A Royal Air Force detachment is currently in Australia taking part in the Australian led Exercise Pitch Black.
For one RAF Warrant Officer this is a return to the exercise he first took part in 24 years ago. Warrant Officer Trevor Quarterman is currently the Squadron Warrant Officer for the RAF Coningsby based XI (Fighter) Squadron and has returned to Exercise Pitch Black after first deploying 24 years ago.
Warrant Officer Quarterman explained what it was like the first time he deployed on the exercise.
“Back in 2000, when I was a Junior Technician, was when I first deployed on Exercise Pitch Black. Then I was working as a Propulsion Technician on 31 Squadron’s Tornado GR4s, based at RAF Bruggen, Germany.”
Warrant Officer Quarterman
He said, “Then the exercise was a much smaller affair involving just four nations: the Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, United States Marine Corps and the Republic of Singapore Air Force. It's been astonishing to see how the exercise has evolved over the last 24 years into the large multi-national exercise it is today. It’s an absolute pleasure to be back.”
Now the Squadron Warrant Officer, and explaining his role, he said: “Now I am the senior non commissioned person with the squadron and primarily I work for the OC XI(F) Sqn to ensure there is good order, morale, discipline, and welfare of all the deployed XI(F) Sqn personnel here. In addition, I can be called upon to make airworthiness decisions on the six Typhoon aircraft currently deployed on the exercise."
This year Exercise Pitch Black began on the 12th July and will run until 2nd August. Held every two years, the exercise focuses on large force employment missions and now involves over 140 aircraft and up to 4500 personnel deployed on the exercise.
This year’s iteration is the largest in the exercise’s 43-year history and welcomes nations who are participating for the first time, including Italy, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Spain, Brunei and Fiji.
The UK’s long-standing participation in the exercise is an indicator of the importance the UK places on developing long standing relationships in the region and also creating new ones. It also reinforces the value that the UK places on regional security and fostering closer defence ties throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
