GLOBAL REACH


l (Left to right) Crew of the USS John C Stennis salute the First Sea Lord as he arrives aboard via a ‘COD’ plane; French marines demonstrate an AMX 10 tank for 3 Cdo’s Brig Martin Smith; the men of 9 BLBMa with their trademark kepis salute Brig Smith


International arrivals


BRITAIN’S most senior sailor flew on to one of the most powerful warships in the world for a first- hand look at front-line


carrier operations. It’s one of a series of visits and meetings involving senior commanders – stepping stones to large-scale future exercises and operations by the Navy’s capital ships and amphibious forces. First Sea Lord Admiral Sir


Mark Stanhope joined the USS John C Stennis, a 100,000-ton leviathan supporting operations in Afghanistan, to help pave the way for Britain’s next-generation carriers.


Her Majesty’s Ships Queen Elizabeth and Prince


of Wales, currently under construction, will


be the largest warships ever to fly the White Ensign – and signal a


return to


operations. of


traditional carrier


Unlike the current generation Invincible-class


carriers, the


sisters use catapults and arrestor gear (‘cats and traps’ in Fleet Air Arm parlance) to launch and land aircraft, rather than ski ramps and vertical landings as embodied by the Harrier jump jet. ‘Cats and traps’ is what the


Americans do with aplomb. The Stennis operates F18 Super Hornet strike fighters as well as propeller-drive aircraft and helicopters – up to 90 aircraft in all.


The carrier is also home to one Fleet Air Arm aviator, Lt ‘LOThAR’ Collins (‘Loser of the American Revolution’, a callsign given him by his American


comrades), who’s flying a single- seat F18 strike fighter from the Stennis’ deck with the ‘Tophatters’ (Strike Fighter Squadron 14) on missions over Afghanistan. Lt Collins is one of numerous


Royal Navy pilots flying with the Americans. Their experiences will be crucial as the Senior Service looks to re-learn the art of carrier strike operations ahead of Her Majesty’s Ships Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales entering service later this decade. Queen Elizabeth – Britain’s first traditional aircraft carrier since Ark Royal IV which was paid off in the late 1970s – is taking shape on the Forth (she’ll be assigned her first member of the ship’s company later this year). The carrier programme has already devoured more than one million working hours in yards


and factories across the land building equipment and sections of the ship.


Hand-in-hand with the


construction of the sisters, there is a wealth of lessons to be learnt in terms of both the complexity of the flight deck and hangar choreography


as well as the


command and control that comes with combining fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. With that in mind during a recent visit to Royal Navy units and personnel in the Gulf, Admiral Stanhope joined the US Navy’s Rear Admiral Craig Faller, Commander of US Carrier Strike Group 3, aboard the Stennis. No aircraft carrier experience be


would without the


complete live


launch


however and


recovery of fast jets, and what better way to gain a first hand perspective of the utility of carrier strike than from the cockpit? In the experienced hands of


Cdr Vorrice ‘Heavy’ Burks USN (Commanding Officer of the ‘Black


Aces’ – Strike Fighter


Squadron 71), Admiral Stanhope proceeded to “kick the tyres and light the fires”, strap himself into the back of a twin-seat F18 and accelerate off the front end. Safely recovered, and having “buzzed the tower”,


Admiral


Stanhope reflected on his experiences aboard the flat-top: “Being catapulted from 0-150 knots in a couple of seconds is certainly a tick in the ‘Taskbook of Life’. “We know carrier aviation is a hugely-complex business and we will get there again; the Royal Navy will once more be able to project an unhindered fixed-wing strike capability anywhere that the government wants UK power and influence to be felt.”


THERE wasn’t quite such a dramatic


demonstration for 3


Commando Brigade’s ranking officer – but he did get the chance to trundle around France in a tank. Later this year Brig Martin Smith and his green berets will be working side-by-side with their French counterparts. With that goal in mind, the senior officer headed across the Channel to spend two days with 9e Brigade Légère Blindée de Marine (9 BLBMa) and reinvigorate the long-standing relations between the two corps which go back to the mid-90s.


The aim is to develop the


two countries’ Combined Joint Expeditionary Force which will see the UK’s Response Force Task


Group and Lead Commando Group link up with the carrier FS Charles de Gaulle and a French assault ship with elements of 9 BLBMa embarked. Last autumn, HMS Bulwark hosted 130 troops and kit from 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment (2RIMa) for exercises in and around north-west Scotland; the French marines found working with the ‘Rosbifs’ experience”.


