Zofo
23-07-04, 17:37
It's been rumbling about for ages, then there appears to be good news in a budget increase and then (Buff)Hoon the illustrious Minister of Defence (with nothing left to defend anything with) creates what appears to Scorched Earth Policy over the Armed Forces - all for the sake of technology. I'm not a Luddite but I think we've all experienced MOD procurement at work! There have been posts on this subject so we don't need to reiterate how this works or doesn't! I have operated kit which is unique in the Armed Forces - there were only three of these "things" in existence - I can't say exactly what they did but they had a lot of computer power, lights flashed like the deck of the Starship Enterprise, the whole thing was fixed into the back of a 1 tonne landrover and had extremely powerful A/C systems. It was the easiest detatchment in the regiment because it was technologically advanced BUT - in four years I think I saw at least 6 det commanders go through the waggon (including me) and there were some very switched on cookies there. Only once in that time did the kit work as it should have done and that was for about 5 minutes. It failed totally in what it was meant to do but like everything in the world, it had a plus side. The A/Cs were so good we used to store the troop's stickies and cokes inside in the summer time so we had nice cold drinks in location!
On that note, a couple of letters from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ which sum up what us Brits have to say about the situation with the Armed Forces:
Sir - After serving 23 years in one of the finest regiments in the world, I would ask the Government what happens when the technology fails during critical times in battle, as it all too often does.
Do the soldiers sit and wait for a service technician to appear in his little company van? And does the soldier require technology to hand out the bowl of rice to the starving child during some of the many humanitarian missions they undertake? Will technology piece together the remains of the dead or gather together the other vital evidence of war crimes or terrorism? Technology has a major role to play in all these scenarios, and others too numerous to mention, but equipment is only a tool.
And a regiment is not a number in the War Room, it is the matriarch for those who gather to rally behind what is our just cause of freedom and democracy. A regiment is not just the soldiers; it is also the wives and children who loyally follow the soldiers from one posting to another, uprooting every few years, and who wait at home, fearing each knock on the door.
It is the regiment that provides the support when a soldier pays the price for our freedom. It is the regiment that links us with those who have gone before us and those who will take our place.
In this year, when we have spent much time remembering our past heroes who gave us freedom, it is ironic that the Government continues the destruction of the finest military force in the world.
From:
By Edward Cars, Formerly of 1st Bn, King's Own Royal Border Regiment, Safat, Kuwait
A more tongue in cheek view but relevant nontheless:
Sir - With cuts in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, how is the Army going to get overseas? I suggested to my husband that they would be transported by British Airways. He said they could use Ryanair, provided they booked early enough to get the flights.
From:
By S. J. Cook, Ipswich
On that note, a couple of letters from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ which sum up what us Brits have to say about the situation with the Armed Forces:
Sir - After serving 23 years in one of the finest regiments in the world, I would ask the Government what happens when the technology fails during critical times in battle, as it all too often does.
Do the soldiers sit and wait for a service technician to appear in his little company van? And does the soldier require technology to hand out the bowl of rice to the starving child during some of the many humanitarian missions they undertake? Will technology piece together the remains of the dead or gather together the other vital evidence of war crimes or terrorism? Technology has a major role to play in all these scenarios, and others too numerous to mention, but equipment is only a tool.
And a regiment is not a number in the War Room, it is the matriarch for those who gather to rally behind what is our just cause of freedom and democracy. A regiment is not just the soldiers; it is also the wives and children who loyally follow the soldiers from one posting to another, uprooting every few years, and who wait at home, fearing each knock on the door.
It is the regiment that provides the support when a soldier pays the price for our freedom. It is the regiment that links us with those who have gone before us and those who will take our place.
In this year, when we have spent much time remembering our past heroes who gave us freedom, it is ironic that the Government continues the destruction of the finest military force in the world.
From:
By Edward Cars, Formerly of 1st Bn, King's Own Royal Border Regiment, Safat, Kuwait
A more tongue in cheek view but relevant nontheless:
Sir - With cuts in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, how is the Army going to get overseas? I suggested to my husband that they would be transported by British Airways. He said they could use Ryanair, provided they booked early enough to get the flights.
From:
By S. J. Cook, Ipswich