ARRC Non-Commissioned Officers Leadership and Development Day
Sergeant David Chilinda
On the beautiful sunny morning of 12 May 2022 , 33 members of HQ ARRC attended a non-commissioned officers leadership and development event at Portsmouth . The group conducted a historical study into the landing operations of D-Day at the Normandy beaches . The study gave a background to D-Day , highlighting and providing an insight to modern deployments and conflicts from the perspective of the Normandy landing operations of June 1944 , in line with lessons that NCOs could adopt .
The venue was the Map Room at MoD Southwick Park , where plans for Operation OVERLORD were finalised by the Allied Commanders - Generals Dwight Eisenhower and Bernard Montgomery .
The team also included , at the time , the chief meteorologist Group Captain James Stagg who notably persuaded General Eisenhower to change the date of the invasion from 5 to 6 June 1944 . Southwick House later became the headquarters of the Allied commanders .
Our Guest of Honour David Faulkner MBE delivered a brilliant presentation on high performing teams and leadership . He focused on self-awareness and emotional intelligence , and the use of systematic tools that help us understand how our behaviour affects the performance of others . David also delved into understanding other people ’ s behaviour to better manage team dynamics for the greater benefit of team performance through the inspirational approach .
After the presentation from Mr Faulkner , we had two more presenters from amongst the NCO cohorts . The first presenter was Sergeant Samuel Akplu , who delivered a fascinating and educational presentation based on how Allied deception techniques were employed before and during the D-Day landing operation . He identified critical elements such as the different groups of spies who were used in providing fake intelligence to the Nazi regime and how this fake intelligence misinformed Adolf Hitler to believing that the landings would not take place at Normandy – which led to the Germans having a thin layer of defences securing the line .
The second presenter was Corporal Freya Casandra . Her interactive presentation took analysis at the various roles that women spies pursued during the operation . The presentation also gave an insight into the challenges women spies had to endure and the dangerous nature of the missions they were deployed on .
After all the presentations were delivered , all the participants changed into mess dress , or equivalent for Partner Nations personnel , and headed to HMS Victory located at the historic dockyard , Portsmouth . The group were given a tour of HMS Victory , revealing the rich historical treasures and information kept onboard in its dual role as the flagship of the First Sea Lord and a living museum . The tour guide narrated the challenges that were faced by Vice-Admiral Nelson and his fellow comrades in her years of unusually long service – issues to do with feeding , hygiene , sleeping facilities , etc . The tour guide also highlighted some of the fascinating pieces of military kit and equipment that were used on HMS Victory . She has achieved lasting fame as the flagship of Vice-Admiral Nelson in Britain ’ s greatest naval victory , the defeat of the French and Spanish at the Battle of Trafalgar .
The final element of the day provided the participants with an opportunity to sample an authentic main course – salted beef menu based on an 1805 theme . The evening meal further provided the participants a valuable opportunity to continue the conversation on the various topics that were covered during the day – discussions within the wide spectrum of military personnel present at the event reinforced retention-positive experiences . The Army Sergeant Major Paul Carney was available to engage with the participants on any of the items that had been covered throughout the day .
In his closing remarks to mark the end of the activities , Major General Kevin Copsey thanked our guests for their availability for the event and profound contributions in making the event a success and encouraged the NCOs to embrace the lessons learnt from the deliberations ; he also thanked Major Robinson for organising such a successful event .
In summary , the NCO Leadership and Development Day at Portsmouth provided an excellent opportunity for professional development to all the participants . It provided a valuable context using historical events to question our current thinking and ideas on how NCOs can add value to modern warfare and expose areas of improvement in our leadership styles and how to project positive behaviours in our regimental teams .
Exercise ARRCADE VISIT 22
Corporal Yogendrakumar Tajhya
On 28 Mar 22 , members of Central Staff ( CS ) Branch deployed on Ex ARRCADE VISIT 22 , a day visit to the Houses of Parliament in London . The aim of Ex ARRCADE VISIT 22 was to educate Central Staff ( CS ) Branch personnel on the composition , role , functions , relationship and the respective powers of the UK Government and parliament . Additionally , the visit offered CS Branch personnel the opportunity to come together to share their experiences and knowledge in an alternative setting outside the headquarters .
The main visit at the Houses of Parliament lasted for almost 2 hours . The day was indeed an educational day for all of us and most importantly , the interior design and the spectacular looking architecture were impressive .
The United Kingdom Parliament is made up of three parts – The Crown , The House of Lords , and The House of Commons . In a Parliamentary form of Government , such as we have , the functions of Parliament are to legislate , advise , criticise , and ventilate the public grievances ; and that of the Executive , to govern . After the completion of the visit at the Parliament , we also had opportunity to explore a few renowned places in Westminster , such as 10 Downing Street , Whitehall Building , The London Eye , Westminster Abbey and Trafalgar Square .
All in all , the visit helped our understanding of important matters relating to the history of the British Parliament and democracy . Safe to say , this opportunity has now provided the Branch personnel a better understanding about the functions of Parliament . A day filled with valuable lessons in the history of UK Parliament .
8 SUMMER 2022 the imjin