Bhurzum wrote:ConcentratedH2O, OM wrote:Is the British Army still an effective fighting force? I'm not sure. Certainly their special services are good units, but I think the main corps is hobbled by lack of money, poor leadership, and SJ/PC.
Quite a large subject and given my awful writing skills, something I'm not too keen to tackle. However, if you can ignore my terrible word-salads,I'll give it a go...
1) Still an effective fighting force?
Yes. However, it depends upon the nature and scale of the ops in question. Also of note, we are no longer training for "high intensity war-fighting" as a main effort (key element of our old mission statement) but are now geared more towards peacekeeping, COIN (counter-insurgency) and inter-operability with other NATO forces.
With that in mind, it's foolish to doubt our Army and/or it's effectivness. Don't forget the "purple" element - you'll rarely (if ever) encounter the Army on its own. We always have the RAF and Navy supporting us (forgetting other friendly/NATO forces for the time being) and together, we can deal a shit-ton of damage at very short notice.
As a theoretical "stand alone Army", we're trained to a far higher standard than many other conventional fighting forces on the planet. Our rank and file troops, the backbone of the Army, are
almost trained to the same standards as the special forces in other countries. We learn and practice things that other conventional troops view as "specialist training."
2) Special forces
The best on the planet. Most special forces model themselves after the SAS or mimic their training methods and structures. Foolish to deny it.
3) Hobbled by lack of money, poor leadership
a) Lack of money - absolutely. It's been a constant worry/concern for the last 15 years or so and budget constraints have really started to bite deep. When I first joined up, a "standard" exercise for the Regiment involved the full fleet, RHQ, all of the CSS elements (combat service support - REME, medics, caggage and baggage etc) and could last up to a month on the training area and always ended with a lengthy range package (everything from personal weapons/grenades all the way up to main armament).
Just as I retired, a standard exercise was a week in the sticks (mainly on foot) and if we got lucky, a spot of CAB-F (confirmation of accuracy by firing) on the wagons. "Budget" is a dirty word to me.
b) Poor leadership - depends what you mean?
On the political level, it's a subjective call. Personally, I fucking hate the state of politics in the UK, despise the way the MOD are eroded/shackled by cunts in air conditioned offices and view several UK politicians as criminals and traitors. I'm not prepared to get into that any further.
On the formation level, it's a mixed bag. We've had some really strong leaders (Mike Jackson being a prime example) and some not-so-strong. Thankfully, due to the wonders of "mission command", the top brass tend to keep out of the mix once the ball starts rolling. At the brigade and battlegroup level, the powers that be are much more "hands on" and it's not unusual to see the buggers scooting around the AO making a nuisance of themselves.
(I had the rare pleasure of watching a certain high ranking individual cry like a fucking baby because a local took a pot-shot in our general direction. For five minutes, the only words out of his sewer were "where's my fucking helicopter?")
On the local level/boots on the ground - Again, a mixed bag. You get some good guys/gals, you get some average (I'd put myself in this group) and you get a few wankers. It's like any managerial role I suppose. Except with guns.
4) PC/SJ - Not as bad as you might think. Sure, the
official standards have started to drop, bars have been lowered and chickens have been sacrificed to appease the gods of SOCJUS but old habits/standards just won't die. The Army, for all its failings, has a hive mind/memory and it'll take more than a few sour-faced Guardian readers to erase them.
Anyway, sorry for the garbled wall of gibberish, hopefully some of that made sense and answered your questions?
