ABTC Awards Presentation

On 04 Jul 2022, Commandant Air and Space Warfare Centre (ASWC), Air Cdre B Crawford, presented members of the Air Battlespace Training Centre (ABTC) with awards, including the Accumulated Campaign Service Medal 2011 (ACSM 11), Queens Platinum Jubilee Medal (QPJM) and a Battlespace Management Force Commander’s Commendation (BMFCC).

The presentation was made in front of families and friends of those receiving awards and the whole force ABTC team including Inzpire Ltd and Boeing Defence UK (BDUK). The ABTC were able to use the Main briefing Room of the John Collier Facility (our old haunt) for the presentation and afterwards, guests were invited back to the ABTC to enjoy refreshments and have a tour of the facilities. This included a demonstration of the new Gladiator capability which allowed guests to opportunity to observe how the ABTC will support realistic and valuable collective training of largescale synthetic exercises.

The event was a chance, above all, to say well done and thank you to those receiving awards, but just as much, if not more so to those who support us in all that we do – our families and loved ones. The awards presented and a small citation for each are as follows:

The Accumulated Campaign Service Medal

2011 is awarded to an individual who holds a qualifying operational medal and has completed more than 24 months (720 days) campaign service. Sqn Ldr Alan Hadfield was presented this award for his prolonged, dedicated service over the qualifying period.

The Queen’s Platinum

Jubilee Medal is awarded to all serving and reserve members of the Armed Forces, uniformed Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, and the Emergency Services to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s Accession to the throne on 6 February 1952 who have completed 1826 days (5 full calendar years) service. Those receiving this award were: Wg Cdr Mark Still, Lt Cdr Andrew Winterbon, Sqn Ldr Alan Hadfield, Sqn Ldr Emma Leonard, Sqn Ldr Piers Liron, Flt Lt Paul Atkin, Flt Lt James Bingham, Flt Lt Barry Emms, Flt Lt Simon Taylor, Flt Lt Matthew Titchener, Flt Lt Jamie-Lee Torrance and Cpl Barry Lincoln.

The Battlespace Management Force Commander’s

Commendation was awarded to Sqn Ldr Emma Leonard.

Flt Lt Emma Leonard was the Wg Air Exercise Coordinator in the Battlespace Management Operations Wing. She was a vital lynchpin during a period of unprecedented and unrelenting change within the Battlespace Management Area of Responsibility. Reconfiguration to a single Control and Reporting Centre, concurrent with the installation of a new Air Command and Control system, Pg Guardian, necessitated meticulous planning and execution. Put simply, Leonard was responsible for the flawless planning and execution of Battlespace Management Operations Wg’s support to the Air Exercise program over a period of unrivalled uncertainty, complexity and resource constraints. Without her tireless work the United Kingdom’s prestige air exercises would have been reduced in scale or cancelled at major reputational cost to Air Command and Defence as a whole, as well as to the detriment of the high-end, war-fighting skills provided by Force Element training events supported by the Control and Reporting Centre. In all senses of the phrase, she truly was a force multiplier for Battlespace Management Operations.

Flt Lt Paul Atkin, SO3 Cbt Air, ABTC