IN PICTURES: 4th Mechanized Brigade prepares for 'holding phase' of Op MOSHTARAK
10 Feb 10
Soldiers from 4th Mechanized Brigade have been taking part in a full Mission Specific Training (MST) exercise on Salisbury Plain in preparation for their deployment to Afghanistan where they will take on the vital 'holding phase' of Operation MOSHTARAK.
A demonstration of a shura, where British forces meet with Afghan locals to discuss various issues and improve relations, at the 4th Mechanized Brigade Media Day on Salisbury Plain
[Picture: Corporal Lloyd, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
11 Light Brigade are currently the lead formation of Task Force Helmand and are preparing for the imminent launch of the 'clearing stage' of Operation MOSHTARAK in central Helmand province.
When 4th Mechanized Brigade take over in Helmand in April they will conduct the 'holding stage' of the operation. Much of their preparation has been undertaken with this role in mind.
See GALLERY for more pictures of 4th Mechanized Brigade preparing for Afghanistan on Salisbury Plain this week.
They will be led by Brigadier Richard Felton, who has had previous experience in Afghanistan when he commanded the Joint Helicopter Force on Operation HERRICK 4 in April 2006.
Speaking on Salisbury Plain during the exercise, yesterday, Brigadier Felton said of the upcoming deployment:
"My role will be in the decisive phase of Operation MOSHTARAK which is the 'Hold and Build'.
"We are assuming the operation will achieve the clear, and when I get there I will be working very closely with the Afghan security forces to ensure the 'Hold and Build' takes place, but also extremely closely with the Provincial Reconstruction Team.
"Our aim will be to suppress violent extremism, thereby protecting the Afghan people and enabling governance and development. Every serviceman and woman in the Task Force understands the importance of the challenge that we have been given."
Sapper Steve Anderson (left) and Sapper Adam Lee (right), from the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) Task Force, clear a route during an exercise
[Picture: Corporal Jim Barron, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
The exercise on Salisbury Plain has involved up to 3,500 soldiers and Royal Marines as well as some 430 wheeled and 70 tracked vehicles, a variety of helicopters, a small number of fast jets and C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
It is the culmination of 18 months of training for the members of 4th Mechanized Brigade, who come from a wide variety of Army, Navy and RAF units based across the UK and Germany.
Brigadier Felton said that over the last 18 months the soldiers had been training hard and a focus had been placed on tackling the improvised explosive device (IED) threat and cultural awareness, in order to win over the local population in Helmand.
He said that as much time had been spent in study periods and briefings as field training in order to increase the cultural understanding of soldiers, and hundreds had undergone language training in the local Pashto and Dari languages to the extent that dozens of officers were 'virtually fluent' in the languages.
They have also been working with Afghan expatriates and Afghan National Army officers in order to further prepare them for their role in theatre, indeed mock shuras (meetings) and joint operations with ANA soldiers, Gurkhas and Afghan civilians have been a key feature of the preparations on Salisbury Plain.
"Our aim will be to suppress violent extremism, thereby protecting the Afghan people and enabling governance and development."
Brigadier Richard Felton
The Brigadier continued:
"Ten senior serving Afghan National Army officers are here helping to guide my soldiers, advising on cultural matters and the operational environment they will face.
"This is proving invaluable; talking to these professional Afghan soldiers has been humbling for me as they have made clear their passion and determination to work alongside us to rid their homeland of the insurgent threat.
"Their presence has also given us the chance to develop kindling friendships which we hope will endure throughout our deployment and beyond."
As part of this programme of engagement a delegation from the Afghan National Police visited the brigade as they trained at the STANTA Afghan training village in Thetford, Norfolk, last month.
The graduation of the first trainees of the Interim Police Training Centre in Lashkar Gah, Helmand, was also announced last month.
In April, Guardsman Richard Hodgson of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards will be one of those charged with partnering those new members of the Afghan National Police in Helmand. He has rejoined the Army at the age of 29 after a period on 'civvie street' with the knowledge he would be deployed to Afghanistan and a desire to 'get the job done'.
Members of the Royal Army Medical Corps provide emergency treatment to a soldier during 4 Mechanized Brigade's Mission Specific Training
[Picture: Sergeant Dan Harmer, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
He spoke of his forthcoming role, working with the Afghan National Police (ANP):
"We are going out there to partner with the police to help them adopt a more modern approach to the policing side of it and help them with their skills and drills ... basically just an overview of what they are doing and trying to give them feedback as opposed to actually taking them out and putting them on the ground and telling them what to do. It's more of a partnership thing.
"We have spent a lot of time with the MPs [Military Police] who have taught us about arresting people and collecting evidence, stop and search, that kind of thing.
"We have also spent a lot of time with the Gurkhas playing the role of ANP and putting them out on the ground.
"It's been about building up relationships and that cultural side of things as, obviously, if you are going to partner with somebody, you need to build up a bit of a personal relationship first ... you can't just go out there and start telling people what to do as it just won't wash.
"We have had cultural awareness briefs and a lot of the lads have been on Pashto courses."
On directly fighting the insurgency, Brigadier Felton said that his men had already tackled hundreds of suicide bombs, IED explosions and compound battles in highly realistic simulations. Battle Groups have travelled as far afield as Canada and Kenya to benefit from the range of training facilities available.
Private Chris Roylance from 6 Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment, operates an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) during an exercise
[Picture: Corporal Jim Barron, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
Realism is seen as vitally important and, in addition to copious amounts of false blood, volunteers from 'Amputees in Action' - an organisation that specialises in supplying real amputees for exercises - are used so soldiers and medical staff can overcome the shock of seeing a limbless colleague and respond more effectively when administering treatment.
On the IED threat, Brigadier Felton said countering it would be a major priority for the brigade and it will have more capability in the area than those that have gone before.
For the tour, search teams will increase by about 50 per cent, there will be a greater IED disposal capacity, and the number of specialist search dogs will be increased four-fold. The Brigadier also said that tracking experts had been brought in to train soldiers in recognising the tell-tale signs of an IED on the ground.
4th Mechanized Brigade's last deployment was to southern Iraq in the first half of 2008 - a pivotal period when they aided Iraqi forces in defeating insurgents in Basra.