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By Mark Urban, Defence Correspondent

THE British Army is planning to send troops to a sophisticated new training base in the United States where they will take part in exer-cises simulating the invasion of Third World countries.

Exercises by British soldiers, in eo-operation with American Rapid Deployment Force units, could begin next year. The Army plans to send the first British unit

—a company of about 100 men — in a year's time. It is hoped that regular British participation will be increased to battalions.

They will take part in realistic operations at the Joint Readiness Training Centre at Fort Chaffee, in Arkansas. The centre will fea-ture an imitation capital city in a developing country, including air-port and government buildings. It is believed that the realism will extend to the provision of a force of guerrillas to oppose the troops

arriving in the mock city. There has apparently been some debate about whether such forces should be outfitted as Cubans, North Koreans or East Germans.

The Army emphasizes that the exercises will allow British sol-diers access to the most modern training equipment, rather than prepare them for military oper-ations against specific countries.

But the chance to train men at Fort Chaffee coincides with a new emphasis in the British armed forces on training for operations outside the Nato area.

Sources in the Army say that the men who will be sent to Fort Chaffee will almost certainly be drawn from this country's inter-vention forces, such as the Para-chute Regiment. Training for operations beyond the boundaries of Nato — in Africa or the Middle East — has been increased in

recent years. Royal Marines will stage an amphibious landing in Scotland this November as part of a continued programme to pre-pare troops for such operations.

The Joint Readiness Training Centre has been set up to teach American troops the lessons of operations like the interventions in Grenada. Exercises will range from those where American troops have been invited in by a government to simulating opposed landings.

The base in Arkansas will be used by a brigade, about 5,000 men, at a time. These will be drawn from Rapid Deployment Force formations such as the elite 82nd Airborne Division- Units will be airlifted into Arkansas via distant staging posts, to reproduce a complex intervention.

A British delegation will inspect the Fort Chaffee facilities in February. The training will rely on laser technology to simulate fire between combatants.

Mark Urban The Independent

E I Grammar

Present perfect; past simple

Review

Read the following pairs of sentences. In each pair, only one sentence is correct- Which one?

Check your answers on Study page 168.

i Last year I've been abroad twice.

ii Last year I went abroad twice.

i You're late! I waited for two hours!

ii You're late! I've been waiting for two hours!

i I went outside, then I locked the door.

ii I've gone outside, then I've locked the door.

i I'm sorry, he's gone out; do you want to leave a message?

ii I'm sorry, he went out; do you want to leave a message ?

i I knew Tony since he was a little boy.

ii I've known Tony since he was a little boy.

i The First World War lasted for four years, ii The First World War has lasted for four years.

i Since I came to London I've only been to the theatre twice.

ii Since I came to London I only went to the theatre twice.

i I haven't been working here long, so my salary is still quite low.

ii I didn't work here very long, so my salary is still quite low.

i I haven't seen my uncle for years; I can hardly remember his face,

ii I didn't see my uncle for years; I can hardly remember his face,

i I haven't been to London for the first time until I was 16.

ii I didn't go to London for the first time until I was 16.

i Switch on the news! The President has been shot!

ii Switch on the news! The President was shot!

i During recent years she sang in all the major opera houses of Europe,

ii During recent years she has sung in all the major opera houses of Europe.

2 Put each correct sentence in one of the categories from the Language description on Study page 168.

3 For each sentence below, write another with approximately the same meaning, using the present perfect tense.

Example: I'm afraid they're not in.

I'm afraid they've gone out.

56

a Sorry, I can't remember your name.

b Is your hair shorter?

C Hello, reception? My room is still dirty.

d The socialists are now in power.

e Income tax is now higher.

f The children are all adults now . . . g .. . and they don't live with us any more.

h They're here at last!

i The situation in Ethiopia is worse than it was.

j In Spain things are better than they were.

4 In the following news report there are thirty gaps, each with an infinitive in italics. Convert the infinitives to the correct past or present perfect tense (simple or continuous).

'Good evening. Here is the nine o'clock news.

British troops (1) invade the small Caribbean island ofNegrita. The invasion (2) take place before dawn this morning. There (3) be little initial resistance to the surprise invasion, but since early morning there (4) be intense fighting in the capital, where government troops (5) establish themselves in various public buildings. So far few

Ex-president Ferdinand arrives in RAF jet.

1 a b

c

d

e f g

h

i

k

i

UNIT 5

people (6) be killed, but there (7) be a number of casualties, among them General Amos Jones, the President of the tiny island republic, who (8) be wounded when invading troops (9) enter the city and (10) occupy the presidential palace during the early part of the morning. General Jones

(11) escape capture, and (12) flee to the main Army barracks; since then he (13) organise resistance to the invasion, which so far (14) be a great deal more determined than had been expected.

The predicted upsurge of popular support for the invading forces is by no means evident. Most of the island's citizens (15) keep out of sight, though some armed civilians (16) be seen firing at British troops. This seems to suggest that previous reports of the unpopularity of the government of General Jones (17) be greatly exaggerated. In spite of the spirited resistance which (18) be put up, a British spokesman (19) declare the invasion to be a success. Shortly after midday, a provisional government (20) be installed, headed by Mr Marcos Ferdinand, who (21) be flown to the island this morning in a Royal Air Force jet. Mr Ferdinand,

who (22) govern the island republic for five years until early last year, is felt to be more sympathetic to British and US interests than General Jones, the man who (23) depose him in a bloodless coup d'etat, and (24) be deposed in his turn. Since General Jones took power, Negrita (25) notpay the interest on its huge foreign debt, most of which (26) be incurred during Mr Ferdinand's presidency. Many

industries (27) be nationalised, and earlier this year the minimum wage (28) be increased by 100%. It is believed that these policies are responsible for today's invasion.

The White House (29) praise the British Government's 'decisive action to normalise the Negrita situation'. In Parliament this afternoon, however, the invasion {30) be criticised strongly by opposition MPs.'

5 Write ten true sentences about yourself or the world, using past and present perfect tenses.

F I Speaking