2011

Gifted sporting students head to ARRC for pioneering courses

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Headquarters, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) hosted an athletic camp for local gifted and talented youth at Imjin Barracks today.

The Gifted and Talented Sporting Challenge, organized and run by Gloucestershire's Hartpury College, saw 100 athletic teens from two area secondary schools come to Imjin Barracks to compete in both single and group challenges, several of them with a military theme.

The challenge's events were directed by both Hartpury third-year students as well as ARRC personnel assigned to the ARRC Support Battalion.

Pioneered by Hartpury HE Sport department's Dean Clark, the camp is the college's attempt to re-energize the UK's Young, Gifted, and Talented Programme in the Gloucestershire area.

The Young, Gifted & Talented Programme is a UK government scheme that aims to enhance the educational development of students between the ages of 4 and 19. The scheme was established in 2002. Within the scheme, a young and gifted individual is defined as: "...children and young people with one or more abilities developed to a level significantly ahead of their year group (or with the potential to develop those abilities)”

"The incredible support that we have received from the ARRC has enabled the college to provide final year Sports Coaching students with an authentic and challenging environment in which to develop their core professional skills whilst liaising with supportive role models from both the military and the teaching profession,” said Clark.

Imjin's Sporting Challenge saw 13 and 14-year old talented and gifted youth from Rednock School (Dursley) and Farmor's School (Fairford) compete in challenges that mixed both physical and cognitive components and challenged participants to develop their talents outside of their respective comfort zones.

Participants were divided into smaller teams, with each made up of students from both schools.

Dawn Johnson, Physical Education Head for Farmor's School, who brought 60 students to the event, was highly complementary of the sports challenge.

According to Johnson, many schools have found it difficult in recent years to put on competitive athletic events that involve more than their respective school, often because of a lack of funding, personnel, or a large enough venue.

"The college (Hartpury) needs children to work with, we need manpower in order run events, and we all need a venue to use,” said Johnson.

For Johnson, this event offered a solution to all of these challenges.

"Our concept is to stretch these children beyond what they could get at their (respective) schools. We hope that this will become an annual event.”

Hartpury and the ARRC began working on the concept for the athletic competition earlier last year, when Gloucestershire's former High Sherriff, Duncan Clegg introduced the two organizations to each other.

In keeping with this theme, instructors, Soldiers, and students alike were treated to a visit from Gloucestershire's new High Sherriff, Hugh Tollemache during the challenge's events.

"We were extremely excited to have this opportunity to work with both Hartpury and a host of the region's best young athletes,” said ARRC spokesman Maj Chris Hyde. "It was a great day for all involved.”

HQ ARRC is a NATO Rapid Deployment Corps headquarters, founded in 1992 in Germany, and headquartered in Gloucestershire since August 2010.

Although HQ ARRC's ‘framework nation' is the United Kingdom, comprising approximately 60% of the overall staff, the ARRC is fully multinational in nature and organization, with 15 Partner Nations contributing the remaining complement of personnel (Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and the United States).

HQ ARRC is now on stand-by for short-notice call-up and subsequent rapid deployment in support of any potential NATO Response Force (NRF) missions that may develop during 2013.

As an NRF Land Component Command, or LCC, the ARRC will essentially be in command of all land combat troops on the ground during an NRF deployment.

For more information on the ARRC: http://www.arrc.nato.int/ or email: richard.hyde@us.army.mil, or phone: 07788 616008

For more photographs of this and other stories about the ARRC, please visit HQ ARRC on Flickr at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54973278@N03/

Imjin's WWII-era Meteor 'flies' to new home

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The Royal Air Force (RAF) moved one of Britain's most historic aircraft to a new museum using one of their Chinook helicopters yesterday afternoon.

Previously located at Imjin Barracks, home of NATO's Headquarters, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC), the aircraft, a 1949 Meteor T.7, was lifted by a Chinook helicopter and moved to its new home at the Gloucestershire Jet Age Museum, just outside of Gloucester at Staverton Airport.

Formerly situated at the entrance to what was formerly RAF Innsworth, the Meteor was once the RAF installation's ‘gate guardian.'

Flt Lt Paul Farmer, a RAF Chinook pilot originally from Churchdown, a community nearby to Imjin, volunteered to pilot the helicopter that lifted and moved the Meteor aircraft.

"I used to cycle past and walk past the Meteor when I used to go to Air Cadets at (RAF) Innsworth, so it was nice to be able to bring it here and drop it off…very gently,” said Farmer.

Flt Lt Paul Farmer

Following the installation's closure in 2008, transfer to the British Army and reopening as Imjin Barracks in 2010, the Meteor was moved to a new location next to the ARRC's Installation Briefing Centre.

Imjin's Meteor was recently purchased by the Gloucestershire Jet Age Museum and is slated for restoration and inclusion in its exhibits, which will focus on the region's extensive aircraft production history and affiliation with the aviation industry.

The Gloster Meteor was both the UK's first jet aircraft as well as the Allies first operational jet fighter. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turbojet engines, developed by Sir Frank Whittle and his company, Pwer Jets Ltd.

Development of the aircraft began in 1940. The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations in July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the RAF. Although the Meteor was not an aerodynamically advanced aircraft, it proved to be a successful and effective combat fighter.

