Soldier 2024

[apod]

Anything new happen in the last 7 weeks?

There was supposed to be a DFCC meeting in mid September but no news filtering out from that yet. ARW are in the process of being measured etc for the RMTTP Uniform with issues expected before Christmas. Ballistic Glasses went on issue to all Army Personnel.

[koppiteal]

Are RDF on scale.of.issue for ballistic glasses?

[trellheim]

Right. So we continue to get stable belt is it ? I was wondering what "everyone" meant as everyone tends to mean the entire DF

[Rocinante]

There was supposed to be a DFCC meeting in mid September but no news filtering out from that yet. ARW are in the process of being measured etc for the RMTTP Uniform with issues expected before Christmas. Ballistic Glasses went on issue to all Army Personnel.

Did Crye get the contract?

[apod]

Are RDF on scale.of.issue for ballistic glasses?

Not at present.

[apod]

Right. So we continue to get stable belt is it ? I was wondering what "everyone" meant as everyone tends to mean the entire DF

Bitter much? I can see the operational belt going on issue to AR just give it time. The stable belt is intended for use with the SDs going forward.

[apod]

Did Crye get the contract?

AFAIK the Wing is getting the same Crye G4s made under licence by Seyntex that the Belgians are getting in November. I will update once I can confirm.

[trellheim]

"Bitter much?" no not any more after all these year just want to get the facts straight, costs more in time lost due to confusion usually than the cost of a same issue across all ranks

[apod]

"Bitter much?" no not any more after all these year just want to get the facts straight, costs more in time lost due to confusion usually than the cost of a same issue across all ranks

I think you know full well what he meant with all your experience. But Pedantry seems to be alive and well here. To be fair the issue scale as it stands for AR mirrors the Army line one with minor adjustments for numbers of items issued based on value for money. I am on record as having said that need slight adjustment with increases in certain areas.

[trellheim]

"Everyone" doesn't seem to include "Everyone" . That is hardly pedantry. I didnt keep up with the issue scale. Hence the question. Dont read any more into it than that.

[na grohmiti]

Just gonna wade into this bun fight to give my 2 cents, speaking purely from a logistical background.
Why are there 2 versions of the scale of issue, one for the PDF of 6000 and one for the reserve element of Just over 1000? It makes no sense. It may have when there was an army of 9000 and an FCA of 1800, and Ireland hadn't 2 pennies to rub together. Of course, back then the 1000 or so members Air Corps wore the same uniform as the army.
But today we are supposed to have a single force concept, that's why everyone got black berets (except those with red berets, dark green berets or glengarries). What is the logic behind the AR not getting "operational belts" or gloves? What business case is there for PDF having them?
Surely if you stipulate FWT replacement, rather than annual replacement, you'll end up issuing the same amount over the lifetime of that particular uniform code as if you decide to restrict an item.
Its merely someone in GHQ making sure the AR know their place, nothing more. A reminder that the single force concept was nothing more than a culling exercise.

For reference, in the last 30 years in addition to the DF, I worked in 4 bodies that required a work uniform. In each of them, everyone got exactly the same kit. H&S determined this. On one occasion a certain duty required warmer outer wear than the issued item marked with identification panels. One team made a business case for it, then suggested as we frequently assisted them in their particular work, we would find an advantage using this outer wear too. So they sent us their business case, which we modified for our duty. We offered same to other uniform teams who said "no, we don't be out in weather as much as you are, the issue stuff is fine". Life went on.
The DF is tied to archaic systems of inventory issue from top to bottom, with no logic for any of it apart from "that's how it's always done". Outside the military sphere, people get promoted when they looked at an old efficient system of operation, saw how it could be improved, and implemented it. In the Irish DF, isolated from modern methodology it seems, we are still clinging to a 19th century imperial British system, with nobody willing to modernise, lest they upset the apple tart.
You wear a belt, because you are better than him, and he must be reminded of it all the time.

No wonder in the 21st century we struggle to recruit and retain.

[DeV]

Just gonna wade into this bun fight to give my 2 cents, speaking purely from a logistical background.
Why are there 2 versions of the scale of issue, one for the PDF of 6000 and one for the reserve element of Just over 1000? It makes no sense. It may have when there was an army of 9000 and an FCA of 1800, and Ireland hadn't 2 pennies to rub together. Of course, back then the 1000 or so members Air Corps wore the same uniform as the army.
But today we are supposed to have a single force concept, that's why everyone got black berets (except those with red berets, dark green berets or glengarries). What is the logic behind the AR not getting "operational belts" or gloves? What business case is there for PDF having them?
Surely if you stipulate FWT replacement, rather than annual replacement, you'll end up issuing the same amount over the lifetime of that particular uniform code as if you decide to restrict an item.
Its merely someone in GHQ making sure the AR know their place, nothing more. A reminder that the single force concept was nothing more than a culling exercise.

For reference, in the last 30 years in addition to the DF, I worked in 4 bodies that required a work uniform. In each of them, everyone got exactly the same kit. H&S determined this. On one occasion a certain duty required warmer outer wear than the issued item marked with identification panels. One team made a business case for it, then suggested as we frequently assisted them in their particular work, we would find an advantage using this outer wear too. So they sent us their business case, which we modified for our duty. We offered same to other uniform teams who said "no, we don't be out in weather as much as you are, the issue stuff is fine". Life went on.
The DF is tied to archaic systems of inventory issue from top to bottom, with no logic for any of it apart from "that's how it's always done". Outside the military sphere, people get promoted when they looked at an old efficient system of operation, saw how it could be improved, and implemented it. In the Irish DF, isolated from modern methodology it seems, we are still clinging to a 19th century imperial British system, with nobody willing to modernise, lest they upset the apple tart.
You wear a belt, because you are better than him, and he must be reminded of it all the time.

No wonder in the 21st century we struggle to recruit and retain.

In fairness, most RDF don’t need everything the PDF get.

It is reasonably foreseeable that a (RDF) soldier will spend at least 24 hours outdoors in the cold and wet crossing broken ground

[na grohmiti]

And why is that? Because the general staff only see the Reserve as useful for an occasional Sunday GoH, and has no interest in it becoming a real reserve like that seen in any other EU nation.

[DeV]

And why is that? Because the general staff only see the Reserve as useful for an occasional Sunday GoH, and has no interest in it becoming a real reserve like that seen in any other EU nation.

Only for a GoH after 18 months (no No1s until then)

and we don’t get wet in Ireland for the first 71 hours of an exercise…. There is supposed to be pool issue but that is a mixed bag depending on the unit

can’t remember what the story is with cold weather gear but some elements are only for 72 hour Ex

in fairness I can see reasoning behind it

[trellheim]

Yes and VFM at larger army scale is an issue for sure but with the limited amount of people on hand its arguably cheaper and more efficient to not run a physical clothing stores at all and have Amazon deliver the same scale of issue to everyone's front door at home ( or in the field or o/seas on a lot of deployments , pandemic showed couriers will drop anywhere at all )