Prince’s Trust prepare for OP
TELIC
On 1st April, 14 young people from The
Prince’s Trust Cymru Llanelli Team travelled down to Castle Martin
in Carmarthenshire to take part in the pre-deployment training with
2 Royal Tank Regiment (2 RTR).
Warrant Officer Pat Burgess, a former team
leader with the Bovington Team, organised for the young people to
join EGYPT Squadron of 2 RTR as they conducted training for the
challenging environment of Afghanistan, known as Operation
TELIC.
The environmental conditions of cold mud and
wet wind was a poor imitation of the hot sand and dry air the men
of EGYPT squadron are likely to face in Afghanistan; the equipment,
in particular the Viking and Panther vehicles, were the real deal.
The training is designed to prepare the soldiers for operations and
ensure they are familiar with all the different equipment they will
encounter once in theatre. The training was divided into a series
of stands each with a different theme which the soldiers and young
people had to navigate round receiving training on the relevant
equipment. The stands included:
1. Mobility Stand. The opportunity to look round
and ride in a Viking and Panther vehicles.
2. Communications. An opportunity to use and talk
with the Bowman radio and Personal Role Radio (PRR) which each
soldier uses.
3. Restraint and Arrest Techniques. Using
techniques that do not rely on strength or power to apprehend and
overwhelm an adversary.
4. Equipment. An opportunity to see all the
equipment a soldier is expected to carry on operations, including
OSPREY body armour.
5. Troop Attack. EGYPT Squadron mounted an attack
on a dummy compound using the live ammunition, incorporating
supporting fire from the Viking and troop clearance of the various
rooms.
The opportunity for Team members to experience
different equipment and training proved very popular especially
Stand 3 where the smaller females in the group were able to
overpower and restrain some of their large male colleagues. The
live attack on the training compound was a sobering moment as the
reality of what the training was focused on was brought home, and
although it had all been great fun the ultimate effect was deadly
serious. The day was rounded off with a traditional Army range
stew, a thick and heavy homogenous brown gloop with a unique taste
but strangely satisfying after a cold day on the range. The
Team work and skills displayed by the soldiers throughout the day,
many of whom were of a similar age, was an inspiration to the
Llanelli team and provided a catalyst of conversation on the way
home which raged from the days experience to international defence
policy.