Page 93 - The Light Dragoon 2024

The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
Extra Regimental Employment My Personnel MA Life
After four years at Regimental Duty, swapping the demands of Field Army tempo for The Staff was a sad but necessary change. Army Headquarters at Andover rarely gets encouraging press from those that have worked here, but I am happy to report that it is a challenging and rewarding environment. I have long believed Light Dragoons soldiers and officers are at their best when being worked hard in demanding conditions. Andover is just that. Everyone here puts in the graft for the betterment of our organisation, and all are pulling in the same direction. The cart we are pulling may have some rickety wheels and need a bit more oil on the bearings, but it is going, and despite the sub-optimal circumstances, we are repairing it in motion.
Eight months in as Military Assistant to Director Personnel and I can assure our esteemed readers that life in a very privi- leged and interesting post is everything I had hoped. The two principals I have worked for are both inspiring people; the selflessness and dedication that they and the rest of the senior leaders show is incredible. As you can imagine, in these fiscally excruciating and politically turbulent times, life near the top of the organisation has been.... interesting. I have decided that ‘dits’ are hard to come by and difficult to spin in jobs like mine, but in my fleeting time there have been a few in the ‘Pers World.’ With every delivery seeming like a culture war, getting new policy or initiatives across the line has been tricky. We have had the New/Modernised/ Future Accommodation Model woes, Appearance Policy (beards), Minimum
‘Follow the Craze’
Income Requirement and changes to Unacceptable Behaviours Policy to name a few. Everything is knotty, and one thing is for certain, everyone feels entitled to express their opinion.
Defence and our Army are currently experiencing what has been described as a workforce ‘Burning Platform.’ The expec- tations of the demographic that we need to feed a bottom-up structure are vastly different to what is or has always tradi- tionally been provided. Fresh ideas, bold initiatives and the tenacity and strength of character to deliver them is what is required. We cannot continue to pin the hopes of our Army on the ideas penned in The Goodbody Report from 1959.
Whilst being kept busy on the ever- increasing suite of Microsoft Applications, I watch jealously as our wonderful Regiment continues to act impeccably and achieve brilliant things. I have always wondered whether it is true when you hear the CoR say at engagements that senior officers are always telling him that The Light Dragoons are one of the best units in our Army. I now know that it is (not that I doubted you, Sir). Director Personnel was a company commander in the Light Dragoons Battle Group on Op HERRICK 10 and remembers that time fondly. He is ebullient of his praise for us and loves to hear the stories that I am so proud to share with him of the achievements our boys and girls continue to achieve.
LCD
Land Command and Staff Course (LCSC)
Formerly ICSC(L) for those that have been through it, LCSC is based at Shrivenham and sees newly promoted Majors embark on two 13-week terms (Foundation and Operations) in prepa- ration to become a staff officer and sub-unit commander. From the outside the course looks pretty similar to those that did ICSC some years back, but compressing (from nine to six months some years ago) has removed and shortened some modules.
Instructing on this course has been a genuine privilege, working closely with three respective intakes of Majors across
the Army gives one new perspective as well as a comfort in knowing the Light Dragoons continues to produce real quality. As an instructor it’s not for the faint hearted though, with a pool of Defence’s most motivated and challenging individuals under stewardship, one must be several steps ahead (inevitably I found myself about 2hrs ahead most of the time), certainly not a restful year, but rewarding nonetheless.
Through the doors in my tenure we’ve seen Majors Will Davies and Jack Pullinger both flying the LD flag. I
imagine they would praise the merits of a fixed programme without interrupted leave and the genuine opportunity for self-development with no-one to worry about but oneself, not to mention two cracking trips to the USA and France, but you’d have to speak to them! For senior Captains considering their future, I urge them to come here, see what Defence and the wider Army really is about and have a crack at a great Initial Grade 2 (IG2) staff job. Regimental Duty is ace, but there is an immensely rich world beyond Captain and LCSC is the gateway to it.
EJQ
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