NAVY NEWS, MARCH 2011 News and information for serving personnel


Multi-terrain takes over


ISSUE has begun of the new Personal Clothing System (PCS) to replace Combat Soldier 95 (CS95) to British forces.


The new uniform and kit uses multi-terrain pattern on all camouflage items, and other items are in the traditional khaki.


PCS in full consists of combat uniform, ancillary items and waterproof clothing. The combat uniform replaces the camouflage lightweight jacket, trousers and windproof smock, and ancillary items and waterproofs replace the T-shirt, fleece and waterproofs of the current CS95 system. The design of the new clothing items in the PCS has been changed to reflect developments in material technology and lessons learnt from operational deployments. Combat footwear is outside the PCS changes, but a competition to replace the combat assault boot is taking place separately.


will provide a choice of commercially-avilable boots in the same manner that desert boots are provided for operations.


provided in brown as research has shown that black items compromise the performance of multi-terrain pattern camouflage.


However these will be It is expected that this


Commando first, specialist next


Drafty’s corner


The multi-terrain pattern camouflage was introduced in April last year, and replaces both woodland and desert disruptive-pattern material for use in training and operations. This new design in camouflage offers the best performance across the widest range of environments – and will remain only available for military issue. It will not be released for the manufacture of items for commercial sale. Among the guiding principles in the design changes has been the need to offer a layered clothing system to allow for temperature regulations, but also the requirement for protection such as body armour.


Issue of the new combat uniform began this year in line with Front Line Command plans. New recruits will start receiving the PCS from October 2011. It is expected to complete the roll-out by April 2013.


MOST of you will have noticed that the Corps is now rapidly approaching ‘Full Strength’, this is the position where we have the right number of people but not necessarily in the right rank or specialisation, by Lt Col Simon Fuller, Corps


Drafting Officer. We currently have a significant


surplus of General Duties (GD) manpower whilst continuing to manage shortages in a number of specialisations. ‘Full Manning’ has people of


the right rank and specialisation which in the manning world is the ‘nirvana’.


NPT(RM) have been conducting a review of Royal Marines Specialist Qualifications (SQs),


aimed at identifying


a better way of delivering the specialist skills required by the Corps to meet both current, and contingent, future.


operations in the


The result of that review will make us a ‘true Corps of Specialists’,


improve junior


Ancillary items will be available to issue from the middle of this year. Personnel previously issued with CS95 will only receive the new items for operations or to replace CS95 equivalents that have worn out. The current CS95 ancillary items are fully compatible with the PCS combat uniform and will remain in use as long as stocks are available. The new PCS does not


feature the CS95 size ranges but has used industry- standard size ranges which will provide greater flexibility for individuals.


Full discussion of the elements of the PCS and how it should be worn can be found in DIB 2011/06: Introduction of Personal Clothing System.


Afghan report


DEFENCE Secretary Dr Liam Fox delivered in February the latest assessment of progress in Afghanistan to Parliament. He focused on the security


progress in central Helmand, where the majority of UK forc- es operate. He stressed that Afghanistan has 401 districts, but 60 per cent of the violence occurs in nine of these, eight of which are in Helmand and Kandahar.


His full speech can be found on the MOD website and in Defence Internal Brief 08/11.


leadership and provide greater SQ sustainability. Currently we regularly rely on the Direct Specialisation Scheme (DSS) to fill shortages. At present recruits passing out of training expect to serve at least 12 months in a unit free from DSS. This is too short and is often, for numerous reasons, not achieved.


In addition, by focusing on those ranks who have been in a unit for longer than 12 months, DSS frequently targets experienced Marines including section 2ICs, snipers and recce operators. Each of these individuals requires significant investment and time which, given the current operational tempo, makes them difficult to replace.


The system being developed will therefore seek to extend the time spent in a unit, protect people with key skills and improve junior leadership.


In the new system it is proposed


that ranks will spend between 18 months and two years in a unit in a combat company. After that everyone will be expected to gain skills at the SQ-3 level (although how and when ranks make their choice of specialisation is still to be determined).


This will include increasing SQ-3 opportunities so that snipers, machine gunners, and possibly door gunners become Platoon Weapon 3s, and recce operators becoming Mountain Leader 3s. Furthermore we will introduce


a Physical Training Instructor 3s and possibly a Drill 3. Specialising everyone will ensure that the right number of specialists are available in each unit at the SQ-3 level.


It will broaden the number of SQs available to Marines and bring some key skills into SQs. This will give us far greater SQ resilience.


allocation of the section 2IC will also change.


Junior leadership and the


Under the proposed system each section 2IC will be a broadening opportunity for a rank who has completed 18-24 months in an SQ 3 position. Effectively this will mean each Section 2IC will have been in the Corps for approximately four years. In addition, we are assessing whether a ‘fire team commander’s course’ will be created, all of which should significantly improve junior leadership. What you will have noticed is


that everyone will receive extra skills to become a specialist and therefore you will have to specialise to be promoted and as a consequence, in time, all GD positions above Marine will be included in other SQs. This clearly has implications for the GD specialisation and work is ongoing to determine how we will manage senior ranks who are GD now.


