honey monster

Hi,
Have a look at RAF Regiment Training. You can see videos of guys who have gone through the RAF Regiment training.

Officer of Engineers

HM,

No way in hell am I going to call you honey. What is the Officer Career path through the RAF Regt? I find it hard to see where they could advance beyond company and battalion.

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Chimo

HistoricalDavid

So ultimately is there a point to the RAF Regiment?

It seems to my un-military mind a duplication of effort. You have a separate training pipeline, organisation, ethos and so on for what is essentially an infantry task, or what the infantry could be taught to do more easily than creating a separate unit and one that's pretty small at that. I get the same feeling with US Navy SEALS and Air Force Commandos; very physically demanding, in an infantry way, units belonging to, and importantly drawing manpower from, much more diverse and perhaps technically oriented forces, rather than the Army and Marines.

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HD Ready?

dave lukins

RAF Regiment Officers
RAF Regiment Officers are responsible for leading, training and administering the Gunners under their command. They are also involved in all aspects of Force Protection planning and may perform other duties as part of the RAF Operations Support Branch.

Officers in the Corps spend much of their time planning and training for crisis situations and must therefore be capable of thinking analytically and making difficult decisions under pressure. RAF Regiment Officers lead their Gunners from the front, so must be physically fit and possess an aggressive determination to succeed.

After Initial Officer Training at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell, potential RAF Regiment Officers complete the Junior Regiment Officers Course at RAF Honington. This arduous 24-week course aims to give an officer the skills that they will require during their first tour as a flight commander on an operational RAF Regiment squadron. The syllabus covers section and flight level tactics, range management, signals and management of training.

Successful graduates of the JROC will be posted to an operational squadron, where they will command a flight of 30 Gunners. Thereafter, they will fill appointments that could range from Station RAF Regiment Officer at a large flying station to a Forward Air Controller in command of a small Tactical Air Control Party attached to 16 Air Assault Brigade.

glyn

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Semper in excretum. Solum profunda variat.

honey monster

Hi Chimo,
I don't ant you to call me honey, if you knew me you would know why The Officer Career path is, as you surmise clear up to Squadron (Company) and Wing (sort of Battallion). Then like the gravel bellies, the track follows clearly defined generalist routes through the staff jobs and commanding Units, just like a Garrison Commander. Currently, the career routes for the RAF Regiment officers has grown due to more operational involvement in the Air Force and restructuring of career fields nearly 10 years ago when many more appointments become available.

Officer of Engineers

I am still confused. What are you going to command above Wing? It's not like there's brigade where you could advance to.

VarSity

I guess they are forced to try and muscle in on some of the Tri service posts.

dave lukins

And is that really what you want?...I think not

glyn

Officer of Engineers

Would not a brigade Col be such an appointment?

honey monster

Don't worry Glyn, if things keep moving forward aircraft won't need aircrew - at the moment more sorties are being flown in Afghanistan by British ground crew located in the US than are being flown by aircrew - the sign of things to come. By the way the RAF Regiment is growing its number of Squadrons and Wings whilst the flying squadrons are decreasing to cope with these changes - there are no true flying wings these days.

Per Ardua

honey monster

No need to muscle in, quality will always find its true level. Besides the reason for calling them Tri Service posts is so that Tri - Service personnel can man them - contrary to popular Army and Navy myth these posts can be managed by blue jobs.

VarSity

Didnt mean it in a negative sense.
But high flyers in the Army have alot more options open to them for higher command where as if someone in the RAF Regiment wants a higher command, they really do need to muscle in on the Tri service posts because that's more or less their only option.

It wasn't a dig at the Rock apes, I had a very hard think about joining them myself.

glyn