Tweet
Ok, I've been quiet for a couple of months but have to come back into IMO. I've been sitting back and watching the Re-org, what has been happening and what is going to happen (Integration). I've been watching in my own unit and many others. And I've been dismayed with many things I have seen.
For many units, the last year has been a difficult one. For my own unit, we lost most of our independence in doing things and now have to pass practically everything through Battalion for approval. The Battalion commander has a job to do, he has to bring the whole Battalion through the re-org and complete the training plan. 1 or 2 Coys operating on their own has a tendency of splitting the Bn (As it did in the old days - remember the old Coy rivalrys?). So I can't blame him if everything doesn't get approved. He has passed a lot of it onto Reserve officers to organise Bn wide training. Unfortunately WE as Reservists maintain many of our own old faults - watching our asses and our kingdoms. And I am loathe to say it but many Reserve Officers are not up to the Job. This is a mixture of inability, complacency and lack of initiative. The latter is usually a fault of PDF cadre & MA indifference or hostility, the first is our own fault.
Leadership at the top is lacking. This has in effect has fed down into the lower ranks. It has been a problem for years but is more present now when iniative is needed more than ever. Many of us have seen cpls and sgts who are "afraid" to train others. They tend to stick to subjects that they know (Cpls only good for marching/shooting). This is a mixture of not knowing the subject material, being afraid of A7, not being told what to do by an officer. I have seen this symtom in officers too - "gunning" for a particuliar NCO because the officer does not approve of the way the NCO does things. Across the Reserve iniative has been stifled at all levels. Again PDF cadre staff are a problem here but the biggest problem is ourselves.
Basically the crux of my argument is that WE as Reservists need to go out and grab the Re-org by the balls. I haven't been a big fan of the re-org in the part - neither have many others - but it is here now. We, as a group, need to make it work or else we need to shut up and go home.
The assessments that were conducted recently really showed up the Reserve for what it was becoming. Lack of numbers, indifference and lack of training amongst officers, poor training and concentrations of coys efforts in one area at the detriment to others. I watched as one Coy, experts at orienteering and competitions for years, being shocked at the idea that they had to provide a section for tactics. Officers who were unable to give combat orders, which should be basic bread & butter stuff for officers especially when the YOs cse, which is primarily based around tactics and orders, has been dangerously undersubscribed since its inception 2 years ago. The assessments went well for some, badly for others. From my own involvement it was a case of a lot of hard work to make it work. From others I heard the old stories of ass watching and kingdom building. The assessments were a mixed bag of success and failure..... BUT it was OUR success & failure. WE were responsible for the assessments. We have noone to blame for our failures but ourselves, noone should take the plaudits but us. But in saying that, many officers knew they were unable to pass the assessment. They didn't understand the coy orders or had forgotten how to give orders. Many of them tried their best and learned from their mistakes and hopefully learned the fact that they need to continue their training in other courses such as the YOs cse. I have not sympathy and respect for the officers who didn't even show up - who were more afraid of showing their inability than of the lack of respect they were showing to their soldiers. They deserve all our contempt.
The Integration is coming up soon. Initiative and hardwork is now what is needed to make this work. It is our re-org, we need to get out there and make it work. I have been hearing horror stories of how 2 Bns are not taking part, of lack of numbers and qualified people. What I am trying to say is that we NEED to make it work. The FCA is dead. The old ways of doing things are gone and will bring nothing but stagnation. It is time for us - all of us, PDF & RDF - to step up to the plate and make this re-org work. If your officers won't do it, do it yourself. If an officer stops you, go to hi/her superior. If they stop you, go higher again. Keep plugging away. Keep banging your head against that wall until it eventually does come down. Many of you have been doing this for years and well done, keep at it. For the rest of us, it is time to start. Stop worrying about your own ass - this is part time, it won't affect your pay. Stop worrying about your kingdom - we are all in this together, if my kingdom falls, yours is next. Keep watching your own ass and your own kingdom and soon you won't have to worry about either.
