16.1 |
The welfare of Service Personnel
“It is why
… the procurement of commercial aircraft was then put in place, but
they
could break
down as well, and there was nothing more frustrating than hundreds
of
personnel
hoping to get home and then being contained somewhere else,
whether
it was
Cyprus or Oman or Kuwait or wherever …
“These were
real issues, and there were not easy solutions to
it.”51
69.
AM Pocock,
DCDS(Personnel) from 2005 to 2007, told the Inquiry:
“The first
time I went out to Iraq … the subject [the air bridge] was raised
with me
more often
than anything else and, when I came back, I immediately went to
see
the Chief
of the Air Staff, and he was already aware of it, but I made plain
to him
that, apart
from it being a morale issue generally, it was disastrous for the
reputation
of the
Royal Air Force. He understood completely.”52
70.
AM Pocock told
the Inquiry that the problems with the air bridge were very
well
known, and
were regularly discussed in Chiefs of Staff
meetings.53
He
commented that
“if there
had been a solution, it would have been implemented”.
71.
In late April
2003, Lt Gen Palmer wrote to Rear Admiral (RAdm)
Timothy
McClement,
Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff, Major General David Richards,
Assistant
Chief of
the General Staff, and Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Philip Sturley,
Assistant Chief
of the Air
Staff, requesting a subjective assessment of the likely impact of
current
operations
on retention over the short, medium and long term, and how
retention could
be
improved.
72.
RAdm McClement
assessed that Op TELIC would have a positive impact on
retention
in the Royal Navy in the short term (though there might be a
slightly negative
impact in
some areas, including the Royal Marines).54
A key
factor in retention would
be ensuring
that Service Personnel had a period of “relative programme
stability” after
operations,
to enable them to take leave and spend time with family and
friends.
73.
Maj Gen
Richards assessed that there would be a “net benefit” on retention
in the
Army.55
However,
much would depend on how the recovery and recuperation
phases
were
managed; the demobilisation of Reservists required particular
attention. Measures
which would
improve retention included:
•
recognition,
possibly in the form of a memorial service and early
agreement
on the
processes for Honours, Awards and medals;
51
Public
hearing, 16 July 2010, pages 23-24.
52
Public
hearing, 19 July 2010, pages 16-17.
53
Public
hearing, 19 July 2010, page 18.
54
Minute ACNS
to DCDS(Pers), 7 May 2003, ‘Recuperation – People
Workstrand’.
55
Minute ACGS
to MA/DCDS(Pers), 7 May 2003, ‘Recuperation – People
Workstrand’.
15