This is a clear and obvious smokescreen generated by the incoming CGS to shift focus from the continuing lack of support and provision of Duty of Care by the MoD. This would almost be funny if the man were not being serious, imagine being up to your nuts in bad guys in some exotic location and wondering what else the spineless maggots that pass for leaders could think up next to pi$$ you off - you would never see this one coming in a month of Sundays.
If the integrity and ethics of Officers, Warrant Officers and SNCOs can be besmirched so easily by a shiny arse pen pusher, you have to wonder what on earth the JPA system has delivered that allows such a huge breach of trust to occur. For whatever reason General Richards chooses to judge his drop-short mates by such astonishgly low standards, how on earth does he get off applying it to the entire Armed Forces? Classic Gunner Man-Management.
“While this may be an acceptable excuse for a small number of our young soldiers as they develop competence on JPA, it is inexcusable for our commissioned, warrant and noncommissioned officers.”
- and what's this? It's only a crime if you should have known better? With my scant knowledge of the Law this little known principle seems to have eluded me. Love to know what the acid test for "competence on JPA" will be. The man is a complete pimmel-kopf.