RAF Brize Norton : Programme Gateway
 

Makes interesting reading ... not seen this much "Management Consultant Speak" since retirement from my civilian career :rolleyes:

So Brize is an "enterprise" now ... Commercial "construct" ... What's one of them then :suspect:

Gateway Web Page ...

RAF Brize Norton Programme Gateway

Detailed documents ...

MOD New Operating Model

RAF Brize Norton 2016+

Programme Gateway

So what's broke with the current way of doing things ? I thought that we were quite good at running scale/global transport operations ?

No doubt someone will enlighten me ...

Looking forward to our revered PPRuNe Oxford Correspondents comments :)

Best ...

Coff.

Civilianise/Contracterise as much as possible to cut more military manpower. Simple as that. A super, super MAC.:hmm:

Pardon the "Erk speak" but, it sounds like a load of b@llocks to me. I suspect that it really means that, "in a few years time we will grow this "not for profit organisation" in to a fully functioning, devastatingly economy contributing rip off", just like every other government contribution to the UK military since 2010.

Smudge

Barely even have to read past the contents to of the Integration Study to understand the priorities....actually Delivering the ATAAR/APOE Capability doesn't appear until Chapter 6.9, right after the Financial and Performance Management.

Surely this can't be the way forward?:ugh:

So, Brize now has a "commercial construct"? That should make a few sit up and open their eyes if they are to be held commercially (read 'financially') accountable for their output.

IMNSHO, Brize has large swathes of less than supportive elements and efficiency is a joke for many...the worst Stn I've worked on in term of its so-called 'support' elements by some way.

It's meaningless synergistically aligned blue sky bollocks like this that makes me glad to be out......

I pity the three blokes, one dog, one clapped out airframe who are left with a billion consultants spouting drivel at them.....

Someone posted a management buzzword generator earlier on, take it one stage further and actually ask the sharp suited one to translate into erk speak for you.......chances are they can't, so call their bluff.

You're all missing the point, while reading nu speak you must put thumb and forefinger together on both hands, close down your mind, make a very deep 'Ummmmm' sound in your throat and think about the deep blue of the ocean. It all makes sense then.

Luckily I'll probably be dead in thirty years.

Aaahh Thing

Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream
It is not dying, it is not dying
Lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void
It is shining, it is shining

Nothing like a bit of Beatles to infuse a thread with "meaning" !

Nice comment though.:ok:

Smudge

Well, having taken the time to read the document trough, I can't help thinking that most of the points are actually quite valid. The liberal inclusion of business buzz words is indicative of its intended audience rather than a lack of clarity of thought IMHO. It is rather annoying though.
Anyone who has worked at Brize (or I guess any other large station) will be aware of numerous areas where we do business in a way which is manpower intensive, expensive, and just plain in efficient. To add insult to injury, more often than not it is not done very well either!
In many cases, the civilianisation of support services may be the way ahead. In others, the elimination of 2-3 year tours and long term accountability for one's performance may be the way ahead. More promotion within sections/sqns based on performance doing your job may be the way ahead. Perhaps thats better than being judged on secondary duties against the secondary duties that someone else is doing on a station at the other end of the country? Station level promotion boards? Interviews with the boss/ Stn Cdr for that Flt Cdr position?

If they are serious about it, there are some rather big descisions to be made. I am of the opinion that it is long overdue.

Brize is a very different place from my service days there. I am one of the Civvie pilots operating out of there for the RAF and have noticed the changes.

There is a lot to be said for civilianising the support services to save costs but I do think I loses the immediate flexibility of service personal. It's a bit of ying and yang I guess.

What areas in particular?

All that bull**it and only one runway :eek:

Now now, the one runway decision was 'proven' when the Herc stopped gear up on it. Senior Officer pointed out that a C-17 was still able to takeoff (and then land at Lyneham to fill up before departing on it's mission).

Oh, Lyneham is closed now? Oops.

How about Fairford?

I'm sorry Downsizer, but whilst I'd be happy to wholeheartedly qualify that comment to anyone privately, I really don't believe that to answer your question in the public domain would do any good whatsoever apart from to feed the trolls.

Track me down or PM me if you're serious, otherwise, you'll have to take my word and that of practically everyone I know on the coalface that it's true.

Mixed views
 

Well I might have been one of those support elements Uncle refers to in the past. Frankly like others on here I am glad to be out. I too will probably not be around in 30 years Thing.

I was also a user of some of those support services. Gateway House was terrible. How anyone got a good nights sleep before flying an important sortie I just don't know. This rings each time I read a BoI report that states the crew were well rested! I stayed there when the mess was full before a very long day supporting a UOR. I slung the mattress on the floor as I could feel very bedspring. I tolerated the noise from the soldiers that were heading off to Bastion. I bit my lip as they may have been having their last beer. I was thus only firing on 3 cylinders the following morning.

There was certainly some Jobs worths in MT. You speak as you find. I am sure they are not all bad. It was better in some ways when it was run by the RAF, yet Wyton MT was far better ran under Babcock.

Setting up a maintenance contract for some essential kit was painful. When the RAF ran the bays it would have been easy. In this case the paperwork cost more that the batteries that required changing.

I too think the single runway is a flaw. The Airships must have taken this into consideration. At least A400M, C130 and C17 could probably land at take off from the grass - Is there a patch free of obstructions? Would the taxi way on the South side not do?

So far as civilianisation is concerned; I hope I could always be relied on to come good. At least that's what my certificates on the toilet wall say anyway! My concern is for the future when the Ex RAF recruiting pool dries up. We have seen this before I know.

My last experiences of BZN was almost 18 months ago. Let us hope it all works out. Time will tell.

Surely it's about time someone from Air Command grew some cojones and admitted that the co-location of all AT assets at the most unhelpful,inflexible base in the RAF was a mistake , rather than worrying about whose backside to kiss in order to achieve their next promotion.