British officers train in Kansas countryside

The Associated Press
Thursday, March 6, 2008

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

But like the Beatles four decades ago, this British 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 nine-month course once they are promoted to major.

"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 also gives officers a perspective on U.S. culture outside metropolitan areas.

"A big city is a big city. But here you get a sense of what the people are like," said Lt. Col. Ian Williams, head of the British staff directing the officers. "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."

This is the second year the British have conducted exercises near Holton, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Topeka. When the program began four years ago, the officers did similar training at Fort Benning, Georgia.

On Tuesday, teams of about a dozen officers traveled in and around Holton, population 3,350. There were no weapons or tracked vehicles, just white vans with Union Jack plates on the front.

The British will be doing urban exercises Thursday at Fort Leavenworth, about an hour away, with a simulated insurgent attack.

Dave Goebel, a Fort Leavenworth staff member coordinating with the British, said the exercises allowed the troops to examine how the two nations make military decisions, side by side. 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."

"The opportunity to train together will pay dividends," said Maj. Chris Morgan of the Royal Artillery.

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.

Maj. Alan Alford, a member of the 1st Queen's Dragoon Guards, said the British officers were struck by the U.S. patriotism in Kansas, with its 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."

____

On the Net:

Fort Leavenworth: http://www.leavenworth.army.mil

Defense Academy of the United Kingdom: http://www.da.mod.uk

Ellie