If CAS is serious about retaining people (which he has to be), how about the following:
1) Sort out the married quarters and the messes as priority #1. Without the support of the missus/partner in this modern world, the system wont last much longer. I am not talking about a half arsed effort. I am talking about quality accom with decent insulation, glazing and a small garden. Not crap Barratt show homes with paper thin walls, tiny rooms and postage stamp garden/ Anything less, people will continue to leave in droves.
3) get rid of the fitness test. Sack all those unable to deploy due to unfitness, sack det dodgers. Limit individuals to a maximum of 2 weeks service sports a year. I am sick of covering dets for individuals because they are swanning it up playing tennis/sailing/surfing/bungy jumping (sic) whilst the rest of us get to do even more time away.
4) Increase home to duty to 30p per mile minimum. MPs get 44p. Ever heard of inflation? Notice oil is priced now at $96 a barrel? well stop punishing us all for insufficient service quarters and having to live miles away from our unit in the only affordable housing for miles by penalising us as a result of HTD.
5) No income tax on det. Period. If you are out of the country in the sandy place, you dont pay income tax.
6) Same for council tax.
7) Bin PAYD. It is a good idea, once again poorly implemented. Dont give the sods control of the messes. The current system works, it doesnt need a complete revamp. All it will take is a list for people to sign when they eat. You dont eat, you dont pay. Any budget shortfall should be paid out of the def. budget.
8) Tell the government we wont do any future ops without the proper kit. Read into this: Servicable modern suitable aircraft, sufficient parts, sufficient servicing/ops personel, appropriate DAS, suitable Logistics, sufficient AT and SH. Its all well and good having 232 eurofighters, but 232 eurofigters cant move a single bag or single squaddie to where they are needed. Expiditionary warfare? The clue is in the name. You cant commit to it without being able to move lots of stuff very quickly over long distances, in a sustainable manner. You quite simply need to double up on our AT/SH assets. Anything less wont do.
9) Stop doing things "top Down". Start doing things "bottom up" Its the people below you that know what needs fixing. You might start to hear the truth if your senior officers are held responsible for decisions they make in post; to this end, Grp Capt posts and above should be a minimum of 4 years tour length. If they dont like it, tough. Service before self I am afraid, and the sevices needs far outweigh individual career progression.
I dont doubt CAS is tring his best, but unless some of the above, or something else as groundbreaking is delivered, I can see a critical mass being reached pretty soon from where we will be an inefective force.
Last edited by VinRouge; 1st November 2007 at 21:43.