British Army News and Discussion
- Thread starter RobWilliams
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t68
Well-Known Member
Looking from the land down under that that photo is the correct way up
John Fedup
The Bunker Group
An article on the UK’s snowflake recruitment advertisement and how it’s success could be duplicated in the US. I wonder if the UK success could be due to declining job opportunities in the private sector due to Brexit?
What the US Army can learn from the Brits’ ‘snowflake’ recruiting campaign
What the US Army can learn from the Brits’ ‘snowflake’ recruiting campaign
No, according to the Office for National Statistics the UK employment figures are very healthy. Unemployment - Office for National Statistics
I personally think a lot of the campaigns "success" has been due to the Army and Capita addressing some of the issues which have plagued Army recruiting efforts since the decision to out-source in 2012.
John Fedup
The Bunker Group
Well hopefully the program continues to be successful and the same for the UK job market too.
Looking at this again, yes, I do suspect this may just be part and parcel of getting Capita's issues sorted or at least ameliorated - there are stories of people just giving up after a year of waiting for feedback or paperwork, or having been asked for the same paperwork multiple times.
The job market in the UK does seem very good right now - I actually had a recruiter ring me direct via reception to try and fill a role earlier this week, which was a first for me.
The job market in the UK does seem very good right now - I actually had a recruiter ring me direct via reception to try and fill a role earlier this week, which was a first for me.
Defence in the Media: 5 November 2019 - Defence in the media
The UK inks a deal for 500 Boxer vehicles - that's an interesting turn up as I believe we've been in, then out and now, definitely *in*.
Some UK jobs involved with assembly which will be nice for the local economy I'm sure.
In terms of the vehicle itself, the mobility of this thing is *astounding* given it's got an engine that would have happily graced a main battle tank a couple of decades back attached to a hull that's around 38 tons all up, loaded to the hatches with kit.
The UK inks a deal for 500 Boxer vehicles - that's an interesting turn up as I believe we've been in, then out and now, definitely *in*.
Some UK jobs involved with assembly which will be nice for the local economy I'm sure.
In terms of the vehicle itself, the mobility of this thing is *astounding* given it's got an engine that would have happily graced a main battle tank a couple of decades back attached to a hull that's around 38 tons all up, loaded to the hatches with kit.
The Times is running a story that the pommy defence chiefs are planning to reduce their army to around 60,000 - 65,000 and lend one of their aircraft carriers to an allied nation due to possible defence cuts after the election. Apparently the Conservatives, in their manifesto, have gone back on an undertaken given two years ago to maintain the overall size of the armed forces, and a Corbyn lead Labour govt would most likely slash defence spending. I haven't read the whole article because I can't be bothered signing up for a free trial and subscription.
John Fedup
The Bunker Group
Hard to believe even Corbyn would lend out a carrier but if LEND means free maybe even junior would jump at this. He could roll back his dumb election promise on no F-35s by stating Canada now needs F-35Bs to operate off the free aircraft carrier the UK is lending Canada....fantasy button off.
On a serious note, would Australia entertain some sort of lease arrangement on a QE class carrier?
On a serious note, would Australia entertain some sort of lease arrangement on a QE class carrier?
The Times article is speculation based around fears of further defence cuts and interservice rivalry. In summary; army wants to either mothball a carrier or lease it to the US; army and navy both want further cuts to RAF manpower. A lot will depend on the outcome of the election next month and who succeeds General Carter as chief of defence staff next year.
Not great times for UK defence.
Not great times for UK defence.
Redlands18
Well-Known Member
What would we do with it? We don’t have the crew to man one and we don’t have the aviation assets for one either as a Strike Carrier or LPH.
FormerDirtDart
Well-Known Member
British Army could axe ageing tanks as part of modernisation plans
Senior Army officers have told the BBC the military may abandon its ageing stock of Challenger 2 tanks.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC (amongst others) reporting that Chally 2 upgrades could be binned along with Warrior Capability - It'd be odd given the fact that we're so close to finally pulling the trigger on an upgrade package for CR2. On the other hand, part of me is looking at Cr2 like a very expensive money pit - and that maybe we'd be better off ordering new build Leo 2's.
