Guest Editorial
Lt Col Alex McGready REME Following on from last week’s introduction to 6 (UK) Div by Col Houldsworth, Lt Col Alex McGready explains the role of Equipment Support to Land Specialised Operations.
I
took over as SO1 CSS in HQ 6 (UK) Div in September 2020, and, as the senior REME tied appointment, I found myself as the defacto Commander ES for the Division. When I arrived, the Division was partway through a transformation from Force Troops Command (FTC) into a formation that provides support to Land Specialised Operations. In my dealings outside of the Division since my arrival I am aware that there is limited awareness of what this actually means so I would like to outline what the Division is about to try and improve the understanding of what is a unique and exciting formation within the Army. From its headquarters in Wiltshire, HQ 6 (UK) Div now has a structure of four specialist Brigades that deliver unique capabilities that have benefit for the Army, Defence and the wider Government. The Division sits at the heart of the Army’s efforts to contest state competitors day-to-day in the so-called ‘Grey Zone’, to fight asymmetrically in times of crisis, and to support our foreign partners against Violent Extremist Organisations (VEOs). The ‘Grey Zone’ is the security setting in which we seek to modify a state competitor’s behaviour without using lethal force, and at the same time set the conditions to drive enemy de-escalation in times of crisis. 6 (UK) Div was created - and continues to evolve - to give the Army an ever more sophisticated array of unconventional options to use in the ‘Grey Zone’. It carries
Lt Col Alex McGready – SO1 CSS 6 (UK) Div
A soldier prepares to launch the Desert Hawk 3 UAS (Unmanned Air System) over Salisbury Plain during a training exercise © Crown copyright 2015
8 craftsmaneditor@reme-rhq.org.uk
