This situation is so sad for the ME fleet - but oh, soooooooooooo predictable!
We forecasted this sorry state of affairs some years ago (on AT/Hercs anyway - but other fleets seem similarly afflicted). Of course, no-one listens to 'broken records' like us - we were just the harbingers of doom and such talk can threaten some people's promotion..... apparently!
Basically, the ME AT crewing ratio is utter @rse! And letting go of many good, young and experienced guys is military suicide.
In Oman, soon after 9/11 and with a theoretical crewing ratio of about 3:1, we couldn't raise enough CR non-Tac crews to fill a 8 ac det with 2 crews/ac. It was worse still during TELIC, having lost a few more crews, so during future 'Adventures with Tony', how the heck will we do it with even less people?
As a result of further crewing reductions since the outbreak of 'peace', the present overstretch and exodus has been both predictable ...and inevitable. While it helps PMA balance the books this week, it could easily run away from them in future. This is because, as the numbers become smaller, they will become harder to manage and there will be no 'flex'. Of course, the easy answer will be to cut a squadron, along with some ac - "smart move Mav"....not!!!!
Unfortunately, the signs of this impending crisis have been there for all to see. During TELIC, for example, if the 4 J 'shortie' Mk5s had not been sitting at Lyneham 'without engines', then we wouldn't have had the crews to fly them anyway, as 24/30 were working at the max with the crews and ac that they had.
And it was no better on the southside and we were saved embarassment as all our ac were at Marshalls having the gear repaired after constant overweight ops in Aghanistan - while some new toys were also being fitted. As result, there were few training ac or routes outside the Middle East. People started to lose heart, there was no meaningful training/fun - just ops in 'dust and deserts' - bear in mind this had been going on for years. Consequently, a lot of guys took their option or PVR'd,
Well, I do not blame people for jumping ship and 2 Grope's and PMA's pigeons are coming home to roost. Regrettably, however, once our fleets lose their depth of experience and capabilities, we will never recover some skill-sets - that makes my blood boil!
But with a future planned crewing ratio of less than 2:1, that will for certain signal the end of 24 hr AT ops and slip patterns to support the brown jobs and the sneakies. The few C17s we have and civ charter cannot do everything, nor go everywhere, neither can they be in 2 places at once. Their crews also have limits too.
Undoubtedly, it is obvious that the ME crewing shambles is cost-driven - a sad fact of modern mil life, perhaps - but to suggest that the continued manpower drawdown across the Services is meant to IMPROVE our efficiency, is an insult to our intellect!
I feel for the guys left at the coalface - I know they are still working their socks off when they deserve a bit of a rest after the past 5 years (Balkans, East Timor, Sierra Leone, SSII, Afghan, Iraq, DR Congo to name a few).
Certainly, working hard is great fun but there comes a time to remember that you have a right for 'a life' away from the flight-deck/ cargo-bay. Dare I suggest that the harder one works, then that realisation also comes more quickly.
Flipster
Looking back, I wouldn't have missed my time on the ME fleet for anything and I am very grateful for the experiences but I am at, long last, getting my life back - and I can heartily recommend it!