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32 NAVY NEWS, MARCH 2011


Coniston calling


IF ANYONE should be intrigued by the name of Coniston in the email system, the Coniston crew is the MCM1 Squadron Sandown- class crew who are without a hull. MCM1 still runs an eight crew system to fulfil MCMV commitments to


other operations, but with the decommissioning of Walney there are now only seven hulls in the squadron.


Telic and


The crew that is temporarily without a hull – currently MCM1 Crew 3 who have recently returned from HMS Grimsby in the Gulf – is known as Coniston crew. The Coniston company can be found in offices by the MCMV jetties at Clyde Naval Base. Personnel are requested to add the Coniston crew email address for Fleet-wide emails where appropriate.


Fun in the Forces


COMIC Relief have put a shout out to the Armed Forces to fi nd their funny bones once more. The Red Nose charity said:


“Every year the British Armed Forces show fantastic support and we’d like to encourage you, your colleagues, friends and family to do the same again to support this year’s event.” Red Nose Day takes place on Friday March 18.


r.glanville@comicrelief.com, or calling 0207 820 2465.


FAB breaks for families


A NEW website has been launched for Families’ Activity Breaks for bereaved military families. The service offers families the chance to go on an activity holiday with people who have suffered similar losses. Staffed by volunteers from all three Services and MOD civil servants, this is the third year FAB will be providing holidays to families which have suffered loss. Find out more at the new website http://fabcamps.org.uk.


DRST departs


THE Divisional Regimental Support Team (DRST) has been replaced by the Navy Command Executive Team (NCXT) and the Equality and Diversity Investigation Team (E&DIT) has been replaced by the Complaints Investigation and Mediation Team (CIMT). 2011 DIN 01-023 gives full details of the role changes.


THE next 2-6 DVD should be with units this month, and can now be viewed online at RNCom. The main elements of this edition are:


contibutions from the Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Charles Montgomery; IPDT (Individual Pre-Deployment Training) run by the RN Mounting Centre; and a farewell to HMS Ark Royal.


It’s your 2-6


NEED to get your message across to the rest of the RN? The 2-6 TV DVD and Navy


constructive ideas about what should be covered to: ■ RN IC hub – 93832 8809, 93832 8821, FLEET-DCS-INFO- Media Mailbox ■ Pauline Aquilina, 9621


85984


Pauline Aquilina is also the first point of contact for the Royal Navy facebook site. Search for Royal Navy and follow the Service online.


News pages are here to spread the word. Your thoughts and opinions are invaluable. Please forward any


allowances, with


New 2-6 DVD is out now


Find out more at www. rednoseday.com,


emailing


ROYAL Marine WO1 (Corps RSM) Marc Wicks beat off tough competition from within the NATO alliance to become the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer at NATO Headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, in the US. In October 2010 the appeal went out to the 28 countries of the NATO Alliance to put forward one or more candidates for the post at NATO Headquarters, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT).


News and information for serving personnel Royal rates top in NATO


WO1 Wicks was chosen to compete as the Naval service candidate against the other branches of the British military. Successful, he was then put forward to SACT as the UK’s nomination. A short list of 13 from within the Alliance was whittled down to four – Netherlands, Slovenia, Canada and the UK – and the final interview took


place in January at the Norfolk Headquarters. And in July, WO1 Wicks and his family move out to the USA as he takes up his new role. The senior NCO gave thanks to all the people who had helped him in his preparation and the senior officers who had supported him in his bid. He said: “It has been a long process with much commitment and study to understanding the intricacies of the NATO Alliance, but obviously worth it.


“I am particularly pleased for the Naval Service and especially the Senior Rates and Non-Commissioned Officers of our service, as it shows that we should never give up our pursuit for greater challenges, further reach and know that we can have important influence at the highest of levels.”


Kim tells the minister the NFF perspective


ON FEBRUARY 8, the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, Andrew Robathan MP, chaired his scheduled meeting with all three Armed Forces Families Federations, writes Jane Williams of the


opportunity for him to hear what is being talked about by the families supporting their loved ones within the Armed Forces and assists him in gaining a whole picture of how families balance operational commitments with home life. The running order of the meeting saw our counterparts in the Army Families Federation and the RAF Families Federation bring forward subjects such as housing, voting, healthcare and the Armed Forces Covenant, which gave the NFF the opportunity to deliver an overview of just how the operational tempo and RN/RM commitments make their impact. This is a slightly trimmed


version of what Kim Richardson actually said to the Minister:


“IT IS eight months since we met with you last and a lot has happened during that time. In speaking last I will endeavour


to avoid repetition of the issues my colleagues have so eloquently raised with you.


