A team of 30 RAF medics have been deployed to the hospital as part of Operation TRENTON since July 2018, and will now train the Vietnamese unit on how to run a field hospital, before transferring organisation of the hospital over to them and returning to the UK.

The UN field hospital was initially established early in 2017 and has provided medical care to over 1,800 UN military personnel and civilian staff.

Warrant Officer Naya Heseltine said:

It’s a poignant part of the UN Peacekeeping mission for the UK to handover responsibility of the Role 2 Hospital to the Vietnamese. For us, it has been a momentous occasion and a privilege to have been a part of the first RAF hospital deployment in 27 years.

The UK Engineer Task Force began building a bespoke Level 2 hospital earlier in 2018, of which the Vietnamese Hospital Unit will move into from their temporary tented hospital soon.

After three days of intense training in harsh conditions – including helicopter drills, bridging drills and cold weather training – they now form a tight-knit, well-prepared and combat-ready multinational brigade of 2,500 personnel.

Minister for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster said:

Whether it’s from the seas, the skies or on land, Exercise Trident Juncture will demonstrate the crucial contribution our Armed Forces make to NATO – an alliance which is the cornerstone of European security and stability in an increasingly unpredictable era.

From the skies, the UK is contributing four Hawk aircraft which touched down in Norway last week and in the surrounding seas HMS Cattistock, HMS Enterprise and two Type-23s – HMS Westminster and HMS Northumberland – will support the exercise as part of multinational task groups.

A total of 150 aircraft, 40,000 participants and 10,000 vehicles makes Exercise Trident Juncture 2018 NATO’s largest collective defence exercise in over a decade and will test the alliance in an article 5 scenario – when an attack on one is an attack on all.

Later this week they will all contribute to the Live Exercise. The British-led Multinational Brigade will face the challenging task of countering an advancing enemy, a role played by crack troops from Norway and Germany who are familiar with the terrain and environment.

General Sir Chris Deverell, Commander JFC, presented the awards to recipients, who were joined by family members and colleagues at the ceremony. Welcoming the recipients, General Deverell said:

The work carried out by Joint Forces Command is only made possible by its staff. Today we are able to recognise the work of individuals in the JFC workforce who have made an extraordinary contribution to JFC’s success, and it is important that we do so.

Being able to recognise these achievements is one of the favourite parts of my role as Commander JFC. The staff here today should be incredibly proud of what they have done, and I hope the realise they stand as a leading example to their colleagues in JFC and across UK defence.

Commendations were awarded to individuals from across JFC in recognition for their work and achievements. These commendations recognise support to ongoing operations and activities, engagement with the local community, and individual acts of courage in the line of duty.

After receiving his award Lt Col Lamb said:

It is always great to be recognised. We all work hard, and if you do get recognised then that is fantastic.

Mr Ballard, a civil servant shared:

I’m absolutely touched and honoured, it’s amazing to be recognised. The recognition for me personally is a wonderful feeling, but the people who should really be here as well are my wife and children and my great team at BFBS.

The Commander JFC Commendations can be awarded to service personnel, civil servants and contracted staff from across the organisation. Those awarded the Commander Joint Forces Command Commendations are:

• Dr Katrina Frost
• Mr Trevor McMaster
• Lt Helen Stevenson, Royal Navy
• WO1 Paul Bawden, Corps of Royal Engineers
• Cdr Ian Kennedy, Royal Navy
• Sqn Ldr Christopher Gardner Royal Air Force
• Mrs Val Rooney
• Mrs Carol Thrussell
• Mr Christopher Richards
• Mrs Rachel Norris
• WO1 Colin Suffield, Royal Army Physical Training Corps
• Maj Anthony Kriehn, Corps of Royal Engineers
• Lt Col Shaun Lamb, Royal Regiment of Artillery
• Mr Paul Meiklejohn
• Mr Robert Sendall
• Miss Rosie Allum
• SAC Alan Manison, Royal Air Force
• Mrs Diane Dalton
• Mr Anthony Ballard, BFBS Cyprus
• Ms Jenny Buttolph,