I've been in the RN for a short period of time compared to the rest of the old and bold, and I have to admit that I am already cynical about the system. There are definitely things that annoy me about the military, but I have to say the pros still outweigh the cons for the time being. I wonder, for those of you out there who have been serving for some time now, did the old hands in your day say that the armed forces were going to the dogs? For those of us who have joined in recent years we don't really know what it used to be like, so we just have to learn to get on with the system we have now. I wonder in a few years time when I become an old hand (if I decided to stay that long) will I be saying the armed forces have gone to the dogs?