I am also more acutely conscious than ever before that I am speaking on behalf of the Senior Service which also occupies that unenviable position of being the smallest Service. As an aside Minister, in the


seven years I have been doing this job, I have never had so much contact from families asking me when I am seeing you and wanting me to pass a message on. The issues and concerns of


Naval Families Federation. The meeting provides an


of how we care for our injured and lessons are being learned all the time; I see the contribution the IMEG makes as a work in progress. As you know, the Naval


It is still early days in terms


could find out whilst away from home that he doesn’t have a job. How he shares that news with his family from a distance is not something that bears thinking about.


Service family is, in my view, extraordinary. I am told that at the height


of World War 2 the Royal Navy found themselves at sea for around 50 per cent of the time. In 1999, ignoring time in refit or major docking periods, our destroyers and frigates were at sea for 37 per cent of the time. Today 2011, it’s 68 per cent: nearly double and considerably more than during World War 2. 3 Commando Brigade Royal


Marines deploys to Afghanistan again in April. They are the first Brigade to return for the fourth time. Today our Naval Service


beginning of a long process but for some of our people the worry about the future is affecting them now. I believe this is where we have a wider role to play. Talking to the people who engage with our families, and making them aware of the challenges they are facing now, whilst acknowledging that civvy street is having its own difficulties, has never been so important. I received a letter this week from the wife of a serving person.


personnel are expected to spend up to 660 days in three years away from their home port, and therefore their families. This length of separation is much higher and more frequent than either the RAF or Army undertake. I have yet to understand why.


Our families don’t understand it either.


Our lifestyle is the least mobile, least dependant and the cheapest in terms of allowances. Having a serving person away from home is a reality for our families. But,


harmonious across the three Services and this anomaly is most hard felt in joint areas where the Navy is rubbing shoulders with the other two Services. So how are our families? Honestly?


Royal Navy and Royal Marines families are no less important than RAF families and Army families, so I am forewarning you that when speaking about Naval Service families today and in the immediate future I am likely to sound more anchor-faced than usual. I would like to start with some


positives. Introduction of the pupil premium is great news for our families in England and most welcome.


In time I would like to see best practice on how the money has been spent shared amongst all schools. The work of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) Independent Medical Expert Group (IMEG) has been efficient, measured and professional. Our families are fortunate to


have had the time and expertise of Sir Tony Newman Taylor and his eminent colleagues. The message that goes out to the wider civilian medical community is that the MOD cares and is engaged.


harmony really isn’t


would like to read you a couple of sections from it as she is speaking for herself and her neighbours on the patch. It is worth a listen. ‘I am a Naval wife of 13 years with three small children. My husband is driven by a sense of duty to his country, which I admire and respect.


seen, it is always working hard. During his time away in various


ships, my husband has protected Iraqi Strategic Assets and assisted with amphibious tasking in the Gulf. He has provided relief from natural disasters abroad,


Problems with mouldy houses, childcare, dentists etc seem to fade into the background when faced with the uncertainty of whether you have a job in the future. Pensions and where you are going to live actually become a focus for you as you plan for what-ifs. I met a really smashing aircraft handler recently. He and his family have, in the past, accepted that long deployments, separation and the inability to plan life was part and parcel of ‘life in a blue suit’. Headline SDSR and allowance announcements have been made. The devil is in the detail. Many of our families are unable to grasp how more cuts can possibly be made. They are also concerned about the speed at which these changes are being made.


So back to our aircraft handler, he is married to a civil servant who also doesn’t know what the future holds for her, in effect a double whammy. He has two children,


The skill set required to monitor the findings of the IMEG is in place. I have a request on behalf of the


families of the injured, Minister, whilst we are in Afghanistan, the work of this group must be allowed to continue.


six months, and three years. He joined up at 16. He loves the Navy and he loves his job but he has found that the tension at home has increased and the subject of the what-ifs has become taboo. His wife won’t talk about it, she has said that they will deal with things as and when they have to. He admitted to being scared about what the future holds for him and his family.


