Page 12 - Mind, Body and Spirit No. 105 2021/22

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this year is no exception, with the Cross Swords and Crown visible on CABRIT, SHADER, RESCRIPT, TORAL, TOSCA, CROSSWAYS and PITTING.
The Chief of the General Staff has frequently mentioned in order for the Regular Army to be successful the Reserve must transform and as such the RAPTC must adapt accordingly. Currently we have 59 RAPTC Reserve PIDs throughout the UK, all in the rank of OR6-7 (Sgt-SSgt) and located centrally at a Unit and this has been the case for many a year, however, we struggle to fill our liability and as such we must transform.
The anticipation is that we will increase our liability from 59 to 90, increase the rank range to OR6-8 (Sgt-WO2), create centralised hubs where the newly recruited RAPTC Reserves managed by the PD RPOC, will be loaned out to units within the AOR (who don’t currently have an RAPTCI) for a fixed period of time, giving Commanding Officers the ability to utilise an RAPTC Reserve on a daily basis, something they currently don’t possess, and finally to introduce Lateral Entrants direct from civilian street with no previous military experience at the acting rank of Sergeant and wearing our cap badge.
“We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are” Max DePree
Finally, HQ RAPTC would not be HQ RAPTC without a project and extremely fortuitously the RAPTC Association was left a substantial
HQ RAPTC in Gibraltar post visting HMS Dragon
sum of money to rejuvenate the Garden of Remembrance at the ASPT. Work is ongoing in this respect and hopefully by the time the MBS has gone to print, work would have commenced on making the Garden a more welcoming and spiritual place for our past and present RAPTC family.
The old MBS opening cliché.... ‘Is it that time again’ – Yes, it is Saunders, so put pen to paper and get scribing! Like most I’m unsure where the year has gone however this always provides an excellent opportunity to sit and take time to look back and remind oneself what exactly it is, we have been up to and how much has been achieved!
Well, my stint at the ‘Death Star’ (Army HQ) has come to an end - Non-GCC PES has lift off and thankfully I ‘think’ I have made it through relatively unscathed! With ‘the ‘Agile’ morning stand’ up, floods of MJP’s and the relentless battle rhythm of Prog OPP a thing of the past I have arrived at HQ RAPTC amongst a band of likeminded Corps men and women and life once again feels a bit more familiar! That said its again time to get my head around my old friend ‘DSAT’!
Taking up the appointment as SO2 Training Development sees somewhat of the completion of a circle. I started here many years ago as ‘HQ APTC - Trg Analyst 3’ in charge of a plethora of courses that include the Health Trainer (Yes, it was that long ago!). Back then it was a very grown up, very professional however sometimes bland and sterile working environment which focussed firmly on JSP 822 as the chosen book of worship! I return to a much more modernistic, pace setting, ever professional organisation that has the welfare and happiness of its workforce at the heart of its mantra.
The Training Development Team consists of a 6 strong pack that rank range from Sgt – Maj, primary outputs involve sitting as the Training Requirements Authority (TRA) for PT Capability within the Army. One of the main functions of the TDT is ensuring the courses we act as TRA for are fully DSAT compliant all fit for purpose. Exval ensures this function and 2021 – 2023 see the team working their way through the entire portfolio of 11 RtL PT and 64 RtL AT courses – seriously no mean feat! In and amongst this are
Members of HQ RAPTC TDT Enjoying a ‘Light’ Morning Read
the myriad of wider RAPTC related corps business that the team are expected to lean into. 2021 was an extremely busy year with the creation of the Physical Training Leader (PTL) Course which saw the entire team’s horsepower produce an excellent product that will allow APTS compliant PT delivery at reach in support of Future Soldier and future operations and deployment.
Op MOBILISE and ‘Future Soldier’ undoubtedly sees a generational change in the Army’s organisational structure and strategic intent. 2022’s RAPTC Commandants Conference homed in fully on this and sets the tone for how HQ RAPTC will shape the way in which the Corps supports CFA’s vision of a ‘more’ ready Army, ‘more’ of the time all over a ‘more’ geographically spread landscape (ever get the sense that we are all being asked to do ‘more’!). Our challenge is to deliver world class physical training to an increasingly dispersed and deployed force.
‘−F+2+4FX8−3F = DSAT’!
Maj (MAA) P C Saunders RAPTC SO2 Training Development