Major shares experiences of serving in Helmand

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Text by Claire Clausen and Katherine Vyce, Photos by Hugh Mayo

It is rare that military action is in focus at British Chamber of Commerce lunch meetings, but a record crowd gathered to hear the views and experiences of a Danish officer. With the disclaimer that personal experiences are far more interesting, Major Filip Ejby, a former tank driver and instructor, fascinated guests with his stories of service in the dangerous Helmand province in Afghanistan. He first served as an active soldier with the Danish forces there, and later took a second posting in Defence Command Headquarters, representing the Danish position to the British military command: ‘It was like acting as the ‘Danish ambassador’ to the British forces,’ he explained.

During his time in the army Major Ejby has commanded platoons, troops and squadrons of infantry and tanks which is anything up to 65 soldiers. His previous operational experience includes tours to Bosnia and Macedonia, and he has been a staff officer at Defence Command Denmark, covering the evolving operation in Afghanistan.

The Major described the countryside in which the soldiers operate and how they had to learn to understand the Afghani culture. ‘Four fifths of the region is barren desert, with a central green zone around the river Helmand,’ said Filip. ‘It was originally irrigated by the Americans in the 1950s so there is water all year round, allowing the people to grow food. But their culture reminds me of 16th Century Italy where people only looked out for themselves. Danes and the British are good at making plans and long-term strategies but having lived with conflict so long, the locals can only think 24 hours ahead and a long-term strategy is for a week at a time.’

The overriding policy for action in Afghanistan is “civilian led, military supported” explained Filip. With the British in the lead, the aim is to build a stable and sustainable society where the overriding fear of death is no longer present. It is up to the people themselves to decide how their infrastructure should be shaped, including whether or not democracy will actually work for them. ‘There are about 200 civil servants stationed in Afghanistan working to advise and train the local people, compared with almost 20,000 troops, but one day these people will be entirely replaced by Afghanis,’ said Filip.

Describing the military structure, Filip spoke of the geographic division of the region between the British (in command), Danes, Americans and Canadians. There are three bases in the Danish sector with up to 200 soldiers in each. Their visible presence in the region alone provides security for the local people, many of whom quickly establish good relations with the troops. Working closely with Afghani soldiers, Filip soon realised that communication was a problem and instructions needed to be issued in all kinds of ways without necessarily speaking the same language. ‘Afghani soldiers have fierce, familial loyalty, whereas their loyalty to their own civil servants who are trying to organise and plan, is very small,’ says Filip. ‘They will fight for months on end and work in extreme conditions without complaining, but see no need to inform anyone when they decide to take a short holiday.’

But there were cultural differences even between the British and Danish. Filip’s work in the Headquarters taught him to respect highly British military expertise. He spoke of how Danes investigate a situation, gather information, make plans, discuss with the groups and finally agree a strategy at the very last minute. The British however, will start with a general plan, analyse and study the enemy in detail, and then alter the strategy to take into account last minute changes. ‘The Danes are trained to be contributors,’ he said, ‘the British are taught to compete and be winners’. He was also most impressed with the British consideration and compassion, and the way they honour their fallen. A course on Command & Staff at Shrivenham in UK had also impressed the Major, who likened it to a mid-career MBA study. ‘It was fantastic,’ he said,’not least the Pimms No 1!’

In an enthusiastic Q & A session, Filip said he thought military presence would be needed in Afghanistan for a long time yet, but as the people feel increasingly secure, they will be able to take over and re-establish a society that suits them. A telling example was that for 18 months troops had been handing out wheat, chili and spices for farmers to grow instead of opium. ‘But it took us a while to realise that they couldn’t use these because there was no road to town, and no market place. So we built a road to town and a market place for them and now they can actually sell these crops, and improve their lives.’

He ended with the message that despite the horror of death and destruction, there is a great deal of hope to be found, as long as the desire for peace remains strong politically and locally.