Several major variants of the Meteor were made to incorporate technological advances during the 1940s and 1950s. Thousands of Meteors were built to serve in the RAF and other air forces and remained in use for several decades. The Meteor saw limited action in the Second World War, while Meteors of the Royal Australian Air Forces (RAAF) provided a significant contribution to the Korean War and several other operators such as Argentina, Egypt and Israel also flew Meteors in regional conflicts. As of 2011, two Meteors have remained in active service with the Martin-Baker company as ejection seat testbeds.

Imjin's Meteor T.7, built in 1949 at Hucclecote, had something of a chequered operational history and was involved in a number of minor flying accidents, some of which required return to the manufacturers for repair. It served primarily with No. 604 Squadron at North Weald and was once flown by former Conservative MP, now Lord Norman Tebbit when he joined the squadron in January 1952.

In 1957, it was delivered to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Boscombe Down, where it performed a variety of flying and ground test roles before ending its flying life some 2000 flight hours later in 1968.

Officially ‘struck off charge' in 1977, the aircraft was transported to RAF Innsworth in 1981, where it underwent a long term restoration. It was unveiled as the former HQ Personnel and Training Command ‘gate guardian' in 1994.

Once the Meteor T.7 has been relocated to Gloucestershire's Staverton Airport, any remaining reminders of the installation's RAF past will part of the post's history.

"I can't think of anything more fitting than for Imjin's Meteor aircraft to ‘fly' to its final destination,' said ARRC spokesman Maj Chris Hyde. "We're honoured that we have had the opportunity to host this splendid aircraft, one that has been part of Britain's and the Allies' treasured history.”

"The Meteor aircraft represents a very important link to Gloucesterhire's military and industrial heritage,” explained Hyde. "It embodies a period of rapid technological progress in the region that is still represented in the area today. In military terms, the Meteor defines an era where former adversaries forged military alliances that aided in the development and establishment of NATO, the ARRC's parent organisation.”

"Ultimately, the ARRC is a modern representation of everything that the Meteor was designed to answer during WWII,” continued Hyde. "Just as the Meteor was ahead of its time in the mid-20th century, so is the ARRC today.”

The aerial move was watched by hundreds of spectators, both at Imjin Barracks as well as at Staverton Airport.

HQ ARRC is a NATO Rapid Deployment Corps headquarters, founded in 1992 in Germany, and headquartered in Gloucestershire since August 2010.

HQ ARRC is now on stand-by for short-notice call-up and subsequent rapid deployment in support of any potential NATO Response Force (NRF) missions that may develop during 2013.

As an NRF Land Component Command, or LCC, the ARRC will essentially be in command of all land combat troops on the ground during an NRF deployment.

For more information on the ARRC: http://www.arrc.nato.int/ or email: richard.hyde@us.army.mil, or phone: 07788 616008

For more photographs of this and other stories about the ARRC, please visit HQ ARRC on Flickr at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54973278@N03/

ARRC sponsors Cold War presentation, dinner to benefit local veterans' charity

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Two British leaders active in NATO's actions during the Cold War gave a presentation at Headquarters, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps' (HQ ARRC) Officers' Mess Tuesday, 16^th April at 6:30pm.

Both former intelligence officers in the British Army and Government, Major General (Retired) Peter Williams CMG OBE and Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Tony Le Tissier MBE entertained attendees with stories and anecdotes from their work during the height of the Cold War.

Simon Firth from the Albare Charity

A charity event, all funds generated from the presentation will be donated to Alabare' and will ultimately be used to assist in their efforts to build a Home for Veterans in Gloucestershire.

During the Cold War, Maj Gen (Ret) Peter Williams specialised in intelligence, serving as a Regimental Intelligence Officer first in Berlin from 1973 to 1975 and then in West Belfast. He then studied Russian and German before spending more than four years in the 1980s in Berlin and East Germany as an officer in the British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (known as BRIXMIS), in effect working as a military spy.

In 1983 Williams was awarded an MBE for his success as an intelligence collector and analyst.

After 4 years as an accountant for British American Tobacco in Malta and Pakistan, Lt Col (Ret) Tony Le Tissier joined the (British Army's) Intelligence Corps and following 2 years in Malaya was commissioned into the RMP and served in UK, Cyprus and Germany in both Provost and Special Investigation Branch roles. He was awarded the MBE in 1973 for legal liaison services following Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland.

Le Tissier retired from the Army as Provost Marshal, HQ Berlin (British Sector) in 1977 whereupon he became locally employed as Deputy Head, Public Safety Branch for the British Military Government in Berlin. In 1981 he became the Allied Liaison and Protocol Officer and British Resident for Berlin, along with being the British Governor of Spandau Allied Prison.

Dame Janet Trotter DBE, (left) speaks to another guest

HQ ARRC is a NATO Rapid Deployment Corps headquarters, founded in 1992 in Germany, and headquartered in Gloucestershire since August 2010.

HQ ARRC is now on stand-by for short-notice call-up and subsequent rapid deployment in support of any potential NATO Response Force (NRF) missions that may develop during 2013.

As an NRF Land Component Command, or LCC, the ARRC will essentially be in command of all land combat troops on the ground during an NRF deployment.