“a fantastic


There will be more link-ups in 2012 ahead of exercise. France,


the autumn


During his visit to Brig Smith and his


French opposite number, Gen François Lecointre, Commandant 9 BLBMa,


discussed and


formalised their combined activity for 2012,


culminating in the


signing of a letter of intent. That combined activity will include a number of


training


exercises at troop and company level as well as developing the two corps’ doctrines, procedures and communications leading up to the exercise for UK/French maritime and land forces during the Royal Navy’s Cougar 12 deployment. “This visit has provided a timely


opportunity to reinvigorate a most productive relationship between our two brigades, paving the way for greater integration in 2012,” said Brig Smith. “Gen Lecointre and I recognise


that the Cougar 12 deployment will give us an excellent chance to advance the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force concept, and to improve the ability of UK and French forces to operate together in the wake of successful operations off Libya.”


9 BLBMa packs a considerable punch for an amphibious formation, including an armoured regiment equipped with the wheeled AMX 10 tank, which Brig Smith inspected during his visit, and 155mm artillery. Like 3 Commando, the French has


brigade benefitted from


recent experience of operations in Afghanistan, and has placed a high priority upon reconnaissance and intelligence capabilities, including fully-integrated Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The original twinning agreement


between the brigades was signed in 1995, with both formations benefitting from a variety of cross-training and integration opportunities over the past 16 years and the establishment of exchange officers in the respective headquarters (RM Stonehouse for 3 Commando, Poitiers for 9 BLBMa).


THERE were no fast jets or tanks in Den Helder, just


a from


common purpose as amphibious commanders


across


shared the


continent looked to work more closely together in future. The amphibious forces of


five European nations – France, Spain,


Italy, the Netherlands


and UK – have vowed to share their expertise in amphibious warfare,


arguably the most


complex military operation there is; throw the international dimension – different equipment, different ways of working and, of course, different tongues into the equation – and the difficulties are multiplied. Cdre


Paddy the Netherlands McAlpine,


Commander of the UK Task Group and 3 Commando’s Brig Smith met their European peers in


to discuss


the European Amphibious Initiative with their continental counterparts. The initiative began a decade


ago, seeking to enhance the ability of Europe’s


armed forces


respond to a developing crisis. Last year’s


to


prompted military staffs to plan possible operations,


‘Arab Spring’ highlighting


once again the need for rapid and effective deployment of amphibious forces. “By working together better in peacetime – through closer liaison during training – our amphibious forces will operate more effectively in actual operations,” said Cdre McAlpine.


“This is where multinational defence co-operation really makes a difference: the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. “The UK’s amphibious forces


have worked with Allies for many years,


particularly the Dutch.


This initiative enhances that cooperation, and improves our contribution to both NATO and Europe.” Brig Smith added: “Although amphibious forces of different nations operate together, procedures can differ.


This


initiative allows us to work better with our allies and helps them to work better with us.” Next month, flagship HMS


Bulwark will lead the Royal Navy’s input to Cold Response, the regular test of NATO forces in the unforgiving frozen terrain inside the Arctic Circle in Norway, with the green berets working alongside Dutch marines in particular; the Commando Helicopter Force is also heading north to practise its ability to operate at temperatures down to -30˚C.


Royal reward for medics


THE Duchess of Cornwall was due to recognise the contribution made by Naval medics in the sands of Afghanistan when she was in Portsmouth at the end of January. As Commodore in Chief of Royal Naval Medical Services, she was scheduled to visit HMS Excellent to present surgeons and medics with campaign medals for their selfless actions during Operation Herrick 14. Three in every four personnel serving with the


257-strong Close Support Medical Regiment on Operation Herrick 14, which ended last autumn, were drawn from the Naval Service – while the


6 : FEBRUARY 2012


overall British effort was led by 3 Commando Brigade. The regiment provided combat medics who accompanied troops on some 10,000 foot patrols, while back at base in the main hospital at Camp Bastion, the hub of the British mission in Helmand, they dealt with 3,600 patients during the six-month deployment. Medics were also deployed to important outlying bases such as Kabul and Kandahar. As well as presenting medals, the Duchess was due to join personnel and families at a subsequent reception on Whale Island.


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