does Warfare Specialist...

fall under the catagory, Operator mechanic (AW) ?

 

No because OM (AW) does no longer exist

 

]

what are they called these days then?

 

AB(W), LS(W), PO(W) etc I believe.

Sound familiar?

 

Have they just gone back to the old system then?

 

No, no, no, no, no.

Well, yes.

It was decided that the Warfare Branch restructuring and the OM concept probably wasn't working out as well as had been hoped.

No sh1t Sherlock!

We now have Seaman Specialists (Seamen with the Tactical Comms part of ROs)
Warfare Specialists (RPs)
CIS Specialists (possibly including General Comms)
Engineering Technicians - ETs for short! ET(AE), ET(ME), ET(WE) but no separate Tiffs or Mechs

 

Hint, the "C" stands for Communications and a significant poroportion on the AB1 taskbook involves signals and messages. At the killick level, IIRC, there's some IS ystem admin but quite significant comms, wwhile at PO its some comms, crypto management, and lots more IS.

For the short-term, my reading of CIS is that they're going to be sparkers with IT skills, rather than IT geeks with sparker skills. However, give it five or so years, after the CIS heavy platforms will have appeared and replaced the sparker heavy dinosaurs then perhaps things may change.

 

+1 with Flagwagger regarding CIS. AB(CIS), LS(CIS) etc.

Bear in mind also that the old style buntings are extinct as part of the PCP (Personnel Change Programme) and that element is now known as TCS (Tactical Comms Support) and is peformed by the CBM and his team. The Buntings still carry out the normal employment on ships without PCP implemented.

I was at FOST as a Comms Searider last year and Northumberland were the first ship to undertake OST using PCP manning. The CIS side did not really work any differently than it has in the past and was most certainley still in its infancy and being embraced.

It is going to take time to adjust to the new methods and will need some careful training and manning IMHO.

 

yet another leap back but it is at least this time it is in the right direction. How many officers got their flag for introducing the warfare branch which is one of the biggest cock ups of all time and in the finest tradition of the mob the biggest cock up gets the biggest promotion

 

So how much has this set the MOD back, money wise?

 

probably about as much as the attempted uniform change when they tried to put us in those Norwiegian tops

 

Ohh they were horrid, got out of shape easy and bloody hard to iron! The choogie man always shrunk them and they were nasty looking! However, I did like the Nos. 4 trousers they brough out, rather confy and didn't make my arse look as big!

 

Don't like the new no. 4 trousers, they are heavier, less comfortable and fcuking difficult to fold properly to A4 size Not that I need to ever do that again :lol: But they don't iron as easily and so are harder to put a sh1t hot crease in them... and I like my sharp creases