New CDS
Gen Sir Nick Carter to be new CDS! Let's hope he is more interested in the military capabilities of our Forces and less interested in changing slogans...
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Meet the new boss, same as the old boss....?
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May likes him! 'Reformed the Army to reflect society' wrong - the Army is there to defend society, whatever form it might take. It has no duty to enmesh itself in the woeful state of the society it is tasked to protect.
Might as well have given to Tony Blair. |
judge11,
The British Army IS the society it is tasked to protect! |
Half the Army will be devestated. The other half will be glad to get rid of him. As a successor to Peach ... plus ca change.
Rumour has it that Messenger was vetoed by the RN, effectively his own Service sticking the boot it - brutal. Interesting that neither CAS nor First Sea Lord were even considered with the final list apparently being Carter, Messenger and Everard (DSACEUR) |
From the Beeb
Gen Carter joined the Royal Green Jackets (now The Rifles) in 1978. He has served as a soldier in Northern Ireland, Germany, Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2002, he was the director of plans for a US-led taskforce in Afghanistan. The following year, he was involved in planning the invasion of Iraq. He would be the first to admit that those wars did not go according to plan. Gen Carter was also instrumental in rethinking military strategy. He was one of the brains behind Provincial Reconstruction Teams, which were used in Iraq and then Afghanistan. The PRT teams were designed to win hearts and minds of locals by building hospitals and schools - a shift from just relying on brute military force to defeat an insurgency. Throughout his career, Gen Carter returned to Afghanistan - first as the commander of US and UK forces in the south and then as the deputy commander of the Nato mission. He has been a strong believer in long-term military commitment, and has been an advocate of getting involved in fragile states before they descend into violence - known as defence engagement with small teams of British troops. But his time in Afghanistan also brought criticism. One US colonel said he displayed "a gross lack of concern for subordinates", while a US general accused him of being "risk-averse". Other US officers, though, were quick to speak out in Gen Carter's defence, rejecting the criticism. Even his enemies could never question his commitment or capacity for hard work. Those qualities, and what some friends call "a touch of genius", helped him to rise up the ranks. Gen Carter became head of the Army in 2014. In that role, he pushed through radical reform. After becoming the head of the Army in 2014, Gen Carter pushed to fight against what he called "intensifying threats" He restructured the Army and fought hard for resources in the face of what he himself has highlighted. At the start of this year, Gen Carter made a public speech in which he warned of the dangers of a more aggressive Russia. He was one of the first senior officers sent "over the top" by Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson to make the case for more money for defence. In the Commons on Wednesday the prime minister announced more money for the MoD, hailed by defence sources as a "stunning win" for the defence secretary. There will be an extra £600m over the next financial year to pay for four new Dreadnought nuclear submarines, which will come out of a contingency fund. And there will also be a further £200m made available coming from an "underspend" in other government departments. Sources close to the defence secretary say the extra cash will help avoid defence cuts in the next financial year. One official said it was an indication the prime minister and chancellor were "paving the way" to increase overall defence spending. That decision will be made after the MoD has carried out a review of the Armed Forces. Gen Carter has his critics at home though, as well as his fans. I've heard several Army officers complain that he behaves like a dictator, pushing through constant change. Some refer to him as Kim Jong Carter. As head of the Army, he has also failed to stop the worrying slide in recruitment - with the regular Army now 4,000 troops below its full strength of 82,000. While PM Theresa May says the Army has "become more reflective of the society it serves" under Gen Carter, he is himself another product of a privileged public school education. But he is in many ways the obvious choice. He has had plenty of operational experience, is a strategic thinker and is a lot more comfortable in the limelight than his predecessor. Supporters of the Royal Navy bemoan the fact that it is now 15 years since they had an officer who led the three services. They had hoped General Gordon Messenger would be the first Royal Marine to get the job. But once again the position of Chief of the Defence Staff is in the hands of the Army. |
While PM Theresa May says the Army has "become more reflective of the society it serves" under Gen Carter.. |
I think she is referring to the rainbow/pink/LGBTetc nonsense that is infecting the Armed Forces.
There is a Monty Python sketch on a parade ground that comes to mind........ |
Originally Posted by [email protected]
(Post 10101097)
rainbow/pink/LGBTetc nonsense that is infecting the Armed Forces
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"When I joined up homosexuality was illegal in the military."
Same here, but funnily enough, amongst the ORs, the vast majority didn't really give a flying "stuff". What counted was you did your job and gave 110% when needed, first and foremost. Any other attributes merely added some spice to a pretty already eclectic mix. |
You get me wrong - it's not the sexuality or gender, it's the fact that the VSOs spend more time pushing the equality and diversity agenda than they do actually looking after the rest and protecting what little capability we do have left.
I don't care who people shag as long as they can do their jobs but the focus needs to be on capability rather than bloody rainbow flags. |
Hmm best not mention the official banter and jokes course then...
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Crab and Glad.
I think we are all on the same page. Pprune and other social media can blur the lines. Happy Easter and hopefully the new CDS will continue the good work. |
Originally Posted by Chinny Crewman
(Post 10101366)
Happy Easter and hopefully the new CDS will continue the good work.
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Keeping on with the thread drift….
Shouldn't that be 'Happy Holidaynotnecessarilyfaithrelated' at Easter? I can trump that! Reading the television page of the Daily Mail I came across this at the bottom; (R) Repeat (HD) High Definition (AD) Audio Description (b/w) Not In Colour (BSL) British Sign Language b/w – their lower case – another ridiculous step towards absolute political correctness? For proper correctness why wasn’t (NIC) Not in Colour written? Or, if they want to keep (b/w) write 50 shades of grey afterwards?! |
morton,
That’s because “not in colour” IS what it does. Not being discriminatory or racist does NOT involve not saying the words BLACK or WHITE, they are colours, get over yourself.... |
There have been, to date;
Six former 1st Sea Lords; Mountbatten, Hill-Norton, Ashmore, Lewin, Fieldhouse and Boyce who have held the office of CDS. Seven former CGS'; Hull, Carver, Brammall, Inge, Guthrie, Walker and Richards Seven former CAS'; Dickson, Elworthy, Humphrey, Cameron, Craig, Harding and Stirrup. There have been three former VCDS' who have been appointed directly to the post; Vincent and Houghton (Army) and Peach (RAF). Most of the Army appointments appear to be post MRAF Harding's resignation in 1994. Sir William Dickson was the first wholly appointed head of HM Forces overall in 1956, when the title was still the dual hatted 'Chairman of the Chiefs of Staffs Committee. He was still incumbent when the title changed to Chief of the Defence Staff on 1 January 1959 relinquishing the appointment in July that year. Dickson was chosen, so it is said, to be the first full time HM Forces chief due to the prominence of the RAF in the 1950s, with the height of the Cold War and the reliance on the nuclear strike capability which at the time was essentially delivered by the then growing V-Force. The shift to a more Land warfare background came into vogue with the post-cold war expeditionary nature of conflicts in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan etc. Here endeth the Sermon!:ok: FB:) |
Why do we keep a tally of the Service backgrounds of the CDS?
Obviously because a lot of people believe they are biased towards their old service and therefore unless the job is rotated two services will suffer You'd think we'd want the best person every time.................... |
Originally Posted by Heathrow Harry
(Post 10103017)
Why do we keep a tally of the Service backgrounds of the CDS?
Obviously because a lot of people believe they are biased towards their old service and therefore unless the job is rotated two services will suffer You'd think we'd want the best person every time.................... |
TBH I'm amazed the job hasn't been outsourced under some Private Finance Initiative
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