Richard Hoyes, an operational analyst based at Portsdown West, deployed to the Caribbean to support the military following the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

With just 3 days’ notice Richard travelled to Barbados to join the military part of the Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) Operations on the island. He provided operational analysis to the headquarters of the HADROperations, focusing on how best to move people and freight across the many Caribbean islands with the aircraft available, and planning deployment of military force back to the UK.

Richard worked with the military, other government departments and civilian organisations. He said:

The conditions in Barbados were very different to working in a lab, but it was highly rewarding to be part of supporting the aid of the islands. I felt my analytical experience was put to good use and I hope that I made a difference helping the islands get back on their feet.

Richard is just one of more than 30 members of Dstl staff who are trained and ready to deploy anywhere in the world in support of military operations. As part of Dstl’s support to operations capability, Dstl has a pool of operational analysts and scientific advisers who can support the military at a moment’s notice and even deploy on operations.

Dstl also has a 24-hour, 365-day ‘reachback’ capability, which provides rapid access to the breadth and depth of Dstl’s capabilities in support of military operations. This could include anything from computer modelling and highly detailed scientific advice to a review of previous research studies for similar issues.