NAVY NEWS, FEBRUARY 2010 35
News and information for serving personnel
Intelligence
to the fore
IT HAS been announced that
the Navy Board plan to establish
a structured Naval Intelligence
Capability (NIC) which will
provide a clear career structure
for people wishing to serve in RN
intelligence.
There is a recognition of the
THE OVERLOOKED
growing need for professional
CASUALTIES OF CONFLICT
intelligence specialists in the
maritime world. A report commissioned by
A multi-disciplinary team The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Children’s Fund
has been set up to pull together
the requisite Defence Lines of
November 2009
Development.
This team will spend the next
six months drawing up a detailed
implementation plan to bring that
capability to fruition.
This work will define
Charity stresses
the number of intelligence
specialists, create a defined
career management structure;
refine specialist training in line
with other Services; and improve challenges for
training for non-specialists.
Admiral Sir Trevor Soar,
CinC Fleet, said: “The time is
ripe to move forward and I do
not underestimate the scale or
Service children
the urgency of the task that lies
before us.
A NEW report commissioned by have experienced problems with
“Whilst delivery will be
● Mne Ryan O’Regan tackles the fi ner details of the Pashto dialect Pictures: LA(Phot) Si Ethell
the Royal Navy and Royal Marines the information available on
challenging, this initiative
Children’s Fund has shown that schools prior to a change in draft;
needs to be taken forward as a
the children of Service personnel ■ 18 per cent (one in five) of
priority if we are to realise the
face a unique set of challenges but Naval families said their school was
operational benefits it will afford
that little weight is given to their ‘not very helpful’ in understanding
both the Naval service and joint
needs. Naval family life and the strains
operations.”
A passion
The report The Overlooked sometimes experienced by service
Casualties of Conflict combines the children.
Keeping
extensive 100-year experience of Monique Bateman, director
the charity with research from the of the Royal Navy and Royal
UK and the US. Marines Children’s Fund, said:
track
The authors identify ten specific “Over the last 25 years we’ve
challenges which Service children seen service children experience
can face – including worrying the repercussions of the Falklands
A NEW software system has
when a parent is absent for a long War and we have no intention
arrived with the MOD that
time in a warzone; readjusting of sitting back and watching it
promises to allow the military to for Pashto
when they return; regularly moving happen all over again.
keep track of materiel in transit
schools; dealing with the injury, or “We have therefore
in the forward and reverse supply
even death, of a parent. commissioned this report to share
chains across all three Services at
THE Royal Marines of 40
In a survey by the Ministry of our knowledge as we predict we
home and away.
Commando have shared
Defence, 83 per cent of Naval are sitting on a ticking timebomb
Management of Materiel in
families said their children find it of problems for children whose
Transit (MMiT), developed by
their skills in the Afghan
difficult when their serving father parents have served in Iraq and/or
the MOD in partnership with
dialect of Pashto. or mother has to go away for a Afghanistan.
industry, works alongside the
The final exams took place in long time. “Children of serving personnel
VITAL consignment tracking
December on two of the first This difficulty can manifest itself are so much more than just
system (itself upgraded through
major language courses for this in changes in the child’s behaviour, picture opportunities snapped up
the Consignment Visibility
Helmand-province dialect. with Naval parents saying the most when their loved ones return from
project).
The full-time course ran over 40 frequent changes are children overseas and it is now time for
MMiT uses information from
weeks, with practical experience being ‘more naughty’, ‘more local and national government to
VITAL and the commercial
of speaking, reading and writing emotional’, having ‘difficulties sit up and take notice of the
courier DHL to allow users with
Pashto and a focus on the culture; sleeping’, ‘more tantrums’, and pending problems and support the
access to the MOD intranet or
the second was a ‘survival’ level ‘more argumentative’. children of the future.”
the Army’s GLOBAL supply
ten-week course concentrating on Problems encountered by Naval The charity’s director
system to keep an accurate
speaking and listening. families include: highlighted a number of ways to
operational picture of the supply This move is part of a
■ 43 per cent of Naval families improve the situation for children
chain. major effort to create better
have experienced problems finding of Service families, including:
MMiT allows users to find the understanding, communications
a place for their children at the better understanding of the
location of items in transit and and relations between the native
school of choice; impact of Service life on children;
gives details such as the serial population and the ISAF forces.
■ 64 per cent of Naval families helping local authorities identify
number of the container the The Pashto language is difficult
have experienced problems with children with special educational
● Mne Tim Jones studies the script of Pashto
items are in or other packages in for European speakers to pick up
the differences in the standard needs; and ensuring schools
the same consignment. since its structure is completely
Ryan O’Regan. culture to be effective in creating of their child’s education when appreciate the needs of Service
The system also offers alerts different to our own.
