RAF Regiment

[stirling2]

The qualifications for this job are a bitch !!

http://www.raf.mod.uk/careers/jobs/rafregimentgunner.cfm

 

[The_Wonderer]

Funnily enough, the guy who is the case study was one of my Cpl's when I spent 3mths in the RAF.
(and he was a c**t - he hated me)

 

[DingDong]

before i joined the RN i considered joining the RAF Regt and other trades. All the trades worth joining had really good glossies, the Regt had a colouring book!!!

 

[The_Wonderer]

I know a lot of people have said that it's almost impossible to get accepted for anything other than Regiment (and a couple of other jobs) in the RAF at the mo and apparantly its been like that for years. (That was also the case back when I was in).
I would'nt be surprised if there is no RAF in another 10 yrs.

(I was FOA btw, not Regt)

 

[The_Wonderer]

In their defence though; I was impressed by them.
They dont f**k about them fella's.

 

[Six_and_a_Half]

I wouldn't be surprised if there is no RAF in another 10 yrs.

Actually an interesting buzz I've heard is that the Air Training Corps (Air Cadets) is actually now bigger in terms of personnel than its parent service the Royal Air Force.

Another interesting opinion I've come across was that due to the constant defence cuts the RAF is now at the critical point where if there are any further cuts the RAF will cease to be able to operate.

 

[The_Wonderer]

Another interesting opinion I've come across was that due to the constant defence cuts the RAF is now at the critical point where if there are any further cuts the RAF will cease to be able to operate.[/quote]


More work for "Andrew" then :roll:

 

[DingDong]

The future of the RAF is a seperate argument alltogether. The RAF Regt has as many lives a cat. Under the last white paper it looked like curtains for them as they lost the GBAD capability - the treasury rubbed there hands with glee only for the Regt to stave off execution by re-roling themselves as force protection experts complete with 7 companies of troops already to go.

Don't shed a tear for the crabs, they won't die off.

 

[Six_and_a_Half]

I hope they don't disband the RAF, because I've heard opinions that the RAF should be disbanded and its personnel and equipment split up and transferred into the Army and Royal Navy. If this happened it would be a disaster for the British armed forces ability to project power.

I think both the Admiralty and the General Staff are guilty of two-dimensional thinking, limiting most of their thoughts and ideas to maritime and the terrain respectively. The Air Board are the only ones who tend to think three-dimensionaly but only in a limited sense.

The RAF Regiment do a superb job of defending RAF bases which would otherwise have to be defended by Percy Pongo, who is understandably usually more inclined to guard his own bases and push forward the attack against the enemy rather than protect his Brylcreem-wearing cousins.

 

[SILVER_FOX]

Wonderer wrote: Another interesting opinion I've come across was that due to the constant defence cuts the RAF is now at the critical point where if there are any further cuts the RAF will cease to be able to operate.

The RN have been saying that every time there is a round of defence cuts on the horizon in an attempt to stop the cut being too deep. To our credit and, perhaps our downfall, we manage to carry on regardless, albeit with less kit having to cover more area with people getting ever closer to the edge of their endurance levels.

The RAF are playing the same game. The reality is that they have simply been much better at it than we have over the years but have probably now emptied the bucket when it comes to excuses.

Don't get me wrong. I have huge respect for the Regt having worked with a few of their very professional fellows in the past but the Navy is almost all leaned out and the army is in the spotlight in terms of fighting the war(s) so that leaves only the RAF for the MOD / Govt / Treasury to hit big style for now.

SF

 

[Karma]

....due to the constant defence cuts the RAF is now at the critical point where if there are any further cuts the RAF will cease to be able to operate.

That's what they'd like you to believe.

Bear in mind that with the comprehensive Spending Review due later this year each of the three services are positioning to ringfence their chunk of the (probably reduced) pot that'll be available.

A critical review of how the RAF does business, and a willingness to be ruthless with their existing manpower plot, would allow them to be a lot more efficient. It will be a pretty bloody experience for them, since some of their trades are significantly underborne and you can't just rebadge an individual and expect them to be able to perform in a completely new trade.

That is not to say they haven't been losing people, the migration from a predominantly Germany and East Coast UK force with minimal field presence to an expeditionary force has caused a lot of dissent and related churn.

 

[chieftiff]

OOh! How I would love to talk.................. I effectively work for the RAF and only last week we had a meeting with a Senior RAF guy, really nice bloke, very open, honest and probably frustrated, it was a private meeting about a few issues so I won't say too much except my opinion of what was discussed openly afterwards, in effect I got the impression that they are bankrupt, their outgoings will exceed their income for this financial year if nothing changes, simple, this will lead to several "less important" projects being shelved (very subjective that) This is effecting me directly now in the work we have planned for this year and as such has been somewhat of a reality check, the work we planned to do this year I have been working on for nearly two years, I am now frustrated to the point that I have decided it is time to leave, it's just a matter of timing for me. I have no doubt the RN and Army are in similar circumstances which makes it all the worse!

 

[Karma]

...I have no doubt the RN and Army are in similar circumstances.....

We are, largely because Treasury refused to bankroll Tony and Georges adventures in the desert.

I could go on.....

Spending two years on a project, to see it diluted down to a pointless fig-leaf is really frustrating. It's one of the things which caused me to put my notice in.

 

[chieftiff]

I think this has been the last straw for me, having seen a business like attitude attach itelf to the armed Forces for my entire 24 years like a leech, I have finally come to see that no longer is it there to improve efficiency it is really impacting on our ability to do the job how it should be done, not how it could be done with x amount of money, we aren't fu**ing Tesco's.

 

[Karma]

.. a business like attitude...

There's a big difference between a business like attitude and the penny pinching, corner cutting, short-term cost reduction attitude we're stuck with.

Given that resources aren't limitless we do have to make best use of them, but what I've seen is an unwillingness to invest short term to make good use in the long term, an unwillingness to actually stand up and say we need more cash.

I saw a lot of I also think that a failure (and sometimes refusal) to think intelligently about financing our activities puts us in a very weak position in negotiations with treasury.

Of course a huge amount of money is expended in governance as well, and there is far too much of a willingness to layer on more checks and balances on the existing checks and balances of the checks and balances.

 

[Ninja_Stoker]

Presumably the Rock Apes (RAF Regt, to the uninitiated) need to be able to swim because they're expanding their formation swimming team to replace the red arrows.

 

[NZ_Bootneck]

For goodness sake this is not Current Affairs, reasoned debate is forbidden in this forum. Only shouting,throwing toys out of the pram,drunken rants and major tanties allowed ...oh and slagging off Paras and Rock Apes... :lol: Feckin wannabes :roll: .
NZB

 

[Oil_Slick]

RAF Regiment?

Someones got to guard all those golf courses… :wink:

 

[sgtpepperband]

RAF Regiment?

Someones got to guard all those golf courses… :wink:

But not at weekends...

 

[ANGWISH]

Mate of mine left the mob and became a rock ape. Ther's just no understanding some people. He was a sparker though!! 8)