Army News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Army Times

British forces descend on Kansas countryside

HOLTON, Kan. — About 200 British officers are scouting the northeast Kansas countryside and its towns to figure out how best to move brigades against the terrain.

But like the Beatles four decades ago, this invasion is friendly. The officers are training for the next step in their careers while building relationships with American officers they are likely to see again.

“The opportunity to concentrate on what we’re doing for three weeks is incredible,” said Maj. Mark Perrin of the Royal Marines. “With operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, we do a lot with Americans.”

All British army and Royal Marine officers attend the 9-month course once being promoted to major. The education emerged out of a review of officers’ skills in 2003.

“It’s all about developing skills, knowledge, attributes and motivation for the troops,” said Maj. Jo Bell, spokeswoman for the British Defense Academy traveling with the officers. “It’s all about building up their confidence.”

Lt. Col. Ian Williams, head of the British staff directing the officers, said coming to Kansas gives officers a perspective on U.S. culture unlike experiences in metropolitan areas.

“A big city is a big city. But here you get a sense of what the people are like,” Williams said. “Having served with the U.S. in a number of operations before, I haven’t really had the insight into how they really live their lives, because I’ve been blinded by New York, that that’s America.”

On Tuesday, teams of about a dozen officers traveled in and around Holton, population 3,350. There were weapons or tracked vehicles, just white vans with Union Jack plates on the front.

“We call it tewt-ing around,” Bell said. “Tactical exercises without troops.”

This is the second year the British have conducted exercises near Holton, about 30 miles north of Topeka and an hour from Fort Leavenworth. Previously, the officers did similar training at Fort Benning, Ga., when the program began four years ago.

Dave Goebel, a staff member at Fort Leavenworth coordinating with the British, said one benefit is examining how the two nations make military decisions, side by side. At the same time, officers are given an Iraq scenario and develop a plan for both armies to fight cohesively.

“Why the British like this exercise — it’s at the brigade level and it’s counterinsurgency, rather than the high-end warfare,” Goebel said. “And it’s a great opportunity for the U.S. and U.K. soldiers to rub shoulders and discuss their experiences in Iraq.”

More than 70 percent of the British have served in Iraq at least once, and 60 percent served in Northern Ireland. Some also have been to Kosovo and Afghanistan. After they complete their coursework later this spring, the officers will take staff jobs or command of their own units.

Like the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College, the course teaches them how to think and assess battlefield situations and to integrate infantry, armor, artillery and other types of military units.

Maj. Dougie Lord, a team leader with the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Swindon, England, said one reality officers confront is that terrain on a map is different in the field.

For example, there’s Elk Creek, east of Holton, thought to be a simple tributary of the Delaware River.

Not so. Unlike English streams, there were steep banks and deep, swift water that could tie up soldiers for the better part of a day. Plowed fields nearby were soggy from winter storms. Tracked vehicles would get stuck until spring.

The British will be doing urban exercises Thursday in Leavenworth, in which an attack by insurgents will be simulated.

The officers said the variety reflects the debate going on in their military and others whether operations should focus on the fight in Iraq or on conventional warfare across Europe or China.

“The operational environment is getting much smaller and getting more complex and more people involved,” said Maj. Chris Morgan of the Royal Artillery. “The opportunity to train together will pay dividends.”

Last week, the U.S. Army released its revised operations manual that put stability and nation-building on par with traditional offense and defense activities, a shift in military doctrine.

Lord said the officers have found Holton’s people and cuisine engaging. His group started Tuesday at the S & A Downtown Cafe where they enjoyed a “nice big American breakfast” on the square across from the courthouse.

Kathy Essary, working tables for the lunch crowd, said the British first came to the restaurant last year. It seemed like a long way for the British to travel to train, but she said that it was no different “than our sergeants going over there.”

“They’re nice people. They’re easy to wait on,” Essary said. “They tip quite well.”

Maj. Alan Alford, a member of the 1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards, said the officers were struck by the patriotism displayed by Kansans, from flying flags to “support the troops” magnets on pickup trucks.

“We just don’t do that in the U.K.,” he said. “People are just waking up to that.”