Exercise SELVA BACKSTOP
Mountaineering in the Bulgarian Balkans
Lance Corporal Khim Gurung
Koncheto – a knife-edged ridge trail , enroute to Mount Vihren
Exercise SELVA BACKSTOP 2 , took an ARRC team to the Republic of Bulgaria to trek various unmarked trails of the Rila and Pirin national parks and to summit Mount Vihren , at an altitude of 2,914 meters in the Pirin Mountains .
Before tackling Mount Vihrin , the team had to survive the drive through the tough , narrow terrain of the Pirin National Park . The journey made me recall the documentary programme I used to watch – ‘ World ’ s Most Dangerous Roads on Earth ’. Some of the team jumped out of the minibus to guide the driver ; the experience was surreal !
Rila Monastery , the largest Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria
The route to summit Mount Vihren began with a constant uphill trek through the woods , reaching the marble ridge at which point I , and many with me , were was physically and mentally exhausted . Thankfully , with some rest and lunch , we were re-energized and ready to attack Koncheto – a knife-edge ridge at an elevation of 2,810 meters .
Acclimatisation hike in preparation for Mount Vihren summit
Lance Corporal Khim Gurung checks the map during a hike at the base of Mount Vihren
As we moved along , we experienced an abrupt change on the terrain in which the trekking transformed into scrambling and further up required the support of cables and poles to move ahead – a very scary moment ! Petrified to look down , but disregarding the height and with constant focus , we scrambled and climbed up the final attack to reach to the pinnacle of Mount Vihren ; safe to say , we all were very pleased and relieved to be at the summit !
Upon achieving our objective , the next two days were comparatively relaxed hikes around the mountain lakes . We came across two other hikers enjoying their retirement , who happened to be from Gloucester and Dundee . What a small world !
The expedition emphasized life-learning lessons for me , like the importance of being physically and mentally resilient and not to drift away from your set objectives . It also
highlighted the importance of team spirit , teamwork , and team cohesion , not only in relation to a successful completion of assigned tasks , but also camaraderie that conveys a true sense of belonging to the team .
The entire team at the summit of Mount Vihren , 2,914 meters
Exercise ARRCADE CAESAR
Multinational warfighting perspectives
Lieutenant Colonel Christian Fortey
Exercise ARRCADE CAESAR is COMARRC ’ s annual Staff Ride in Italy – rotating each year between the Southern , Central , and Northern battlefields where the Allies fought in 1943-45 . This campaign was the last time that a UK-led Corps HQ fought with multinational Divisions under command . Exactly the scenario for which the ARRC finds itself continually preparing – and so a perfect setting in which to examine modern multinational Corps-level challenges and to build team cohesion with our future operating partners . In October 2021 , ARRC deployed to the North of Italy with 40 officers from the Command Group and our affiliated formations from across NATO .
After a brief icebreaker in Florence , the exercise then moved into high gear and delivered the participants to 14 noteworthy locations over a 4-day period . At each location , a stand was designed to take in spectacular and commanding views over the ground where key battles were fought during this part of the Italian Campaign in WWII . This exposed us to a diverse and challenging series of intellectual military challenges from Florence , across to the Adriatic Sea and up to the River Po – areas which were marked by strong leadership and dogged fighting on both sides .
It became clear that the Italian Campaign exemplified the experiences and challenges of working in a multinational organisation , from operating alongside Italian partisan fighters to simultaneously assisting the reconstruction of the Italian state after years of disruption and conflict . All of the lessons were easy to set against the context of
our current challenges in NATO – and generated a great deal of animated discussion on how we might address similar threats to the Alliance .
We were also able to pay our respects to the fallen through memorial services and the laying of wreaths at the Commonwealth War Cemetery at Coriano Ridge , the Italian Memorial at Montegridolfo and the German Military Cemetery at Futa Pass .
An After Action Review on the final day allowed the Command Group to appraise the key lessons we had identified and agree on actions we will now weave into the HQ ’ s development over the next 12 months .
As a final farewell a trip into Venice was arranged with kind assistance from the Italian Army , who provided a military boat and crew to take us to the dramatic Piazza San Marco .
@ HQARRC Allied Rapid Reaction Corps the imjin WINTER 2021 7