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In other news good to see Sgt promotions happening.
My location (hope I haven’t forgotten anyone) has had 4 promotions to Sgt in the last 20 months
Four in the last 20 months? Somebody obviously pushing the issue up there. I know at least one of those who got it, possibly a second if he is still in your location. Good to see the wheels being greased a bit.
The real issue is still recruitment in my opinion. It takes too long and there is not nearly enough of it. In my location, there's one large unit who gets tasked with running it, but the smaller corps units are suffering as the majority of the recruits passed out go to that unit to replace their numbers of wastage each year. While I am a fan of centralised training, there are massive issues with the implementation that has lead to some units literally being on life support.
What are you cackling at, fatty? Too much pie, that's your problem.
While I am a fan of centralised training, there are massive issues with the implementation that has lead to some units literally being on life support.
There is no sign of this changing at the moment. Agree with the line units not helping in the slightest with being greedy on manpower - who can blame them though.
Four in the last 20 months? Somebody obviously pushing the issue up there. I know at least one of those who got it, possibly a second if he is still in your location. Good to see the wheels being greased a bit.
The real issue is still recruitment in my opinion. It takes too long and there is not nearly enough of it. In my location, there's one large unit who gets tasked with running it, but the smaller corps units are suffering as the majority of the recruits passed out go to that unit to replace their numbers of wastage each year. While I am a fan of centralised training, there are massive issues with the implementation that has lead to some units literally being on life support.
I’d say you know 2 possibly 3
There is at least 1 more vacancy to be filled, unfortunately some of the units have vacancies but are over establishment (I think that’s it) so they are stuck.
There’s determination and will - we are lucky in the more senior officers we have
Absolutely recruiting is key but if we don’t retain (especially privates & JNCOs we are pis*ing in the wind). Promotions will help retention of JNCOs. If we don’t retain good JNCOs then we can’t train any new recruits.
There is no sign of this changing at the moment. Agree with the line units not helping in the slightest with being greedy on manpower - who can blame them though.
It’s economic of scale, why have 3 corporals in 3 locations training 6 recruits. 1 corporal in 1 location could train them (yes I realise it is much more complex than that).
I would have all recruit training centralised at brigade level (battalion level if the numbers justify it (ie the Bn has a platoon) or say Bde minus (let’s say Clare, Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary etc).
My unit is one of many that is dying on its knees. we have a small cadre of Ptes and weve had very little fresh blood, at one point we were almost 80 strong on a good days parade
Now, at a push, we might get 15 all ranks. Im trying to go elsewhere as that unit doesnt have long left. Ill shortly be SIC2 qualified, but what's the point in retention, if there is nobody to train?
I know of JNCO's promoted last year who have either left or are disillusioned because upon their RTB, they had nobody to train.
"He is an enemy officer taken in battle and entitled to fair treatment."
"No, sir. He's a sergeant, and they don't deserve no respect at all, sir. I should know. They're cunning and artful, if they're any good. I wouldn't mind if he was an officer, sir. But sergeants are clever."
My unit is one of many that is dying on its knees. we have a small cadre of Ptes and weve had very little fresh blood, at one point we were almost 80 strong on a good days parade
Now, at a push, we might get 15 all ranks. Im trying to go elsewhere as that unit doesnt have long left. Ill shortly be SIC2 qualified, but what's the point in retention, if there is nobody to train?
I know of JNCO's promoted last year who have either left or are disillusioned because upon their RTB, they had nobody to train.
You have to retain those 15 or you’ll have zero
If those JNCOs had no one to train (or there is a long lead time on them) - retaining them should have been a top priority
I’ll give you an example, as a new corporal one of the first things I was involved in was a Pln in attack TEWT for all Offrs and NCOs in the Bn. It was completely new to me in terms of the subject matter. It was interesting. We got lectures on the capabilities of the Coy level support weapons we had as part of the scenario.
