Page 82 - Journal Compilation

6 EAGLE AND CARBINE
PREFACE
by The Colonel of the Regiment
I am writing my preface following a hugely successful visit by our Deputy Colonel in Chief. I felt proud and priv- ileged to be part of it all. We met many members of the Serving Regiment, were briefed on our new place, our equipment, roles and plans for the future. Through all this, the one the thing that shone through – I guess it was always thus – was the quality of our people, at every level.
As you read through the magazine,
I hope you will be impressed with all
that has – and is – being achieved by
the Serving Regiment, the Association,
our Af liates, our Regimental Trust, our Museum and Shop and the huge number of individuals out there who have been touched by us at one time or another. Congratulations of course to the Editor and his team for bringing it all together.
As a retired of cer, I am reasonably ‘up to speed’ on the national policies that are exposed in the media and on the web but I feel less close to the Army’s detailed plans. During my ve years out of the Army I have tried to stay in touch but I have lost sight of some peo- ple and some detail.
Now, I nd myself in an extraordinary appointment with a 5-year tenure ahead and the prospect of sup- porting three or four commanding of cers in succes- sion. Over my tenure we will recruit at least 20 new of cers and around 120 soldiers. A similar number will retire from the Regiment (there are around 400 serving at any time) and transition to civilian life. A proportion of these will become active members of the Association (which embraces around 1600 members at any one moment) while others will opt out of formal linkages albeit they may stay in touch informally.
Over the next 5 years, around 150 former comrades will pass away while at the other end of the scale some 85 children will be born into the families of the Serving Regiment. We cannot begin to estimate how many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are born into the families of former of cers and soldiers but it is reasonable to suggest that when we include all our families and friends, our network will – at any one moment – include close to 10,000 people. Currently the oldest is over 100 years old and the newest is barely
visible on an ultrasound scan. And, this is just the rst level of our remark- able regimental network, before we add in the military, business associates, people we meet on holiday and the rest.
So, when we re ect on everyone who might impact our personal and pro- fessional lives going forward, both in Defence and elsewhere, the network feels a bit daunting, a bit unwieldy and not completely joined up. This is not to suggest that successive generations have not done a wonderful job of stay- ing in touch but I sense we might all stand to do even better.
The military chain of command is pretty good at inter- nal communications albeit by necessity it is selective in its messaging and tightly controlled. The Armed Services are not always quite so good though at com- municating across the networks in wider society, particular those not seen as contributing directly to Defence.
Since going into business I have been struck by how much easier it is to communicate in the civil- ian world. Numerous channels are available and everyone is quick to seize an opportunity to make progress through personal connections and social media. Networking is seen as an art form in its own right.
Against this background therefore, I am resolved to use my time as Colonel to encourage a programme that might help us in ‘Harnessing our Networks’. I want us to be more intent in supporting the remarkable brand and institution that is The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards: in recruiting, in keeping everyone in touch, in communicating our pedigree, character and skill, supporting the Serving Regiment and the Association as situations demand, in helping those retiring to tran- sition to second careers and to thrive on new paths, providing a useful network for those in business, in catching those that need our help, in supporting our families and, all the while, making a strong and con- tinuing contribution to the Armed Forces, wider soci- ety and our Nation. I judge this to be an important and timely priority.