For more information on the ARRC: http://www.arrc.nato.int/ or email: richard.hyde@us.army.mil, or phone: 07788 616008

For more photographs about the ARRC, please visit HQ ARRC on Flickr at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54973278@N03/

Military Cross for soldier based at ARRC in Innsworth

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A British Army soldier currently serving with Headquarters, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) was recently awarded the Military Cross in recognition of his heroic actions in Afghanistan.

A member of the Coldstream Guards, Captain John Scarlett led his Police Advisory Team to visit an Afghan National Civil Police check point (CP) in the Upper Gereshk Valley. When the individuals they were to meet did not show up, Scarlett, then a Lieutenant, began to lead his troops out of the building.

Almost immediately following their exit, Lieutenant Scarlett heard machinegun gunfire from inside the CP. One of his team, Lance Corporal Stephen Shaw, emerged from the building and told Scarlett that an Afghan policeman had opened fire on the UK team, seriously wounding three of the four personnel now pinned down in the CP.

Scarlett ran back into the building to rescue his soldiers.

While firing at the enemy, Scarlett's rifle jammed. He continued to engage with his pistol until shot in the leg and body armour, suffering serious injuries. He was rescued by teammate Shaw, who raced into the CP, dragged him out to safety and began to tend his wounds.

Lance Corporal Shaw was also recently awarded the Military Cross for his actions in saving Scarlett.

Remarking on the incident and his rescue, Scarlett said "I carried on, but after a while I came to a standstill…my memory is hazy. I owe my life to Corporal Shaw, absolutely. To come into the killing area and pull me clear showed exceptional bravery.”

Awarded to all ranks of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Air Force and Army, the Military Cross is awarded in recognition of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy.

HQ ARRC is a NATO Rapid Deployment Corps headquarters, founded in 1992 in Germany, and headquartered in Gloucestershire since August 2010.

HQ ARRC is now on stand-by for short-notice call-up and subsequent rapid deployment in support of any potential NATO Response Force (NRF) missions that may develop during 2013.

As an NRF Land Component Command, or LCC, the ARRC will essentially be in command of all land combat troops on the ground during an NRF deployment.

For more information on the ARRC: http://www.arrc.nato.int/ or email: richard.hyde@us.army.mil, or phone: 07788 616008

For more photographs about the ARRC, please visit HQ ARRC on Flickr at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54973278@N03/

HQ ARRC celebrates assumption of NRF 2013 role with military parade

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Headquarters, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) conducted a ceremony and parade earlier today to celebrate the NATO headquarters' assumption of their role in NATO's Response Force (NRF) for 2013.

The ceremony and parade occurred at the command's headquarters on Imjin Barracks near Innsworth in Gloucestershire.

Although the ARRC officially began its year-long NRF rotation at the beginning of this month, the event offered a ceremonial opportunity for the commander of the 2012 NRF Land Component, Lt. Gen. Georgios Basiakoulis, NATO Rapid Deployable Corps – Greece (NRDC-Greece), to transfer his command's (NRF) responsibility to HQ ARRC's commander, Lt. Gen. Sir James Bucknall KCB CBE.

During the mid-morning ceremony, generals Basiakoulis and Bucknall reviewed the some 100 ARRC troops participating in the event, which included military personnel from the UK as well as many of the 15 other nations serving with the headquarters here in the UK.

Following the review of troops and subsequent transfer of the NRF flag from Lt. Gen. Basiakoulis to Lt. Gen. Sir James Bucknall, the UK Army's Corps of Drums from the 1^st Battalion, Coldstream Guards led the troops in a short march around the parade ground.

NATO announced in October 2012 that HQ ARRC was qualified for duty as part of the NRF in 2013.

The announcement came at the end of a week-long, comprehensive, and often grueling, evaluation conducted at RAF St. Mawgan, near Newquay, Cornwall, completed by a team of NATO military and civilian experts sent to assess the Innsworth-based high-readiness headquarters and determine their readiness to assume their designated role as the Land Component Command, or LCC, within the 2013 NRF.

HQ ARRC is now on stand-by for short-notice call-up and subsequent rapid deployment in support of any potential NRF missions that may develop during 2013.

NATO designates NRFs on a rotating basis, and they traditionally comprise land, air and sea components, volunteered and provided by NATO members.

An NRF is a coherent, high-readiness, joint, multinational force package of up to 25,000 troops that is technologically advanced, flexible, deployable, interoperable and sustainable. Its role is to act as a stand-alone military force available for rapid deployment as a collective-defense, crisis management or stabilization force, or to act as an initial entry force for a subsequent primary deployment.

As an NRF LCC, the ARRC will essentially be in command of all land combat troops on the ground during an NRF deployment.

"This ceremony formally acknowledges the enormous responsibility that the ARRC now takes on its shoulders,” stated ARRC spokesman Major Chris Hyde. "The ARRC is now the ‘tip of the spear' for NATO, ready to deploy anytime, anywhere in 2013.”

HQ ARRC is a NATO Rapid Deployable Corps headquarters, founded in 1992 in Germany, and headquartered in Gloucestershire since August 2010.

HQ ARRC celebrates its 20th Anniversary

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards gives his view on intervention activities.

Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) celebrated the 20^th Anniversary of its formation on 26^th November 2012 at Imjin Barracks, Innsworth.

To mark the event a conference was held to discuss the theme of how military operations may look in the future hosted by Lieutenant General James Bucknall.

