Army Reserves decreasing numbers

L

littlewoman

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Now to save you wading through the blurb and figures I'll quote the important ones.
Between the end of July and September (I'm hoping that's the end of September) the army reserve dropped in number by 1630 people despite a recruitment drive.
However, and here's the significant bit, that figure comes from 4090 joining and 5650 leaving.

The total army reserve currently stands at 19090, which means that over a quarter of reservists left in 2 months. There are about 100,000 troops in the army altogether.

Now imagine that you deployed 19000 troops to a conflict and 5000 of them over two months were invalided out through injury, deserted or were killed. There would be a huge inquiry to find out what on earth was going wrong. Now of course this is very different, but to be losing that amount of people, shouldn't someone be asking what on earth is going wrong rather than concentrating their efforts on recruiting more people. Shouldn't they put an immediate stop to all redundancies until they stem the numbers leaving and make sure they can recruit the people they will need to make up the numbers.
 
I couldn't agree with you more. Unfortunately the hypotheses is based on a false premise ...... that the people making the decisions actually give a shit about the military.
 
This is probably due to the fact that most TA (reservists as they're now called) joined for the courses and not to get shot at.
I'm sure a blind monkey could spot the fact that the gubberment is getting rid of the regulars and will soon be expecting the TA to make up the vast majority of numbers on any future campaigns.
I know if I was a STAB and saw the writing on the wall I'd knock it on the head too.
Maybe their idea of bringing in national service (draft) in the UK works from their POV, after all?
No blokes- no wars- no massive cash generation.
 
This is probably due to the fact that most TA (reservists as they're now called) joined for the courses and not to get shot at.
I'm sure a blind monkey could spot the fact that the gubberment is getting rid of the regulars and will soon be expecting the TA to make up the vast majority of numbers on any future campaigns.
I know if I was a STAB and saw the writing on the wall I'd knock it on the head too.
Maybe their idea of bringing in national service (draft) in the UK works from their POV, after all?
No blokes- no wars- no massive cash generation.
 
gareth said:
This is probably due to the fact that most TA (reservists as they're now called) joined for the courses and not to get shot at.
I'm sure a blind monkey could spot the fact that the gubberment is getting rid of the regulars and will soon be expecting the TA to make up the vast majority of numbers on any future campaigns.
I know if I was a STAB and saw the writing on the wall I'd knock it on the head too.
Maybe their idea of bringing in national service (draft) in the UK works from their POV, after all?
No blokes- no wars- no massive cash generation.
Click to expand...
Well I have one friend left because her squadron wouldn't put her on the training courses she needed to get qualified enough to deploy. Another mate left because he joined as a driver but then was told he could only deploy as a supplier, there was 4 from his squadron all left for the same reason. I think there's probably all sorts of reasons why people are leaving.
I can't see people leaving just because there's more of a chance of getting deployed because it would be easy to fail the fitness tests if you wanted to avoid it.
I also think the increasingly hard jobs market means that those worried about possible redundancy or just getting a job will see being in the TA as a disadvantage.
 
There isn't really a recruitment drive. My own application started two years ago. I'm hoping to start In January at last. I understand that as an ex regular there were delays in getting my old paperwork sorted out and sent from Glasgow, but two years? A lot of people in similar positions are blaming Capita, but from my own experience there is zero interest in recruitment from the Reservist Units themselves.
 
Sure people join and leave the TA for many different reasons but usually retention is pretty steady as the jobs a good 'un- civi life and a bit of green kit, maybe a tour here and there, adventure training, maybe Canada, Brunei (things you would never do in the real world).
It's all been a good laugh and a lot of piss ups with your mates as they're not "real soldiers" -they're civis who wear DPM and hide in a bush with a BFA once in a while.
Now people have twigged that if the regular army (that's getting ass raped) hasn't got the blokes then the only logical step is to send the TA to make up all the difi numbers.
It's all about saving a few quid and that is the reason the guvt are getting rid of the regulars and maxing-out on TA instead.
It's very akin to private contracting- no pension, no big payoffs, no real benefits and working only when they need you.
Give it another 12-24months and TA numbers will have dropped through the floor and the guvts quick fix will be reversed and they'll have to have a serious rethink on this idea which after all is only saving pennies in the grand scheme of things.
 
