Yesterday, Thursday 22nd April, the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (AFPS) visited Bodney Camp near Thetford to visit the Operation Newcombe Mission Rehearsal Exercise. Op Newcombe is the UK's latest operational commitment, forming part of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali where the mission is supporting the transitional authorities of Mali during the stabilisation of the country. As part of the visit to the rehearsal exercise, Parliamentarians were given an introduction to the mission, met with exercise personnel and were given a lesson in foreign weapons.
The AFPS scheme provides military training to UK Parliamentarians, seeking to education representatives through first-hand experiences, thereby improving the quality of knowledge and debate on military issues.