Army proves a worthy sentinel

The training received by commanding officers helps them attain tough endurance thresholds both physically and mentally, according to Brigadier Carmel Vassallo, the Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta.

The benefits of such training become evident when the officers are called upon to form part of a massive security operation such as was necessary during the recent state visit by the Queen and the subsequent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Asked whether he feared that any of these officers might prove to be a weak link in the chain of command, the commander said the training officers undergo in military academies overseas is based on instilling a strong sense of discipline.

"The initial training is targeted at breaking one's spirit, to see how good one is at smarting up after being ordered to carry out all sorts of tasks," Brig. Vassallo explained.

About seven officers follow such training programmes every two years in the UK, the US, Germany or Italy.

When the commander's order to set up the security operation cascaded down the ranks - made up of 1,590 regulars and 32 volunteer reservists - the officers were at the core of his plans.

Describing the security operation as "delicate, massive and gruelling", the commander said similar but smaller operations had been undertaken during the visits by Pope John Paul II in 1990 and 2001, the 1997 Euro-Med conference and the Bush-Gorbachev summit in 1989.

By last June, the army had an outline plan for the airport. Other sites the army had to guard were the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in Valletta, where the opening ceremony of the summit was held, and the Golden Sands Hotel, in Ghajn Tuffieha, where the delegates were staying and where they held their retreat.

The Queen was here between November 23 and 26 and CHOGM opened on November 25, ending on November 27.

The army had to see to sniper duties, bomb disposal, marine patrols and other security tasks at all the venues visited by the heads of government and the Queen.

In August an internal notice was issued stopping leave throughout November.

"We had a meeting with members of the British secret service and learned that about half a dozen prime ministers, one of them being the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, were at a greater risk than the rest.

"The Queen could also be a target particularly after news in the international media singling her out as a prime target.

"In spite of this news and several anonymous telephone calls about a possible attack on the Queen, the British secret service had intimated that the chances of a terrorist attack on the island were minimal.

"But this did not in any way put our minds at rest and we had to ensure we would be prepared for as many scenarios as possible."

The security operation was closely coordinated with the police. On board an army helicopter detailed to cover the road network was a video camera that transmitted images - thanks to Maltacom - to the army and the police in real time.

The bomb disposal section was crucial to the whole operation. Apart from the 35 full-timers of the Explosives Ordnance Disposal Unit, another 22 soldiers were trained to carry out basic bomb searches.

About 250 army men lived in at Luqa Barracks - not many more could be accommodated because the army is housing about 1,100 illegal immigrants there.

Members of the explosives unit lived in between November 14 and 28 while personnel of the C Special Duties Company reported at the barracks on November 20 and were dismissed on November 29.

Others did a shift of 12 hours on, 12 hours off while the marine section worked 24 hours on, 24 hours off.

"For the first time in the army's history all the aircraft and boats were out on patrol. Sixty soldiers carried out escort duties as drivers who also had to check the BMW cars ferrying the heads of government they had to drive."

Brig. Vassallo visited the men regularly.

He had words of praise for the employers of the reservists who allowed their workers to take leave in order to be with the army. These volunteers range from a managing director to a medical doctor to university students.

The Italian military mission had on call a helicopter search and rescue crew as well as a duty mechanic on 24-hour call to relieve the army in case they were called to carry out a search and rescue operation.

The services of the Revenue Service Corps, which falls under the army, were employed too.

The dedication of all those who took part can be gauged by the number of personnel who reported to the sick bay at Luqa Barracks. "Only two out of the whole contingent reported sick and these were extreme cases," Brig. Vassallo said, satisfied that the whole operation had run smoothly.