Selected personnel of the Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast (HQ MNC NE) took part in the pre-deployment training Arrcade Spear 1 & 2 held in Great Britain from 4 to 15 October 2010.
Arrcade Spear exercise was conducted in two phases. Arrcade Spear 1 took place in Innsworth Barracks, Gloucester, from 4 to 8 October, and it was Functional Area Training (FAT) during which HQ MNC NE members, among other SMEs led by Senior Mentor General (Ret’d) David D. McKiernan, the former International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Commander, shared their own experience from the last deployment to ISAF Joint Command (IJC) in 2010. The aim of this part of exercise was to educate the ARRC staff on procedures and instructions perimeter to their future posts in Afghanistan.
Arrcade Spear 2 conducted from 10 to 15 October was a deployed Command Post Exercise which aimed at training the ARRC staff within the cross functional nature of IJC in order to prepare them for the final Mission Rehearsal Exercise at the JWC in Stavanger. This exercise took place at the Royal Air Force (RAF) Base in St Mawgan in Cornwall.
HQ ARRC, along with its 15 Partner Nations, will deploy to Afghanistan in January 2010 providing some 250 personnel for the operational ISAF HQ (IJC) and the strategic HQ ISAF. During Arrcade Spear, ARRC trained together with other military and civilian organisations for the ISAF operation, such as the Headquarters Force Commander Heidelberg, 1 (UK) Armed Division and 1 (DEU) Panzer Division that will also deploy to Afghanistan soon.
The exercise Arrcade Spear was the first ARRC’s major exercise conducted in the UK after its move in July 2010 from Germany to the new home in Innsworth near Gloucester.
