Thread: RIP TA

So let me get this straight.

The army doesn't need to provide part time training to its reserves to send them on operations. So therefore the army must have a number of operational roles that require less training than part times provide. With the reserves forming 2/3 of the medical services, that must imply some fairly complex jobs don't require full time soldiers/training, so the size of the full time medical services must therefore be too large.

Or the MOD doesn't care about medical cover for it's soldiers.

Then what about the infantry, jobs are obviously available in theatre for soldiers with reduced training. So is regular infantry training too long? Are we still to provide force protection in theatre with what could now be classed a militia press ganged off the street.

My initial thoughts on reading this thread last night reminded me of tactics I used in the geek board game era of the late 80's. I would 'injure' myself to win, in this case it would be taking drastic steps now which in the long run would save the TA. Alternatively Army bosses have put the TA on 'strike' - TA being used for point scoring against the goberment.

It may just be a genuine short term cost saving, I'm not sure about the current cost effectiveness of the TA - I'd assume it's not good during continuous periods of operations. Didn't the traditional TA model provide a framework for large scale increase in the size of the army, which is surely a sensible cheap way of ensuring the defence of the country. The current model has only proved soldiers can be sent overseas with the minimum of training and weekends/drill nights/amps provide no benefit to operational capability.

I'm not sure where we will be in six months time, I'm sure many enablers will return but a number won't

I believe from what I have read in previous posts bounty payments come out of a different budget to MTD's etc. But assuming people haven't got the minimum days in/completed MATTS yet that would be a saving as well because there is no way they could qualify this year.

Originally Posted by IDONTNEEDAHAIRCUT

I believe from what I have read in previous posts bounty payments come out of a different budget to MTD's etc. But assuming people haven't got the minimum days in/completed MATTS yet that would be a saving as well because there is no way they could qualify this year.

= They cannot be classed as efficient.

If this is true then it is simple really.

No MTD money; nobody turns up.

Nobody turns up; no unit.

No unit; nobody to send on deployment.

Nobody to send of deployment; no TA

No TA; no deployment to Afghanistan; no War on Tourism but massive budget cuts.

Plenty of spare cash for Diversity Initiatives, Benefit Dependency Studies, Citizenship Teachers and 5 a Day Vegetable Advisors.

Originally Posted by Ulster_Rifleman

Originally Posted by IDONTNEEDAHAIRCUT

I believe from what I have read in previous posts bounty payments come out of a different budget to MTD's etc. But assuming people haven't got the minimum days in/completed MATTS yet that would be a saving as well because there is no way they could qualify this year.

= They cannot be classed as efficient.

I'd agree that if after 6 months of weekends and drill nights you haven't got 12 days out of camp training you aren't going to be one of the regular attenders and probably not efficient.

However what about people booked on courses in lieu of camp or who couldn't attend any MATTS training weekends (yes I know there isn't a lot to them these days) as yet.

If I had a place on the underwater knife fighting course in Feb 10 as a course in lieu this year or had planned on attending a MATTS weekend in December as I couldn't attend an earlier one I would be screwed as there is no way of being classed as efficient as the period in which I could qualify has been cut in half.

Mrs Stilts just heard it on Radio 2 news, any future TA troops deploying afgan will not be affected!

B0llocks!

Stilts

Also on Radio 5 news bulletin at 10am. We really are screwed.

My hatred towards Labour has just got up several degrees.

Well there goes any hope of retaining any newly trained soldiers. It's amazing that such a knee jerk reaction to save what in the grand scheme of things is a small bit of cash is going to have such a long lasting effect.

I imagine it will take years for most units to recover from this in terms of manning.

What happens to peoples courses for the next 6 months at Regular Establishments such CMT, Royal Signals, Infantry Battle School etc etc

Hi, can you help me answer a question - my hubby has been invited for an interview for re-enlistment on Monday morning as he wants to rejoin the Royal Scots. But from what I'm reading on these forums he's not going to get in. Is it just in England that they are cutting recruiment? Someone said Scots and Yorkshire are still plucking, but are giving preference to ex infantry or artillery. Can anyone tell me if this is true or is he just wasting his time?
He was also invited to go for T.A interview but would rather go full time again. What is the best option right now?

Just heard this on the radio and nearly dropped my brew! I'm supposed to be starting 4 Para's SSRE course on wednesday, what the feck is happening?!

I think what they are saying without actually announcing it to the media is that they are still going to train but it will be C1 training. I'd be very surprised if it meant shut the doors and don't come back until May.

I hope they realise this is going to affect their unemployment figures aswell. Possibly something liarbour didn't think of. There are quite alot of people who have lost their full time employment and have had naff all luck trying to get any more work. So instead of what is commonly observed as a part time 'hobby', some of us have been living off our TA pay.

I don't think they realise either just how many of us actually deploy either either to or in support of Afghanistan and exactly how much the TA make up the shortfall.( Can't remember, can someone remind me what the percentage is). It's the typical misconception that the TA don't deploy and are just "weekend warriors" to quote the BBC

The BBC have said it will save 20 million. I know that sounds like alot but when you consider ( when I last looked in the last week or two ) the national debt is something in the region of about 708 billion and still growing. This is merely scratching the surface. I would like to know how much is spent on the likes of interpreters for immigrants, equality and diversity quangos and how much money they would save by not giving 30 odd pound a week to people who are seeking assylum, 30 odd pound a week for the EMA ( I never got PAID to attend school ), Tax credits for people who have one child and earn less than £60,000!!!! when most people have never earned above 15,000. I don't undrstand this when they expect people looking for work to live on £50 each if you are both claiming as a couple. They will also pay your rent but not if you have a mortgage. Do any of you remember the rents they were paying for a large family of immigrants a while back in London?. Thousands. If any of you watch Dispaches on Channel 4, they recently showed various "delegations" off on jollies all over the world during the 82 day recess of paliament. They actually advertise in the house of commons rag for people to join them to make up the numbers. Thousands of pounds of Taxpayers money could be saved by not going to look at the affects of climate change in Figi FFS!!!


Why do I get the impression that liarbour is doing as much as possible to feck up the country before the next general election as they know they are going to get booted out. "Right , let's cause as much devastation as we can then sit back and watch the Conservatives try and pick up the pieces and berate them for not doing a better job" etc etc

Originally Posted by therealbigdizzle

6 posts to his name... let's not take too much notice.

No cos anyone with less than 100 posts isn't worth listening to

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20091010...g-6323e80.html

WRONG!

The thing is this will please a hell of a lot of the lefty tree hugger gang who will see the TA as a drain on the system.

Oh by the way, will I get my bounty if I haven't completed by V&S mtd?

Good timing though, as with no training til May, there's every chance that people won't qualify for their bounty by 31 March.

What about UOTC - the uni year has just started. Will they be told to shut up shop, too?

Sadly just had one of those, "What do I do, Padre?" telephone calls to say that as there's no TA the intended deployment of my caller had also gone down the tubes and that he wouldn't be progressing the paperwork.

I also have had a few emails asking when the government will be deploying the 1 Lloyds Bank and 2 RBS? Seems that the ready supply of STABS is about to become Stubborn TA Blokes!

Sadder and sadder - at least my regiment managed to be dined out before our demise as TA soldiers :(


And as for the stupid, they will be with us always!