On Tuesday 14 April a contingent of 133 New Zealand Defence Force personnel departed from Christchurch International Airport for a six month deployment to Afghanistan.
Deploying to Afghanistan
Most of the NZDF personnel made up the fourteenth rotation to serve in the Provincial Reconstruction Team, based at Bamyan Province. The others will work in roles within the International Stabilisation Force HQ, the Canadian Multinational Hospital in Khandahar and with the British Army training the Afghan National Army. A departure ceremony held at Burnham Military Camp was attended by the Chief of Army, MAJ GEN Lou Gardiner, along with family and friends of the departing personnel.
Among the 133 were ten Air Force personnel: GPCAPT G. Elliot (Senior National Officer); FLTLT P.E Smith; CHAPLAIN M.D.G Thompson; LAC T.E.D. Brain; SQNLDR D. Curry; FGOFF A. Bannan; SGT B.J Nolan; SGT W.G Paenga; CPL S.R.B Merwood; and SGT S.K. Blakeway.
Prior to departure all personnel undertook an intensive five weeks of Pre-Deployment Training (PDT). PDT aims to prepare personnel for their six month deployment – effectively taking them from Directed Level of Capability (DLOC) to Operational Level of Capability (OLOC). The PDT included modules on the operational theatre (environment, culture, customs and working environment); arms skills (weapons, security, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and operational security); theatre orientation (dealing with ‘friendly’ forces such as NGOs, local government and other militaries); deployment psychology (home sickness and briefs from previously deployed personnel); driver training (preparing for the vagaries of Afghanistan’s rudimentary roading network). At the end of the five weeks personnel undertake Exercise Afghan Step in which they simulate life on deployment.
Fifty one members of the thirteenth rotation of personnel with the New Zealand provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) returned to New Zealand at RNZAF Base Ohakea aboard a RNZAF B757 on 21 April and were welcomed home by Commander Joint Forces New Zealand MAJ GEN Jones, family and friends.