E d i t o r / C h a i r m a n
EDITOR’S words W
elcome to the Summer issue of Envoy. Let’s hope this sun stays with us for a glorious season.
I had the privilege of attending the Chelsea Flower Show last week. The floral Chinook was there as a tribute to the men and women of the Armed Forces and we hope to carry a piece on the work Help for Heroes is doing in support in the next issue.
If you haven’t already had a look at our website then please take a quick peek. I think (hope) you will be pleasantly surprised. The aim is to keep you informed with up-to-date stories and snippets we think will be of interest to you as someone with a family link to the RAF. As an incentive, the Royal International Air Tattoo have offered two pairs of tickets. All you have to do is find ‘Bobby the Brave’ amongst our web pages – more details on the Readers’ Offer page.
Good reading. The Editor
From the Chairman E
vidence, evidence and more evidence! That’s what we need if we are to influence future
personnel policies that impact on all the different types of family that exist within our community today. I have recently been accused of raising expectations of policy change that might not be deliverable due to funding or other constraints. My robust response is that the Federation is here to represent what RAF family members want, the challenges they face and the way they feel about the RAF’s support to them in an era of non-stop operational activity, high levels of separation and increased economic uncertainty.
It’s up to those in authority to assess the independent evidence we provide and make the important decisions regarding affordability and prioritisation. For those in authority who may say that the changes we seek are simply unaffordable, we respond that investment now might save significant sums in the future. In our view, supported by many conversations with family
4 Summer 2010
members frustrated by current policies and provisions, future recruitment and retention could be critically undermined if the MoD fails to modernise. It goes without saying that, in our view, the strength of the Armed Forces flows to a large extent from the support it receives from its families.
The Services must recognise that family life is continually evolving and that, if they are serious about family support, they must continue to invest in families as a key part of the moral component of war- fighting. Reassure the Serviceperson that his or her family members will be given the best support available and that uniformed individual will be able to focus entirely on his or her operational role. Leave the Serviceperson with any doubts on this front and any cracks in his or her motivation towards the Service will become chasms, creating massive challenges for those seeking to deliver operational effect, not to mention the devastating impact such stresses can create within family relationships.
Our hope is that the Strategic Defence & Security Review will address the needs of
Service families and place people at the heart of the Review, rather than consider the impact of strategic decisions on serving personnel, their families and veterans as some sort of consequential after thought. But above all, we hope for honesty and clarity. If, indeed, many of our people’s aspirations cannot be met, we hope that the politicians and senior staffs will have the courage to tell the truth and we can then all help to manage expectations.
Right, off the soap box! What have we got to look forward to this Summer? Well, we are about to hit the road again with our interactive evidence-gathering workshops so please come and join us, cast your votes, and provide the evidence we need to really influence change for the better. If you’ve got a view on family life in the RAF (and most of you do!), why not share it with us and allow us the opportunity to represent your views at the highest levels.
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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