Photo - Alan Mak with Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Nick Houghton
Alan Mak praised the ‘brave and professional’ members of the UK Armed Forces after the Havant MP graduated from his year-long work experience with the Royal Navy. Mak said he was ‘delighted’ to complete an action-packed and, at times, gruelling twelve months through the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme.
The Havant MP was speaking after his graduation dinner amongst a select band of fellow MPs aboard HMS Duncan, a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer. Mak received his certificate from the professional head of the UK Armed Forces, General Sir Nicholas Haughton, Chief of the Defence Staff, in the presence of Mark Lancaster MP, Defence Minister.
Mak was chosen to serve his training year alongside elite members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines – which has included a busy schedule of exercises at home and abroad.
In February 2016, Mak praised the ‘patriotism, work ethic and sense of duty’ of the Royal Marines after spending five days embedded with them on exercise in Norway's Arctic Circle.
Experiencing sub-zero temperatures, Mak described his schedule as "dawn ‘til dusk with great variety and intensity". Mak took part in a beach reconnaissance exercise, and spent time on board a range of vessels from hovercraft to personnel carriers, including trying his hand at piloting an Offshore Raiding Craft (ORC) on a fjord.
Another highlight was witnessing the famous Northern Lights whilst spending an evening building a survival shelter from brushwood and logs, before cooking dinner over open fire. The wind chill factor reduced temperatures to around five degrees below freezing.
The Havant MP said meeting Marines from all ranks was the best part of his tour. During his five days, he engaged with a wide range of Marines from junior recruits to the brigade commander, the operational head of the elite unit, as well as those who support them from drivers, chefs, doctors, nurses and logisticians.
In March 2016, Mak joined the Navy crew on board HMS Monmouth, the most decorated frigate in Her Majesty’s fleet, during its homecoming voyage from Cardiff to Plymouth. Thrown straight into the action, the Havant MP embarked on familiarisation sessions with the Operations Room and Weapon Engineering Department. After assisting with navigating from the bridge and driving the ship during the Morning Watch, the Havant MP was then given a demonstration of the vessel’s destructive capacity with a live small arms firing at sea.
Mak’s year-long work experience has also included educational courses in strategy and operations at the Defence Academy in Shrivenham, building on his long-standing support for the Armed Forces as Havant MP across the constituency and in Parliament.
Mak is a strong advocate for the British Legion, having founded their thriving young professionals’ branch, and has given his weight to campaigns to improve housing for Armed Forces personnel – Homes for Heroes - and community fundraising initiatives such as Rally for Heroes.
Following his graduation, Mak said: “I’m proud and delighted to have completed my year-long work experience placement with the Royal Navy. It has been an action-packed and eye-opening twelve months. I will use the knowledge and experiences I’ve gained with the Royal Navy in Parliament to continue my work as a strong champion of the Armed Forces.”
Mak added; “My personal highlights would be time spent with Royal Navy personnel both on board ships at sea and during the intense Arctic survival course with the Royal Marines in Norway. It was a fantastic experience, and a real pleasure to meet sailors and Marines of all ranks who made me feel very welcome.”
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