The ARRC is
setting the
standard all
across
NATO.
Cornwall’s rugged northern coastline is
well-known as one of the best surfing
spots in Britain.
During the summer months, the
region attracts thousands of tourists
in trendy wetsuits seeking the raw
nature of this southwestern tip of
England.
Off season, the international arrivals
at Newquay airport are more likely
to be seen in uniform, as the Allied
Rapid Reaction Corps returns almost
every winter for its main annual
exercise.
This year, over 1,100 troops from over
20 different nations spent two weeks
at the Royal Air Force base at Saint
Mawgan, adjacent to Newquay airport,
to prepare for a ‘demanding’ new
commitment – and to do battle against
the wind and rain.
The exercise is the largest of its kind
and an important step towards the
ARRC taking responsibility as NATO’s
first warfighting corps since the Cold
War.
level headquarters across Europe,
the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps is
scheduled to adopt the ‘warfighting’
mantle for the first time since the
ARRC (as the former British First Corps)
held the role in the 1980s.
Exercise ‘Arrcade Fusion 19’ saw staff
officers from the U.K.-led corps deploy
for the large-scale command post
exercise (CPX), as they rehearsed the
procedures to command up to 120,000
military personnel in a warfighting
scenario. Addressing the assembled troops at
the end of the exercise, the ARRC’s
commander, Lieutenant General Sir
Edward Smyth-Osbourne, said: “We
are required to be at readiness as the
warfighting corps headquarters, at 20
days’ notice to move for operations in
the European theatre, both to deter
our adversaries and to defend our
allies.”
Under the ‘Long Term Commitments
Plan’ (LTCP) rotation of responsibilities
shared between NATO’s nine corps- “This is a singular and demanding
purpose. And if push comes to shove,
we need to be ready to deploy.”
GETTING READY
continued over
the imjin SUMMER 2020
9