The attendees included the current Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), General Sir David Richards, the heads of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force. Also present were previous commanders of the ARRC, the current Deputy Commander Supreme Allied Command Europe, General Lord Dannatt, General Sir Mike Jackson and many other past and present military figures.

Academic input was provided by Professor Hew Strachan, All Souls Oxford University, whilst CDS provided his views on how the military can learn from the lessons of recent operations.

The conference was attended by past and present senior military leaders including the heads of the Air Force Army.

"The ARRC has played a central role in NATO led operations over the last 20 years. It has served in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan twice and therefore has accrued a wealth of experience of the broad spectrum of intervention activities in the process. This conference has allowed current and previous ARRC Commanders and staff to highlight the key lessons and implications for the future whilst providing a fitting opportunity to formally mark the 20^th anniversary of the establishment of the Headquarters” said Lieutenant General James Bucknall, Commander of the ARRC.

HQ ARRC is a NATO Rapid Deployment Corps headquarters, founded in 1992 in Germany, and headquartered in Gloucestershire since August 2010.

ARRC is scheduled to play a key role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Response Force (NRF) in 2013.

General Lord Dannatt, former Commander of the ARRC and Chief of the General Staff attended.

Note to editors:

1. For more information on the ARRC: http://www.arrc.nato.int/, email: pao.ops1@arrc.nato.int, or phone: 0780 1442760.

2. For more photographs reference this and other HQ ARRC stories, please visit HQ ARRC on Flickr at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54973278@N03/

The conference concluded with a panel discussion which included General Sir Mike Jackson, General Lord Dannatt, General Sir David Richards and Professor Hew Strachan.

NATO gives HQ ARRC green light for NRF role in 2013

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:30:00 GMT

NATO announced yesterday that Headquarters, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) is now qualified for duty as part of the NATO Response Force (NRF) in 2013.

The announcement came at the end of a week-long, comprehensive, and often grueling, evaluation completed by a team of NATO military and civilian experts sent to assess the Innsworth-based high-readiness headquarters and determine their readiness to assume their designated role as the Land Component Command, or LCC, within the 2013 NRF.

As an NRF LCC, the ARRC would essentially be in command of all land combat troops on the ground during an NRF deployment.

NATO designates NRFs on a rotating basis, and they traditionally comprise land, air and sea components, volunteered and provided by NATO members.

In the weeks immediately prior to the ARRC’s review by NATO, close to 1000 personnel assigned to the multinational headquarters, as well as their primary two support elements, 1^st Signal Brigade and the ARRC Support Battalion, deployed to RAF St. Mawgan, Cornwall, to conduct a training exercise.

Named Exercise Noble Ledger, the two-and-a-half week long training and evaluation event was designed to prepare the ARRC for any potential NRF deployments.

Also participating in the exercise and evaluation was the UK Army’s 16 Air Assault Brigade, a Danish Signal unit, a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CRBN) unit from the Czech Republic, and close to 200 military and civilian personnel from military and civilian organizations around the world.

During the exercise, the ARRC received a visit from NATO’s Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Sir Richard Shirreff, KCB CBE.

Shirreff is a previous ARRC commander.

"We in the Alliance (NATO) need to be ready to meet the unexpected; we live in an uncertain and dangerous world, "said Shirreff. "The NRF is all about how NATO responds to that by land, air and sea.”

According to Shirreff, the extremely positive evaluation and feedback the ARRC received from the visiting NATO team of experts is critical to the organisation’s future success as the commanding element for any NATO land forces called up as part of the 2013 NRF.

"We know that the ARRC is a ‘premier league’ organisation, " Shirreff commented. "(This evaluation) means that (the ARRC) has gone through the evaluation process against a pretty demanding set of criteria. We (NATO) now have a command and control capability that is flexible, adaptable, responsive, and can do (any) job we ask of it.”

HQ ARRC is a NATO Rapid Deployment Corps headquarters, founded in 1992 in Germany, and headquartered in Gloucestershire since August 2010.

Although HQ ARRC’s ‘framework nation’ is the United Kingdom, comprising approximately 60% of the overall staff, the ARRC is fully multinational in nature and organization, with 15 Partner Nations contributing the remaining complement of personnel (Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and the United States).

From infantry to adjutant, US Soldier adapts to life with NATO

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:17:00 GMT

Most human resource staff in the US military work with just about every type of military discipline and job there is in their respective service, consistently providing a wide variety of personnel and administrative assistance to the force.

US Army infantryman Sergeant Brandon Robinson, however, has actually experienced military life

working in one of those other jobs.

After suffering an injury that forced a career change, Robinson decided he wasn’t quite done serving his country yet. He decided to change his career path to human resources, which now allows him to help other soldiers when they need it.

Now, instead of firing downrange and charging the battlefield as a combat infantryman, Robinson, an adjutant general corps, or human resource, soldier serving with NATO’s Headquarters, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC), based at Imjin Barracks, Innsworth, in the United Kingdom, is ensuring that his NATO counterparts are getting accurate information in a timely and professional fashion.

As a married father of two, he understands responsibility and taking care of those in need. According to Robinson, this is part of the reason he believes in the NATO Response Force [NRF] mission, which could see Robinson and the rest of the ARRC deployed anywhere in the world with very little notice.

