How good is your unit?

[Docman Closed Account Find all posts View Profile Close Docman]

We have all seen it in the past- A thread asking for help with dates for courses, copies of manuals, specific army regulations. The standard reply (Quite rightly) has been to ask your NCO's for help and that this is not the forum for discussing that kind of info.

The amount of requests has led me to another question: How many soldiers out there serve in RDF units that are disorganised, and lacking in leadership?

It is easy for people to say "ask your NCO's for help". What happens when that person serves in a unit where even that won't work. We all know there is a MASSIVE difference in capability between units and even sub-units.

While this forum is not the place to discuss restricted material, I would like to ask the question: How good is your unit?

However, before you answer the question, remember- as a private or corporal, you may not see everything that is going on behind the scenes. Do your NCO's have the info and training they require to do their jobs.

AND I am not referring to "My unit drink all the time and everyone has a great time so it is a great unit". How good is your unit in a military sense.
BE HONEST

Obviously people should remain anonymous so unless you have a specific comment, just vote on the poll.

[T.I.M. Beard On Find all posts View Profile Close T.I.M.]

well i chose "My unit is a good unit but we could be a bit better"

[DeV Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close DeV]

My unit is a bit strange, we are small,

we have a good few officers (enought to cover most of the jobs), the right amount of SNCOs, too many Sgts, very few cpls, and a good few ptes

This leads to lots of people making decisions that contradict each other, a complete waste of time and energy

NCOs, especially the cpls are not kept informed about what is happening, therefore the programme sometimes gos out the window

The time spent on short notice, field days is then of no use at all

My coy has improved over the last few month, but for that reason the other coys seen not to want to be involved with us

[bulldemboots! Sergeant Major Find all posts View Profile Close bulldemboots!]

Doing tactics once a year is not enough and thats all the tactics we seem to do. Only recently an NCO was instructing us on section attacks in a class and when we said we (3*'s) hadn't done any he was fairly annoyed, but he recognised that it wasnt our fault.

Unfortunately sometimes contradictory orders seem to waste time and there arent enough numbers.

People havent got enough motivation to keep coming down. More on the ground stuff would have a major effect on morale and numbers etc... I would think.

[Joshua Searcher :) Find all posts View Profile Close Joshua]

Bulldemboots, are you by any chance from a unit that does a recruit camp at easter and then puts those recruits on a two star camp that summer? (he asks innocently)

Regards etc

[bulldemboots! Sergeant Major Find all posts View Profile Close bulldemboots!]

That's true. But you get my point I'm sure.

[Groundhog Chief of the Diet Tribe Find all posts View Profile Close Groundhog]

Brian, you cannot have too many Sgts. There is an establishment, which is a list of what you should have in a unit- X amount of Ptes, Cpls, Sgts etc. Your unit would not be allowed go over establishment.

Big problem for RDF units is time constraints and I'm afraid officers and NCOs who actually don't know how to organise a training exercise, range detail or whatever. All the ingredients do not magically appear on a Saturday morning you know. Thats not a criticism of the RDF's leadership BTW just an observation. I cannot do their civvy jobs, I have no desire to and I see no reason why they should become Erwin Rommels when they don DPM.

Reservists shouldn't be training reservists. Reserve units should be linked to PDF units who should be tasked with organising and training the reserve. This would dispense with the dreaded PDF Cadres which seem to be filled with time servers. Part of the process would of course involve RDF personnel in organisation-requisitioning transport, rations, ammo etc. All the fun stuff that keeps NCOs in barracks when the lads are in the pub.:D

BTW the PDF is no bed of roses either. We too suffer from disinterested NCOs and Officers, lack of equipment and budgetary constraints.

[Kieran C/S Find all posts View Profile Close Kieran]

in some cases the attached pdf instructers dont give a sh*t

[HavocIRL Viking Find all posts View Profile Close HavocIRL]

just out of interest who put down My unit are well led, well organised and highly motivated? Just wondering if it was privates, sergeants or officers.

[DeV Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close DeV]

you can have over establishment figures .... it's called supernumary (or something like that)

[Tribunius Corporal Find all posts View Profile Close Tribunius]

I put down that my unit do some marching and shoot occaisonally. This was the case for the last few years but there does appear to be more happening this year. So hopefully something comes from this increase in activity.

[The_Equalizer C/S Find all posts View Profile Close The_Equalizer]

My Coy is probably up there with the best.

It's all about quality not quantity. Certain Coys in the 7th Batt may have the numbers to put the D-Day landings to shame but their privates might as well be a shower of lemmings. It's obvious when annual camp comes around and you compare recruits from the the different Coys.

[The_Equalizer C/S Find all posts View Profile Close The_Equalizer]

And your Unit, who ever it is can, always do better.

[waterbaby Cpl Find all posts View Profile Close waterbaby]

I put down ''My unit is a good unit but we could be a bit better''
And I agree with Brian. A few good officers not enough Cpl's and a few good Ptes.
One of our problems is we keep loosing our good Ptes to the PDF:(
Then we have to start all over again with raw recruits.