetic’ serials throughout to keep everyone on their toes.  


 


















The next few weeks flew by, with leave and courses before the Mission Rehearsal Exercise (MRX).  So here I am now at STF(G), on the final step and looking forward to the hot summer ahead.  With many of my NCOs already or about to deploy, the remainder have had an opportunity to step-up and work in other roles, pushing themselves professionally than many had thought likely.  As a Troop Commander my main priority is ensuring that my troops are ready to deploy in the best possible manner.  The mobilisation process, from selection to MRX, has been challenging and rewarding.  The pre-selection work ensured we arrived at 1 LSR with the right people to do the job and represent the Reserve Army on operations.  The work done since has honed our skills, including mine, and been a positive experience which will see all of the Reservists deploy in as good a state as possible.

No comments:

Post a Comment