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Increasing the quality of the TA soldier myth

polar

LE
Have seen a lot of work put into improving the quality of the TA recruit Pte and OCdt, yes it has possibly has. Or am I blinded by the hype and it really fixed a few corps without the skills to train their soldiers.

Yes we have gained a lot of experienced on Ops, so in theory our Ptes can gain a lot of valuable tips from their mates and LCpls

But the reality is many of us are still be taught in the same old fashion, lessons learned are not being applied at levels above LCpl because we don't know what they are. Key drivers (officers) are working as watchkeepers and are unable to see the problems because of their operational employment.

Saddened to hear of a few more Sgts being dinned out this weekend. I would have employed them as COMCEN managers, not sure with whats left who I would trust to do this? Its not that the youngsters are incapable but their training is being pushed in other directions by high up TA management with regts/sqns being left to waste expensive resources small cliques of tradesmen
 
polar said:
Its not that the youngsters are incapable but their training is being pushed in other directions by high up TA management with regts/sqns being left to waste expensive resources small cliques of tradesmen

Who's upset you this week then? :roll:
 
fozzy said:
Who's upset you this week then? :roll:

Was going to reply to msr first but...

Not put uniform on for a few months, did that this week and intend to do it again.

The kids (recruits) they appear to be sorted, I believe many of your views are wrong, your a slave of the system (I think your ID is fake).

Nobody has upset me, I just care.
 
IMO the quality of recruits has never been better*. ADSC is working, from what I see. The kids KNOW they will be on Ops within 18 months and work ethic matches.



* apart from when I joined, obviously. High water mark and all that.
 
polar said:
fozzy said:
Who's upset you this week then? :roll:

Was going to reply to msr first but...

Not put uniform on for a few months, did that this week and intend to do it again.

The kids (recruits) they appear to be sorted, I believe many of your views are wrong, your a slave of the system (I think your ID is fake).

Nobody has upset me, I just care.

I can assure you my ID was issued from my Sqn Office, there's nothing fake about it. I'm sure I would have ben caught by now...

Slave to the system? Interesting, as you have to be inside the system to change it......

Many of the issues that you post on should and can be be addressed either via you (as apparently you hold rank) or at a local level by your CoC.
 
polar said:
Have seen a lot of work put into improving the quality of the TA recruit Pte and OCdt, yes it has possibly has. Or am I blinded by the hype and it really fixed a few corps without the skills to train their soldiers.

Yes we have gained a lot of experienced on Ops, so in theory our Ptes can gain a lot of valuable tips from their mates and LCpls

But the reality is many of us are still be taught in the same old fashion, lessons learned are not being applied at levels above LCpl because we don't know what they are. Key drivers (officers) are working as watchkeepers and are unable to see the problems because of their operational employment.

Saddened to hear of a few more Sgts being dinned out this weekend. I would have employed them as COMCEN managers, not sure with whats left who I would trust to do this? Its not that the youngsters are incapable but their training is being pushed in other directions by high up TA management with regts/sqns being left to waste expensive resources small cliques of tradesmen

Polar, the qualms that you outline here are (yet again) specific to the R.Signals (V) and its trade training, and not to the TA as a whole. Certainly for the Infantry, the recruits that complete their training now are a uniformly better standard than five years ago when I joined. ASDC really is a gift from heaven and the selection process has gone a long way in weeding out the non-hackers who previously would just have been shunted through training regardless and absorbed to keep up numbers.
 
fozzy said:
Many of the issues that you post on should and can be be addressed either via you (as apparently you hold rank) or at a local level by your CoC.

I am trying believe me (any way I can - which includes this site). I don't understand why are you so positive? Most I speak too, acknowledge soldiers are better trained but then ...

My own views is slightly out, as an Infantry Sgt I knew I could run a mortar section and do a very good job. A few years latter, as a COMCEN queen (Sgt) - I was aware I couldn't (and the infantry Mortar Section Commander job was harder than COMCEN - maths, complex orders, etc).

RP578 may be correct, the infantry system works but I doubt they are indicative of the TA. If people from a corps in the middle are moaning, its more likely Sigs paint the most accurate picture of the TA.
 
polar said:
fozzy said:
Many of the issues that you post on should and can be be addressed either via you (as apparently you hold rank) or at a local level by your CoC.

I am trying believe me (any way I can - which includes this site). I don't understand why are you so positive? Most I speak too, acknowledge soldiers are better trained but then ...

My own views is slightly out, as an Infantry Sgt I knew I could run a mortar section and do a very good job. A few years latter, as a COMCEN queen (Sgt) - I was aware I couldn't (and the infantry Mortar Section Commander job was harder than COMCEN - maths, complex orders, etc).

RP578 may be correct, the infantry system works but I doubt they are indicative of the TA. If people from a corps in the middle are moaning, its more likely Sigs paint the most accurate picture of the TA.

Polar,
I am positive because its not all bad and I have always seen opportunity at times of crisis. People are aware of what bits are broken and are trying their best to fix them.

I don't want to go into specifics here - drop me a PM.
 
fozzy said:
polar said:
fozzy said:
Many of the issues that you post on should and can be be addressed either via you (as apparently you hold rank) or at a local level by your CoC.

I am trying believe me (any way I can - which includes this site). I don't understand why are you so positive? Most I speak too, acknowledge soldiers are better trained but then ...

My own views is slightly out, as an Infantry Sgt I knew I could run a mortar section and do a very good job. A few years latter, as a COMCEN queen (Sgt) - I was aware I couldn't (and the infantry Mortar Section Commander job was harder than COMCEN - maths, complex orders, etc).

RP578 may be correct, the infantry system works but I doubt they are indicative of the TA. If people from a corps in the middle are moaning, its more likely Sigs paint the most accurate picture of the TA.

