BULWARK - Staff College Sea Days – the Fleet Flagship, the Assault Ship BULWARK had lead a week long off the South Coast for the future leaders of the Army and RAF – plus the international military.   Staff College Sea Days gives students undergoing an intensive military course at the Armed Forces College in Shrivenham a taster of what the Royal Navy and Royal Marines do.   The Type 23 Frigate MONTROSE was also in attendance.   Demonstrated was the flexibility of the Rapid Force Task Group which could be on contingency tasking anywhere, and which will be exercising this capability later this year on Exercise Cougar 2013 in the Mediterranean and East of Suez.

MERLIN HM,1 helicopters from 814 Naval Air Squadron (Culdrose) and LYNX HMA.8 from 815 Naval Air Squadron (Yeovilton) also were present at the Staff Days as were the men of 539 Assault Squadron RM which provided the fast raiding craft in the water, while Marines from 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group, the UK’s ‘go-to guys’ when it comes to board and search operations.