ARmy Rumour SErvice

Originally Posted by The-Goose

They can mate!

I agree - much harder to justify their existence, if there were not a small Army of passed-over majors for the non-combatant 1-Stars to manage, shurely?

In HQ UKSC(G), for example, it was clear from the moment they began to design it, that there was an exercies in 'Jobs for the Boys' going on, and within a year of it being created, many of its incumbents readily acknowledged that they added little or no value, nor was I ever sure about the true purpose of Regional 2* HQs in UK, let alone Commander Regional Forces (United Kingdom), whihc have passed into the history books this year, without much of a fanfare.

Bearing in mind that I was a passed-over Major, until I quit. Really not sure how much value was being returned to the Army by most of the likes of us; smelled of 'tail-wag-dog', and old habits of thought die very, very hard.

Originally Posted by Stonker

In HQ UKSC(G), for example, it was clear from the moment they began to design it, that there was an exercies in 'Jobs for the Boys' going on.

I am not sure how much value the 2* UKSC in Aldershot will add either - there seemed an awful lot of SO2 and SO1 jobs for recent redundees being advertised on the RAOL a while back.

Originally Posted by chicken_jim

.... Any other organisation when £38 Billion in the red would have sacked most of the senior management, cut back on head office staff and concentrated on its core business....

The MoD is a not-for-profit organisation, so I fail to see how you can say that they are "in the red" as there is no profit and loss sheet, and no bottom line. Comparisons with businesses is one of the things that has got the MoD into a shit state. If the MoD have a £38 Billion shortfall, perhaps we should waste a little less money on the NHS, increase the MoD budget by £40 Billion, and presto-changeo, the MoD is £2 Billion in profit.

Originally Posted by Joe_Private

The MoD is a not-for-profit organisation, so I fail to see how you can say that they are "in the red" as there is no profit and loss sheet, and no bottom line. Comparisons with businesses is one of the things that has got the MoD into a shit state. If the MoD have a £38 Billion shortfall, perhaps we should waste a little less money on the NHS, increase the MoD budget by £40 Billion, and presto-changeo, the MoD is £2 Billion in profit.

Children are not for profit organisations either, but when one child in a family has not put any pocket money aside for a rainy day or been sensible in buying or saving for stuff from the shelf it can afford, rather than the top shelf it can't and is in debt to the fat kid down the road, one generally doesn't cut all the other kids allowances and increase the offenders, unless you want it to happen again and again?

Originally Posted by smallbrownprivates

Children are not for profit organisations either, but when one child in a family has not put any pocket money aside for a rainy day or been sensible in buying or saving for stuff from the shelf it can afford, rather than the top shelf it can't and is in debt to the fat kid down the road, one generally doesn't cut all the other kids allowances and increase the offenders, unless you want it to happen again and again?

Nice analogy. I take it then, that if one child in your family showed a particular aptitude for sport, was chosen to represent their county, and had the opportunity for national trials, but needed extra funding, you would not spend more on them than you were on their lazy ginger siblings, even if that meant foregoing their chance of greatness.

Originally Posted by Joe_Private

Nice analogy. I take it then, that if one child in your family showed a particular aptitude for sport, was chosen to represent their county, and had the opportunity for national trials, but needed extra funding, you would not spend more on them than you were on their lazy ginger siblings, even if that meant foregoing their chance of greatness.

Hmm, since the child has failed the last 2 major international sporting events it has competed in almost bankrupting itself and caused a lot of heartache with serious injuries for no apparent good cause, any funding is going to come with masses of strings and questions as to where future funding may be spent. It is also going to be asked to tidy and organise its room & things to its parents satisfaction etc etc etc

Analogies can be stretched, though I think the point I was trying to make in response to "The MoD is a not-for-profit organisation" was that the MOD does have fiscal responsibilities, not least to its staff and people. Balancing budgets is one of these. Never mind the state of other departments, get your own house in order and lead by example.

How can the army cut nearly 20,000 low grade employees, but hardly touch (and in some cases increase) higher echlon managment? It also doesn't help that no one really likes a whiner and a loser


(oh yes, is the ginger siblings thing a bit of projection/something you want to get off your chest? certainly no daywalkers in this family....yet!)

Originally Posted by cunbee0912

Someone told me that there are 63 men for every Brigadier or CS equivalent pay grade. Is this true?

'Someone' was pulling your leg or isn't very bright. If this was true there would be more than 1500 one stars and above. There aren't. It isn't true.

Originally Posted by History_Man

I for one am not surprised; it the pervading sense of entitlement amongst senior officers that most alienates me. Their status, their privileges.

I find that odd, having recently been an MA to an Army 2* I found he, and all of the Army Officers I met inc CLF, CGS and CDS all really (unexpectedly) normal, fully appreciative of the people who work for them, full of humility and above all very very bright and with a hideous capacity for work. I really do mean that and I wasn't some subservient "yes Sir lackey" I had more than my fair share of missives for speaking my mind.

Now cut down to OF5 and some 1* and the story is very different, at least with many that I've recently met and again chop to the dark blue and actually the decent Senior Officer is the exception, in fact of the many I've met over the years only 3 really stand out as being on a par with the Army people I've met, which wasn't how I'd envisaged it would be.