I definitely don't think losing heavy armour entirely is a great idea however.
I don't either, especially when your major peer level potential enemies are building up their armoured forces with new capabilities. It appears to me that this is being politically driven by an austerity political and economic philosophy that has been prevalent in UK and other western political discourses since the end of the Cold War Mk 1. Defence is always seen as an area that can be easily targeted. I think this actually is symptomatic of a wider discourse about the UK finding its place in the world. If it still sees itself as a major player in geopolitical, geostrategic and geoeconomic terms, then it must be prepared to back that up with a robust across the board military capability set. If it decides that it cannot afford that commitment or is unwilling to devote sufficient national resources to such a capability, then it cannot claim to be a major player in geopolitical, geostrategic and geoeconomic affairs. So this is strictly a political decision and if the British public take umbrage at their perceived loss of status in the world, then they should vent their fury on the pollies who are the ones who are to blame.British Army could axe ageing tanks as part of modernisation plans
Senior Army officers have told the BBC the military may abandon its ageing stock of Challenger 2 tanks.www.bbc.co.uk
BBC (amongst others) reporting that Chally 2 upgrades could be binned along with Warrior Capability - It'd be odd given the fact that we're so close to finally pulling the trigger on an upgrade package for CR2. On the other hand, part of me is looking at Cr2 like a very expensive money pit - and that maybe we'd be better off ordering new build Leo 2's.
I definitely don't think losing heavy armour entirely is a great idea however.
t68
Well-Known Member
If they sold it at rock bottom price I think we should pick it up, it can still be quite valuable as a ASW carrier and bring forward the replacement for F18SH with F35B. It would take a bit of planning but I think it could be done.
Apart from the maning issue could be mitigated by the RN enticements it’s a pity it’s didnt get the cat and trap mods as we could have used classics for the interim
You certainly like dicing with death. Are you in lockdown and stir crazy? Can you remember what the Moderators attitude is about #RAN #F-35B & #CV all in the same phrase? Would you like a painful reminder?
7 day ban for posting on a topic expressly forbidden by the Moderators. Plus a 7 day ban for polluting another thread with it. Bans to be served consecutively.
The trouble is though, that the British public in the main have long given up on the idea of being an international power. Any attempt by politicians to sell the idea of increased spending needs the people to feel worried enough about their own backsides to be willing to pay more tax, or spend more on Defence at the cost of some other priority like education health or circuses. I don't see the national mood in favour, nor an environment which would allow the politicians to talk ghd public around, so the politicians have been doing *exactly* what you'd expect - following the people's will.
oldsig
It's a peculiar line of reasoning, they're arguing that as other countries have upgraded their armoured forces, CR2 has fallen behind and the solution is to ...scrap CR2 ?
Now, this article could be one of a series of rumours that always arrive whenever a defence review is approaching - there are always a series of articles quoting "anonymous sources" which claim that key capabilities are about to be sacrificed. They're usually pretty inflammatory, like scrapping the Red Arrows, binning the SAS, etc. Then, six months later when a frigate goes into extended readiness and an infantry unit or two gets disbanded, it all looks like it's a win instead of a loss.
However, we have the issue that Dominic Cummings is on the loose and apparently has access-all-areas to the MOD and is involved in a review of UK defence policy without any parliamentary oversight. In fact, he was summoned to appear before the Defence Select Committee and then found in contempt of Parliament when he failed to appear. So, there is a possibility of a whole new level of stupid here.
One additional thing someone pointed out to me, if you're ditching Warrior and CR2, what do you need Ajax for ? It's intended for scouting for armoured formations.
I'm hoping it's a rumour and nothing more - CR2 is well over due for an upgrade package and this should have been done 10 years ago. One thing, it really really needs a power pack upgrade - it was always one of the more sluggish tanks in service back when introduced but years and more weight haven't been kind to it. I can sympathise
Interestingly, while digging around for some info on the Cr2 LEP, I tripped over a couple of references to fitting the new 130mm cannon - seems a stretch as it's not in service anywhere yet but if it did happen, that would be pretty damn terrifying,
None of the articles looked solid enough to cite however
None of the articles looked solid enough to cite however