It is YOUR Re-org. Get out there and make it yours.
For many units, the last year has been a difficult one. For my own unit, we lost most of our independence in doing things and now have to pass practically everything through Battalion for approval. The Battalion commander has a job to do, he has to bring the whole Battalion through the re-org and complete the training plan. 1 or 2 Coys operating on their own has a tendency of splitting the Bn (As it did in the old days - remember the old Coy rivalrys?). So I can't blame him if everything doesn't get approved. He has passed a lot of it onto Reserve officers to organise Bn wide training. Unfortunately WE as Reservists maintain many of our own old faults - watching our asses and our kingdoms. And I am loathe to say it but many Reserve Officers are not up to the Job. This is a mixture of inability, complacency and lack of initiative. The latter is usually a fault of PDF cadre & MA indifference or hostility, the first is our own fault.
Leadership at the top is lacking. This has in effect has fed down into the lower ranks. It has been a problem for years but is more present now when iniative is needed more than ever. Many of us have seen cpls and sgts who are "afraid" to train others. They tend to stick to subjects that they know (Cpls only good for marching/shooting). This is a mixture of not knowing the subject material, being afraid of A7, not being told what to do by an officer. I have seen this symtom in officers too - "gunning" for a particuliar NCO because the officer does not approve of the way the NCO does things. Across the Reserve iniative has been stifled at all levels. Again PDF cadre staff are a problem here but the biggest problem is ourselves.
Basically the crux of my argument is that WE as Reservists need to go out and grab the Re-org by the balls. I haven't been a big fan of the re-org in the part - neither have many others - but it is here now. We, as a group, need to make it work or else we need to shut up and go home.
The assessments that were conducted recently really showed up the Reserve for what it was becoming. Lack of numbers, indifference and lack of training amongst officers, poor training and concentrations of coys efforts in one area at the detriment to others. I watched as one Coy, experts at orienteering and competitions for years, being shocked at the idea that they had to provide a section for tactics. Officers who were unable to give combat orders, which should be basic bread & butter stuff for officers especially when the YOs cse, which is primarily based around tactics and orders, has been dangerously undersubscribed since its inception 2 years ago. The assessments went well for some, badly for others. From my own involvement it was a case of a lot of hard work to make it work. From others I heard the old stories of ass watching and kingdom building. The assessments were a mixed bag of success and failure..... BUT it was OUR success & failure. WE were responsible for the assessments. We have noone to blame for our failures but ourselves, noone should take the plaudits but us. But in saying that, many officers knew they were unable to pass the assessment. They didn't understand the coy orders or had forgotten how to give orders. Many of them tried their best and learned from their mistakes and hopefully learned the fact that they need to continue their training in other courses such as the YOs cse. I have not sympathy and respect for the officers who didn't even show up - who were more afraid of showing their inability than of the lack of respect they were showing to their soldiers. They deserve all our contempt.
The Integration is coming up soon. Initiative and hardwork is now what is needed to make this work. It is our re-org, we need to get out there and make it work. I have been hearing horror stories of how 2 Bns are not taking part, of lack of numbers and qualified people. What I am trying to say is that we NEED to make it work. The FCA is dead. The old ways of doing things are gone and will bring nothing but stagnation. It is time for us - all of us, PDF & RDF - to step up to the plate and make this re-org work. If your officers won't do it, do it yourself. If an officer stops you, go to hi/her superior. If they stop you, go higher again. Keep plugging away. Keep banging your head against that wall until it eventually does come down. Many of you have been doing this for years and well done, keep at it. For the rest of us, it is time to start. Stop worrying about your own ass - this is part time, it won't affect your pay. Stop worrying about your kingdom - we are all in this together, if my kingdom falls, yours is next. Keep watching your own ass and your own kingdom and soon you won't have to worry about either.
It is YOUR Re-org. Get out there and make it yours.
Comment