These measures, by offering longer in a unit and thereafter far greater broadening opportunities, ie,


providing combat section commander and combat troop sergeant opportunities to more SQs, will make some of the current shortage SQs more appealing and therefore assist SQ sustainability. Junior leadership will be


2SL speaks on CEA survey


THE Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Charles Montgomery has sent out a message to the Naval service regarding the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) independent review and survey. He said: “Since that announcement [of the CEA review survey] there


have been requests for further information and better access to the survey from many Service personnel in receipt of this allowance. “In addition over the past few days there has been a much wider


Service personnel affected or interested that all the single Service Principal Personnel Offi cers are paying close attention to the current public scrutiny of this allowance. “I believe that it is right and proper to review CEA at this time, examining both its continued need and the associated governance of such an expensive allowance. It represents about one third of the Departments’ total spend on Service personnel allowances. “We must ensure that it supports, and continues to support, Service


debate and speculation in the media about the future of this form of fi nancial support to members of the Armed Forces and their families.” He continued: “I take this opportunity to reassure all those Naval


personnel and their families who are mobile for Service reasons. “There may be better value for money ways of doing this and the review will explore them whilst maintaining a very watchful eye for any unintended consequences. “Whatever the fi nal outcome any change that might take place will take time to implement and therefore it is also wholly appropriate that the current allowance criteria and regulations are examined to ensure they remain fi t for purpose. “I am acutely aware that internal opinion on this allowance is divided so it is extremely important that we encourage an open minded, objective review that focuses on genuine Service requirement not a specifi c remuneration method.”


dedicated feedback button for anyone wishing to register comments www.nff.org.uk. This is what the Chair NFF, Kim Richardson has said: “The NFF offers a conduit for the views and concerns of Naval Service families. CEA (formerly known as Boarding School Allowance) is under the microscope again.


personnel who claim CEA (5,500) and a sample of those who don’t (13,500) were asked for a view via a survey.


The question of whether CEA is fit for purpose in its current format was lost in the noise surrounding the questions posed in the survey. To this end the Army Families


Federation have conducted a survey of their own. The current number of CEA claimants in the Naval Service is 1,026, around three per cent of the Royal Navy, at a cost of £20 million to the RN. We are not able to ascertain


THE government review into Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) raised concern and questions from families across all three Services, writes the Naval Families Federation. The NFF website has a


NFF seeks CEA views Across the three Services,


and for families serving overseas. There is also a view that CEA should be reviewed as the costs are too high for too few and it is open to abuse.


that in adopting a static lifestyle they are penalized for being static as this is an allowance linked to mobility.


Some RN/RM families feel


There is a view that the cost of CEA prevents other allowances from being uplifted which could in turn benefit the static population. These are uncertain times for


the Naval Service. The timing of this survey could not be worse. This comes on top of


what the statistic would be if we were looking at the percentage of those who are eligible to receive CEA, as we do not have data on numbers of children of serving personnel.


births with our Unit Personnel Office unless going overseas or claiming CEA (the Army do). We have had some contact regarding CEA and I feel it is only fair to let you, the families, know that the current feedback has fallen into two distinct camps: Those who are all for it, feel it shouldn’t be touched, left as is and in some cases should be uplifted. It is seen as a contributor to


By tradition we do not register


operational effectiveness and is vital, in particular for our single serving personnel with children


improved and many of the key skills attained at the Marine level will be protected. What I hope you will also recognise, is that by enabling everyone to serve as a Marine in a unit, and by giving greater broadening opportunities from LCpl upwards to SQs, we will ensure that we all remain ‘Commando first’ and now SQ second, thus making us a true Corps of specialists. More information on ‘Commando First’


circulated soon. If you have any queries please speak to your Career Manager or Specialisation Advisor.


will be


future of Service Families Accommodation, a two-year pay freeze, the cost of living increases and changes to tax and national insurance. At what point do we say ‘enough’? We, the NFF, are clear that there is a place for CEA, but our remit is to represent your views. We want to hear from you. Email your comments to admin@nff.org.uk. What do you think? We will ensure that your views are represented in MOD and also up through the RN Chain of Command. MOD have undertaken to get the three Families Federations together in mid March to discuss the emerging options and give an opportunity to represent the views of the respective families. Over to you...


From estates to infrastructure


ON APRIL 1, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) will come into effect, replacing the existing Defence Estates organisation and encompassing TLP property and facilities management. Funding and staff will be transferred to DIO between April 1 and


March 31 2012. The new organisation is designed to give Armed Forces and their families the best possible facilities in which to live and prepare for operations. More information can be found in DIBs 09a/11 and 09b/11.


Changes to nature of HIVE


THE HIVE UK & Overseas information service is now delivered on a single-Service basis. The nature of the service stays the same, but each branch of the military will use its HIVEs for its own specifi c requirements. The HIVE Europe, which covers UK Service personnel


in Germany and Western Europe, remains unchanged. The RN/RM HIVE service now


reports to Fleet’s Naval Personal and Family Service (NPFS), and the RN/RM HIVE manager can be contacted on 93785 4644 or CTCRM-LDGR-RNRMHIVE.


pensions,


concerns over allowance changes, redundancies,


the


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