The British Army in Leuchars

Wed, Aug 24th 2022 at 12:50 pm - 2:00 pm

Lt Col. Graeme Craig told us of the Queen's visit and more about this important addition to our community.

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Guest speaker at the club was Lieutenant Colonel Graeme Craig, Chief Executive Officer of the British Army in Leuchars who spoke on' The role of the army in Leuchars'. In 2015 the army replaced the RAF in Leuchars, returning to the UK from bases in Germany. L-C Craig quoted 4th century Roman Emperor Flavius Vegetius: 'Si vis pacem, para bellum’ -if you want peace, prepare for war, and described how Protection, Engagement, Constraint and War Fighting are the most important areas in the role of the army. Engagement includes its presence in strategic pats of the world; the support of Ukraine is an example of it working to constrain. Leuchars is home to the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, a reconnaissance force with ongoing exercises and peace-keeping roles in places such as Oman and Mali; also to the 2nd Battalion REME, engineers and mechanics problem-solving all over the world; to the 71 Engineers Regiment, a detachment of reservists; the Royal Military Police, policing army personnel and supporting Police Scotland; the RAF -Leuchars is still a diversion airfield for Lossiemouth. Support is sometimes needed for UK operations, for example, during wildfires and the Covid epidemic. Environmental matters are increasingly important on the agenda in Leuchars and the MOD, as also is community engagement. Members of the club were prompted to give a lively series of questions and the vote of thanks was given by Martin Passmore.