PDF support for the RDF (Spilt from selection for courses)

[your mad]

awh dont even get me started on this, I mean now, it seems the latest thing to do, is for every male promoted, well also promote a female? or vice versa.
They wont get far with that kinda attitude towards things anyway.
Units these days feel that just because there is a POTS course being run that they have to send all their bodies forward for it, regardless of their ability to carry out the task of being an NCO. If there are no places for more NCO's in the units, then thats fine, i don't see the point in having a full company of NCO's and only 4/5 pte's. As speaking from my own experience , there seems to be a great lack in the further training being given to NCO's. And as for our our sister PDF unit, (that of which i may add, we are intergrated with) sending us a PDF NCO to give our RDF NCO's futher trainin (ie to that of their level) we may forget about it.

[kermit]

As speaking from my own experience , there seems to be a great lack in the further training being given to NCO's. And as for our our sister PDF unit, (that of which i may add, we are intergrated with) sending us a PDF NCO to give our RDF NCO's futher trainin (ie to that of their level) we may forget about it.

Firstly, unless you are Air Defence, or RDFTA, you are not integrated with your parent unit. Yet.

Have you asked your parent PDF unit for an NCO for this purpose? Things don't magically appear in this army, unless you request them, in writing. If things are applied for in the proper manner, then there very rarely is any problem getting them.

For example, the Air Corps have plenty of hours to burn, and would very easily come and partake in an RDF exercise, if they were applied for in the proper manner. How many units avail of this? Very few!

[your mad]

Firstly, unless you are Air Defence, or RDFTA, you are not integrated with your parent unit. Yet.

Ahem Ahem, firstly, how long has it been since the integration took place? ya that's wat I thought! And it was also Almost a year ago now we took part in a PSO exercise in Kilworth as part of an integrated platoon with the PDF. That of which went very well,(well i speak for most of us)(with the exception of those who's water was a little warm ) so well in fact that there was little or no differenciation between the PDF and RDF. In the debrief given , it was brought up that the only difference would be the fact that the PDF 'obviously' get to train more often , and thus get better practice at being on the ground. With this noted, it was promised that there would be more training
wkends/exercises promised to take place, 'very soon', as part of an integrated platoon. obviously peoples perception of very soon varies then??

And secondly with regards to submitting a request to have a pdf instructor, give us further training>>> I'll have you know I'm not known to be one of those frequent soldiers you come across in the RDF who moans and moans about not getting the correct gear, etc, without first requesting it. Not one of those people who sit back, well able to give out, but lack the ability to grow a pair of balls, and voice their request on whatever it is they require, and most importantly, persue it. Not once however, but several times this was the case when a PDF instructor was requested. request denied, but being persued at each denial
This however comes a little too late for those who are sick of training people to their level, only then to have their eagerness to learn,(and pass on what they learn) stubbed!Where should one go from here then? Any suggestions, before i pack it in totally?

I can see what your saying about the other corps units, and I would really love to do some training with them also. It would be interesting to see how they put their training to use on the ground and where they fit in, in a battle type situation as we usually just focus on our mission adn rarely get a chance to see passed that. Yet I trully feel that the training with them ,although it being a lesson learned, would be wasted as we would never get to use it, especially when the training being given could be primarily beneficial to our roles as an infantry man?

[kermit]

Integration of part of the RDF is scheduled to take place as and from 01/01/07. In the initial stages, only 1 platoon per RDF Battalion will be taken off the strength of their RDF unit, and added onto the strength of the PDF unit. This will change with a total of 2,656 personnel of all ranks, and corps.

The RDF Batteries have been part of 1 Air Defence Regiment for quite a long time, and hence have been "integrated" for the same length of time. The RDFTA is an integrated unit of the DFTC, and was activated on 01/10/05. This was the first, and thusfar only unit to have been integrated as part of the Reorg.

What you were on was an exercise, where the RDF formed up a Rifle Company of the Battalion being exercised. This is not integration.

