Melchett
For too long this festering sore that has been corrupting the forces has sat with just a few people seeming to recognise it and voicing their opinion about it, being ignored.
Sadly I too believe that we’ve gone too far and that there is no top cover from our lordships, and don't expect any of them resign in protest over anything in the foreseeable future.
I think that a corporate image is OK but prefer tradition and values that hold our people as our second priority after winning the war. Winces, as Dark Blue and Brown types tell us that we haven't been around long enough.
Hate to be classed as old git stuck in the past, but when you see lads and lasses doing 9-5 and not willing to do anything but what the TOR's tell them to. Then compare them to the same lads and lasses, who are put down in the middle of a sand tray with a 12x12 and left to get on with it. It demonstrates that the sprit of "Can Do" and "We will not be defeated" is still part of the UK forces. It just seems a shame, that we then bring them back to UK we shaft them with extra duties because the war/police action/NATO Peace Keeping, was only a det and we haven't got the man power to keep it going any other way. Also we seem as a nation to want to shaft the forces in other ways. There is a thread about 5 star hotels and fleets staying in them, going on at the moment.
We experience this type of money and financial miss management daily. For example the RAAF exchange peeps on my fleet used to get the full $65 a day when they flew in support of UN Ops over BH. We as a fleet in N Italy got more money than the guys in S Italy, the Guys and Gals in CAOC got even more than we did. Lets stop individual peeps stopping money or giving extra money. You go to a theatre and you get this money, stop the phone cards, get phones in that are free to the UK and local rate after that to who ever and when ever. Don't argue about numbers of phones and numbs of peeps, just put in extra phones. While I'm at it ask BT to do it for free, how many people would stay with BT if they supported us in the field.
I ramble, but my belief is that as a service, we no longer have people giving orders to make things happen. We have to work inside PC, HSE and Political limitations that include Geneva Convention and legal nightmares of ROE (Good if it means if I end up the wrong side of the line, I'll get my little pink body back home at the end of it). Bad if I get court-martialled for killing some nasty type, who was about to kill somebody by driving a car at them and I had only a split second to figure out if they could get away, or I could stop them by shooting the nasty.
We have people at the top saying I want this to happen and all the way down to the front line we have people saying "you can't do that according to the rules/book" rather than trying to find a clause that says there is a way to do something. Same as the station Budgets, a good idea if the staish could spend the money as he needed it, how many times has the budget manager had to spend loads at the last minute to prevent losing money next year. Therefore the managers can't let the troops get on with the job after a comprehensive brief, they have to stand there and most times long screw driver or micro manage everything because to c)&k up will ruin their career.
No I don't believe the light is any where near the end of the tunnel, in fact it probably is a Git with a torch bring more work. So I am leaving and I will miss the Tradition, some people (high and low) and the challenge of doing such a demanding job in sometimes great living conditions and some time a right p hole, but not the PC HSE and rest.
So therefore Melchett I remove my hat and bow to you you've hit the nail right square on its head.
Turbs
How about this, every O starts as an AC and experiences the life/job, then if they meet the qualities and standards not just as Aircrew/ATC/Admin/Rock but as supervisor, man manager or LEADER etc they are made NCO and when they have got CR or equivalent then we make them an Officer. But if they fail then we keep them in the job not set age ceilings, and if the guy or gal wants to stay in the job then make them permenant NCO, i.e SNCO pilots etc.
Bring back Squadrons commanded by SL's groups led by Gp Cpts and a cut back in *'s to 1 each for commands, and 1 at the top. Seem to remember that the IAF is commanded by a 2*.
An Teallach
I believe that you have something as we haven't been up against a serious threat since the end of the Cold War and the last threat the UK faced in the air that was serious abut fighting IMHO was Korea. But, and this is a big but should we loose then a lot of boys and galls aren't going to be coming home and that will not be nice. "Train as you mean to fight" remember that one "the object of war is to get the other countries men to die for their country not our men" with apologies to the people concerned to the jumbling of their quotes. I don't want to see UK forces in the situation that the lack of money and hence equipment or training has allowed people to die. Even if it does prove that they were wrong and we were right.