What are the Navy doing in Afghanistan?

[midnightexpress]

This is not a political question, rather a geographical one. As far as I know, there isn't any sea border is there?

So what are the Navy doing there?

Just out of interest.

www.royalnavy.mod.uk/globalops/ They have aircraft, medics, service police and commanders who can run more than just ships.

winning the war on terror.
(shoots gun in the air then yee-haws)

Thanks tjomob. I imagined maybe helicopters, but hadn't realised that they go without their ships too. Is everyone in the RN attached to a ship (so to speak)?

My DB going out as an Army medic in Sept.

Lots of jobs are tri-service, ie they can be filled by someone in the Navy, Army or RAF. So there are generally Naval personnel out there all the time. The main fighting forces in the FOBs (Forward Operating Bases ie the front line) rotate through every 6 months and sometimes it is the Royal Marines' turn, and they are part of the Navy.

Not everyone is attached to a ship (not enough bloody ships for a start!). Officers change jobs every 2 years on average, ratings and NCOs may spend longer with their ships. Lots of people are based on shore establishments, for example the main HQ is in Portsmouth, plus there is Plymouth and various other bases around the country. It really depends on hwta branch they are, Warfare branch are mostly ship based (or submarine of course). There is also the Fleet Air Arm, which has helicopters, fast jets and air traffic controllers etc.

It's a whole n'other world. I still have no idea what my DB actually does all day. He never seems to do any nursing, except when he is overseas.

My db (RN) goes in November - he is a logistician (arranges movement of men, munitions, supplies, ensures that things are where they are when they should be, ensures that the supply chain remains unbroken etc.)

The RN medics are out there frequently, and the base line without the Royal Marines, who are Navy, NOT Army, is about the equivalent of 2 ships companies. This obviously increases when the RM Commandos are in theatre. RN Engineers are great at fixing things, not just ships, and many of these jobs can be filled by any of the Services.

Basically, the RN is fighting alongside and supporting the Army and RAF.

Quite a few of my friends are out there in field hospitals - they are medics (nurses, doctors, medical technicians, radiographers, lab techs, operating theatre technicians etc.)

And even though Afghnaistan is landlocked it borders Pakistan which isn't, so ships will be needed in the Arabian Sea to disembark troops, choppers, jets etc.