Training Days-Enough or Too Few?

Given the new emphasis on Operational Capability, are we being given enough time to:
1. Train for the role and
2. Stay current in the role?

In other words, are the 24 days a year minimum requirement enough given that an average exercise will use up 15, attending most drill nights about 6, leaving only 3 required to qualify for bounty?

I know its all budget driven, but to me one night a week, one weekend a month (which would only be 10 if you take out annual ORT and summer leave) and 2 weeks ORT sound like a more realistic total to maintain the level of professionalism accross the board.

Comments?

 

Good point FAB.

Whilst it seems to be fine for some people, particularly those who have reached OPS, it can be difficult for those who are striving for this objective to get there in a sensible timescale. Even more annoying, I can think of a few people who could have fast-tracked this due the leave they have available, thus giving the navy an extra deployable asset, being prevented from doing so.

I always worked on the principle that 24 days was a minimum, but it is not much below the maximum in some units.

Send the accountants to Basra!!!

 

Agree that 24 days minimum is too little, the 28 day cap imposed by some units is not much better, especially to achieve OPS. Surley pipeline times could be cut considerably if there was an uplift in required days. This might be a problem to those who have been in a while and are used to simply doing drill nights and 3 weekends a year. But if we are to keep on top of our game, i.e maintain OPS we have no other choice.

 

One problem I have is the amount of ceremonial we have had recently. Attending drill practice and rehearsals eats a huge chunk out of the allocated time (and in my unit as it is always the same people who volunteer it is the commited individuals who are penalised). Perhaps events that benefit the Unit / RNR should not be included in time served unless you are short of days for bounty?

 

Fully agree. On a similar vein, there are too many who can qualify for bounty each year by skirting round their opertaional roles and making up days with unit activities (Referred to by someone in another thread as "Unit Admin Wonders"). My solution would be to have say 24 days ORT (Weekends and fortnights) the minimum bounty requirement with additional SA for unit activities.

 

Good points made, i agree its difficult to balance doing Ceremonial,which can be enjoyable, against doing the "neccesary", in recent years RNRs have increasingly carried the responsibility of both High and Low profile important ceremonial duties, I guess with a shrinking more focussed RN we will be the sole (sic) footprint makers in blue uniforms. In some cases RNRs are the only Blue Unifoms the public sees. i agree that special allowances should be considered for doing "footprint" events, Budgetary constraints not withstanding, i have rarely heard of people being denied training due to doing too many drills

 

Yes, but it will still come off your totals. You can attend for something like 45 drill nights each year amounting to 11 days. One more day and SA for bounty is cracked.

 

Increasing the number of drill nights is all good and well unless your real life means that it isn't a realistic option. For those working on shifts, or coming from a fair distance, won't be able to commit that much. There has to be a balance between providing support to the Fleet and realising that you are part time volunteers.....

 

No one is suggesting increasing the number of drill nights. The simple fact of the matter is there are people who keep their heads above water every year by concentrating soley on the unit. At the end of the day we are here to carry out roles that they navy want us to do. If our personal circumstances do not allow us to do that then we need to consider our positions. We have to adapt to suit what the navy want not the other way.

 

An inconsistency in the system is the fact that in most cases officers do ORT on "recall", thus not eating into their 24 training days allowance. Ratings do not get this leeway.

With the emphasis on getting SPO teams trained and the amount of training a "fresh out of the box" rating has to do, it would take them a number of years to get to TPS never mind OPS.

The RN is going to struggle to get people on the trained strength and at OC with such a limited training budget. They can't have it both ways.

 

I don't quite understand what you mean by saying that most officers do their ORT on "recall" - could you (or anyone else) expand on that a little, please?

 

Certain exercises each year are funded from a central Fund. They can be filled by RNR or retired officers. Officers attending such exercises are "Recalled" by the appropriate authorities. You will recieve a recall notice telling you when and where to turn up. Pay and admin is handled directly through centurion not the RU's. To complicate matters travel is organised by RU's and claimed back from the Exercise budget. For some reason this does not apply to ratings.

However there are inconsistencies.

I have done 4 Exercises in this way.
1 & 2 Recieved a recall notice and was paid from the exercise budget (Direct to bank account but appearing on normal pay slip) and nothing appeared on my RNR training totals (But the UPO will annotate the Database to acknowledge 10+ days ORT).
3rd- No recall notice, paid by DNRes on a 438.
4th-Recall Notice, paid from the exercise budget but it DID appear on my training totals.
All 4 exercises where the same (JMC's) and I was filling the same line number each time.

 

See the recommdation below from the National Office Report on the Reserve Forces issued on 31 March this year.

The Department is obviously MOD

"Recommendation 8: The Department must undertake
work to establish the proportion of Reservists’ training
days that are being used to deliver military capability,
so that it can quantify this important, but currently
unspecified, aspect of their value. The Department must
take care to ensure that the delivery of capability by
Reservists during training days does not critically limit
the overall breadth of the training that they receive".