Bonfire of the Generals

[jamesdevice]

and at least McDonalds has a recognised training scheme

[ZH875]

But the food is still the same, sh*te

[jamesdevice]

For a country to be so overburdened with stars....is that a national vanity?
maybe we need an Admiral - or General - Savonarola?

[Mach Two]

Everyone's busy Googling that, JD. I didn't have to, of course, 'cos I know that he's Girolamo Savonarola, an Italian friar, born on (ooh, racking my brains now), oh, yes, 21 September 1452 and died 23 May 1498. Was that the one you meant?

[glojo]

Nope, he recently got the Chop too..

McDonald's don't do chops!

[jamesdevice]

spot on Mach Two, glad to see there are still a few medievalists around
Now the next question is, whats the link?

[Mach Two]

OK, been reading up in him, erm, I mean scratching me head trying to remember. Is it to do with the bonfires of the vanities?

[jamesdevice]

excellent! 10/10

[Mach Two]

Who says Wikipedia isn't great? Burn the items of moral laxity!!!

Question now is, will this cull permanently correct the balance between stars and the rest of the officer corps or will we simply lose a load of senior chaps now only to have gapped posts that will be quietly re-filled once the heat is off?

[Fortissimo]

No, Mach 2. The gaps will be filled by civil servants, who will then make decisions based on their vast knowledge of all things military.

[Mach Two]

Oh, no. So we pay peanuts and we get... Not to worry, we may end up with no leadership, but at least we'll be saving money. Or will we? To pay redundancy to a 2 Star, plus his pension and then the pay of the CS that takes his role. Is that a saving?

[jamesdevice]

if we're burning generals, the civil servants can be the faggots to start the fire with

[Mach Two]

I'm guessing a faggot is like kindling, JD? Not a gay person or a meatball made with pork offal?

[SAMXXV]

As long as all those who are left are fast jet pilots, because they are the only ones with the brain capacity/capability to be the future leaders of the RAF!



Would that be (Sir) Jock Stirrup? He of small brain cells - until it comes to looking after his pension? He has certainly left the RAF in the lurch in recent years.

[jamesdevice]

M2
precisely
however given many of the civil servants I've met it could also have the other meaning.

Actually the meaning has a dual source - comes from the days when heretics were burnt at the stake and it was a shame to waste a good fire, so any locals showing "deviant" tendencies were bound and tossed on the fire to get it burning properly

[Bismark]

....Captains became Commodores

The reason was that Air Stations (like the carriers) were commanded by Captains "over 6". These chaps were paid as 1*s but then Cdre was not a selective rank. That changed and the 1* rank became substantive.

Commodore down west,
Captain at Yeovil,

Other way round I think.

Rank of command should be based on responsibility and accountability. An airfield of 4,000 people and 100 aircraft seems reasonable for 1* command.

[Climebear]

Mach Two

RN/RM/RAF 2-stars and above and Army 1 stars and above are not subject to the redundancy schemes. For them, there is no guarantee of employment beyond their current tour. So no job to go to means out of the Service with normal terminal benefits; however in some cases they can be awarded a payment under the Directed Early Retirement (DER) Scheme.

Full details are in JSP 764 Part 6 Directed Early Retirement available on the internet.

INTRODUCTION

0101. The DER Scheme enables the Armed Forces to pay compensation in specified circumstances when terminating a senior officer’s employment unexpectedly prior to the individual’s Normal Retirement Age (NRA).It applies to officers of 1-star rank and above.

CRITERIA FOR PAYMENT OF COMPENSATION

0102. A Special Capital Payment (SCP) or Compensation Lump Sum (CLS) will be awarded under DER arrangements if the relevant Service is able to demonstrate that there is no reasonable prospect of suitable employment becoming available for the officer within a reasonable timescale and it can be shown that the lack of availability of further employment is related to:

(a) the removal or regrading of a post after an individual has taken up the post or has been notified of appointment to it1, which could not have been foreseen or prevented at the time of appointment, and

(b) an unplanned reduction in the number of posts available to the Service (including potential joint appointments) which the officer was qualified to fill and which was caused by restructuring or changes in employment requirements within the Service or the Department or external employing organisation e.g. NATO, UN.

In any event, DER must represent value for money such that the net effect of any SCP or CLS is at worst case cost neutral but ideally results in a net saving to Defence.

Footnote 1 to Sub-para 0102a reads:

For Army officers of 1-star and above and for RN/RM and RAF officers of 2-star and above, the assumption will be that service will cease following the end of the current tour, without payment of a SCP, if no offer of further employment is made at least 6 months before the end of tour. This is reflected in the flowchart at Annex A.

[glojo]

No job security but they will either move into the so called civilianised post at a very nice salary PLUS their excellent pension. Or... they will get a directorship on the board of the many defence Contractors that are selling equipment to the MoD at exorbitant prices, my heart bleeds for them.

I also need someone to explain how we still need all these flag officers now that we are perhaps a 'Third World Military Force' that is being asked to fight wars with a blunt dagger in lieu of a razor sharp rapier

[glojo]

Originally Posted by Bismark

Other way round I think.

Many apologies and good spotting, I blame my medication

HMS Heron Commodore with a seniority from 30.06.07

HMS Seahawk Captain in command with exactly the same seniority date.

[[email protected]]

Climebear - does it say what that SCP or CLS is calculated against? Is it their potential future earnings given a full career at their present rank?