The beauty of it was that it required f*ck all resources (but I’m sure a fair amount of planning etc). There was no weapons and everyone was a responsible adult:
Book the Glen (could use any area subject to permission)
Book lecture room
Ration for lunch
Transport to and from Glen
Instructor(s)
Maps, handouts and photocopies etc
The Camp that year was FIBUA I think with 2*s. A few field days doing drills in various parts of barracks and then a week in the Glen (using the wooden huts divided into rooms by blankets, a derelict farmhouse and then the Civil Defence School).
As a private the best Camp I did was all ranks Steyr convertion course with section/platoon tactics in the evenings for other ranks. Was hard and fun
If those JNCOs had no one to train (or there is a long lead time on them) - retaining them should have been a top priority
I’ll give you an example, as a new corporal one of the first things I was involved in was a Pln in attack TEWT for all Offrs and NCOs in the Bn. It was completely new to me in terms of the subject matter. It was interesting. We got lectures on the capabilities of the Coy level support weapons we had as part of the scenario.
The beauty of it was that it required f*ck all resources (but I’m sure a fair amount of planning etc). There was no weapons and everyone was a responsible adult:
Book the Glen (could use any area subject to permission)
Book lecture room
Ration for lunch
Transport to and from Glen
Instructor(s)
Maps, handouts and photocopies etc
The Camp that year was FIBUA I think with 2*s. A few field days doing drills in various parts of barracks and then a week in the Glen (using the wooden huts divided into rooms by blankets, a derelict farmhouse and then the Civil Defence School).
As a private the best Camp I did was all ranks Steyr convertion course with section/platoon tactics in the evenings for other ranks. Was hard and fun
As it stands most RDF exercises now are TEWT's
It is only by contemplation of the incompetent that we can appreciate the difficulties and accomplishments of the competent.
If the numbers here are correct the RDF is no longer of a size - particularly based on the training regime - to be any use as an infantry training-based reserve. At a t should rather be reconfigured as a sparse skills-based reserve and recruit for those. Doctors, paramedics, HGV drivers, engineers, able seamen - even pilots FFS.
New Zealand has a reserve of similar size - but the NZ PDF is less than 5000 soldiers.
Still, I do like the NZ reserve's basic training regime compared to what I remember of ours.
Centralised training first.
November (NB , this is the beginning of summer):
Mod 1 - 2 day introduction, immediately followed by
Mod 2 - 28 days training.
Then the following January:
Mod 3 - 21 days training.
After that, training continues in home units based on what your specified career is - Mod 4 infantry, movement; 14 day driver course or 30 day aerial rigger course, gunner, field engineer, armoured vehicle crewman, medic.
If the numbers here are correct the RDF is no longer of a size - particularly based on the training regime - to be any use as an infantry training-based reserve. At a t should rather be reconfigured as a sparse skills-based reserve and recruit for those. Doctors, paramedics, HGV drivers, engineers, able seamen - even pilots FFS.
New Zealand has a reserve of similar size - but the NZ PDF is less than 5000 soldiers.
Still, I do like the NZ reserve's basic training regime compared to what I remember of ours.
Centralised training first.
November (NB , this is the beginning of summer):
Mod 1 - 2 day introduction, immediately followed by
Mod 2 - 28 days training.
Then the following January:
Mod 3 - 21 days training.
After that, training continues in home units based on what your specified career is - Mod 4 infantry, movement; 14 day driver course or 30 day aerial rigger course, gunner, field engineer, armoured vehicle crewman, medic.
The vast majority of the current strength are infantry so any further reorg threatens those skilled individuals within the infantry leaving (as history has shown we don’t do reorgs well).
I'm somewhat able to comment on this. To what actual skills do you refer as different to any member of the Army Reserve from other corps ?
Let’s say a plant operator (could be anything) parading with sub unit in Tralee would like to stay and use his skills but then his sub unit is gone so his skills are lost.
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