Originally Posted by
JamesA
, I fully believe all of your grievances and , say as many have posted, you have to vote with your feet. Perhaps in my day, there were too many of us and early releases were a way to save money in the long run. But, as I read the present situation nobody in the ministry knows or cares how to look after their bread and butter (no armed forces - who needs a MoD).when the British people know how you are treated, they will appreciate your efforts. I served 20+ years between the kipper and shiny fleets.
Well of course, JA, the solution for any individual always was to vote with their feet. Like you, I did exactly that, but in both our cases the remaining guys and girls were left behind to carry on. Unless and until the RAF ceases to exist that will always be the case. My feeling is that it behoves those of us on the outside to use our experience and knowledge of when things were better to suggest how this particular Super Tanker can alter course to avoid that very fate. From what I read here, and I may well have got it wrong, the fundamental flaws are quite low down in the CoC. Commanders at unit, wing and station level no longer seem to have the semi autonomous powers that they used to. In other words, problems that could be resolved quickly and effectively by them are now referred up the CoC and as often as not into the maws of some unaccountable quango that doesn't then sort their pay, housing etc. The old system was not only quicker and more effective but had the bonus effect of raising a boss' credit rating in the view of his/her subordinates and a big plus for morale. By the same token disciplinary matters were also resolved summarily by the boss, well deserved clag handed out, and life moved on. Now it all seems bogged down in endless investigations and referrals, bad for morale.
So never mind the endless cuts; those, and panic rearmaments, are the inevitable boom and bust of the military cycle. The responsibility of the CoSs is to keep viable effective core Armed Services going throughout. My feeling is that they have fallen down on this, and that the present and past CGSs have tacitly said so. The CAS hasn't, and he and his predecessors need to get onto this pronto. It's bust Sirs, so fix it!