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Air Commodore Gordon Moulds returns as CBFSAI

Air Commodore Gordon Moulds MBE

AIR Commodore Gordon Moulds MBE, comes to the job of Commander British Forces, South Atlantic Islands (CBF), a confirmed Falklands enthusiast, who counts many Islanders among his friends.

In 1982, some four years after joining the RAF, the new CBF flew from Ascension Island in Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft in support of the Falkland Islands campaign. Later he worked with Phantoms in the earliest days of Mount Pleasant Airport and has made many visits since, most notably and recently from 2004 to 2006 when he became the Chief of Staff and Air Commander. For any CBF, the primary role is the defence of the Islands against aggression, for as long as the Islanders wish it. This is an unwavering commitment on the part of the British Government, which the Air Commodore takes no less seriously than any of his predecessors and for which he feels he may be particularly equipped by reason of his experience. While British forces in other theatres are deployed predominantly in expeditionary roles, what is required in the Falklands is an effective deterrent, said the CBF. It was his task he said, "To keep people busy, focused on the job and focused on training to maintain the operational capability. As far as I am concerned, if we are going to be here, we need to be credible and if we are to be credible, we need the right manpower at all times," he said. The Air Commodore had the distinction of being the first Chief of Staff to extend his tour of duty beyond a year and considers that the knowledge he has come back with has allowed him to start work straight away. Taking advantage of the head start his first-hand knowledge of the Falklands gives him, there are a number of areas, like the use of wind turbines and the coming into service of the East-West ferry, that the CBF wishes "to revisit" in the hope of discovering efficiencies that may be achievable through partnership between the military and civilian communities. On the subject of the airbridge, the Air Commodore is pleased that British forces in the Falklands and FIG are "like-minded" about requirements and are working together to convince the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office. Ideally, the CBF would like to the Airbridge operating three times a fortnight with a Boeing 747. This, he claims, would give far more capability and capacity than a twice weekly DC10 service. The CBF said that he sees the airbridge continuing as a civilian contract, at least for the next three years, after which the Future Strategic Transport Aircraft (FSTA), currently on order from Airbus, is meant to take over the role. "When that comes in, if we get it, it will be the best thing that could happen for this theatre and for the Falklands," said the CBF. Good civil-military relations in the Falklands are clearly important to the new Commander of British Forces, who believes in the positive benefits of getting his people out of Mount Pleasant whenever possible. "There is nowhere in this world, where you'll get more pro-military people," he says, contrasting this with recent media reports of antimilitary attitudes in Britain. Asked about the objections to the Port Harriet Point firing range, which are expected to be heard at the next meeting of the Planning and Building Committee, Air Commodore Moulds said he wasn't familiar with the details, but assured: "If anyone tells us where there's an issue with penguins, we won't over fly." Air Commodore Moulds concluded:" We take environmental responsibilities very seriously and as a consequence we will be working with the FIG environmental staff to address any concerns raised." When he comes to the end of the tour of duty, the new Commander British Forces, South Atlantic Islands, would like to be remembered as someone who was very passionate about the Falklands and did the best that was within his gift for them. Penguin News