They do a great job in supporting the operational airforce (they do prepare Airmen and women very well for deployment) but please could you get a proportion on things. You are like the pioneers of the RLC guarding high value logistic locations not at the spearhead like the Parachute Regiment.
Nursey,
If I could just set the record straight. When you refer to proportion, do you mean size? Accepted, the reason you won't find the RAF Regiment deployed similarly is that it doesn't deploy in a similar manner and in terms of punch, we're not a cudgel. But in terms of infanterring ability I never came across Loggies when I did my Jungle Warfare Instructors Course, when I spent time doing TACP with (as was) 5 Airborne Brigade or a couple of other things either.
But diversity and breadth of experience is what is required of our paymasters - you will never find an infantry organisation within the UK that offers what the RAF Regiment does. Although The Royal Marines face similar demands, they deploy in serious numbers and as a fully integrated organisation. Our ORBAT (or whatever its called now) does not allow that, or Battle Group sized deployments, but if deploying by parachute with II Sqn RAF Regiment into Sri Lanka, getting over the Berms with CVR(T) first on Granby, wading ashore on the first wave in Corporate, deploying with helicopters or PROPERLY defending places like Akrotiri (who remembers the mid late 80s out there?), I think you'll find that the RAG Regiment gunner is more than able to hold his ground (metaphorically and literally).
In the early 90s there was short sighted talk of merging with the police. If god forbid, that had gone ahead, we would not even be having this debate now about Gunners mincing about in Oakleys as part of the Short Range Desert Group. The army would simply have said 'Yes, I know we said we could do it, but that was 4 years ago. Sorry - but you'll have to trawl around for 3000 tradesmen, take them away from their primary role and start filtering them around.'. And frankly, if you want to be defended by people who invariably find CCS the summit of military hardship, crack on.
I don't think the Regiment is being smug, its just too bloody busy at the moment.. although getting our stable belt back would be nice
and f#ck off some guins at the same time.
