Originally Posted by Gnd
Mr Done, some very good and worthy points - but - it does not really make a case for individuality, it could still have been achieved if the air power was combined into a more coherant force, belonging to any one, all for one etc....
Yes the whole is more worthy than the parts.
But to secure the whole we must have the parts to concentrate on what they do best, rather than worry about the whole.
Why else do we employ 4*s at Northwood now but to secure the fact that each service can supply the BEST of its capability at the perceived point of need at any time?
If as you wish to say the Air power belonged to the Navy, might the Army lose out? or a converse argument be applied?
Where the RAF stays dispassionate from both forces we are able to provide the best service to both where we can, with our limited resources.
Yes you may say well we can do this better, but can you?
The RAF of all the forces has needed major financial backing to project into the future, but has been left behind in trying to drag the Army into the technological age and we have the Senior Service crying over their Carriers (which is a debate I shall not go into here)
The Army god bless them, cannot operate a technologically advanced aircraft, they do not have the expertise. They are trying to strip the RAF of Techies to operate their A/C, leaving capability gaps in the RAF now, I know of 5 JT/SAC Q-OPS now working at Wattisham for the AAC, taken from 1 A/C operating base.
If we were to go to a single service JHC force the AAC would not be able to cope with the Merlin, let alone the Chinook Mk2/3.
The RAF have become specialists now as a fighting force, maybe not as a trench line unit (apart from SH) but man for man you get more expertise from the RAF compared to the Navy/Army. As painful as that may seem to MASU, we are more than happy to carry out our own work on Helicopters, with RSS being the centre for excellence on fixed wing, why do the Navy need to get involved in A/C repair and salvage when we in the RAF have a complete Squadron dedicated to it?. The only time they need get involved is in off shore recovery; if we are talking of repair, let the RAF carry it out. We have seen the results of Navy/REME Engineers working on our A/C and it has not looked good.
If you want a cohesive and determined Air Force do not decentralise it, enhance it and allow them to build confidence in it. Do not let the politicians strip it away as you will be left wanting in the future, as you in the FAA/AAC will be looking for asset sharing and I hate to say but jointery is spelled ARMY.
Such is my experience in the RAF (6 yrs on JHC) at this moment in time. If we do not fight for our service we will lose it