Polar,
I am positive because its not all bad and I have always seen opportunity at times of crisis. People are aware of what bits are broken and are trying their best to fix them.

I don't want to go into specifics here - drop me a PM.

Polar First of all let me ssure you that Fozzy's ID most certainly is not fake. Perhaps you should take up his offer on the PM he is a genuine bloke and I'm sure if he can help he will. Just make sure your not asking for help on UHF comms, that he can't help you with.
 
I'll disagree with the lot of you. The quality of the TA soldier hasn't changed a bit over the last 30 odd years and probably much longer than that.

What has changed is what's expected of him. The Infantry soldier doesn't need to be able to spell or construct sentences. He needs to be able to communicate verbally. He needs to be disciplined. He needs to be able to switch from being nasty to being nice. He'll learn organisation as he progresses through the system, but that's not the basics, as inferred by the topic of this thread.

When you get to different arms, other abilities start to creep in. Being able to read, understand and interpret written instructions may be a requisite. It's a poor term and I'm sorry if it offends, but the infantry soldier needs to be weeded out and put where he belongs.

The reduction of the scope of the TA has resulted in a lack of Infantry TACs. If you want to join the TA, you may be obliged to join the RA or RSigs, simply because there isn't an Infantry unit nearby.

The result is that the bloke who would be better suited to being Infantry (a noble profession) is a fish out of water and his instructors despair because his academic skills prevent him keeping up with the rest of his peers.

I recall, many years ago, that if a bloke wanted to join the Infantry but seemed a bit dim, he'd be sent to the RAOC. If a bloke wanted to join RSigs, but seemed a bit dim, he'd be sent to the Infantry. Of course, if a bloke was bright, you'd snap him up and put him on the accelerated promotion ladder.

With the reduction of the types of unit available in any given area, this process of natural selection has gone. You take what you can get because, if you don't, you end up short.

When I started, within 10 miles, there was a choice of Inf, RSigs, RAOC, RAMC, RMP, RE, RA, Pioneer, Yeomanry, PARA, SAS and more. How many places can now offer a choice of more than two units?
 
putteesinmyhands said:
The Infantry soldier doesn't need to be able to spell or construct sentences.

Being able to read, understand and interpret written instructions may be a requisite. It's a poor term and I'm sorry if it offends, but the infantry soldier needs to be weeded out and put where he belongs.

The result is that the bloke who would be better suited to being Infantry (a noble profession) is a fish out of water and his instructors despair because his academic skills prevent him keeping up with the rest of his peers.

A very good post, and please excuse me for snipping it. I am assuming from the second sentence, firsr para in my "snipped" quote above, that you are suggesting that the originator of this thread is an infantryman? [ see my bold].

He seems unable to write, even basic English, so we must assume then that he is an infantryman...according to the logic you posit.

Of course not, he's probably what passes for an officer these days,in some corps or other, and yet, his English makes no sense, despite us knowing what he means. (Mind you, I had to read it a couple of times).

Fie, and alack, it would seem he is some sort of support arms wallah, and yet, he can't write properly, despite your implying that you and your ilk are naturally brighter than infantrymen.

Writing reasonably well, leads to thinking reasonably well, and as an enlisted man, as I was, I would worry if this man were leading me. I'd follow him nowhere, since, as he can't seem to put a sentence together, why would I believe that he can, as they say in the A Team, "put a plan toghether" or more importantly, execute it.

Infantrymen do not need to be "weeded out" as you well know, having described it as a "poor term".

You described being an infanteer as "noble proffession"; I'm not sure how noble it is, at times, but the requirement for intantrymen, which I can't see going away, means that the rest of you will have jobs for years to come. Which is great, for you.

Infantry is what the army is all about. Seize, dominate and hold ground. You can't do that from a sigs tent. You can't even to it from a tank/horse/Rover/lorry. Not properly. You have to use Shank's Pony.

Everyone else should be "weeded out";

"Those who don't want to be in a fighing unit stand fast, everyone else one step forwrd MARCH".

There are a great many bright people in the infantry. I know you know this, given your "poor term" and "noble" sayings, infact, you were even kind enough to describe what we do as a "proffession", and I sense that you realise that the infantry is the raison d'etre of any army worth their salt, and most certainly ours.

Some of the infantry are even bright enough to have used TDEDs and 319s, and I am sure that this ability continues in the post Clansman era, although I wouldn't know. Some of them can even shoot straight. I'm sure that skill still prevails.

Some of them even read books for fun.

Some of them join the infantry because they feel drawn to an area that is represented by a fighting county regiment, and are prepared to fight for it, as opposed to supplying various "services" , from some corps, to those who make themselves available for a bit of srcapping.

If they're not "from" such an area, and actually everyone is, especially in these days of the new "super-county/region regiments" , even now they can join and train to fight, if that is their fancy.

Unfortunately, most young men dinnae wanna.

And yet, some join because they would be bored employing the skills required to do bottlewashing/signalling/driving/ordnance supply or any of the other menial/unchallenging tasks presented to troops in a non-fighting unit.

If you are in London on Sunday the 15th, just over a week from today, please feel free to come to the CIRA parade ( Comined Irish Regemints' Association ) not to be confused with the CIRA ( Continuity Irish Republican Army ).

You may be surprised, Actually, no you won't; for we're all as daft as brushes. We'll pretend to be stupid, just for you, but be noble about it. You're right; it is a noble thing to do.

Most of us, despite being (mainly) infantrymen ( a few poofy-Irish_cav type Generals on pde), are only half-intelligent. This is compounded because we are Irish, which means, at best, we are only a quarter intelligemtent. <howas dat schpelt Seamus?>..

Were we English, we would of course conquer the entire world...oh, hang on, didn't that already happen, haven't youse lot already done tha'? :D
 
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