Irish Military Online is in no way affiliated with the Irish Defence Forces. It is in no way sponsored or endorsed by the Irish Defence Forces or the Irish Government. Opinions expressed by the authors and contributors of this site are not necessarily those of the Defence Forces. If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Just to clarify,ignorant as you seem to think I am, that my issue is that good people were deliberately excluded from being able to throw their hat in the ring and to at least be considered for promotion.
Good people who lost out through no fault of their own.
The system was and is at fault.
If RDFRA had dug its heels in and represented ALL its members equally I would have no issue.But they didn't and an end run was done around the redress system and people were promoted for promotions sake. Yes.Some people deserved it and fair play to them and if ALL had been able to compete they probably would still have made the grade.
But,and it's a big BUT, others have simply been promoted for doing the bare minimum required and will gladly take the pip and the increased paycheck and go back to being ghosts on the books.When the RDF is on its knees can you argue that that is a good thing.Can you?
You probably will.
We all know there are issues with RDF promotions and in fairness:
People have been waiting a long time for the fixed term promotions
All the people I know of who have been promoted are deserving committed individuals
I’ve no doubt there may be some who fall into a different category (who may be the ones you know of). But let’s not generalise
The recent promotions to Captain aside (congratulations to all); I've noticed that recruitment is being reopened in April until June. Surely can only have a positive impact on numbers within the reserve assuming it is advertised well enough.
It kind of has me wondering if it's a genuine attempt to get recruitment levels up or did the original trawl for candidates earlier in the year not result in enough recruits? I'm assuming anyone who makes it through process ending in June will be placed on the same recruit camp as those from the Winter batch.
It kind of has me wondering if it's a genuine attempt to get recruitment levels up or did the original trawl for candidates earlier in the year not result in enough recruits? .
Hopefully they'll get more people in. It's a pity the grat is gone as that would really incentivise people to stay and not cost so much due to the lower establishment; especially if it rigid in ensuring proper attendance is required.
I actually think the RDF has gone too far with regards fitness standards. They were non existent before but I'd worry potential applicants who are actually relatively fit and could be developed are missing out due to the run times required.
I believe the results of the PDF and RDF recruit fitness testing are seeing similar failures.
No point taking in physically incapable people
There is a difference between physically incapable and being just short of the mark. I was present at a fitness test two years ago and near 50% of the applicants failed, most of them within 30 seconds of the requirement. There could be some discretion shown here - just a suggestion. The RDF is stuck for numbers.
There is a difference between physically incapable and being just short of the mark. I was present at a fitness test two years ago and near 50% of the applicants failed, most of them within 30 seconds of the requirement. There could be some discretion shown here - just a suggestion. The RDF is stuck for numbers.
So is the PDF, the standard is the standard
It’s a basic standard, they have pass ITs to be upgraded to 2* don’t they?
To be fair the Induction fitness test for the PDF and RDF is VERY basic.
Fitness standards only go UP once you are in.No point in joining if you cant make the basic grade as you will struggle massively as training goes on.Also from a H&S and litigation point of view the DF has a duty of care to potential recruits. We ask our people to push themselves to the limit(and sometimes beyond).Nobody wants to put someone in the Hospital or to leave the Minister open to being sued.
Besides.Quality rather than quantity.Yes the FCA/RDF had loads of bodies before. How many of them were obese and would be breathing through their hole after a 20 metre sprint or not be able to TAB worth a damn?And I am talking about young people not auld farts like myself.
No. Stay the course.Standards are standards.Please please please don't go back to the old drinking club days.
"Let us be clear about three facts. First, all battles and all wars are won in the end by the infantryman. Secondly, the infantryman always bears the brunt. His casualties are heavier, he suffers greater extremes of discomfort and fatigue than the other arms. Thirdly, the art of the infantryman is less stereotyped and far harder to acquire in modern war than that of any other arm." ------- Field Marshall Wavell, April 1945.
Fair point, I suppose a slight slackening of standards might lead to a slippery slope again towards the drinking club with plenty of fatties. Smaller numbers with more committed volunteers may be only way forward.
The required standard is known in advance and is achievable with sufficient training, people that are not capable of passing the induction fitness test do not belong in the organisation. However there may be injuries on the day or marginally miss the required standard so a retest should be allowed within a two week period. A couple of years ago I assisted at an induction fitness test and there was a huge amount of no shows and of those that did attend the pass rate was about 40%. In the past they were plenty of unfit people that could not meet minimum military functionality. Quality not quantity I agree with apod, Dev and Trellheim.
All that is needed here is example, knowledge and discipline. When I joined in '86 we spent most Sunday mornings doubling round Griffith Bks to take the bends out of the elbows - it was not scientific but that was the pre-lesson, do that two or three times , do two lessons. Of course it was then ruined by going immediately to the mess for a rake of pints , so we were fit alcos , those days long gone.
Somewhere in the early 1990s all the running came to a halt and its taken 20 years to get back
We process personal data about users of our site, through the use of cookies and other technologies, to deliver our services, personalize advertising, and to analyze site activity. We may share certain information about our users with our advertising and analytics partners. For additional details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
By clicking "I AGREE" below, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our personal data processing and cookie practices as described therein. You also acknowledge that this forum may be hosted outside your country and you consent to the collection, storage, and processing of your data in the country where this forum is hosted.
Comment