Page 9 - Mind, Body and Spirit 2016/17

to reduce, change to FTRS and or civilianise RAPTC liabilities required to make the above savings. The work that he conducted on your behalf was rst rate and the number of savings contained within each COA was reduced to the absolute minimum, due to constraints imposed, tough negotiation and a very strong justi cation of the requirement to sustain by far the majority of all liability that was in scope.
DCGS was very content with the level of detail within the ECAB paper he was presented, and acknowledged that the constraints placed on the work have resulted in very few savings being identi ed. He agreed that the best way forward was to ‘park’ this work on PTIs until a full review of PD could be undertaken (once we – the Army – understand what we want/need from our PD). In the meantime, DCGS directed that the further Defence studies into ERIs and ATIs that were recommended to ECAB within the paper are progressive, innovative and that they consider a wide range of options. These reviews at the time of writing continue at a pace.
Although this now paints a much brighter picture than that initially presented at the Apr 16 Study Period, we are not out of the woods as yet and there is much work still to do to assist those conducting the further reviews into ERI and ATI liability. However, I am con dent that any reductions, if they come will be at a minimum.
With regards to other areas that the HQ has been working on, I won’t steal their sandwiches and I will let the relevant department heads update you on their respective achievements and work strands throughout the year. What I will say in closing, is that I would like to thank the whole team that support the SMAA and the Corps, they are a very small team, however, they work immensely hard to ensure the HQ delivers a professional and expert PTI capability to the Army; safeguards our Corps ethos by supporting serving and retired members and protects and preserves our RAPTC heritage, they are doing a fantastic job across all spheres. I would speci cally like to thank Capt (MAA) Iain Bareham and WO1 (SMI) Paul Holden, the other 2 members of the SMAA’s outer of ce team, thank you for your unparalleled support and of course for keeping me sane.
Finally and on a personal note, my year plus serving as SO2 P&P has been one of the most rewarding and satisfying appointments of my career, I depart once again to a new challenge and I repeat my opening sentence....to serve at HQ RAPTC as SO2 P&P has been an absolute honour.
L-R Capt (MAA) I Bareham, Maj (MAA) J Hendrickson, Lt Col (SMAA) T Scarr, WO1 (SMI) P Holden
7
As I start my second MBS notes as SO3 R+D,
I wonder whether its old age or the pace of life at
HQ RAPTC, that it seems only a few weeks ago
I made the move south from Catterick and drafted
last year’s notes. Additions to the team has been
fast and furious with rstly Eilis McCallion joining from Loughborough University as a D Pers sponsored
Industrial Placement student for 12 months. She
has brought a huge amount of research experience
to the team and has been invaluable. Secondly
WO2 (QMSI) Duncs Southern-Naylor who is currently
on a ReM PID whilst he completes a full time fully
funded BSc (Hons) in Health and Exercise Science at
St Mary’s University, Twickenham has made the move
from TDT to R+D. The knowledge he has gained from
his degree course has been fantastic and he consistently provides academic evidence to support the various studies the team are undertaking. Thirdly WO1 (SMI) Steve Baker joined the team for some months before heading off for HQ 12 Bde and during his
time, provided excellent advice in numerous areas, most notably within the wearable technology space. Finally WO1 (SMI) Kev Haley brie y joined the team and prior to heading north as SMI ASPT Grantham was instrumental in the success of the UK Armed Forces Team in the Warrior Games in Nellis Airbase in USA.
Since the last notes, the Army Personnel Research Capability has been fully established and endorsed at ECAB level. Having a RAPTC able to link into all areas of physiological research will be very rewarding in the near future. Aligned to this, I was lucky enough to secure funding to attend the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Conference in
Boston, USA. The week was fantastic and allowed me to see the latest research and physical training innovations from the world’s leading academics. I continue to work alongside the team from the University of Chichester producing the new Physical Employment
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CELL
Capt (MAA) RJ Roberts RAPTC – SO3 R&D