"Missions like NRF are important because someone needs to step in and intervene when situations get out of control,” said Robinson. "That is NATO, and that is something we do.”

Being part of the ARRC’s Operational Analysis Branch (OAB) means that Robinson works not only with NATO civilians, but also with a variety of experienced multi-national soldiers. These experienced troops will work in combination with those like Robinson to prepare for, and potentially deploy as part of, an NRF mission.

"This is a very unique mission because we are a rapid reaction force and ready to go (in) an hours notice,” said Robinson. "The regular ( US) Army can take up to three months or more to prepare and deploy.”

In preparation for a potential future rapid deployment with the ARRC, Robinson has joined the rest of the ARRC in their training exercise, Noble Ledger, at RAF St. Mawgan in Cornwall. The exercise is scheduled to culminate with an evaluation that tells the world the ARRC is ready and willing to take on NRF.

Within the hustle and bustle of a multi-national training environment, each individual often needs to find a

way to wind down and relax. For Robinson, it’s his passion for the guitar. As he grew and matured, his desire to play the guitar also grew, as did his talent.

He actually taught himself to play.

"[Playing] guitar is an escape for me,” said Robinson, "I taught myself to play and I’ve been doing it since I was young.”

Whether it is playing his guitar to unwind in his tent and entertaining teammates, or sifting through information to get his branch taken care of, Robinson is doing his part to represent the US Army within HQ ARRC, and NATO.

German Army logistics professional plays big role in ARRC’s team of experts

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Getting from point A to point B with equipment may sound like a simple task, but throw in a multi-national headquarters with troops from 16 nations, a mind-boggling system of forms and regulations, military weapons, ammunition and vehicles, and the general expertise to understand all this and you’ll find that you need a combat service professional to make sense of it all.

Enter German Army (Bundeswehr) Captain Thorsten Süss, branch adjutant for the Allied Rapid

Reaction Corps’ (ARRC) Combat Service Support branch as well as the branch’s deputy battle captain.

Süss, who joined the ARRC in July of this year with his wife and two children, has taken to his new role with zeal. Even before he actually set foot at the ARRC, he was excited to join the command, largely because of its reputation within Germany.

"This HQ has a [great] reputation in Germany,” Süss, explained. "Ask anyone in the German military, (and) they will say that it is a great experience. It is also one of the best organized HQs in NATO.”

Süss’ first impressions of the ARRC haven’t changed since his arrival, when he found himself involved in almost non-stop preparation for Exercise Noble Ledger, a major exercise during which the ARRC will be evaluated by NATO on the headquarters’ readiness to potentially command ground troops in the short-notice call-up of a NATO Response Force (NRF) in 2013.

"These exercises are really helpful, the ones like [Noble Ledger],” Süss said. "This is a really fast pace and it is the best way to find your place in the job. You work according to a scenario and you have to react.”

For this particular exercise, Süss is working in the ARRC’s operations centre [OPCEN] as the Combat Service Support [CSS] expert. This means he is the liaison between the OPCEN and the CSS branch of the headquarters. As events happen, he must make immediate calls according to information he receives on the spot and then relay his ideas to the ARRC’s CSS branch, who will then provide the physical means necessary to accomplish whatever mission, objective, or task required by the exercise scenario.

In barracks, as the branch adjutant and deputy battle captain, it is Süss’ job to assist in the running of

operations and the management of three separate multi-discipline groups.

For both the exercise and real-world support, Süss tries to maintain a fluid flow of information to the deputy chief of staff for operations, ensuring timely decision- making and action.

Even though the work is fast-paced and the language barrier sometimes comes into play, Süss has always wanted to work in a multi-national environment. With his desire to work in this environment fulfilled and his new working relationships within the ARRC developing, all that remains for Süss is his continued work and preparation for a potential upcoming NRF mission, one which could take the ARRC, and Süss, anywhere in the world…at a moment’s notice.

ARRC begins training in Cornwall to prepare for NATO Response Force role

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Close to 1000 personnel assigned to the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) recently arrived at

RAF St. Mawgan, Cornwall, to begin a major training exercise aimed at preparing the Innsworth-based NATO high readiness deployment headquarters for its key role in the potential call-up of a NATO Response Force (NRF) in 2013.

The exercise, named Exercise Noble Ledger, includes personnel assigned to the ARRC and its several subordinate units, as well as personnel from the UK Army’s 16 Air Assault Brigade, as well as from Joint Forces Command (JFC) Naples.

16 Air Assault Brigade is currently scheduled to be a part of a 2013 NRF call-up, serving in a subordinate role to the ARRC.

The NRF traditionally comprises land, air and sea components provided by NATO members.

The ARRC is currently scheduled to serve as the Land Component Command (LCC) headquarters for an NRF call-up in 2013. As an NRF LCC, ARRC personnel would essentially be in command of all land combat troops on the ground during the NRF deployment.

In addition to preparing ARRC personnel for any future deployments and support for NATO operations worldwide, the exercise will see the presence of a NATO evaluation team who will observe, evaluate, and officially certify the headquarters, as well as all participating subordinate units, for their potential role with an NRF.

HQ ARRC is a NATO Rapid Deployment Corps headquarters, founded in 1992 in Germany, and headquartered in Gloucestershire since August 2010.

