Nobody has yet commented on the remarks made by Pylot. Here are a few numbers for your consideration.
The imprest manual states that where PIE is not payed, LOA should be. In the early days of the exercise, the Lyneham imprest office paid transit crews the allowance at Thumrait, but were told to desist because "quote". "The extensive welfare package available to the Detachment is also available to them."
LOA in Oman, varies from around £6 per diem for an SAC to £15 for a Gp Capt. So the ba$tar£ ac STC accounts who arbitrarily removed LOA saved the following (approx)during the Exercise:
15,000(people)x 42daysx £9(av daily LOA) =£5,670,000.
Assuming the Operation continues for 6 months with around 4000 personnel there is still another 4000x 30x 6x £9 =£6,480,000 to be saved. Has any of you seen a welfare package worth remotely the £60 per week to you? I certainly haven't.
If you steal on a small scale, you are a larcenist. If you steal on a grand scale you are an economist. So congratulations, sir, you will probably be promoted. Had you merely pilferred all our money you would be in Colchester.
We have all argued the stupidity of the "dense pack" operation of aircrew from tents. This is why no one is prepared to listen.
200(aircrew)x6months(180)x£100(food/acc)= lots.
Get the message. Noboby cares about flight safety or operational efficiency or crew comfort. If they did care and field operations were essential, do you really think that after 4 months we couldn't find portocabins or more tents or at least something better than the " boil in a bag showers" It is all down to £sd.
As for Gp and IFS, they have been spineless throughout. We have far too many Koalas at the top of the tree telling Buff and his cronies how happy we all are and no one listening.