“It will also allow the people security for the development of changing schools; children, particularly during times
for high-priority items arriving The script reads from right
to approach us more; to be less Afghanistan.” ■ 62 per cent of Naval families of deployment.
or departing key points in the to left and features entirely
scared.” This viewpoint was reflected have experienced problems with The full report can be
supply chain; and the ability to different characters to the English
Mne Karl Haoee added: by 40 Commando’s commanding the difference in syllabus content found online at www.
consolidate items for multiple experience.
“Learning the language could save officer, Lt Col Paul James, who when their child changes schools; rnrmchildrensfund.org.uk. It is
units into a single search; and the Places were fiercely contested lives – yours or theirs.
said: “For 40 Commando to ■ 52 per cent of Naval families available to download.
provision of estimated delivery on this scarce specialist course “I hope it will change attitudes
be successful in our mission it
dates for materiel to units in
– limited by the low numbers
on both sides.” is crucial for all ranks to fully
operational theatres.
of qualified Pashto instructors in
During exercises these language understand and to be able to
...but support rated
For the first time many
the UK.
skills were brought to the fore relate to the Afghan people.”
areas across defence will now
And all candidates had to pass
when the students were called
■ THE Defence Operational
have direct access to relevant
a military language aptitude test
upon to act as interpreters and
Languages Award Scheme
high compared to
information, allowing for better
before they were given a place on
translators when talking to Afghan
came into effect at the start of
planning and reducing the need
the Pashto course.
villagers.
December.
to reorder supplies.
There were 14 students on
It will also fall to the students
It offers financial incentives to
other organisations
Greater confidence in the
the ten-week course sharpening
to teach others how best to talk
military personnel to develop their
supply chain will bring greater
their verbal and oral skills in the
effectively with the local populace
language skills in operationally
A SEPARATE review of welfare form of psychological support,
certainty into operational
language.
and to understand better the
important languages – currently support for the families of UK time for rest and recuperation,
planning in theatre, allowing
The 40-week course had eight
cultural traditions.
Arabic, Dari/Farsi, Pashto and Armed Forces has come to the and communication facilities.
supplies to be sent to the point of
students – six Royal Marines
As part of this process of
Somali. conclusion that the military offers Dr Parry said: “It is obvious
greatest need.
from 40 Commando and two
building trust with the local
DOLAS awards will be paid considerably more support than that supporting families during
The project, working closely
Gurkhas, whose skills at speaking Afghans, cultural awareness to those people who pass an comparable civilian organisations. separation is important to the
with prime contractor Hewlett
and listening were brought up to training packages have been given approved examination and record And the study, presented to Armed Forces as the interventions
Packard and subcontractors SAS
an advanced functional standard, to all members of 40 Commando. their competence with the Defence the British Pyschological Society offered to UK Armed Services
and Viewlocity, used commercial
and written skills were developed These packages aimed to Operational Languages Support Division of Occupational Health personnel are equivalent to those
off-the-shelf software products
for survival. educate and train all ranks about Unit (DOLSU). annual conference, calls for further offered to other nations’ Service
adapted to meet MOD needs.
It seems that the nuances Pashtun Wali – or the Pashtun The DOLAS award is a single work to evaluate the effectiveness personnel and more extensive
It’s your 2-6
of the language presented no way of life. payment for qualification – initial of this support. than comparable UK civilian
particular concern to one of the Most of the training was done or incremental – in a mandated Dr Emma Parry and Dr organisations.
participants. directly by Afghan nationals, who language, ranging from £1,800 Noeleen Doherty of Cranfield “However there has been a
NEED to get your message
Mne Rob Milner joked: brought to the Marines first-hand up to almost £12,000 for expert School of Management and Susan lack of systematic evaluation of
across to the rest of the Royal
“Learning Pashto for a bootneck experience of the cultural values, qualification. Paddock of QinetiQ joined forces the effectiveness of these welfare
Navy?
is like doing 1,000 bicep curls – beliefs and perceptions of the Personnel are strongly to examine the support on offer support practices.
To feature in the Navy News easy.” Afghan people.
encouraged to declare their to British Service personnel and “It is good practice to evaluate
2-6 pages contact Lt Cdr His fellow students stressed the One of the tutors commented:
language skills, tested and their families during separation the impact of these support
Heather Lane or WO1 Baz benefits of their efforts for all “It simply is not good enough for untested, other than English to as compared to a range of civilian provisions, to see whether they
Cooke (Fleet Media Ops) on concerned. the troops to grow a beard, smile the DOLSU. organisations and other nations’ do alleviate the psychological
93832 8809 or 93832 8821, “Being able to communicate and be polite. More details can be found in Armed Forces. effects of separation for both
email FLEET-DCS-INFO-IC SO2 with the Afghans will make our “We must truly understand 2009DIN01-192; or in full in JSP It was found that the military armed Service personnel and their
or FLEET-DCS-INFO-IC WO. jobs easier and safer,” said Mne the Afghanistan people and their 752. provided more assistance in the families.”
News and information for serving personnel
034-035_NN_Feb10 2-6.indd 2 20/1/10 16:57:13
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