The journey here was very straight forward, we flew from Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Brize Norton for a short stop, then on to Minhad in the blistering heat and finally onto Camp Bastion. One of the first things that surprised those of us who are returning for the second time (or more) is the sheer scale of Camp Bastion; it has really grown in size and is now bigger than Aldershot!

We began our mandatory reception training in Camp Bastion, this turned out to be quite full on. Lots of early mornings and long days in the heat.  However, it was a good opportunity to acclimatise though with temperatures reaching the high 30’s every day. Over the 7 days we conducted from first rate training, with particular emphasis on counter-IEDs and a good FOB defence live fire shoot – run by our very own Sjt Montieth. By the end of it we felt thoroughly prepared and couldn’t wait to deploy forward and get our heads around our new jobs and locations.

Due to the nature of the Advisory role we have all been split across the are of Nare s’eraj South. We have all settled in well, conducting patrols and getting to know our counterparts in the Afghan Army. IN most locations the famer’s crops are still very high and patrolling through 12 feet of corn can be extremely demanding. The Afghan Army are not afraid to take the fight to the enemy and Taliban are well and truly on the back foot.

A highlight of our time so far has been the ‘Warriors Dinner’, when we all came together, the old Advisors and the new Advisors, and the leaders of the 6th Kandak. We had a superb meal to mark the start of our tour and some presentations were given honour of the 6th Kandaks achievement over Herrick 14.

Initial impressions are that this will be a rewarding and interesting tour, there are definitely areas in which the ANA can improve but on the whole they are far better than we were led to believe. B Company will relish the task of improving the Afghan Army over the coming 6 months and intend to update you with our progress throughout.