Imjin Barracks hosts Freshers Fair for troops, families

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Imjin Barracks hosted a Freshers Fair at the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) Officers’ Mess, Innsworth today.

Organized by Innsworth Station and the ARRC Wives’ Association (AWA), the event was a resounding success, with close to 70 organizations from around the area showcasing their amenities and services for Fair visitors.

The event was open to all serving military, civil servants living and working in the greater Innsworth region (Imjin Barracks,

Churchdown, Innsworth, Gloucester, and Tewkesbury) and was designed to help participating military and civilian personnel and their families ‘hit the ground running’ upon arriving in the county and get the best out of their stay in Gloucestershire and the United Kingdom.

For many of the personnel and families attending, a move to Imjin Barracks and the ARRC might be their first experience of both the region and the UK in general.

Hundreds of personnel and families streamed in to discover what is on offer in the area. Featured booths included driving schools, vets, banking, restaurants, leisure centres, sports clubs, schools, and much more.

Event organizer Nicky Torrie was pleased with both the turnout of businesses as well as the plethora of visitors. "Everything went extremely well,” said Torrie.

"(The Fair) was well-supported by both organizations and Innsworth Station personnel alike,” continued Torrie. "Throughout the morning and early afternoon there was a steady stream of people coming through the door. Everyone seemed very satisfied – I couldn’t be happier to see this amount of participation and support.”

HQ ARRC is a NATO Rapid Deployment Corps headquarters, founded in 1992 in Germany, and headquartered in Gloucestershire since August 2010.

ARRC is scheduled to play a key role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Response Force (NRF) in 2013.

HQ ARRC celebrates German Reunification

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Headquarters, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) celebrated German Reunification with a ceremony held at Imjin Barracks, Innsworth, on Thursday evening, 6 September 2012.

The celebration, or ‘German Bivouac,’ was hosted by the ARRC’s German Senior National Representative (SNR) Brigadier General Reinhard Kuhn, and attended by personnel assigned to the elite NATO headquarters, their families, as well as distinguished members of the local and regional community.

Set up out-of-doors in the tradition of an (German) Army field camp, replete with tents, open fire and torches, the event included traditional German cuisine such as Erbensuppe, a pea soup served with sausages, Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, Potato Salad, Pretzels, and German beer. A German Army Band all they way from Wuerzburg provided entertainment for the evening’s festivities, themed around a ‘Bavarian evening.’

Designed to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of Germany’s reunification, the festive event was the 14th of its kind at ARRC, the first having been conducted in 1998 at the ARRC’s former headquarters in Rheindahlen, Germany.

"Compared to most other nations represented here, 22 years is a short history for a national day,” said Brig. General Kuhn. "All

of you have lived through our reunification and the end of the Cold War. Without multinational units like the ARRC, without NATO, and in particular, without your troops in Germany and your support we would have never achieved our reunification”

HQ ARRC is a NATO Rapid Deployment Corps headquarters, founded in 1992 in Germany, and headquartered in Gloucestershire since August 2010.

ARRC is scheduled to play a key role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Response Force (NRF) in 2013.

Although HQ ARRC’s ‘framework nation’ is the United Kingdom, comprising approximately 60% of the overall staff, the ARRC is fully multinational in nature and organization, with 15 Partner Nations contributing the remaining complement of personnel (Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and the United States).

Allied Rapid Reaction Corps is given the freedom of the borough of Tewkesbury

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

MEMBERS of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps have been given the freedom of the borough of Tewkesbury.

Councillors bestowed the honour upon the squadron for its distinguished service to the country and friendship to the community.

Gloucester City Football Club are proud to be forging a new community link with NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and Imjin Barracks.

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Tigers, and partners Prospect Training and Education Through Sport, will be working closely with budding footballers and their families based at Imjin Barracks in Innsworth.

Projects planned for the coming season include football camps and training sessions for FC Innsworth, ARRC’s youth football club, and ticket offers to allow families to attend first team fixtures.

ARRC honours UK soldiers returning from Afghanistan with medals parade

Thu, 31 May 2012 10:13:00 GMT

The Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) honoured more than 160 soldiers recently returned from a 6-month deployment to Afghanistan and Cyprus with a parade and medals ceremony on Wednesday, 30^th May 2012.

The soldiers receiving honours are assigned to the ARRC Support Battalion, and recently served in a wide variety of roles while deployed to Afghanistan, such as providing infantry forces, searching for Improvised Explosive Devices, and partnering and mentoring the Afghan Security Forces.

The day’s events included a regimental Medal Parade through the streets of Tewkesbury, followed by

the consecration of the battalion’s Memorial Wall and the presentation of deployment medals to the unit’s personnel at Imjin Barracks in Innsworth.

All three events were presided over by His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester.

The Tewkesbury parade began at 12pm at the Boat House on the north end of town and proceeded down the town’s High Street to the Tewkesbury Abbey.

During the parade, which included a 36-piece military band from the British Army’s own Parachute Regiment, a salute was taken outside Tewkesbury Abbey by the Duke of Gloucester in his role as Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Logistic Corps.

Thousands of people lined the streets along the parade’s route to cheer the soldiers on as they marched.

