I do agree with some of you points, especially regarding standardising training amongst the services, but where does it start and where does it stop?
Should RAN and RAAF (and SSO) officers be expected to attend RMC for 18 months so as they all start on the same level playing field? Or should there be a new course where everyone starts out the same and does the same training in the first six months and then they diverge from there? Where should it start, if it doesn’t start from day one will Officers from all three services really be of equal standard?
I do agree with the pilot training theme, but then you will get those that insist everyone should be at single pilot ops fighter standard, just incase we need to surge. What bullsh*t. What we do need is an across the board standard, where guys are streamed early (think NATO flight training). Out of curiosity how often do guys go from a multi-crew aircraft to jets??? It would also greatly reduce the delusion that RAAF pilots have that they are better trained, therefore better pilots, than their Army counterparts
Maybe once we all seem to be on a level playing field we can look at sending RAAF on COAC. I’d love to see a current RAAF knuck present his concept of supporting fires plan to his Army peers and his assessing officer. But then again isn’t that why they have JTACs? So maybe in the future an ACO. But then you would still have the same problem. They don’t really understand why they are there (to support guys on the ground). It is not their fault though, it is the whole organisational culture of the RAAF. They do not understand in simple terms why they exist.
Before it all starts, I would like to clarify that I don’t dislike the RAAF per se. I have some good friends in the RAAF, and the capability they provide (when they do) is excellent. The problem I have is the RAAF culture. They are here as warfighters and to support warfighters, not purely to build hours before their ROSO is up and they head on over the QF or CX
The rant continues.
S64
Last edited by Super 64; 22nd Jul 2010 at 07:25.