5 minute read
Guest Editorial
Colonel Nick Doyle CEng FIMechE
Col Doyle
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Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff Equipment, Field Army Headquarters
As DACOS Equipment I have found myself in the centre of the greatest structural change the Fd Army has seen in a decade as the Integrated Review (IR) realigns Defence aspirations while the Army Operating Model (AOM) rebalances the Headquarters to support its delivery. Much has been done and there remains much to do, but I believe these changes genuinely present opportunities for the Corps as we look to the future.
The Army Operating Model
The AOM has not only changed our structure but also the way we operate, providing greater coherence, clarity of command and influence. In Sep 20, Phase One saw the Fd Army’s Operational Support department divide into its CSS functions. This merged the equipment-facing elements of the Land Operations Command with that of the Fd Army, forming a single pillar under DACOS Equipment (me) working alongside DACOS Log, Med and Pers.
Phase two, in Sep 21, has seen the Fd Army re-enforced by the Equipment Through Life Support team from Army Headquarters to form the Fd Army Equipment Team under the newly appointed ACOS Equipment, Brigadier Phil Prosser CBE; a single point of contact for all Fd Army equipment. It also aligns responsibility for demand and supply, improves situational awareness and communication, and provides a direct link into the Project Teams of DE&S. Wider coherence across the CSS functions is provided from the newly established DCOS Fd Army, Maj Gen Neil Thorpe CBE, who now sits next to COS Fd Army, providing us with a 2* equipment (and Corps) champion into CFA.
Operations
JACKAL repair on Op NEWCOMBE in Mali
Our Corps’ primary purpose remains delivering ‘success on operations’ and I can confirm that our stock remains very high across the Fd Army. While our routine operational commitments of Op CABRIT and Op SHADER remain, they are joined by the deployment of Op NEWCOMBE, the UK’s contribution to the UN mission to deliver integrated stabilisation in Mali. Deploying a Long Range Reconnaissance Group capable of operating across Mali, at reach, for prolonged periods of time has presented a number of ES challenges which the deployed LAD continue to successfully manage with support from the wider ES community. Our withdrawal from Afghanistan showcased the diversity of our soldiers. The small element who deployed with 2 PARA on Op PITTING proved their Soldier-Trade credentials, operating in
unfamiliar territory (professionally not physically) to enable success. Falling back on engineering principles, experience, and training, they displayed professionalism and versatility conducting a variety of tasks including repair and operation of civilian equipment, destroying foreign weapons and providing security to the local population, all within a hostile, stressful and at times emotional environment.
Land Regional Hubs – The Army’s New Posture
The IR directed Defence to deliver Strategic Hubs to provide reach, access, influence, and insight across the globe. The Army’s contribution is the development of Land Regional Hubs in Oman, Brunei, Belize, Kenya and Germany, expanding the primary focus from training to broader Defence operational outputs, wider UK influence and prosperity objectives. I have little doubt that this concept will provide exciting and relevant opportunities to our soldiers to gain experience.
Each of the hubs will operate in a different manner and at varying scale, however, common themes centre around maintaining regional situational awareness and coordinating activity to maximise the effect on our adversaries and allies. A summary of the direction each hub is going can be seen below:
Germany. The Army is enhancing Sennelager as a Forward Holding Base, providing a training, storage and scalable C2 node, united under a single command (Comd NFS). It will ensure that armoured FEs can achieve speed of relevance in Europe, reinforcing our NATO commitment and setting the conditions for achieving the headmark of deploying the NATO Readiness Initiative (NRI) Bde in 2024. As a Corps we will continue to support this increase in activity in Germany alongside the development of an organic ES capability. This presents opportunities for the more experienced of us to return to Germany and, perhaps more importantly, for junior member of the Corps to understand what serving in Germany represented. While much of the equipment to enable this concept has come from BATUS, there remains an enduring training footprint in Canada, albeit on a reduced scale.
Kenya. BATUK will continue to deliver world class collective training to UK forces. Concurrently it will widen its outputs to enable Land Component and Joint activity. Utilising and enhancing its network of relationships, it will provide coherence to activity through dedicated C2. In addition to Ex ASKARI STORMs, additional regional engagement will present greater opportunities for our soldiers.
Oman. Training activity has been increased in 2021 providing early substance to the Defence Strategic Hubs concept. Options to deliver Persistent Engagement are being developed and are likely to centre around delivery 2 x 4-month Unit dwells per year presenting excellent training opportunities.
Belize. The current footprint in Belize will be developed into a permanent Land Regional Hub that will increase understanding of hostile state activity in the region, support ongoing environmental training, project Land capability into Latin America and Caribbean (LAC), and act as a possible staging point for Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) in the region. While this hub is still being refined, greater roles for the Corps are anticipated.
Brunei. We also look to strengthen our Close Tropical Environment capabilities and reinforce our relationship with Brunei and other regional partners. Options increased activity including STTTs, HADR and the expansion of the forward network through engagement opportunities are being scoped and developed.
As the Army resets its posture to ensure Global reach, one thing remains certain, that where equipment goes, so do REME soldiers. The concept of Land Regional Hubs, in addition to operations and enduring training activity, presents an exciting opportunity for our soldiers to travel and experience operating oversees.
