IA07 is a mechanised infantry company which can be used to reinforce operational forces both in Sweden and internationally.
"It feels really good. IA07 was set up with a rapid deployment capability in mind, we could have moved even more quickly had it been necessary", says Michel Gunnarsson, the NCO in charge of the platoon.
Time was not critical
The entire job of packing the platoon’s materiel and equipment took just under four hours, exactly as the platoon had practised earlier.
"Time was not critical; if it had been, we could have been even quicker", says Robbin Fransson.
Additional training
Before deployment, the platoon had been given additional training about the operational area and the nature of the mission. Every soldier has also had time to take care of personal arrangements and to take leave of family and friends. The platoon from IA07 will be supporting the Swedish force in Afghanistan on guard and escort duties. Similar reinforcements in Afghanistan have taken place in the past in order to relieve the pressure on the forces in the field which normally have more to do during the summer months.
On standby
The IA07 force was set up in July 2007 and has trained at P 4 during the autumn of 2007. Since 1 January the force has been on standby for deployment either nationally or internationally. The main mission of the company is to reinforce ongoing Swedish operations. The unit will be on standby until 30 November this year.