GIBEX tests MoD personnel on land and at sea

Personnel from British Forces Gibraltar were put to the test on land and at sea last week during the annual Gibraltar Exercise [GIBEX].

The aim of GIBEX was to test Headquarters British Forces’ readiness to deal with potential threats and scenarios that could be faced in Gibraltar today.

The two-phase exercise included scenarios running in parallel and designed to challenge all those involved in the exercise.

At the eastern end of the runway, the focus of the exercise centred on a vehicle colliding with a parked aircraft, resulting in a fire and injured personnel.

Simultaneously, in the waters to the western side of the airfield, Royal Navy divers, supported by RNGS and GDP maritime units, were trained in the recovery of people from a submerged car.

Earlier in the first phase of the exercise, individual unit commander for the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, the Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron, the Gibraltar Defence Police, Royal Air Force Gibraltar and other elements set their own training objectives and tasks.

“GIBEX 19 was a highly successful exercise, during which standard tactics and procedures were practised and some important lessons were learnt or reinforced,” the MoD said in a statement.

“The exercise also clearly demonstrated the high levels of co-operation and inter-operability between British Forces Gibraltar and the civil emergency responders.”

GIBEX is normally combined with the Gibraltar Government’s yearly civil contingency exercise LIVEX.

But LIVEX has been postponed until early in the New Year owing to other competing commitments, including preparations in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.