9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2005 - Page 0058
Image details
| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 2005 |
| Transcription |
56 REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S) tains (including marines) and two foreign students. In two years I have taught officers from India, Pakistan, South Korea, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Colombia and Romania, which really adds colour and a necessary global perspective for the US students. Before arriving in Kentucky I only had images of the Dukes of Hazzard and toothless folk in dungarees driving pick-up trucks. I could not have been more right. Living in ‘real America’, i.e. not Miami, New York or LA, has been a fascinating and enrich- ing experience. What is most striking about the South is the amount of churches, the size of too many people, the quantity of pick-up trucks and the poverty, something that had probably not been fully exposed until Hurricane Katrina. Only a short distance from camp there is an Amish community, which is quite bizarre. Children dressed in what look like peri- od costumes play in the school field and farmers pull their ploughs and carts by horse. I was disappointed when Mr Gingrich, the carpenter, showed me his new Honda generator; he said you have to keep up with progress to a certain extent. Twice a year at Knob Creek there is a gun show where local peo- ple come to fire every known weapon conceivable: flamethrow- ers, cannons, .50 calibre machineguns; you name it. If you want to buy a homemade mortar or an M16 this is just the place. It is the most dangerous civilian experience I have had, confirmed when I witnessed an old manpoint his G3 rifle towards the spec- tators while clearing a stoppage. Gun laws in Kentucky are lax; most citizens own ‘guns’. You can buy an Armalite or Desert eagle .50 calibre pistol over the counter, and ammunition on the same day; or a 308 rifle in Walmart, but you cannot buy alcohol over the counter in Hardin county. The religious lobby is too strong. Forty-five British Army liaison officers and exchange officers between the ranks of Brigadier and Colour Sergeant currently live and work in the USA, and a number of these have deployed with US units on operational tours. There are also a number of British Embassy and Joint posts in the USA. A job in the USA is very rewarding and need not be regarded as a career foul; the last RAC gunnery instructor at Knox promot- - ed to W01 and RSM with- , l out having been an SSM. Get r m the shou/defl The USA has been a fantastic experience: a Presidential elec- tion, a country at war, Army Transformation, Hurricane Katrina, local tornadoes, the price of oil - we have witnessed its effects on our American neighbours and the students. And my pledge not to eat a McDonalds burger for two years looks like being achieved. MRW DSTL Land and Battlespace Systems On the windswept North Downs in Kent is a place unmarked on any map, and without signposts on any roads. That place is Fort Halstead. The Fort has been the centre of many conspiracy the- ories, most notoriously as the storage facility for UFOs that have crashed in the UK. As SO2 Armour my role is to assess this alien technology and incorporate it into the army’s next genera- tion of fighting vehicles. Sort of.... Fort Halstead is one of the sites for Defence Science and Technology Laboratories (Dstl) the government’s in house research organisation. I arrived at Land and Battlespace Systems in August 2005 to work as one of the military advisors who assist in research projects. My role is to provide advice to projects to ensure the output is of military value to the MOD. There are many projects on site, however I am principally involved in Future Ground Manoeuvre Capability (FGMC) and also the Future Rapid Effects (FRES) programme. FGMC looks out to 2035 and researches what types of equipment the army could need in the future. Many weird and wonderful concepts and ideas are explored to give a focus to further research on technology and procurement options. On a closer time frame FRES will replace CVR(T) as the Regiment’s steed in the next decade. DSTL provides opera- tional analysis to ensure the assorted variants of FRES will be able to perform the roles the Army requires. The FRES project will cost billions so it is important to get the requirements right before contracts are signed. Fort Halstead is a fascinating place to work. The combined IQ on site is vast meaning some of the theories formulated are high- ly innovative but need a dose of military reality. As a place to examine and explore the art of the possible however, it is first-rate. Just keep watching the skies. AEBS 'L S/mpsofl and Hood , More than /ust fr/eflds? |
| Title |