After the salute, a civic reception hosted by the Tewkesbury Borough Council took place in Abbey House at Tewkesbury Abbey. This event afforded the Duke of Gloucester the opportunity to meet with the families of four soldiers who died in earlier unit deployments and missions with the battalion, as well as other local dignitaries.

Later in the afternoon, the battalion conducted a ceremony to consecrate their battalion’s Memorial Wall, located in front of the battalion’s headquarters building on Imjin Barracks, immediately followed by a medals presentation ceremony, during which the recently redeployed soldiers received medals and ribbons awarded for their service in support of operations in Afghanistan. Many of the medals were presented by the Duke of Gloucester.

During the ceremony, the family of an ARRC Support Battalion soldier previously killed in combat, Corporal G. K. Sheppard, received the Elizabeth Cross.

The Elizabeth Cross is a commemorative emblem given to the recognised next of kin of members of the British Armed Forces killed in action or as a result of a terrorist attack after the Second World War. It bears the name of the current British monarch, Elizabeth II.

HQ ARRC is a NATO Rapid Deployment Corps headquarters, founded in 1992 in Germany, and headquartered in Gloucestershire since August 2010.

ARRC is scheduled to play a key role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Response Force (NRF) in 2013.

Crawling, Walking and Running

Mon, 28 May 2012 09:57:00 GMT

On our road to the NATO Response Force (NRF) 2013 standby period we are finishing our ‘crawling’ phase.

HQ ARRC provides a Guard of Honour for the Olympic Torch Relay in Gloucester

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:37:00 GMT

18 military personnel based at Imjin Barracks and assigned to Headquarters, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) provided a military ‘Guard of Honour’ for the beginning of the Olympic Torch’s run through the city of Gloucester today.

Holding the national flags that represent the sixteen nations of the ARRC, as well as both ARRC and NATO colours, the multinational formation of troops stood to both sides of the Torch runner’s route as he began his walk through Gloucester’s streets from the Gloucester Quays at approximately 8:15 a.m. this morning.

In military tradition, a guard of honour is a ceremonial practice designed to honour visiting foreign dignitaries, the fallen in

The Olympic Torch is carried along the cobbled streets of

Gloucester, near to the Cathedral. Members of HQ Allied

Rapid Reaction Corps line the route.

war, or a ceremony for public figures. In this case, the NATO formation honoured the Olympic Torch and its progress through the streets and neighborhoods of Gloucester.

In addition to the 18 multinational personnel who formed the military Guard of Honour, the ARRC provided well over 80 additional military personnel to assist as route liners for the Torch’s run through the city.

HQ ARRC is a NATO Rapid Deployment Corps headquarters, founded in 1992 in Germany, and headquartered in Gloucestershire since August 2010.

ARRC is scheduled to play a key role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Response Force (NRF) in 2013.

HQ ARRC holds Disaster Relief Study Day

Fri, 18 May 2012 12:40:00 GMT

As part of its preparation for being part of NATO’s Response Force (NRF) in 2013, HQ ARRC recently held a Disaster Relief Study Day. The aim of the day was to understand how the international community respond to natural disasters, and identify what role HQ ARRC might have should the NRF be deployed to assist with an international relief effort.

The Study Day also enabled the senior leadership and staff of HQ ARRC to start thinking, planning and acting

David Fortna, CIVMIL Planning and

Support Section at NATO HQ, speaks

to ARRC staff.

early about what relationship building needs to take place; what additional staff training is required and what contingency planning it needs to accomplish prior to NRF 2013.

Representatives from the following organisations were involved with the day: London School of Economics, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Programme, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the British Red Cross, OXFAM and NATO Headquarters. The former Deputy Chief of Staff Operations of the Spanish-led NATO Rapid Deployable Corps (NRDC-Sp), which deployed in 2005 as the NRF Land Component Command (LCC) to assist with the international relief effort following the Pakistan earthquake, gave a presentation on the lessons that could be learnt for any potential deployment.

The study day confirmed the importance of HQ ARRC being "Humanitarian Aware” and understanding how it, in the event of natural disaster, can best support the international effort. Most speakers made clear that a good starting point was to be cognisant of the protocols and guidelines governing disaster relief – such as the Oslo Guidelines – under which the international community operates. It was agreed that training days, such as this one, were an excellent way to get better acquainted with the roles and capabilities of one another. The study day also helped to build HQ ARRC’s ‘Network of Experts’ which will be essential should the headquarters deploy as part of NRF 2013.

Representatives from several UN and other non-governmental

agencies, conduct a panel discussion

The experiences and lessons learned from NRDC-Sp also highlighted the kinds of capabilities and assets that the NRF might be asked to provide. These could range from the provision of engineers and civil/military cooperation assets to assisting with the physical delivery of aid utilising military helicopters and transport assets.

The study day was an important part of the process of educating HQ ARRC on the likely challenges it will face when it assumes its role on NRF 2013. The wide ranging scope of the potential roles of the NRF mean that it essential that the headquarters has a broad understanding of the organisations who may also be involved. The Disaster Relief study day was the first in a series of training days aimed at ensuring this happens.

ARRC completes next step in road to 2013 NRF Readiness

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Nearly1000 personnel assigned to Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) recently completed a 5-day training exercise conducted at Beacon Barracks, a Ministry of Defence (MoD) military facility just outside of Stafford.

