The buzz from my unit is that people wanted to put their names down for it, but knocked the idea on the head once they found out that a certain individual was going to be running the show who (in some circles) has become a joke/anachronism over the last few years and (if the word is correct) would run things in such a way as to cause the trip to consist of largely monotonous training and do things in such a way as to cause general groans and misery whilst doing so.
Hope no-one sees this as an attack on an individual. (It certainly isn't from this callsign's perspective), however in today's climate, (i.e. deployments to FPGRM and the like), constant re-runs of baton handling training and APWT's don't become any less mind-numbing in the sun than at Whale Island. The job has to have foundations in the aforementioned training, but sadly a lack of imagination or acceptance that the job requirements are starting to move on, not to mention deliberate obstructiveness to accept the need for further skill training hampers people who already have those base skills from improving on them and adding to them. When you add to this the fact that many of the more serious commited individuals in the branch are currently mobilised, have been, or are about to be, it's not really any wonder that there aren't too many takers at this point in time.
Maybe the rumoured cutbacks in the reserve forces will get rid of the deadwood and allow for a more dynamic RNR, but only time will tell. One thing is for sure, as long as individuals who don't have, nor never will have any experience of doing the job for real are telling everyone else how things should be done, things aren't going to improve, as those individuals tend to be unwilling to embrace requirement for change, or the need for additional capability, nor appear to accept or understand that if the FP branch is to survive, it has to become (imho) more than security guards with a gun.
This, by the way is not in any respect a rant by me, but is the considered professional opinion of quite a few marines up at Faslane, who believe we can and should be capable of taking up more of this kind of responsibilty from them, thereby releasing valuable marines for more of the kind of work they're trained for. (An example of this being that the marines have mentioned that they want us all to be able to do the job as they do it onboard, including current moves to have us all carry 9mm as well as 5.56). It is a feather in the cap for those who have already deployed in support of the marines that they believe we are good enough to do this, so let's not waste an opportunity to shine further and keep the momentum of what those individuals have achieved going, rather than allow it to stagnate over the next couple of years.
While i'm on this subject a very big BZ should go to the current CPO at Faslane who is doing sterling work in integrating the branch with FPGRM. He knows who he is, as do many in the branch. A QVRM should be in the post in the not too distant future.
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