British forces, national guard in joint explosives exercise

British forces officials on Wednesday said they were looking forward to more opportunities to train alongside the National Guard, following a successful joint exercise the previous day.

On Tuesday, explosive ordinance device (EOD) experts from both the bases and the National Guard were involved in a joint exercise just outside Nicosia.

According to Warrant Officer 1 Stu Dickson from RAF Akrotiri’s Ammunition Troop, the opportunity to share expertise with their Cypriot counterparts was “invaluable”.

“With different equipment and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), it’s fascinating and beneficial for both parties to observe each other tackling the same devices and tasks,” he said.

With more joint training opportunities on the horizon, Dickson said there is still a great deal to be achieved for both parties.

“We’ve learnt a lot from each other during the two iterations of Exercise Hades Bident (annual EOD exercise) and we’ve no doubt this latest exercise was a beneficial learning experience for our troops,” he said, adding that this was the first time the British forces have been invited to the National Guard’s training area, where the training was hosted.

Lieutenant Nikolas Loizides, EOD Center of Command Engineer for the National Guard, was equally enthusiastic about the success of the training.

“For the National Guard this was a fruitful and productive day exchanging expert knowledge on demining and disposal procedures, with the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, according to our Bilateral Defence Cooperation Program of 2023,” he said.