I deployed to Norway just weeks after graduating training. This is how it went.
My name is Lieutenant George, I’m a troop commander in the Royal Engineers and within 5 weeks of graduating training I was sent to Norway to command a troop of combat engineers in sub-zero temperatures as NATO’s biggest exercise in a decade got underway.
I joined the army about two years ago, and after training to become an Army engineer officer I arrived at my regiment to meet the troop I would be commanding. Within weeks I found myself deploying with my troop to the cold fjords of Norway to support the Royal Irish battlegroup as the UK took part in NATO’s biggest exercise in a decade.
Rather than fly, we made a big road move across Europe, travelling in convoy for 5 days with our kit and equipment, it was definitely a different kind of road trip.
This is a great opportunity, even though the challenges of this being my first deployment are still in my mind.
Being a young officer in charge of commanding a troop of around 30 men can be quite intimidating, but at the end of the day it’s what I’ve trained to do for the last two years so to have the opportunity to deploy somewhere straight off the back of training, is a great way for me to get to know my soldiers and hone our skills for real.
We’d heard that there was a high risk of road accidents, particularly given the harsh weather out here which was a real concern. As we travelled north into Norway, the weather came in and we started to have to tackle icy and slippy tracks, no mean feat when you’re driving a lorry laden with engineering equipment.
One morning we woke up to a huge snow dump, meaning our green camouflage became white camouflage. The climate in Norway can be unpredictable so we’ve had to adapt and react to worsening conditions.
Having to adapt to a new way of living has been a challenge, we’re used to just sleeping out in the open under a poncho in the UK and warmer climates, so having to think about layering for the cold, and putting up tents has meant we’ve needed to adapt our routines. Even cooking out here is a challenge.
The troops’ morale has remained high throughout despite the conditions, it’s always better when we work hard as a team for each other.
So far we’ve been supporting the Royal Irish infantry battle group with combat engineering tasks like bridge laying or demolitions work to allow them to get to their objectives, but throughout the exercise we’ll be working closely with the Norwegian Army and other NATO allies to utilise our skills and drills.
This exercise is key for us, not just as engineers but as the British Army to understand how other nations work and operate. This is totally different to the operational tours that my colleagues have been on in the past, the climate and nature of our job here is so different so we’re relishing the opportunity to change up our training to prepare for what the future may hold.
One of the key elements of being a member of NATO is that if we were deployed for real, we will have to work alongside these forces so being able to practice how we do that is invaluable.
To find out more about NATO’s biggest exercise this millennium Click Here.
