Is this wise?
 

Daddy's home! Emotional scenes at RAF Marham as Tornado crews arrive back from six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan | Daily Mail Online

Very many congratulations on a job well done. However, is it wise to broadcast one's identity (and that of one's children) in a national "newspaper" so openly? I get the argument that to hide our pride in what we do is to let the enemy win but I'm not sure I'd be so free and easy with pics of my kids.

I in no way mean to take away from what the TGRF have achieved - I just don't think this is too clever that's all.

I take your point. I certainly wouldn't, but it seems to be the modern way. As an aside, when I was commissioned in 1977, we were offered the choice of announcements in various papers, but with the thought, "why make the enemy's job easier?"

After the Cold War, such thinking went out of fashion, for valid reasons, some would say. Now there is a threat again. Maybe a time to be cautious again. Of course, you can't take back what you've already revealed.

But welcome back, guys.

Yeah, the genie left the bottle some time ago. You can't fight it; H.M. Forces can do many things, turning back the clock to 1990, and further, ain't one of them.

As a number of celebs have found out, there are no secrets anymore.

...but there's still no gain in making yourself an easier target.

As with Courtney we had the opportunity to have our local rag at home run a story on our graduation (both Swinderby and Cranwell grads). Most (sensibly in my opinion) chose not to citing various reasons the main being security. Rather ironically the Times published a list of names of Officer graduates and you could then purchase a copy of the Air Force list.

The Lubyanka is probably the only place you could still get a back-copy of the Air Force List these days!

Funnily enough the public library in Oakham has one. I suppose that says something about Rutland, although I am not sure what.

YS

Once on a prestige trip overseas conditional on my signing a press release. Only loyalty to my Crew persuaded me to sign though, you understand.

I didn't attend a local school, didn't go back and my press CV was so grey they never ran it. :)

I posted this on another thread just yesterday, but it could aalso be considered relevant here:

In terms of what people should, or shouldn't, be telling the world about their activities, I remember the days when people living outside the wire were encouraged not to tell their neighbours what they did for a living, because of the IRA threat.

Contrast that to today, and the particular example of LinkedIn. The number of senior officers, both recently retired and still serving, who include in their experience in their LinkedIn profile their current and previous jobs titles, such as:

Director of special weapons development.
Director of investigation of recovered UFO technology.
etc
etc

Ok, I made those jobs up (or got lucky?), but hopefully you get the point. Want to know who to coerce, blackmail, threaten or honeytrap, to get information in specific areas of interest. Just google LinkedIn and a few buzz words relevant to your topic and you'll find your man... or woman!

Admittedly it doesn't take a lot of brains to find out if you want to but:
No names
No Units
No bases
No photos identifying personnel.

Why make it easier for someone- it's only a matter of time before somethings tried at a UK unit, especially if we continue to publicise. Lets face it, security at most RAF units is not great.

The current 'enemy' gets far more return on an attack for far less effort if it is non-military. Why bother with someone in uniform if you can get far bigger outrage by flying a civilian aircraft into a tower block?

Lee Rigby?

Yet we still have RAF stations that do not have a perimeter fence so you can simply walk up a road past barrack blocks, technical buildings and on to an active flightline.

I heard an urban legend about a delegation of Yanks visiting a rather swampy unit where the locals have 6 toes. To sell us a rather expensive and not very successful new aircraft.

On the tour around the station one Yank comments "How nice ! Your unit has it's own entire farm".

One embarrassed home nation escort had to reply "Er, no. The farm is actually adjacent and outside the unit".

The Yanks explained we can only have their new aircraft, if we start building some bigger and better fences.

Look at the formerly named Ranch by the former orange suited astronauts :mad:can they would also call for return in the 70s/80s to this day is surrounded by houses, and farms (nice viewing area) by runway and good pub with excellent parking and good food inside directly by further exit and of course new built houses which may or may not be used by off base folks..

Hasten to add one of the super secret grey permi residents from Swamps of Florida in the base and temporary bordering on permi visitors in White tops kinda back onto a public road with more farms and houses ! At the other end are a large industrial estate which borders the end of the runaway. However there is a,patch pf even unlicensed land where one can view. However I heard that only last year the base locals and local surveyors were measuring up the patch of green by industrial estate so as to either a) expand the fence or b) build another official viewing area......as of recently , nothing's been tabled aside.

Have had meetings around and in there and seen quite a few interesting visitors at any time ....but don't hear the base complain but the skycops can get twitchy about the locals that back onto the base as well as enthusiasts.

Around the corner down the Heath :mad:it is better and for sure not so much of a problem because it's pretty much isolated by trees , lots of trees and one church/farmyard! There is one viewing area but be en large can't see much bar the landings and taxiing.
That's perfect ...though the common green which you have to drive brought the village of the same name sake, at the back, there's a patch of green ....Green belt / conservatory etc etc which apparently overlooks the whole base and is kinda frowned upon by the skycops.

Basically the comparison is one lot which has more 007 style stuff around is surrounded by a town, industrial estate and farms while the other which is the stuff of Dan Dare, Robin Olds is pretty much isolated.

In short Gr4s story should have had a happy ending in that been that the escorts response is "well we know Old Macadonald very well and he should keep an extra pair of eyes for / on us "


Cheers

Yellow Sun


Probably something to do with your PCC - just so they don't forget!!

I am sure that he'll have his own copy!

YS;)

*PCC - Police & Crime Commissioner - in the interests of wider comprehension!

Lee rigby wasn't in uniform, nor was he specifically targetted. He was the tragic victim of a random attack. Which is why if one of these f@ckers ever comes near me I will make sure they don't walk away from it.

Not quite correct VinRouge. Lee Rigby wasn't in uniform, but he was targeted because his assailants believed him to be a soldier (he 'looked like a soldier' [wearing the Help for Heroes hoodie] and was walking towards Woolwich barracks, which was good enough for them). It certainly wasn't a 'random attack'.