Page 101 - The Bugle 2018

Foreword by The Commanding Officer
It has been an interesting and varied 12 months, (Wales, Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter & South-
during which time the structure and shape of the Battalion has changed again. At the same time the relevance and utility of the Army Reserve has at times been questioned. Army 2020 (Refine) resulted in the creation of 8 RIFLES, with E Company (Shrewsbury and Sparkbrook) re-sub- ordinating from 6 to 8 RIFLES last November. The re-subordination went smoothly and I wish E Company and 8 RIFLES all the best for the future. That left A Company 6 RIFLES comprising Hereford (Pl), Gloucester (Coy HQ, 2 x Pls) and Bristol (Pl). As a result of significant growth in Bristol, a Pl detachment now has 80+ trained Rfn on its books. A Company comprises just under 200 Riflemen and spans 3 counties. In my opinion this is too large and beyond the span of a single Company. I have initiated the work to re-establish B Company (Bristol, Taunton and Bath), which will resolve the imbalance of A Company whilst also re-establishing a Rifles’ presence in Somerset. The limiting factor is infrastructure, but a recent meeting with Head of RN Infra suggests there is a possible way forward; watch this space.
Op FORTIFY continues to be the main effort after support to operations and recruiting continues at pace with 150+ potential new Riflemen waiting to join 6 RIFLES. The growth of the Reserve has not been helped by the well-publicised problems with the recruiting IT system, but the recruiting teams have worked hard to identify and exploit work arounds, so that its effect on the pipeline has been managed. The ROSO, Capt Chris Gillespie, and his teamofRSUSOsandCONCOsaredoingagreat job in positioning the offer and maintaining a very active pipeline. The recent decision to retain the RSUSO post until 2012 is very welcome; we must now ensure we exploit this post for both regular and reserve recruiting. There is more that can be done to synergise recruiting across the South West, which will benefit both the regulars and reserves.
Officer recruitment has been a major success story over the last 2 years and another 6 newly commissioned officers joined the Battalion over the summer. The links between regional UOTCs
ampton) are delivering enthusiastic and capable young officers who are having an immediate impact when they join their companies. The Lead First scheme is a hidden gem and it has the potential to support both regular and reserve Battalions. Over the last 3 years 6 RIFLES have had 3 Lead First officers, who have benefitted from a year on an FTRS contract and the opportunity to combine regular and reserve service. Most of these officers go on to be regular RIFLES’ officers and so Lead First is an opportunity to identify, select and develop talent which will benefit all Riflemen in the long term.
The challenge over the last year has been to sustain the offer to our Riflemen. It is important to know why someone joins the Reserve, what they want and to manage those expectations. In discussions with our new Riflemen I am always impressed by their maturity, commitment and enthusiasm for what the Reserve offers. They are looking for something different. Something above and beyond what is available in their civilian lives. They want to be part of something, make new friends, run about in the woods and use state of the art weapons; 6 RIFLES can deliver that in spades. They also want the opportunity to test themselves alongside their regular counterparts, be it on exercise in Kenya or Belize or on opera- tions in Iraq and Afghanistan. There have been questions this year as to whether it is prudent, at a time of constrained finances, to use the reserve for reinforcing regular units. It is my opinion that REINFORCEMENT, RESILIENCE, REHABILI- TATION and RECONSTITUTION (the updated Reserve narrative) are linked and you cannot have one without the other. The Reserve and 6 RIFLES have changed significantly for the better over the last 5 years. The ‘beer and skittles club’ is long gone and in its place, is a professional, committed and capable force which is able to and wants to take its place alongside its regular counterparts. Using the Reserve will not only support retention but support longer term capability development of the Whole Army concept.
Massed Bands Finale
THE RIFLES
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