New chief looking to a busy year (From Salisbury Journal)

New chief looking to a busy year

11:06am Thursday 12th January 2012 in Forces focus By David Falcke

THE new Commander of 43 (Wessex) Brigade, Brigadier Piers Hankinson, has settled into his new role and spoke to me about his thoughts about his new job.

Brigadier Hankinson was commissioned into the 17th/21st Lancers in April 1984 and his military experience includes some nine operational tours of duty, firstly as a platoon commander with the Grenadier Guards in Northern Ireland, then in the first Gulf War as an operations officer with an armoured regiment and three tours in Iraq, the first tour commanding the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment during the war fighting phase.

He comes to Bulford from the post of director land warfare, responsible for support, analysis, tactical lessons process, tactical doctrine, experimentation and development for land forces.

He believes that his experiences in this field will stand him in good stead as the Army 2020 plan begins in March. This will see the reorganisation of the army with a planned reduction of 20,000 posts by 2018 and a huge expansion of the Territorial Army.

“I have come to this job not knowing really what to expect,”

he said. “The army is going through the most profound change since the 1950s, to reduce by 20 per cent in the next six years is a huge change and we have to grow the TA alongside these reductions.

“Bringing me into a post like this where we are going into such a period of change will be hugely challenging.”

He outlined the four roles of the brigade: to support the soldiers and their families, help prepare troops to deploy on operations in Afghanistan, connect with local government and society remembering that the MoD is the biggest employer in Wiltshire and to run the tactical headquarters in the south west which will be particularly pertinent with the Olympics coming up later in the year.

The brigade has 20 per cent of the British Army in its area, which is some 20,000 soldiers, 42,000 dependants plus the TA and some 11,000 cadets. To manage this, the brigade HQ is just 140 strong, comprising regular military, reserves and civilians with 560 military units to administrate.

“We arrange everything from a photocopier for an office to organising portable toilets for a unit going on exercise. It is a hugely complicated beast that these 140 people have to manage,” he added.

“This will be a very busy year for the army in the area and we have to synchronise our efforts. In the first two weeks of May, there will be a pre Olympic exercise which will involve the Royal Navy and that coincides with Ten Tors, then we have the Diamond Jubilee on May 26 and the Bath and West Show.”

“I want to focus a lot of effort on education training, not just schools but for those leaving the army. The army has to lose 20,000 soldiers by 2018 and I want to concentrate on training for civilian life.

“I also want to look at the Military Covenant which is driven by the MoD. I want to see it operate at a local level with a series being signed at county and parish council level. The MoD has a fund of £40m over the next four years to facilitate these efforts.”

The brigadier outlined what he thought would be his main objectives of his post, the management of the regular forces, the growth of the Territorial Army, and employment creation.

“I think our challenge will be the fact the infrastructure has been designed around an organisation which is about to change again with the rebasing of the army from Germany.

There is still a military population in Germany the size of the city of Winchester which needs to return.

Any change of structure will have an effect on the infrastructure and whether there will be money available to meet this will be the challenge.

Originally from the Isle of Wight, Brig Hankinson is married to Victoria and they have two children, George, 13, and ten-year-old Lizzie.

His interests are riding, polo and winter sports and rugby.