ARmy Rumour SErvice

**Idrach** · 02-10-2009, 10:27

Originally Posted by MrTracey

What is the point of the RTCs continuing to train recruits who will then have no MTDs for the rest of the year? They may even only have minimum MTDs for next year.

Are we not only fooling ourselves?

Are we behaving like fools? Quite possibly. But we will need those recruits in the future - even if it is just as 1-tour IR fodder.

I do believe the tap has been screwed down though, with most units not allowed to recruit unless they are below some surprisingly low manning levels.

**One_of_the_strange** · 02-10-2009, 10:55

This problem is universal and we all get to take a bite - albeit details vary depending on the budgeting skills of the intervening layers of management. I know we got hit and people aren't happy but the CO did a very good and timely job of explaining what, why and how which has taken a lot of the sting away, if not the limp ....

Of course these cuts will make it more difficult to generate mobilised bodies, but difficult enough to mean we can't generate what we're asked for ? Who knows. Interesting times indeed.

Still, it's a very British approach to the military. We do more and more with less and less until the wheels fall off in a messy way. Then, and only then will something change.

**Wingletang** · 02-10-2009, 14:11

Originally Posted by One_of_the_strange

This problem is universal and we all get to take a bite - albeit details vary depending on the budgeting skills of the intervening layers of management. I know we got hit and people aren't happy but the CO did a very good and timely job of explaining what, why and how which has taken a lot of the sting away, if not the limp ....

Of course these cuts will make it more difficult to generate mobilised bodies, but difficult enough to mean we can't generate what we're asked for ? Who knows. Interesting times indeed.

Still, it's a very British approach to the military. We do more and more with less and less until the wheels fall off in a messy way. Then, and only then will something change.

Well, there's only three wheels on my wagon, and another one is very loose.

**saladin** · 04-10-2009, 23:32

Originally Posted by Wingletang

Well, there's only three wheels on my wagon, and another one is very loose.

Hopefully the resulting chariot will have a wheel on each side.....

Lash a coiuple of bayonets to the wheels and recreate the Boudica effect !

- or "Woad Walt"

**spaz** · 04-10-2009, 23:41

Surely you mean "Road walt"?
WAH!

**polar** · 05-10-2009, 05:41

Originally Posted by saladin

Originally Posted by Wingletang

Well, there's only three wheels on my wagon, and another one is very loose.

Hopefully the resulting chariot will have a wheel on each side.....

Lash a coiuple of bayonets to the wheels and recreate the Boudica effect !

- or "Woad Walt"

Didn't she loose

**One_of_the_strange** · 05-10-2009, 06:30

Originally Posted by polar

Originally Posted by saladin

Originally Posted by Wingletang

Well, there's only three wheels on my wagon, and another one is very loose.

Hopefully the resulting chariot will have a wheel on each side.....

Lash a coiuple of bayonets to the wheels and recreate the Boudica effect !

- or "Woad Walt"

Didn't she loose

Oh yes, and very badly. At Watling Street if memory serves, outnumbered the Romans by a huge margin but the final score was Warriors 0 Soldiers 1.

**MrTracey** · 13-10-2009, 22:11

Originally Posted by The_Duke

Mr T,

It is not a pissing match - my point is genuine. 2 Div have passed budgetary control to the regional brigades for further onwards movement to individual units. Each unit is being given a control target (CT) which they must work within.

4 Para have to make savings this year, and are doing so by the methods covered above - AT being C1, much tighter control of the "extra" MTDs typically eaten up by the unemployed/students, and very tight scrutiny of the T&S budgets.

There are no cuts on the training programme in place at the moment, but Bn reserve the right to impose cuts in the last quarter of the financial year if required.

I say again - if your training is being demolished to the extent that people say it is, you need to ask why.

Is it:

a) Because your unit has massively overspent in the first half of the year and has not allowed for the second half?
b) Because your allocated slice of the budget is too small? If so, why? And what are your CofC doing to appeal the budget allocation?
c) Because your unit has allocated the budget in such a way that it impacts the low level training to that extent but to the benefit of others? If so, who and why?

MTDs for junior ranks are cheap, local training areas available and SPSIs etc are paid regardless. Better that all of your soldiers get to train under the permanent staff than they are stood down to allow budget for travel/hotels/admin days for the higher daily rate elements of the unit.

Hey Dukey - how's it looking now?

**Hyperion** · 14-10-2009, 09:44

Nice!

**The_Duke** · 14-10-2009, 12:07

Originally Posted by MrTracey

Originally Posted by The_Duke

Mr T,

It is not a pissing match - my point is genuine. 2 Div have passed budgetary control to the regional brigades for further onwards movement to individual units. Each unit is being given a control target (CT) which they must work within.

4 Para have to make savings this year, and are doing so by the methods covered above - AT being C1, much tighter control of the "extra" MTDs typically eaten up by the unemployed/students, and very tight scrutiny of the T&S budgets.

There are no cuts on the training programme in place at the moment, but Bn reserve the right to impose cuts in the last quarter of the financial year if required.

I say again - if your training is being demolished to the extent that people say it is, you need to ask why.

Is it:

a) Because your unit has massively overspent in the first half of the year and has not allowed for the second half?
b) Because your allocated slice of the budget is too small? If so, why? And what are your CofC doing to appeal the budget allocation?
c) Because your unit has allocated the budget in such a way that it impacts the low level training to that extent but to the benefit of others? If so, who and why?

MTDs for junior ranks are cheap, local training areas available and SPSIs etc are paid regardless. Better that all of your soldiers get to train under the permanent staff than they are stood down to allow budget for travel/hotels/admin days for the higher daily rate elements of the unit.

Hey Dukey - how's it looking now?

Not too bad, all things considered. The points above were valid for the budget position we were working under at the time, and I stand by them.

Really bad news on the new round of budget cuts, and broken in the worst kind of way, but still waiting for the final instructions from the C of C.

Recruiting and recruit training to continue until told otherwise, and training for our forthcoming deployment to continue in line with the briefing note. Hits taken on a few areas, and centralised training to be replaced with more local training to save on T&S. Considering that around 50% of my effective trained strength is currently warned for ops, training looks likely to continue for a large percentage of the Coy.