Page 16 - Mind, Body and Spirit No. 105 2021/22

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www.raptcassociation.org.uk
A welcome return to Corps Dinner Nights
So, whilst the maths appear simple, the landscape is complex, and we are working to a moving target given the situation in Europe. What does this all mean for you?
• Firstly, it will impact our inflow requirement, therefore, we must manage carefully our PTI Class One student throughput.
• Secondly, our liabilities within MS, ERI and ATI trades are expected to reshape, so our career management may need adjustments.
• Thirdly, promotion and commissioning rates must adapt to the future structure.
• Finally, as the SMAA mentions, RAPTCIs will be more expeditionary (in particular those operating in Fd Army). This will make the management of PD more complex - a theme of the 2022 Comdt’s Conference.
One area to keep an eye on in the coming years is the Single Officer Terms of Service (SOTOS). As part of Prog CASTLE, SOTOS aims to provide common commissioning types, create simplified promotion rules, delink age for command, increase opportunities for promotion to OF5 (Colonel) and deliver a common training and education pathway. For the RAPTC, this could see significant change in our Officer careers and length of Service – possibly up to 60 years of age. At this stage, the fine detail is unknown, and no implementation date has been set.
In a nutshell, a lot is happening behind the scenes that will impact us all. What will remain constant is the Corps’ strength through its flexibility, agility and resilience. This makes the Corps a force
LtoR: Maj Mark Field, Maj Richie Windard and Mr Gareth Thomas
multiplier and critical element of FS and human capability. Whether you are delivering Physical Training, Exercise Rehabilitation, Adventurous Training, Sport or Health initiatives, each role has a critical part to play in supporting the wider tasks set by Defence and UK Government.
Our Corps strength as of May 22 is below. This is set against an Army WF Planning Requirement figure of 441. This takes into account E1, E2 and our training resilience margin allocation (e.g. ERI and ATI courses, higher education).
Lt Col 4 Maj 24 Capt 33 WO1 20 WO2 57 SSgt 168 Sgt 134 Total 440
Finally, for the Officers, our Mess is back-up and running. Since Covid-19, two regimental dinner nights were held in Nov 21 and Mar 22. It was fantastic to meet Mess members face to face, including the Col Comdt, Comdt, retired members and invited guests. During the dinners the following members were dined out: Lt Cols Steve Collinson, Jimmy Hendrickson, Bob Whitaker and Majs Chris Roberts and Eddie Williams. Here’s to another great dinner in Nov 22!
HQ RAPTC TEAM BUILDING DAY
Capt Joe Foeshew – he’s happy really!! Another hard decision – where do we eat Jade is not getting her hair wet