Gum shield in, safety specs on...
Have this security team absolutely porked it? Yes.
Is this a government organised shambles? Yes.
Is the contract ridiculously lucrative? Yes.
Should it have been awarded as is? No absolutely not.
New voice this net.
Should armed forces personel be paid extra for aiding the civil power? No, absolutely not. It's fundemental military task.
What's the rationale here, that we're prepared to go to sea for months on end in a missile boat, or bayonet charge Terry in Helmand, or fly through cu-nim so dense you can't see the wing....but we're demanding extra to help out in peacetime?
Errr, no. Perks of the trade. Galling perhaps and the girls and boys shouldn't be out of pocket but be it firemen strikes or plain old crap management of a security contract - we're here to serve, and if that means helping out with civil order then that's all in our TORs.