Have you or someone in your unit written a letter, through your CO to the CO of your parent PDF unit? If not, then you aven't applied in the proper manner. It's unfortunate that these thing have to be done, but this is the Irish Defence Forces, and that's the way it is.

As regards suggestions, what courses have you done?

[Barry]

Ahem Ahem, firstly, how long has it been since the integration took place? ya that's wat I thought!

Do you even know what he means by integration? He doesn't mean some baggers being a part of a PSO. He means an established subunit from every RDF unit being integrated into the PDF sister unit on a permanent basis. ya that's wat I thought!

[your mad]

Just to clarify, the first 2 para's were already clear to me! As was the 3rd, yes we did form up a company for the crowd being assesssed, yet it was our sister unit however that suggested that the further training be continued with us as an integrated unit. And I was just stating that nothing had been carried out yet. Yes as I had prevoiusly stated, the correct steps were taken , but to no avail. Have done lots of courses, except strangely, the GPMG which we are training on at the moment. If theres one thing though I'd like to do before I go and give my full time to the defence forces, it would be to get the unit a PDF instructor, to specifically train the NCO's first and foremost.

barry, im quite clear on what is meant by the integration, and im also pretty sure that its not just meant to look good on paper either. The point i was tryin to make is about getting on with it, getting the ball rolling, although I must state (as im sure youll endevour to pick me up on it afterwards?) that I am aware it isn't really supposed to come in to play until the 01/01/07.

[kermit]

The only Training Syllabus available to RDF NCOs apart from Weapons/Career Courses or Technical Training is an MOI Course.

[your mad]

done it, bout 2mts ago, same applied, they sent us down 4instructors from the BCT WHO WERE rdf they made a balls of the whole course(as anyone else who was on it can tell you) then on the 2nd last day the day befroe our exams i might add, we were given a PDF instructor who basically told us, LADS FORGET EVERYTHING YE WERE JUST TOLD ON THIS COURSE, because its a loada sh!t.

Cmon like wheres one to go from there? That was the point i was trying to make earlier with regards to the importance of PDF instructors in the RDF, not mention the importance of standardising the training levels across the board. As some units would shame the Rdf were they to be integrated with the PDF

[kermit]

Where did this PDF instructor come out then? Did someone apply for their presence in the proper manner?

[Barry]

your mad - single posts at a time only please. I don't think that what you said in your first post was so urgent that it couldn't have waited 3 minutes for you to type up the second post.

[your mad]

Avoiding watever BIG BAD BULLSH!T BARRY is harpin on about, KERMIT, that PDF instructor was supposed to be attached to the course from day 1 yet arrived for 2hours, the day before the course was due to end, needless to say, what we learned from him in that period of time was more beneficial than what we had learned from the RDF instrustors all week! There is however a difference in a PDF instructor obliging the RDF in coming to give us furhter training and a PDF instructor, supposed to be attached to the course.

[kermit]

Welcome to the board, you're obviously new. When a person's name is in bold, it means they are important. When you insult them you get moderated, which means your name appears in yellow. When you are moderated, when you post, your posts will not appear immediately, but will need to ba approved by a moderator prior to it's appearing.

Funnily enough your name is now in yellow.

On the other hand, if you insult someone who's name is both in bold and underlined, your name will then go red. This means you are banned and will not be able to post at all.

Thank you for your attention.

[your mad]

hahah cheers for the advice ker, ill be sure to take it on board haha! And I wasn't being insulting, Im just very opinionated, and not at all discreet. Which sometimes (more often than not) works to my disadvantage, hence my name being yellow! Im catchin on already!

[MOB87]

For example, the Air Corps have plenty of hours to burn, and would very easily come and partake in an RDF exercise, if they were applied for in the proper manner. How many units avail of this? Very few!

I know of one unit that has AC support for camp this year and has had for the last few too.

[DeV]

Each RDF unit is supposed to have PDF training NCOs as part of its cadre.