SENIOR GENERAL VISITS TIDWORTH TROOPS

One of the British Army's most senior commanders, Lieutenant General Sir Freddy Viggers, the Adjutant General, took time out to hear for himself the hopes and fears of soldiers from Tidworth based 2^nd Battalion the Royal Welsh (2 R Welsh) who are set to deploy to Iraq in May.

  The Adjutant General's visit was timely with the Battlegroup entering its final stage of pre-deployment training on Salisbury Plain. As the man responsible for Army recruiting, career development, health, and service conditions, General Viggers was keen to establish ‘ground truth' from the soldiers facing the day-to-day dangers of life on tours abroad as well as participating in the training between deployments.

 "The visit from General Viggers was a real boost for the soldiers," said commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel James Swift. "They took the opportunity to chat with the Adjutant General in a frank and open way and he listened to the views and experiences of numerous men and women, both Territorial and Regular soldiers."

 It is no secret that the British Army has been facing a tough pace of life for some time.  Significant operational commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as military contributions all over the world, be they operational, training, or simply routine duties, can have an impact on individual soldiers and their immediate families.

 The Welsh soldiers are part of 1 Mechanized Brigade which deploys to Iraq on Operation Telic 10.  Within the Brigade 2 R Welsh, a highly experienced Armoured Infantry battalion, that faces its third deployment to Iraq in four years. 

 As well as meeting soldiers itching to serve on operations General Viggers met others who had decided to terminate their service early.

  The overriding message from the soldiers was that the pace of life, not just the time spent on operations but time spent away from home between tours, was extremely demanding. Although there is no doubt that for some the enthusiasm to deploy on operations is as high as ever, for others the time away from their families is proving very tough.  General Viggers is keen to achieve a better balance between operational deployments, training between tours, regimental life, and time off with families.