Coldstream Guards don blue berets as they prepare for Cyprus peacekeeping mission
The Coldstream Guards have traded their traditional khaki berets for blue, signalling the start of their upcoming UN peacekeeping mission on Op Tosca – the longest ongoing military operation in history.
Their familiar blue-red-blue Household Division flash and the Garter Star cap badge have been replaced by the world map of the UN, while the soldiers themselves must adjust from a combat mindset to one focused on diplomacy and tact.
Their responsibilities with the UN will centre on patrolling the buffer zone between opposing forces in Cyprus, demanding vigilance and careful judgement.
The guardsmen, who will be accompanied by attached personnel, have spent recent months in pre-deployment training getting ready for the mission.
"It's mostly been a lot of negotiating, speaking to people, learning about emotional intelligence, as opposed to the stiff arms approach that we would normally take in the conventional war fighting environment," says Sergeant Dean Northam.
The Buffer Zone stretches 180km and separates Greek and Turkish Cypriots, including Nicosia, the last divided capital city in the world.
It ranges from as narrow as five meters, to as wide as seven kilometres, positioned between Greek Cypriot National Guard troops to the south and Turkish forces to the north.
Cyprus has remained divided since Turkey responded to a Greek-backed military coup in 1974. It resulted in more than five decades of tense stand-offs between two armies, totalling around 60,000 troops.
The UN presence is vital, ensuring the ceasefire holds. Building trust and constructive relationships with both sides is key for personnel, enabling them to understand and resolve incidents quickly and fairly.
Thanks to their dual-role experience of both warfighting and ceremonial duties, the Coldstream Guards say they are already adept at public interaction and diplomacy.
"It's a proud moment. I'm quite happy," says Sgt Northam. "I never expected to do this when I joined the Army. It'll be nice to be there and be part of something bigger.
"We’ll be working with nations that we probably normally wouldn't work with – like Russians, Chinese and Argentinians – to achieve a goal. It's going to be very, very interesting. And it's obviously testing for us as well."
Ahead of deployment, the Guards and their supporting units assembled at Victoria Barracks in Windsor for the traditional beret swap.
After a period of leave with their families, they will depart for Cyprus as UN peacekeepers in September.
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