Paul2RGJ said:
There isn't really a recruitment drive. My own application started two years ago. I'm hoping to start In January at last. I understand that as an ex regular there were delays in getting my old paperwork sorted out and sent from Glasgow, but two years? A lot of people in similar positions are blaming Capita, but from my own experience there is zero interest in recruitment from the Reservist Units themselves.
Click to expand...

Mate, what's it got to do with Capita?
Forgive my ignorance but they're the monkeys that have the BBC licence fee contract... what have they got to do with the TA?
 
gareth said:
Mate, what's it got to do with Capita?
Forgive my ignorance but they're the monkeys that have the BBC licence fee contract... what have they got to do with the TA?
Click to expand...

Capita now run recruitment for the Reserves and I'm not 100% sure, but maybe the regular Army too? The general opinion is that they aren't fit for purpose. If that's the case, why were they awarded the contract . . . ?
 
Because that's the way the UK rolls.
Everything is being privatised and handed over to a few multi-nationals.
G4S, Serco, Halliburton, Crapita,GE etc etc.
I think even the scoff houses are run by KBR/ Compass?
The UK is a corporate-fascist state and corporate profit will always come before the peoples interests
even if that means having a 3rd class recruitment provider for the armed forces.
Best of luck trying to get back in BTW.
 
Capita do run all recruitment for all services now, and yes all catering is done by a variety of private contractors which means the chefs get trained then only get to use their skills on exercise and on deployment until things have calmed down enough to use contractors.

You can't even pop into the careers office for a chat, you need to apply online and make an appointment. Once you get there, you're talking to someone who may have never served in the forces, or was invalided out, made redundant or left because they didn't like it. Either way, not something that will encourage you to join.

I have a mate that is involved in recruitment and they are pushing it big time. So Paul, it seems like there is some bad admin going on at some level and that is likely to be with the TA now rather than Capita. Its also possible that you're applying to a unit or for a job that just happens to be oversubscribed. My friends unit is RLC and they have jobs on paper for various positions but they only deploy suppliers. They need a chef or 2 to provide food for events, PTI's to keep people fit and clerks to do wages etc. They have positions for medics, drivers etc. but they don't want them because they can't actually use them.
 
Good to see some informed debate on the subject; or perhaps not.

I wont add further to the mele, I believe there are dozens of similar threads on here. LW a great thread subject, but sadly one that will degrade into the usual TA / Regular piffle.
 
There is a difference between the two.
Quite a big one as they aren't the same although they should be a cheaper option at the end of the day.
 
I'm not really qualified to tell the army how they should run things, but I think the best way to use the reserves is to use them in supporting roles, medics, mechanics, stores people, communications etc. where people do a job that closely matches their civvy job. At the moment it seems that there is still a big focus on having infantry units to defend their own territory against invasion harking back to the days when the infantry role was less skilled.

In Cumbria there are two infantry units and nothing else. In the west and south (where the infantry units are) there is a lot of engineering of various types so it would be sensible to have various types of engineering units here. Instead you have people who are nuclear engineers, instrument technicians, electronics engineers etc. in their day job that will be infantry if they get deployed. This just doesn't make sense to me. It also means that as a female, all I could do in this area are cook, clerk or medic and can't deploy as any of them. The nearest TA told me they have lots of women that want to join but no vacancies in jobs they are allowed to do, and some aren't interested if they can't actually deploy.

Any of those long served soldiers want to express their opinion. Would it work if the TA was only "trades" with people doing a trade matching their day job but trained in soldiering skills so they could fight if necessary?
 
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