1ST ( UK ) SIGNAL BRIGADE ARRC SUPPORT BATTALION
1st ( UK ) Signal Brigade Update
As COVID lockdown restrictions slowly ease and the breakout from our home workspaces begins , opportunities to get away from the MODnet laptop and challenge ourselves in other ways are opening up .
In May the Adventure Training ( AT ) Foundation Centres started to open and the opportunity to get out into the hills was seized upon by HQ 1 Sig Bde .
AT plays an important role in the development of ourselves and our teams . It provides a controlled way to take people out of our comfort zone and develop the personal characteristics that are required in the
Corporal Taylor has been with ARRC Support Battalion since January 2019 and has since become the linchpin of the white fleet department . I asked him about what a normal day looks like for him . He smiled , putting down his mug of Yorkshire tea . “ Well , there isn ’ t really a normal day here ,” he mused . After a brief pause he continued . “ I am responsible for running the department , and we support the whole of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps . One day I could be arranging a baggage vehicle for a squadron level exercise , another I could be sorting out a vehicle for a one-star general .” He reached for a biscuit . “ I manage the people and the vehicles , and it ’ s a lot of responsibility ,”.
“ What are the people like at ARRC ?” I ask . Cpl Taylor doesn ’ t miss a beat . “ Diverse ”, he tells me . “ We have real mix here , with personnel from the RLC , RE , SPS , RGR , QOGLR , QGE … I think that ’ s why I like working here . The mix of different cultures as well as the capbadge identities makes us a very unusual place within the Army . It ’ s really social , too ”.
I can ’ t argue with him there . “ You must be incredibly busy trying to balance work and a social life !” I tell him . He laughs “ Of course , we ’ re all busy , but there are so many opportunities more demanding moments of the job – courage , discipline , focus , leadership ; and it provides opportunities for the team to learn about one another , to build rapport and ultimately trust .
Four of the HQ staff deployed to Inverness to take part in a Mountain Biking foundation course . The group were diverse including a seasoned mountaineer , a veteran of the Balkans and a soldier who had completed two combat tours in Afghanistan . The course took them from “ Zero to Hero ” – teaching them about the bike and how to maintain it and then how to use it to navigate the hills and glens . More than that , the instructor also took time for conceptual development too , using the remote location , the exhaustion of cycling for hours up the side of a Munro to add to the mental challenge of a discussion of how to Casevac a member of the team , developing leadership theory at the same time .
This will not be the only AT the HQ deploy on this Summer with two expeditions planned for July . A sailing expedition in the North-West of Scotland is planned as part of the Joint Services Adventure Sail Training Centre ’ s Ex HIGHLAND EXPRESS . Four of the HQ will have the opportunity to qualify for their Competent
Life at ARRC Support Battalion
Interview conducted by Lt Rachel Humphrey
here to do something different . The battalion has gone to Germany for a ‘ zero to hero ’ ski package , there ’ s time next month to go on adventurous training courses , and some of us are going to South Korea for mountaineering ! Not to mention sports and battalion PT three times a week ”. I ’ m impressed by the travel and sporting opportunities in the support battalion , and he must have noticed . “ We ’ ve gone to America on Ex Rattlesnake , and we ’ re deploying to eastern Europe at the end of this year ”. Cpl Taylor added , shrugging modestly .
I raise an eyebrow at this . Surely he can ’ t just manage white fleet on large scale exercises . He nods in agreement . “ When we ’ re deployed , I operate the 18 tonne Hyster for the Quartermaster ’ s department . I deliver stores around the area so that the battalion can carry out the initial , crucial stages of the operation ,” he paused , looking out the window . “ it ’ s pretty important in the closing stages , too ; nobody goes home until the kit ’ s packed away !”.
I tell him that we ’ re back to square one and that it sounds like a lot of responsibility . He laughed . “ It is , but I really enjoy it here ”. He raises an eyebrow conspiratorially . “ We get interviewed by Lieutenants who
Crew on a Hallberg Rassey 34 Whilt , cruising between the Hebrides and sea lochs expecting to see dolphins , seals and eagles on the way . And a mountaineering expedition in the Northern Highlands will see six qualify for their Summer Mountain Foundation qualification and a further four will learn the ropes of multi-pitch rock climbing .
The turnover of staff in the HQ has been over 60 % since March 2020 and having worked at reach for the majority of the past twelve months , many of the staff do not know each other . The chance to get out and challenge ourselves in a different environment will offer opportunities to develop the team before being thrust into the delivery of Ex STEADFAST LEDA after Summer leave .
Well , there isn ’ t really a normal day here
think they write for Vogue , and they normally provide biscuits ”. He ’ s got me there .
ARRC Support Battalion will soon deploy to eastern Europe on Exercise STEADFAST LEDA , during which they will support the 3 * ARRC HQ on a divisional level warfighting exercise .
12 SUMMER 2021 the imjin @ comd1SigBde