ARRC NEWS
GLORIOUS GLOUCESTER
City of Gloucester honours ‘special
relationship’ with its NATO troops
NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps
has been awarded the Freedom of
Gloucester by the City’s Council.
The honour was presented to the
multinational corps ‘in recognition of
services rendered to the country and its
close links with the City’.
Addressing the special council
meeting at Gloucester’s Historic Docks,
Lieutenant General Sir Edward Smyth-
Osbourne said: “The decision to award
the Freedom of Entry to the City marks
and strengthens the relationship
between Gloucester and the Allied Rapid
Reaction Corps.
“It is a significant gesture of trust and
respect.”
DEEP ROOTS
Following the vote from council, the
Right Worshipful Mayor of Gloucester
Cllr Colin Organ (pictured centre above)
presented the General with a framed
copy of the Freedom Scroll.
The colourful ceremony was attended by
personnel from the ARRC as well as the
South Korean Ambassador to the United
Kingdom, Her Excellency Ms Enna Park.
The Mayor said: “Gloucester has a
special relationship with the ARRC, which
since moving to Imjin Barracks has truly
become a part of the City.”
Design of the times
The Allied Rapid Reaction Corps has
launched a new mobile-friendly website
– with a new look and new features.
The re-designed website – available
at www.arrc.nato.int – has a more
professional and modern look, with
plentiful use of video.
Among the new features, the site now
contains a ‘search bar’ as well as being
fully responsive with mobile devices,
General Smyth-Osbourne continued:
“Although we are relatively recent
arrivals, having moved over from
Germany in 2010, we are firmly
ensconced here in Gloucester, and I
believe we have put down deep roots.
Benvenuto Signor
Generale!
Major General
Lorenzo
D’Addario has
taken over as
the Allied Rapid
Reaction Corps’s
new Deputy
Commander.
The highly-
experienced
Italian army
officer joined
the ARRC in April following his
time in command of NATO’s ‘K-FOR’
(Kosovo Force) in Pristina.
The Anglophile general has spent
many years working with the
British Army, having attended the
Advanced Command and Staff
Course in Bracknell, and serving as a
staff officer in Headquarters 3rd (UK)
Division on Salisbury Plain.
Major General D’Addario has also
held a number of NATO and Coalition
appointments in Italy and the United
States, as well as on multinational
operations in Iraq, Afghanistan,
Somalia, and during three tours of
Kosovo.
Flag Day for Belgium
“Our multinational troops and their
families are very fortunate to be able to
count on your support.”
CELEBRATIONS
The South Korean Ambassador added:
“Imjin Barracks is named after the
Battle of the Imjin River in which the
Gloucestershire Regiment made a huge
contribution to the preservation of the
freedom of Korea against a communist
invasion.
“This holds great significance for us,
and it is my privilege to be here today to
congratulate the Allied Rapid Reaction
Corps which is based at such a special
location.”
September 2020 is the 10th anniversary
of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps
moving to Gloucester from its former
base in Rheindahlen, Germany. And it
is hoped that a Freedom parade will
form the centrepiece of the ARRC’s
celebrations to mark a decade of NATO
troops being based in the famous
cathedral city.
making it easy to navigate on a wide
range of web browsers and devices.
Over the coming months, the ARRC’s
pages will continue to be developed
with a range of new content,
with an emphasis on a
dedicated Imjin
community section.
Feedback on the new
website is welcomed
and should be sent to
[email protected]
Belgium’s sole staff officer serving
with the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps
has departed Gloucester.
The decision by the Belgian
Army means that, temporarily,
the European nation will not be
represented at Imjin Barracks.
Major Luc Thielemans was presented
with his national flag following an
‘unflagging’ ceremony in front of the
NATO headquarters.
Lieutenant General Sir Edward
Smyth-Osbourne said: “We honour
our friends and colleagues from
Belgium, who have served in the
ARRC more or less continuously
since its formation (in 1992).
“Thank you, Luc, for your service and
your dedication. You will be sorely
missed. As you return home, there
is always a place here at the ARRC
here for Belgium.”
Afterwards, Major Thielemans told
the assembled NATO staff: “It is not
the first time that Belgium has left
the ARRC, and I believe that Belgium
will return.”
He then presented General Smyth-
Osbourne with a wooden plaque
with a personal note from the
Commander of the Belgian Land
component - “We will be back!”
He is the Champion
The ARRC’s Command Sergeant
Major, Stuart Davison, has been
appointed as the first ‘soldier
advocate’ for LGBT (lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender) troops
serving within the British Army.
On taking up the role, Davison said:
“I can’t wait to get started.”
the imjin SUMMER 2020
5