Entitled ‘ARRCADE Returner 2,’ this training event was only one of several scheduled multinational, comprehensive exercises scheduled for the high-readiness headquarters designed to prepare the headquarters personnel for potential short-notice call-up and deployment as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Response Force (NRF) next year.

BG Bryan Owens, LTG Marquis Hainse and Major General

Julian Free CBE walk past tents housing the various sections

that make up the main effort of the ARRC staff during

EX ARRCADE RETURNER.

"The NRF is a "joint” force, which means that it is not only land-based (army), but also composed of air, maritime, special forces and other components,” said HQ ARRC Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Ian Woodbridge. "Overall, the force will be commanded by a HQ based in Naples, Italy.”

According to Lt Col Woodbridge, the size of the NRF depends upon what NATO, or other partner nations are willing and able to offer at any one time, but in terms of manpower averages in excess of 20,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen at any one time.

"The NRF provides the NATO Alliance with a military crisis management tool,” continued Lt Col Woodbridge. "Primarily, it sends a message of collective determination to deal with a crisis by a group of democratic nations, operating across borders in cooperation with one another. Secondly, the NRF could deploy to deal with the situation if it is politically agreed that military forces are required.”

The types of crises the ARRC could become involved in span from collective defence of the NATO nations under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, to peace-keeping operations such as those conducted in the Balkans, to intervening under a UN mandate to countries such as in Kosovo or Libya, or even dealing with natural disasters when a nation requests assistance.

Private Remson Dinesh cooks in the main

field kitchen on Ex ARRCADE Returner 2.

Illustrating both the multinational and multi-service nature of today’s NATO stand-by forces and the importance NATO places on the ARRC’s training, both NATO’s Joint Forces Command – Naples Deputy Commander, Lieutenant General Marqui Hainse and the UK’s Joint Force Air Component Commander, Air Commodore Phil Beach visited the ARRC during their training in Stafford.

In the event that HQ ARRC deploys on operations with the NRF next year, Hainse may well become the joint commander, and Beach may command the NRF air component.

Hainse and Beach spent the day touring the exercise sight, visiting approximately 850 troops and reviewing the overall training event being conducted by ARRC leadership and personnel.

Supporting the HQ ARRC personnel in Staffordshire were approximately 500 support personnel from the ARRC Support Battalion and 1^st Signal Brigade, both based with the ARRC at Imjin Barracks in Gloucestershire, as well as communications personnel assigned to Stafford-based 22^nd Signal Regiment. Providing mission essential communications, logistics and dining services, all units deployed to the exercise site well in advance of the headquarters personnel to ensure that the exercise would be a success; many were on site for a week or more prior to the arrival of the headquarters personnel from Imjin.

During the exercise, ARRC personnel trained on a multitude of tasks, procedures and processes critical

An elevated view inside the Allied Rapid Reaction

Corps (ARRC) deployable Headquarters, during

Exercise ARRCADE RETURNER 2, in Stafford.

to improve their overall readiness to deploy anywhere in the world on a wide variety of potential missions. Utilizing the ‘crawl, walk, run’ approach, the headquarters’ multinational personnel used this exercise to both evaluate their current doctrine and standing operating practices, as well as develop and test out new methods to achieve success in any future missions the unit may be required to complete.

Future ARRC exercises this fall will see a NATO evaluation team attending, observing the unit’s personnel in order to decide whether or not the headquarters is ready to assume their role as the Land Component Command in any future call-up of a NRF in 2013.

"Exercise ARRCADE Returner 2 has marked the start of a busy period as we prepare to take over the NRF Land Component mission in 2013,” said ARRC Chief of Staff Major General Julian Free. "It’s been an excellent exercise; both demanding and thought-provoking. The staff have worked extremely hard…across the entire headquarters. We are now in great shape and ready to tackle the remainder of our NRF training.”

Naples and Air Commanders visit HQ ARRC in Staffordshire

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:47:03 GMT

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO( Joint Forces Command – Naples (JFC-N) deputy

BG Bryan Owens, LTG Marquis Hainse and Major

General Julian Free CBE walk past tents housing the

various sections that make up the main effort of the

ARRC staff during EX ARRCADE RETURNER

commander visited HQ ARRC on their training exercise, being conducted at Beacon Barracks, a Ministry of Defence (MoD) military facility just outside of Stafford today.

Lieutenant General Marqui Hainse, who joined the Canadian Army in 1977, has been working at the headquarters in Naples as deputy commander since early October 2011. In the event that HQ ARRC deploys on operations with the NATO Response Force (NRF) next year he may well become the joint commander.

As the joint commander, General Hainse will not only command the ARRC (as the land or army component), but also any maritime (navy) and air components in the NRF.

Andrzej Frank, from the ARRC's Operational Analysis Branch,

shakes hands with the deputy commander of JFC-Naples, LTG

Marquis Hainse.

Accompanying General Hainse on his visit was the United Kingdom’s Joint Force Air Component Commander, Air Commodore Phil Beach, who will command the NRF air component.

Approximately, 1000 personnel assigned to Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) arrived yesterday to Beacon Barracks to conduct a 5-day exercise designed to prepare the unit for its scheduled role in the NRF in 2013.

General Hainse’ and Air Commodore Beach’s visit to Staffordshire illustrates the multinational and multi-service nature of the today’s NATO standby forces.