RAF MARHAM OPERATIONAL LEADERSHIP, ETHOS AND AIR POWER (LEAP) DAY 2 MARCH 2009 - INVITATION TO THE PRESS

RAF Marham would like to invite local and regional Media personalities and journalists to spend a full or half day at RAF Marham on 2 March 2009 to participate in LEAP Day activities alongside members of the Royal Air Force Marham community.

Operational Notice
LEAP Day is a RAF Marham initiative. On each of the 3 no-fly days each year all Service personnel (with the exception of those on essential duty or detached), participate in 260 hours of varied Force Development activities. For the last LEAP Day, Service personnel, accompanied by civil servants, 18 USAF junior officers from RAF Mildenhall and 8 personnel from the RAF Benoveloent Fund, participated in 52 activity modules.

RAF Marham would like to invite local and regional Media personalities and journalists to spend a full or half day at RAF Marham to participate in the LEAP Day activities alongside members of the Royal Air Force Marham community.

The aim of LEAP is 6-fold and every individual participating in LEAP should have the opportunity to:
a. Develop leadership skills through practical and cerebral exercises.
b. Develop a better understanding of Air Power capabilities through a series of lectures.
c. Gain an appreciation of the RAF’s ethos through an increased awareness of historical events that have shaped the RAF today.
d. Provide dynamic opportunities for team building.
e. Enjoy a wide-ranging development activities away from the workplace.
f. Undertake section visits to gain a greater appreciation of how Marham and the wider RAF work.

In addition, the value of being able to mix with other people from different sections not normally visited cannot be underestimated.

All activities must fit the LEAP criteria - 5 domains of Force Development - These are:

Each of the Force Development domains contributes to the delivery of air power (i.e. the bit in the middle where all 5 circles join) which is obviously what the RAF is all about. Force Development has always been about delivering an ‘effective warfighter’ in support of the delivery of air power. But what do we mean by ‘warfighter’? To many, it means the army style definition of being a soldier first, and a specialist second, but that’s not what Force development means to promote within the RAF. Being a ‘warfighter’ means the effective application of one’s specialist skills within an operational operation. Force development and LEAP Days are a vehicle to deliver just that.

The 5th LEAP Day will feature a wide variety of lectures, demonstrations and practical activities taking place with a separate programme running for various Service ranks.

Practical challenges include bridge building with DCRE, high & low ropes, Mobile Team Challenge (series of leadership exercises), the 2620 Sqn confidence course, and ‘Ultimate Challenge’ run by the Physical Education Flight.

Lectures will cover media awareness, USAF brief, global intelligence, leadership styles, Afghanistan, history of RAF Marham, air power, operational stress, financial awareness and health & nutrition.

Not all activities will take place on the Station. A number of personnel will be taking part in orienteering, mountain biking and swimming challenges located in the local area.

It is clear with LEAP that you only get out of it what you are prepared to put in. At RAF Marham there is undoubtedly a thirst for knowledge and a genuine enthusiasm to learn something new.

EDITOR’S NOTES
The next LEAP Day is being arranged for Monday 02 March 2009.

Those attending must ensure that they have the appropriate insurances in place and must be able to provide RAF Marham with the documentation on arrival.

You will need to wear sturdy outdoor clothing and footwear and bring a set of waterproofs with you.

You will be required to arrive at RAF Marham for 08:00 and departure will be approximately 13:00 or 16:00.
Entry to the Station will be subject to RAF and Civilian Police Force security checks Therefore, should you wish to cover this event please contact the Media Communications Officer at the address below to confirm your attendance.

Amanda Ellard

A S Ellard
Assistant Media Communications Officer
Royal Air Force Marham
Tel: BT: 01760 337261 Ext 7332
Tel: DFTS: 95951 7332
Tel: Mobile: 07906 097 894
E-mail: MRMBSW-AMCO@marham.raf.mod.uk

We look forward to working with you on 02 March 2009.

Link to previous LEAP Day Event at RAF Marham