This guy is one of many who aged


part in anti-piracy and anti drug smuggling operations and in any spare time available the ships have hosted foreign dignitaries and painted orphanages by way of patriotic flag waving.


in patrols as part of EU policy on fishery protection and anti-terrorism patrols in the Irish Sea. These commitments have meant


that my husband has been away for over 2,500 days (more than 50 per cent of their married life) and at some very key moments in the lives of his family.


deployment will be preceded by a two to three month period of work up and sea trials, in home waters but away from home. As a family we make sacrifices


A typical six to nine month In home waters he has taken part taken Although the Navy is not always I I understand that this is the


decisions affecting our lives, take our lives into consideration too. Ships have already been removed from service and there is talk of redundancies, promotion and pay freezes and a change to the pension. I feel that our future is very


uncertain and that our sacrifices may have been for nothing. The Navy is not the whirl of


cocktail parties and balls depicted in post-war movies, it is gritty, hard working and at full stretch. I admire the mature way that the


Government has tackled the economy, cuts needed to be made, it is naïve to keep saying yes without having the means to pay. The defence review felt more financial than strategic and the Navy was hit the hardest.


personal cost?’


struggling to meet its already tough demands but it will continue to do so, at what


The Navy has already tightened its belt as tightly as it can, it is


to look where


System: UK Armed Forces will be issued with the new Personal Clothing System (PCS) to replace Combat Soldier 95 uniform (CS95). 07/11: Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) Web


06/11: Introduction of Personal Clothing


Survey: All Reservist personnel are invited to participate in the Future Reserves 2020 Web Survey. The FR20 Study is about ensuring Defence has the right balance of Reservists within the Whole Force construct, and that they are used in the most appropriate roles.


Galaxy 05-2011: Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) – Independent Review and Survey


GALAXIES


DEFENCE INSTRUCTIONS AND NOTICES DIN 2011 DIN01-018: Offi cial and pastoral visits to Joint Medical Command Role 4 Units. This DIN replaces DIN 2009 DIN01-072, DIN 2009 DIN01-206, and DIN 2008 DIN01-158.


DIN 2011 DIN01-044: Census 2011 and how it applies to the Services. To provide guidance on the responsibilities of the Services to assist in the conduct of Census 2011 across the UK. Completion instructions for Service personnel and their families. DIN 2011 DIN01-045: Application of the Downgrading and Naval Service Medical Board of Survey Process to personnel on the Untrained Strength. This DIN details the requirement for personnel on Untrained Strength who are unfi t to continue full training are to be downgraded and referred to NSMBOS.


In conclusion Minister I would like to acknowledge that what I have said is difficult to listen to, it is also difficult to say. But that is how it is. Minister,


you are our champion! Our website has a poll that asks the question


recent announcements on pay nd allowances made you reconsider your future in the Naval Service’? 80 per cent of respondents have said it has.


‘Have the


we see families putting pressure on serving personnel to leave, the budget deficit will pale into insignificance when we can’t deliver operational capability. I would like to ask you, Minister, to come and hear these views for yourself so today, I am extending an invitation to come and see us at Castaway House, meet the Naval service charities working there and talk to some families who would welcome an opportunity to engage with you directly. I have my diary with me…”


every day without complaint; missed birthdays and Christmases, yet another family holiday without Daddy, difficult decisions to be made, illness and bereavement endured alone.


Many of us have also been unable to sustain our own careers due to the unpredictability of our lives or buy our own homes, all things that most professional people would take for granted. You will not see us tied to railings


We look forward to booking that diary date with the Minister and he has assured us it will take place, so whatever your comment or concern may be, please get in touch. Your experiences form the basis of our discussions.


Tel: 02392 654374 or write to: Castaway House, 311 Twyford Avenue, Portsmouth, PO2 8RN.


or hurling missiles at police. I would not claim to be facing the same traumas as a wife whose husband is on the front-line in Afghanistan but our sacrifices are none the less real. (I should add, they are also long-term, in this case 13 years.) We are resigned to this life and make the best of it and are proud of it too. What we expect in return is that


■ THE Naval Families Federation have launched a new e-update. This email update provides a short, snappy roundup of news and information of interest to Royal Navy and Royal Marines families.


from various sources and brings it all together in one neat lit- tle page.It will be issued every other month.


via: If this translates across and


Offi cers: 2012 Transfer, Promotion & Sea, Air and Command Selection Boards – Instructions to ROs and administrators. This DIN supersedes DIN 2010 DIN01-055. This DIN details the transfer, promotion and command eligibility criteria, selection board and announcement dates, and detailed appraisal reporting instructions.


