Originally Posted by Martin the Martian
Anyone in any job, civilian or military, will know that little sentence on the contract of employment 'and other duties as required'. It does appear to affect military personnel more, for sure...
Yes, it does rather, doesn't it? Have you read the bit about
Offences against Military Law in the United Kingdom in Chapter 52 of the
Armed Forces Act (2006)?
For example:
- Life imprisonment for mutiny (e.g. disobeying a lawful order), failing to suppress mutiny, misconduct on operations, obstructing operations, hazarding a ship, etc.
- Ten years imprisonment for misconduct (i.e. using violence against a superior officer or threatening behaviour or communication to a superior officer), disobeying lawful commands, etc.
- Two years imprisonment for misconduct (i.e. disrespectful behaviour or communication to a superior officer), absence without leave, contravening standing orders, failing to attend for, or perform, duty, malingering, etc.
Perhaps you might consider starting a trade union for military personnel to tie things in more with civilian life?
I was only jesting but having to do shi**y jobs or deploy for long periods without any certainty of a return date is known as 'Life in a Blue Suit' in the Royal Navy or, in more general parlance, taking the rough with the smooth. I didn't join up to march across Dartmoor or chip old paint off the foc'sle but I did it. By the same token, when I was told to fly ahead in the ship's helo on different occasions to plan visits to Guadeloupe and Curaçao in the West Indies because I spoke some schoolboy French, I did that too although, strictly speaking, it wasn't in my Terms & Conditions of Service. As it happened, the respective local consuls had organised the visits perfectly well on their own so I spent each of the preceding weeks in a Club Mediterranean.
Originally Posted by Ken V
USN ballistic missile subs have two crews.
The USN's new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) will probably be manned on a 3-2-1 ratio. 3 crews, for 2 ships, with 1 ship deployed at sea.
RN SSBNs ('Boomers' in the USN, 'Bombers' in the RN) certainly have two crews but they are a very special case.
The US Navy has big bucks and is known for its manpower profligacy compared to the RN; just look at the respective complements of any similar vessels. Personnel constitute the greatest through-life cost of any ship and the RN would never countenance having three crews in order to maintain one at sea. With only
23,000 regulars and 250 full time reservists in the RN vice
326,000 regulars and 107,000 reserves in the USN, it is much too small for a start.