Sep 19 - ‘We’re Highly Relevant to the UK Defence Force’ – Lt Col Risso Looks Back On a Successful Tenure as Regiment CO
With a history in the forces stemming back to the 90s, Lieutenant Colonel Colin Risso took the position of Commanding Officer of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment in the late months of 2009. He did so with the intention of sustaining and improving the 55-year-old Unit. Sitting in his large office overlooking the quad of the curiously quiet Devil’s Tower Camp, the CO yesterday explained that taking the regiment one step further should be the aim of any Commanding Officer. ‘Just to make things better for the unit, make things more effective and also make things better for the people in the unit itself.’
Looking back at the unit when he first took office, Lt Col Risso touches upon the Strategic Security Defence Review, which focused the regiment on reviewing how they did things and pushing forward into meeting changes, challenges and opportunities.
Commenting on whether he thought he had been successful, Lt Col CR grinned, ‘well we’re still here, but joking aside, the fact is that I think the regiment is a more focused entity now, it was always getting better and better but I think we’ve moved that stage further. We’re highly relevant to the UK defence effort, specifically in Gibraltar, but more generally with our work overseas, contributing to operations in Afghanistan etcetera, but also defence diplomacy efforts in Africa and wherever else it’s required.’
With mere days to go for Lt Col CR’s tenure as CO to meet its end, he touches upon his most memorable instances over the past 4 years. ‘The most memorable has got to be the Unit doing public duties in London last year for Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee birthday period. I think that brought the whole of Gibraltar together and it gave us a UK focus, which we all benefitted from; Gibraltar and the Regiment.’
He then goes on to discuss the Regiment’s continued engagement in Morocco. Lt Col CR adds that they are still providing that engagement and training, with the Unit set to return to the operation next month. ‘Thirdly,’ he continues, ‘ is the continual pride of seeing our guys deploying onto operations at the very forefront of combat actions in Afghanistan, and doing us so proud, and actually being commended for it as well.
The Regiment will welcome new Commanding Officer, recently appointed Lieutenant Colonel Ivor Lopez into his post next week. Lieutenant Colonel Lopez has served in the Gibraltar Regiment for almost 21 years. ‘The three bit of advice I’ve given him,’ Lt Col CR comments, ‘are don’t give up, you always have to keep going, stay engaged always, get your message out there and be engaged with people whether it’s your commanders, or whether it is the community at large. The third bit of advice I’ve given him is to start choosing his successor.’
Lieutenant Colonel Colin Risso’s last engagement as CO will be this weekend’s Freedom of the City Parade, during which he will be bid farewell by current officers and Regimental Veterans.