BFT Temporary Extension (Assignment) Procedure


Issue 02/11 RNTM 026/11: Change to Seaboat Coxswain Training – Pacifi c Mk2 and Jetpac 24


Issue 02/11 RNTM 031/11: HMS Ark Royal Decommissioning and Disposal Issue 02/11 RNTM 032/11: Mathematics aptitude prior to attending WE LET Career Course


Rectifi cation Signal Format – Surface Ships and Submarines


Issue 02/11 RNTM 035/11: OPDEF


Issue 02/11 RNTM 038/11: RN/RM Offi cers Promotion Section – OJAR Checks


The NFF can be contacted e-mail: admin@nff.org.uk,


Redundancy updates


FOR all information on the Naval Service Redundancy Programme, including the lat- est DINS, Galaxies and FAQs, visit the Redundancy site on the RN webpage of the Defence intranet. If you are a manager of civilian


It cherry-picks information


If you would like to join the e-mailing list please e-mail info@nff.org.uk with your name and contact details


staff, the Permanent Secretary Ursula Brennan, has written to all MOD civilian staff about the forthcoming Voluntary Early Release Scheme. If you manage staff who are not currently working in a MOD establishment (secondment, career break, etc.) please make sure this message is passed on to them. More detail in Defence Internal Brief 05/2011.


– Notifi cation of delays in processing Fiji passports


Issue 02/11 RNTM 027/11: Nationality


Infl uenza – Vaccination and Treatment Issue 02/11 RNTM 022/11: HMS Cumberland decommissoning and disposal Issue 02/11 RNTM 025/11: RNFT/


DIN 2011 DIN01-047: The Command Competencies Framework governing suitability for Sea Command. This DIN supersedes DIN 2009 DIN01-202. This DIN contains details of the Command Competencies Framework governing suitability for Sea Command DIN 2011 DIN01-048: RN and RM


Qualifi cation One (CQ1) Process and Standards of Training, Certifi cation and Watch Keeping (STCW) 1995. This DIN describes the changes that have been made to the RN Command Qualifi cation(1) process and the RN/Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) Memorandum of Understanding on STCW.


DIN 2011 DIN01-046: The Command


names, roles and organisation of the DRST and E&DIT. This DIN contains a notifi cation of changes to the names, roles and organisation of the DRST and E&DIT. DIN 2011 DIN01-025: 53rd International Military Pilgrimage to Lourdes. This DIN supersedes DIN 2010 DIN01-045 DIN 2011 DIN01-027: HIVE Information Service – Future Structure. This DIN details the arrangements for the future structure of the HIVEs after December 1 2010. DIN 2011 DIN01-028: Revision of Cost of Living Addition (COLA) Salary Bands. This DIN supersedes DIN 2010 DIN01-017. Details of revision of Cost of Living Addition (COLA) Salary Bands. DIN 2011 DIN01-032: Revised Roles of the Fighting Arm Command Warrant Offi cers. This DIN gives notifi cation of change to the roles and organisational structure of the Fighting Arm Command Warrant Offi cers, effective from January 24 2011 DIN 2011 DIN01-036: Day of Prayer for the Armed Forces – Thursday June 23 2011. This DIN contains details and arrangements for the Day of Prayer for the Armed Forces to be held at St Clement Danes, the Strand, London WC2R 1DH. DIN 2011 DIN01-037: The introduction of Additional Paternity/Adoption Leave and Pay for members of the Regular Armed Forces. This DIN sets out the tri-Service policy for the introduction of Additional Paternity Leave and Pay for members of the Regular Armed Forces.


DIN 2011 DIN01-022: Commitment Bonus (CB) 2011 Scheme. This DIN details Commitment Bonus (CB) – Details of revised values for those joining their respective Service on or after January 20 2011. DIN 2011 DIN01-023: Changes to the


DEFENCE INTERNAL BRIEFS


ROYAL NAVY TEMPORARY MEMORANDA Issue 01/11 RNTM 018/11: Seasonal


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