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Does the RAF regiment have a future?

Reminds me of the nbc tasking when they brainwashed the RTR lads so they would parrot the instructors line that this is a job nobody else can do!
Reality is nobody else wants it and would rather stag on than live in a noddy suit.
 
Reminds me of the nbc tasking when they brainwashed the RTR lads so they would parrot the instructors line that this is a job nobody else can do!
Reality is nobody else wants it and would rather stag on than live in a noddy suit.

Is that why the Royal Engineers have taken over the CBRN role from the RAF Regt then?
 
There's precedent.

The RAF Regiment Airfield Construction Branch was disbanded in 1965, and its role and functions transferred to the RE (specifically 39 (Airfields) Regt at Waterbeach.)

The opportunity was given for personnel to either re-muster to other trades in the RAF Regiment, or transfer to the Army within the equivalent trades in 39. It all went quite smoothly.

It wasn't an RAF Regt Airfield Construction Branch, it was RAF engineers
Which the Royal Airforce Regiment took off the RTR.

Not quite. The RTR relinquished its part in delivering the role, leaving the RAF Regt to pick up the whole task. It was a bit like when the RAF Regt relinquished Rapier leaving the RA to the task. Of course, all of this is directed by MOD and the regiments concerned have practically no say in what happens.
 
Seriously, if UK PLC wants x-number of JPANs dedicated to airfield defence, why in contemporary operating times, should the Army not just have them all?
Because, if you stopped to think about it, it’s a whole lot more than JPANs for airfield defence. For someone who claims to know what’s happening on the streets in Air I’m surprised you don’t get that.
 
Because, if you stopped to think about it, it’s a whole lot more than JPANs for airfield defence. For someone who claims to know what’s happening on the streets in Air I’m surprised you don’t get that.

Ha 'And much much more'... it's like an advert for a village fete. Yeah I know they have expanded into a load of niche stuff outside the core role. Hence the JTAC chat earlier in the thread.

I've already said above I reckon 6 Field Sqns is on face value, about right. That's in an ideal world, sans COVID and resulting economic crash, coupled with absolute 0% desire for boots on the ground in any numbers that would require a defended DOB.

As a result, if and when the lollipop of Field Sqns reduces, the self-licking mechanism that is Honington becomes a much less viable prospect in terms of scale of economy. That's the point at which you could say to some poor benighted inf bde commander 'here's an extra Coy+, you are to hold them at readiness purely for airfield defence.'
 
Ha 'And much much more'... it's like an advert for a village fete. Yeah I know they have expanded into a load of niche stuff outside the core role. Hence the JTAC chat earlier in the thread.

I've already said above I reckon 6 Field Sqns is on face value, about right. That's in an ideal world, sans COVID and resulting economic crash, coupled with absolute 0% desire for boots on the ground in any numbers that would require a defended DOB.

As a result, if and when the lollipop of Field Sqns reduces, the self-licking mechanism that is Honington becomes a much less viable prospect in terms of scale of economy. That's the point at which you could say to some poor benighted inf bde commander 'here's an extra Coy+, you are to hold them at readiness purely for airfield defence.'

But that only works if the skillset is the same surely? If not, then the economy of scale on which your notion is predicated is illusory. They do seem to do stuff that is niche to their role, so I'm guessing the training burden would be over and above that which the Infantry has (it looks like a different mission, in a different environment and against a different threat, even if some of the kit is similar). I have no dog in this fight, though I have worked with the RAF in the past and they've always delivered for me, but your analysis sounds weak, so it'd be wrong to leave it unchallenged.

As for ' absolute 0% desire for boots on the ground in any numbers that would require a defended DOB', if that’s true of a DOB (Deployed Operating Base?) isn't that also going to be true for a Div or Bdes? If so, doesn't that rather undermine the whole point of the Army and RM. In which case maybe there are bigger economies of scale to be made??!
 
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Their current sales pitch is that they're not infantry. I've heard their seniors say it. Won't stop them sending people to Brecon at career stages commensurate with equivalent ranks in the Army.

As to being above and beyond infantry in terms of training, they definitely do so different stuff. However, I understand at a recent, possibly the last, visit of the Joint Service Job Evaluation Team, who assess trades for pay banding, they gave the RAF Regiment less 'points' than both Army inf and Royal Marines.

Again, that was stated in public forum by one of their seniors.
 
Their current sales pitch is that they're not infantry. I've heard their seniors say it. Won't stop them sending people to Brecon at career stages commensurate with equivalent ranks in the Army.

As to being above and beyond infantry in terms of training, they definitely do so different stuff. However, I understand at a recent, possibly the last, visit of the Joint Service Job Evaluation Team, who assess trades for pay banding, they gave the RAF Regiment less 'points' than both Army inf and Royal Marines.

Again, that was stated in public forum by one of their seniors.

Do they send lots to Brecon? I don't think I've seen more than one or two there.

I didn't mean they were over and above the Infantry standard (if that's what you are implying). My point was it looks like a different skillset / mission, so that would have to be training in addition to the Infantry training. That is, there would still be pretty much the same cost of training.
 
Regular cadre of a dozen and reservists to fill the remaining slots!
recruit to over strength to allow for drop outs and no shows and 150 to 200 mature former regs/reservists to give a meaningful career extension to!
 
Their current sales pitch is that they're not infantry. I've heard their seniors say it. Won't stop them sending people to Brecon at career stages commensurate with equivalent ranks in the Army.

As to being above and beyond infantry in terms of training, they definitely do so different stuff. However, I understand at a recent, possibly the last, visit of the Joint Service Job Evaluation Team, who assess trades for pay banding, they gave the RAF Regiment less 'points' than both Army inf and Royal Marines.

Again, that was stated in public forum by one of their seniors.
Hence the streaming into JPR.
 

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