It is a popular pastime of mischief makers to whip-up, exagerate, enhance or otherwise inflate rumours about 'everyone' leaving - I've seen it often during my career and indeed taken part, especially when trying to generate some kind of reaction from 'them' who hold the reins/budgets. We presume 'they' care enough to act and could not possibly stand around and see 'everyone' leave.
Of course this is never the case in reality - when some leave, others benefit in terms of promotion or eventual retention measures, thus regenerating the Service and, ironically, making it worthwhile for those who were probably going to stay anyway.
But this time it's serious.
Conditions, operational tempo, erosion of quality of life, eternal wheel reinvention - the list is long and no one thing can be blamed for the current and increasing exodus. But it is definitely happening and I'm not at all sure manning levels can be sustained. I don't have the graphs or the stats - I just know because every day somebody else takes me surprise and says they're on resettlement next week.
Behind those now leaving are a young and often inexperienced replacements, who are enthusiastic, naive but also unwilling to put up with consistently poor tools, conditions or management. They won't stay unless somebody directly correlates the effectiveness of the nation's defences to the quality of people serving and acts by investing in significantly more than just showy hardware.
Each week I sense I am stood on a mountain watching an avalanche of snow leave my side, heading to pastures new. But I am also conscious of being left behind on an over-exposed mountain top that can't simply be re-packed with snow when the storms come.
If things don't change radically, critical mass is coming.
Last edited by dallas; 31st Jan 2006 at 21:06.