From the editor...
Helmand province and hereafter
FEBRUARY'S issue is one of the first in which we begin to get a real sense of life after Operation Herrick. Despite being just two years away from transition, challenges on home turf mean discussions about progress in the desert are frequently overshadowed by debates on the future state of the Army.
Preparations for this year’s Olympics, redundancies and base relocations are talking points that beg serious discussion in order to make sense of what will be a year of mixed feelings.
The exciting prospect of assisting in hosting the greatest sporting event on earth will be a bitter-sweet experience in the aftermath of hundreds of soldiers learning that their service is no longer required. However, it seems as if this plethora of concerns sometimes consigns efforts in Afghanistan to nothing more than a brief mention.
Is this a positive sign that the Army is starting to look forward towards life after Helmand? Or is our unavoidable distraction from the job in hand doing a disservice to those who continue to risk their lives to finish the job?
However personally focused you are on Herrick, I hope this issue brings a flavour of what lies ahead. From the paras setting their sights on contingency ops to the weaponry wonderland educating soldiers in military history, the Army certainly seems to be paving the way for challenges it will face after 2014.
In his New Year address to troops, the Chief of the General Staff spoke of the need to approach the coming years with positivity despite the present being tough.
“Looking forward is not to deny the humbling, day-to-day, persistent commitment we are delivering on operations and elsewhere,” he said. “It is to recognise that the British Army is arguably at as interesting a moment as at any time in my career, and possibly some time before.”
In the spirit of not overlooking the continuing successes being struck, this issue is dedicated to those who continue to throw themselves into the task in Afghanistan. – Sarah Goldthorpe