The JPA Cocktail Party - I Sh!t you not
 

I am reliably informed by a mate at work who has a mate working in town that Air Marshall David Pocock, DCDS(Pers) will be hosting a cocktail party to:
"Celebrate the sucessful role out of JPA to the RAF"
On Tues night! Anyone else heard about this, most importantly anyone know where, a visit from a few hundred ppruners might focus the 3*'s mind.
:mad:

RAF Club would be a good place to start looking.

Crab

Calm down. Calm down. I understand it has been "postponed".

PS. Marshal only one 'l'

It'd be about as palatable as 'Two Shags' Prescott giving a talk about marital fidelity to the local WI!

Incidentally, did anyone see the piccie of him on the front of the Daily Mail (not that I buy it, but it was free on my flight to Germany!)... He looks like some old mafia hood.....Don Prescotti?

Hope that this JPA lunacy is sorted out soon - and that the idiot in charge falls on his sword in a public way!

At least for us BOF retirees, 'Paymaster' worked OK last week!

PS - Roly, I gather from the RAAF that 'PFI' stands for 'The Poms are Flaming Idiots'!

A Google search for 'raf jap' is instructive:

for instance - http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/index.p...wtopic&t=35037 or

http://www.army.mod.uk/servingsoldie..._allowance.htm

The latter gives the game away as to the rush. ". . . single IT system to be introduced to the Royal Air Force in late 2005, followed by the Royal Navy in early 2006 and the Army in late 2006."

I've heard that they are already considering a retreat on the JPA fiasco and reverting to SAMA etc.... Anybody heard anything similar?:confused:

Still haven't been able to log on for any considerable amount of time to sort out my claims. However, if you know you are going away and will require Rates etc you can use the printable forms embedded deep in the website and get an advance! They pay you using BACS, and then have to wait for JPA to claim it back - Winner!:ok:

CouldBeTheLast
You can not use the manual Advance form if you have a logon. I tried to use the legacy form but was told to use the manual JPA form. Tried using that but was told to use online JPA as I had a logon. Tried getting the online advance (sheer bollox of doing an advance for every day you are away and not just for a period!) but it showed a 'policy violation' although I only asked for £80 a day to cover food and hotac. At the height of scribbly stupidity I was informed that I had to show receipts for the Advance:hmm:
In all I tried to get an advance 4 weeks before the trip knowing the problems with JPA. However, I got back from the trip last week after a week away and still have not got the money in my account! I did refuse to go unless they paid for all the hotac on a GPC, which they did and it saved me being out of pocket for hundreds of pounds whilst they sort out JPA.

Ah, the new GPC. Another duck nibbling away. How dare we use a corporate credit card for business expence when there's perfectly good money in our own accounts. Deserves a thread all of its own.

Still wating for mine, 3 months after sending the form in. Really looking forward to the entertaining, yet informative video I have to watch in order to use a credit card!

If the paperwork I was given is accurate then even if I don't use it I have to go to accounts or whatever they're called this week and audit my lack of spending on a monthly basis. Oh to be in the glory days of the Air Force in the 50s and 60s. Wait a minute...

CBA

We had our GPC withdrawn and have to make a fresh business case why we should have one.

Well mine would have been withdrawn except I 'failed' the course and refused to sign for it. The course was CBT using a mouse and I got RSI (from an old games injury - tetrix :} ) and refused to try again.

SGS...

There is obviously confusion somewhere. I was talked through the procedure by my very informed accounts lady. She told me exactly where to go and it was inside the JPA vortex. She even told me how much I could claim and then promptly paid the money into my account. Can't say fairer than that.:ok:

However, JPA still sucks the big 1.......

Are you sure it's a cocktail party and not a wake for the deceased? :E

What? Your computer keeps going down on you......?

:D

The real reason it was cancelled is because none of the guests could access JPA to get the advances on the their accom at the RAF Club.:E

JPA Security
 

From the RAF's own forums; (names removed to protect the innocent)

Name:
Date: 27 Apr 2006 16:33
Subject: JPA Insecure?
Message: Having managed to access the JPA system, I am little concerned that the software does not appear to use SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protection - the https address and little padlock you get when using on-line banking, etc.

This apparent lack of security would allow plain-text data to run around the RLI. As the system is used to record and display personal details, including bank details etc, I find this very unusual.

If I am correct in my assumption about the lack of SSL, anyone smart enough could monitor the network and pick up the personal details that are being sent back and forth by JPA.

I have sent feedback to the AFPAA infoCentre and await their response but thought I'd share my concerns.



Name:
Date: 03 May 2006 13:08
Subject: Re: Re: JPA Insecure?
Message: Excerpts from the Data Protection Act 1998 Ch 29.

Principal Seven

Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.

Interpretation of Principal Seven

Having regard to the state of technological development and the cost of implementing any measures, the measures must ensure a level of security appropriate to-

(a) the harm that might result from such unauthorised or unlawful processing or accidental loss, destruction or damage as are mentioned in the seventh principle, and
(b) the nature of the data to be protected.

Now this is information freely available to all open the RAF Intranet here if you have intranet.

I am not sure if this has already been covered but it does pose a question or two!!

Edited for spelling!!

JPA
 

Its another farce. No prizes for guessing that the big cheese who approved JPA will no doubt have a contract with these clowns on retirement!!

We are the premier Air Focre from around the world. Imagine what we could do if we had OFFICERS who knew what they were doing? They should be removed from all jobs apart from Flying.

They screw up and nothing happens. Will anyone be brought to account for JPA? No. Why...... Because senior Officers are above accountability. A burden to the budget is all they are.

Stop this facre now. Switch JPA OFF, revert to local management systems.....THAT WORK !!

So let me see if I've got the right end of the stick here.

The system we use to record such details as our home address, bank account numbers, next-of-kin details etc is insecure and could possibly be hacked into no problem at all by say, Mr Mustafa of 1 Iranian Revolutionary Rd, Tehran?:confused:

Remember folks, security is not a dirty word.:rolleyes:

It seems so.:mad:

It's you NI number thats of most value to identity theives. Nice to know that its being kept safe...
:mad:

Pull JPA NOW.......!
 

If the information supplied by Almost_done is true, then immediate action is required. It would appear that JPA is vulnerable to penetration by determined IT hackers...... therefore, the system is insecure...!

There is no other decision to take other than rectification of the security issue ASAP. In the meantime, all access to, and operation of, JPA should be suspended immediately.

And so now the world knows! Cheers.