Merging Army Regiments

[Thermo]

i beleive switzerland has been involved in wars back in medieval times. They also supplied mercenares the world over, which is where the papal swiss guard originate from. They do also i believe have a navy of sorts bizarre as it sounds

 

[jasy]

Where does swiss army knife come from???

 

[kendor]

You've got me wrong i'm not saying disband the army what i'm saying is it is an army that has fallen behind with the times, it needs streamlining to make it more efficient, Although i'm against war i know the need of having a defense that can respond quickly and efficiently, one that reports to a central location one where money is put to better use than forking out for different sections that all have their own costly backup structures.
I know it is a sore point with some that the old traditions may be lost but i also believe we wallow too much in the past and there does come a point when we should move on, after all the world has.

 

[Thermo]

Kendor, im not having a go, but what do you base that statement and conclusion on?

Oh and Jasy your swiss army knife comes from woolworths probably!

 

[jasy]

You cannot streamline it anymore Kendor me old mate. The infantry is stretched as it is and the only reason it copes is because of the support of the regimental family. Get rid of that and you get rid of the structure of an infantry battalion and its reason for being. The infantry is tough enough doing your own job let alone doing the jobs of 3 others as well.

 

[masona]

The infantry is tough enough doing your own job let alone doing the jobs of 3 others as well.

When you say infantry, do you mean the TA ?

 

[jasy]

NO!! mate. The TA is the Territorial Army, (part time/ reservists). The infantry is the frontline troops of the army. The guys that do the dirty work. There are TA infantry which help fill in the gaps in war time to bring our numbers up to full strength.

 

[kendor]

You've both got the wrong end of my comment, What i was saying is not streamlining as in cutting down numbers but getting rid of the ancillary stuff the extra uniforms and the old traditional ways of doing things and becoming a more modern outfit.

 

[AdamW]

First thing, I believe the Swiss work on a militia principle rather than a large standing army. That is, Swiss men have about 4 months obligatory national service at 20. Once you finish this, you are obliged to attend a month here and there until you are in your 40s. So considering they have a population similar to London, they have an awful lot of potential manpower. I am not sure if they have the Greek system where you are obliged to keep your military-issued rifle and sealed box of ammunition at the ready.

Second thing, the TA account for 25% of the UK's army. I'm not a member but I know several guys who are and a couple of them were called over to Iraq at the very beginning of the war (Royal Engineers), were there for a good long while... in fact I'm not sure if one particular guy is even back yet! Only one of the TA members I know wasn't sent to Iraq, but he is a t**t. So I am pretty sure that TA soldiers do pull their weight, although obviously you wouldn't want to send them into the same situations as you would a professional soldier.

I think that military traditions are vital. There are some traditions in the world that don't really serve much purpose. A lot of those in industry for example. However, tradition is one of the things that attracts people to the forces. It makes you part of a long history and (hopefully) a long future. Now, whatabout the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment? Blokes on horses, with shiny hats with plumes coming out?

It is possible they could do their job a lot more effectively in a simple plain uniform, without a horse. Dubbya is guarded by blokes in sunglasses and suits with earpieces, that seems to work quite well. But, would you feel the same sense of pride? What about the Queen's Guard? Would they be the same with normal hats instead of a grizzly bear plonked on their head?

Traditions are what make people loyal to the regiment, what make people proud to be in the regiment, and what make people strive to make their regiment the best. As a child we lived near an army estate (army-owned houses, but miles from a base), and I once witnessed two girls fight over whose dad's regiment was best!

Regiments have been created, merged and split for centuries, but we don't really live in a day and age for creating traditions, surely?

 

[Thermo]

yes we do, unless you follow this governments ethos where it counts for absolutley nothing. Oh and many TA units actually have a front line roll, rather tan just being there as a reserve.

 

[jasy]

Some TA units train to do a frontline roll but would not do it on their own they would be and are integrated into regular units.

 

[masona]

Who decide to go to frontline roll, is it voluntary, or do as your told ?

 

[Thermo]

depends which unit you go to. For instance certain eod units in the engineers used to have a front line roll. its the sort of thing you would be told when you turn up to have a look and join

 

[jasy]

The government decides in time of war wich part timers to call up, or, there will be a list at each particular unit for volunteers. Regulars don't get a choice they go when called for.