EXERCISE ASKARI STORM – A GUNNER’S VIEW

Members of 206 (Ulster) Battery Royal Artillery deployed to Kenya with 105th Regiment in support of Exercise ASKARI STORM. The Battery was attached to our paired unit 3 Royal Horse Artillery, supporting the Welsh Guards during their CALFEX (Combined Arms Live Firing Exercise). We were able to fully man 3 x 105 Light Guns and a Command Post for the duration of the exercise.

The Battery travelled in convoy up to Archers Post, making a brief stop at the School of Combat Engineering to pick up the guns. It had been a bearable temperature when we left Nairobi but as we got closer to the training area it became apparent that it was going to be extremely hot.
The drive to the training area gave us an opportunity to see some of the cultural differences between the small towns and tribal villages. Children in towns would go to school, whereas children from the villages would tend to the herds as soon as they could walk. 

It also showed how much we take for granted; a journey to the shop in the next village can be up to 24km, and one tribe has to walk 30km for water.

There were a few days of live firing before the CALFEX started to iron out any problems and to work with the FSTs. The command post was crewed by 4, with others from the echelon doing rotations as signaller. The safety staff was also present in the Command Post and provided an excellent job without slowing down the fire missions and highlighting problems to the observers.

The CALFEX stage was three, two-day rotations. Day one was a fire plan, providing fire support for in depth positions during the company attacks. This provided the Command Post with fantastic training by placing us under pressure and working to very tight time constraints. It also showed how quickly we can react to predicted targets during fire missions.

On day 2 the battery had to engage one target, with the rounds passing over the heads of friendly forces. This was mainly for the benefit of the troops on the ground, although it meant that we were able to fire off a large number of rounds for one mission- the most being 27 rounds fire for effect; something that the battery hasn’t been able to do in a long time. It was also a good opportunity for the Command Post to give ownership to the guns, allowing them more control and responsibility – and a chance to see which gun detachment was the quickest.

Of course no exercise runs smoothly and the Command Post had its share of problems. The first problem we encountered was the heat. We all acclimatised in the field and with the temperatures reaching into the high 30s, it was a shock to the system. There were other difficulties with overheating vehicles and a comms issue.

Despite only having a couple of live firing weekends throughout the year the Battery performed with total professionalism and exceeded expectations; putting down effective and accurate rates of fire. In total the Battery fired 880 rounds of HE during our short stay in Kenya.

During the maintenance day after the exercise, we underestimated how much dust could accumulate in the vehicles. The whole day was taken up by removing all the signals kit and dusting everything down. The clean up is always the worst, but to make up for it, we were allowed a half day safari, giving us a chance to relax and see some of the local wildlife. We were lucky enough to see a herd of elephants with their young, some giraffes, zebras, monkeys, hyenas and jackals.

Kenya has been a fantastic experience and the highlight of my career so far, and I hope to return in the near future. The Battery is programmed in with the Regiment to provide support to future ASKARI STORM exercises and will return to Kenya in March and September 2015. Maybe next time I’ll manage to see a lion!

Article by Gunner Chris Montgomery