More reductions

[Tin basher]

You wonder will we actually have anything left to deploy with.

I'm sure the BBMF stand ready

 

[Oldstacker]

Dakota's have a history of para dropping and rough terrain airfield ops..... just sayin'.....

 

[unruly1986]

You wonder will we actually have anything left to deploy with if there is a next time (and I'm sure there will, just when).

If you look at where things are going, it is becoming more and more apparent that a Herrick or Telic type mass deployment is simply not going to happen again.

Space and cyber are the expansion areas and conventional conflict is on the wane.
note I didn’t say over, just reducing.

 

[Tin basher]

Army tanks to old

Ageing equipment puts Army at risk, MPs warn

The British army is likely to find itself "outgunned" in any conflict with Russian forces, a report says.

www.bbc.co.uk

Seems the MP's aren't happy
"MPs describe the MoD and specifically the British army's efforts to modernise its ageing fleet of armoured vehicles as "a woeful story of bureaucratic procrastination, military indecision, financial mismanagement and general ineptitude".
Hundreds of millions of pounds have been "squandered" with little to show for it."

For my twopence worth "efforts to modernise its ageing fleet of armoured vehicles" could be replaced by a generic MOD statement that "efforts to modernise its ageing fleet of, anything you can think of on the inventory, is a woeful story of bureaucratic procrastination, military indecision, financial mismanagement and general ineptitude.

 

[Defenestration]

Could probably just go with,

"efforts to modernise anything you can think of, is a woeful story of bureaucratic procrastination, military indecision, financial mismanagement and general ineptitude.

 

[Late & Tired]

Could probably just go with,

"efforts to modernise anything you can think of, is a woeful story of bureaucratic procrastination, military indecision, financial mismanagement and general ineptitude.

........Other than AFPS75........

 

[Oldstacker]

Army tanks to old

Ageing equipment puts Army at risk, MPs warn

The British army is likely to find itself "outgunned" in any conflict with Russian forces, a report says.

www.bbc.co.uk

Seems the MP's aren't happy
"MPs describe the MoD and specifically the British army's efforts to modernise its ageing fleet of armoured vehicles as "a woeful story of bureaucratic procrastination, military indecision, financial mismanagement and general ineptitude".
Hundreds of millions of pounds have been "squandered" with little to show for it."

For my twopence worth "efforts to modernise its ageing fleet of armoured vehicles" could be replaced by a generic MOD statement that "efforts to modernise its ageing fleet of, anything you can think of on the inventory, is a woeful story of bureaucratic procrastination, military indecision, financial mismanagement and general ineptitude.

Unfortunately, from my current position, I can recognise absolutely all those perceptions but also see some of the factors that feed into the processes and cause some of the issues that give rise to those perceptions.

Bureaucratic procrastination? Endless processes that require every decision to be made based on sound evidence but where so many people have to review and make the decisions (see general ineptitude below) at so many levels that simply gathering and presenting the evidence (in differing and ever-changing formats) at some levels becomes a nightmare. No-one will make decisions at senior levels for fear of them coming back to bite if they decide the wrong way (and the choice of 'right' or 'wrong' in that context can change according to financial pressures, political sensitivities or media perceptions at the time).

Military Indecision? As above but with the added complication of when the military hierarchy are offered a choice of A for £xm or B for £ym they will ask for some of A & some of B with a resulting rerun around the design & tendering processes leading to C for £xm+£ym which is then found to be unaffordable. Meanwhile the costs for A or B have also risen......

Financial mismanagement? The £ have to be spent in the year for which it was budgeted so if a product wasn't ready on time (that's the contractor's issue btw not MoD's) MOD either has to pay for something not delivered in order to spend the money which may not be available for the next FY or get into an interminable (and itself costly) discussion with the contractor about how close they are to delivery and how much they should be paid this FY and how much MOD might be able to spend in the next FY to finish the task.

General ineptitude? Large numbers of MOD CS with no experience of where & how and who by equipment will be used in real life so designs are reviewed from a position of ignorance (leading to poor A or B choices (see above) being presented), skill sets that have been eroded through cutbacks to training, a culture that encourages people to move ever onwards & upwards with superficial but 'enough' generic skills instead of developing a deeper & more effective understanding of 'front-line' needs & requirements in particular areas of equipment and a culture where retained experience is often seen as unnecessary.....

But some people keep trying to do their best anyway...

 

[vim_fuego]

Financial mismanagement? The £ have to be spent in the year for which it was budgeted

Don't I know about this...first year I left and I am at a large defence contractor ooop t'North. I am on my second project of my tenure and I have sussed out a few things by now. I go to my resident MOD bean counter and state that I could probably do 'this and that' to achieve this a bit quicker and smarter, thus saving a few bob (tens of thousands). He says 'don't you fecking dare...spend the money otherwise you'll feck up my numbers for the year'.

That took a while to compute having spent most of my 25 in being told to save and spend less.

