Melchett (and others)
But the general opinion amongst many of the CS that work in my organisation seems to be that the military get paid the 'big bucks' so we should crack on without complaint!
I think I've demonstrated many times what side I'm on. The CS needs to buck up and stop dumbing down, although I think it has probably reached rock bottom. I'm probably wrong on that last one.
But, to be fair to any CS with that attitude about "big bucks", I refer you to my example about Requirements Managers and MILSMs - which is what most CS in AbbeyWood see Servicemen doing. When I did those jobs, I was claiming Family Income Supplement for a wife and one child, such was my pay. Promotion into MoD(PE) was a distant aspiration. AbbeyWood still has a few CS who remember those days and twitch at the sight of Lt Colonels and Majors doing the same jobs for 3 times the salary. And one must always remember the rule that CS are required to "crack on without complaint" if these serving officers cannot, or do not want to, do their job (for which very few are trained). The problem is, CS are no longer trained either.
I know, one small example, but it illustrates the root cause of many problems in MoD. The vast majority in AbbeyWood, and that is a goodly proportion of the MoD CS these days, simply has no idea whatsoever what a given CS grade is required to do. Most are at grades at least 2 or 3 above what their job description warrants. Most CS at AbbeyWood look UP to RqMs and MILSMs, not realising these are jobs they should have been competent at themselves, long before being promoted into AbbeyWood. And that is the real root. CS are no longer promoted into AbbeyWood.
I have always said it. The best CS (in acquisition) are those who have worked backwards through the "acquisition cycle". If you haven't worked in the In Service phase, your exposure to Users is very limited, which blights your decision making and attitudes for the rest of your career. Today, that experience, and hence empathy with Users, is positively frowned upon. Management sets the tone. They must change.