1/ Defending an airfield obviously requires deployment away from airfield (e.g. ground to air defence). Up to how far away does this deployment take place? Also this deployment and any replen will necessitate defending. Routes to provide replen will require defending. Position changes will also be needed. This seems to mean that the actual “airfield to defend” is not the airfield at all, but the airfield and much countryside.
2/ Are any materials that are required to be delivered to the station considered as assets that require defending? E.G. POL, food, munitions. If so, at what stage do they become defendable by that station? What about the depots where the materials are stored? Or even the vehicles that are used to deliver them.
3/ Any roads or rail tracks that are required for replen? I presume these must also be defended. To what depth?
4/ Do the R.A.F Regiment utilise any persons (other than R.A.F. Regiment members) at all to defend the boundaries and within the station? Do R.A.F. trades that participate in airfield defence (same as used to done in Tacevals) come under R.A.F. Regiment command and control?
5/ Some R.A.F. units are currently “defended” by Civilians, the army or MOD Plod; at what stage does this situation change, and how? Or do these units continue to operate/ integrate with the R.A.F Regiment in times of need? In fact do the R.A.F. Regiment get involved at all?
Lots of posts since the original questions, not sure if they've been answered yet though. I shall try.
1. - Distance depends on the ground, tac situation etc. Suffice to say that we aim to carry out the 'fight' away from the defended loc as much as possible. Too late when the en is at the wire. Can't defend routes, the areas too big, that's why we're getting hammered with IEDs. As far as we're concerned it's ALL about the countryside.
2. - OPSEC.
3. - Current AO's are airbridge.
4. - Yes.
5. - RAF Regt Sqns are not routinely used to protect UK airbases.