 

[Spearmint]

Don't I know about this...first year I left and I am at a large defence contractor ooop t'North. I am on my second project of my tenure and I have sussed out a few things by now. I go to my resident MOD bean counter and state that I could probably do 'this and that' to achieve this a bit quicker and smarter, thus saving a few bob (tens of thousands). He says 'don't you fecking dare...spend the money otherwise you'll feck up my numbers for the year'.

That took a while to compute having spent most of my 25 in being told to save and spend less.

Known as 'Fade' if it doesn't get spent followed by accusations that money isn't being managed properly.

It doesn't help that there is a sincere lack of over-arching policy for departments, creating a nice grey area which allows those who are tuned in and possess the negative character traits to play optics and 'smoke & mirrors'.

 

[Talk Wrench]

We are getting some more NUKES though.

Integrated Review: Britain reverses planned reduction of nuclear warheads as it warns against threats from China

The Integrated Review is the biggest review of the UK's defence, security and foreign policy since the Cold War.

news.sky.com

 

[80gradeagain]

Suppose we'll have to wait until Monday to find out any further news on Herc.

 

[Tin basher]

Ministerial statement by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace in the commons later today but here's the BBC's take on what he will say.

"Numbers in the regular Army will be reduced to about 70,000 soldiers, having already fallen in recent years."

"The defence review is likely to see the loss of some tanks and aircraft - but the government said there would be "more ships, submarines and sailors".

"The latest reduction in the number of soldiers could be made through "natural" movement, with those who leave the service not replaced by new recruits."

Seemingly some good news for the rum, bum and baccy boys but not the rest of the services.

Losing soldiers through "natural movement" now what calibre of individual is that phrase aimed at I wonder, I had my own "natural movement" at 08.45 this morning

Defence review: British army to be cut to 72,500 troops by 2025

A review of the UK's defence policy brings new investment in cyber warfare, robotics and drones.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[80gradeagain]

Well. I thought this defence review would have been treat with more importance by our government. Scheduled for 1530 today but here we are sitting listening to them twitter on about immigration and Covid yet again. Fucking arseholes.

 

[Stevienics]

I've heard on the (reliable) grapevine that there is some really transformational stuff rolling down the hill. Let's put it this way - you'd better have a job that a civilian couldn't do tomorrow morning.

 

[Downsizer]

I've heard on the (reliable) grapevine that there is some really transformational stuff rolling down the hill. Let's put it this way - you'd better have a job that a civilian couldn't do tomorrow morning.

I hear what you are saying but there is an argument that almost everything could be done by a civvy....plenty went to iraq and afghan.

 

[busby1971]

I hear what you are saying but there is an argument that almost everything could be done by a civvy....plenty went to iraq and afghan.

Civvies don’t have to go, so you still enough who can be forced to go, and happy with it.

 

[Talk Wrench]

Civvies don’t have to go, so you still enough who can be forced to go, and happy with it.

The difference is, money, especially danger money does one thing. It talks.

 

[Oldstacker]

I hear what you are saying but there is an argument that almost everything could be done by a civvy....plenty went to iraq and afghan.

True, but that also exposed a number of issues with CONDO - civvies who turned up without even basic PPE expecting to be kitted 'in theatre' with helmets etc & a haemophiliac who arrived with minimal medication for example. I heard lessons were learned and that was why some of the CONDO rules were changed quite quickly. I was at a briefing for contractors at Army HQ around then where some of this was spelt out. I expect contract prices rose somewhat after then..... Those sorts of rules can change the economics of contractor involvement.

 

[Tin basher]

Civvies don’t have to go.

An aircraft maintenance hangar I once worked in was transferring to mainly civvy the role of key orderly became an issue. When it was blue suit run the SAC/JT did duty key orderly it just went with the territory. Then it became civvy run
First question from the workforce what's the going rate for unsocial hours working?
I don't do TOIL so what's the hourly rate for doing key orderly again?
Do the before and after shift unlocking /locking up hours count as overtime at time and a half?
Potential Insecurities found by RAF police I'm a civvy what's my hourly call out fee to return to work to lock doors found unlocked.

Civvies don' t have to go and civvies, quite rightly, want paying for things outside the norm. Yes you can find civvies to do all manner of jobs in dangerous places but be prepared to open your cheque book to achieve that.

 

[busby1971]

An aircraft maintenance hangar I once worked in was transferring to mainly civvy the role of key orderly became an issue. When it was blue suit run the SAC/JT did duty key orderly it just went with the territory. Then it became civvy run
First question from the workforce what's the going rate for unsocial hours working?
I don't do TOIL so what's the hourly rate for doing key orderly again?
Do the before and after shift unlocking /locking up hours count as overtime at time and a half?
Potential Insecurities found by RAF police I'm a civvy what's my hourly call out fee to return to work to lock doors found unlocked.

Civvies don' t have to go and civvies, quite rightly, want paying for things outside the norm. Yes you can find civvies to do all manner of jobs in dangerous places but be prepared to open your cheque book to achieve that.

I’ve worked in a vast variety of locations and workplaces and Keys isn’t an issue in civvy street, the living wage security staff or janitor are always there to do the do.