NORTH East Hampshire MP James Arbuthnot, who chairs the government's defence select committee, flew out last week to witness for himself the conditions surrounding the deployment of troops in war-torn Afghanistan. As part of the fact-finding exercise, Mr Arbuthnot went to Helmand Province to visit men and women from 18 (B) Squadron, based at RAF Odiham. According to a spokesman from RAF Odiham, the squadron is currently maintaining six helicopters on standby to respond to any incidents; inserting reinforcements and extracting any casualties so that they receive prompt medial care. They also have impressive heavy lift capability which makes them ideal for moving large underslung loads and freight to resupply troops spread throughout the Helmand area. And they can provide assistance for troops from other nations carrying out similar work. During this operation, for the first time the Chinooks are being supported by a new Army AH64 Apache helicopter. The RAF crews have been working hard with the Army to come up with some ground-breaking procedures to support what is described as an "extremely difficult mission". They are working under testing conditions - temperatures of plus 48 degrees Celsius, dust storms and rugged terrain mean the mobility that the Chinooks provide is essential for the troops on the ground to fulfil their mission, which is to bring stability to the area and help support the Afghanistan government and its forces to take on full responsibility for the security of the area. But according to Mr Arbuthnot, his impression was that while the conditions for troops were "decidedly tough, the morale was certainly high - they felt they were doing a valuable job and I agreed with them". The MP was particularly impressed with some of the engineering feats - possibly the work of Royal Engineers from Bordon - among them the building of Camp Bastion, housing British troops in the middle of the Helmand desert. "Some of the troops are living in tents but others have better accommodation, depending on where they are. The RAF Odiham crews are living in huts, so they have some degree of comfort which is essential as they are working very hard. " According to Mr Arbuthnot, members of 18 (B) Squadron were having to maintain their Chinook fleet in full sun, without cover, and in soaring temperatures. "The helicopters were getting too hot to touch and the tools had to be put in the shade under the helicopters or they would have been too hot to handle. Sand and dust mixes with the oil to form an abrasive paste which is damaging to the engines." On arrival, Mr Arbuthnot and his committee were flown by Chinook from Camp Bastion to Lashkar Gar where the British provincial reconstruction team is helping the locals to reconstruct a market place, providing proper footings and shade to protect it from flooding in winter and the heat in summer, so that it can be put to all-year-round use. "Local people see this kind of project as a real achievement," said the select committee chairman, who believes what is needed is for this sort of achievement to be repeated "so that people want us to stay and help them rebuild their lives." He added: "The main thing the people of Afghanistan want is security. That is the main thing British troops are striving to give them, but it is far from a cake walk. Afghanistan is subject to tribal warfare which has been going on for centuries." According to officers on the ground, some of the young soldiers (some just 18 years of age) out in the mountains fighting alongside Afghan troops against the Taliban are growing up extremely fast. It is a life- changing experience but that is what they joined up for and they are trained to a very high standard," said Mr Arbuthnot. "They are all doing an extraordinarily good job. A worthwhile job which is important for Britain as well as for Afghanistan. We are trying to rebuild Afghanistan so that the people can look after themselves and take responsibility for their own security. "It will also help to keep drugs off our streets and keep terrorists away from carrying out attacks such as 9/11." Of the visit, Mr Arbuthnot added: "It was really good to have the chance to say 'thank you' to 18 Squadron. They are doing a truly difficult job – and doing it very well indeed, as we knew they would." RAF Odiham's 18 (B) Squadron expects to be supporting this mission in Afghanistan for the next few years. l The Odiham Chinooks are celebrating 25 years of service with the RAF this year. Exceptionally they have been committed to operational theatres for the whole of their 25- year service life - no other RAF aircraft or British military organisation can make the same claim.
