Er no maple 01 read my post - I'm not advocating a 2 tier 'goers and stayers', I actually want what you describe- a single deployable force. No, I too can't stand the people that abuse their position to get taken off deployments and night shifts (through family, medical or other reasons) and I don't want them in the RAF. I don't have a problem with reducing the pay of people who can't be deployed for prolonged periods. My point is that for the non malingerers that want to serve, your all or nothing attitude simply drives them away too. Correct - The RAF is not a normal job and we spend more time away than ever so we need to look after people ,it should not matter whether you are single, married, married with kids, martian whatever. If you look after your people and show that you are doing so then they tend to stay around (morale??). Childcare is an important issue; I'm not saying the RAF pay for it but it should be easily accessable, reliable and affordable around bases. If you ignore the family and the effect it has on morale then do so at your peril. If you look after them you retain more people, morale is higher, there are more people around for the deployments, more experience, less gapped posts...... Also remember that the singlies of the present are normally the married guys of the future (presuming they don't all turn into weaselling gits after that 'life choice'). The lesson they are being taught at the moment isn't exactly positive and isn't a great motivator to stay in the RAF. Oh yes and if you want to start talking 'mission statements' then you might want to checkout CAS's viewpoint on the RAF community website, actually quite refreshing.
Regards
Alf
married with a kid wargoer x2
