RAF Regiment Restructuring - Confirmation

[RobboDwyer]

Well then dunno how many wannabe rockapes on here regularly check up on whats happening in the news in the raf but the following link to the RAF site details the squadrons that will be majorly effected by the changes to bge made to the Regiment in the coming years. Anyways Have a butchers lads.
http://www.raf.mod.uk/news/news_0507_07.html

[rockapemk1]

Wouldnt suprise me TJD.

IMO I think they are trying to strip the Regiment right back to regular infantry regiment. I foresee alot of work with TPW in the future....

[Rockape]

So far, II Sqn have had their overall number of parachute billets cut down on the Sqn to double figures. The loss of the parachute capability completely is a real possibility, due to the overall cut in para billets across all 3 services.

Semi-good news is that there will be up to 40 RAF Regt slots within the new Joint Special Forces Support Group.

[aes69]

The RAF Regt & TPW thing looks very likely, even to the extent that we're moving the search dogs under the FP banner to Honington, very soon!

[rockapemk1]

So you would have Rock dog handlers?Or would this remain on the RAFP side of things?

40 slots for the what??Joint Special Forces Support Group?

[Devils_Advocate]

Rock stranglers - not in the short term! The RAF Police and Regt are now under the FP umbrella. TPW is in the Honington ORBAT, and may locate there in strength sooner or later.

JSFSG - Basically will consist of 1 Para, RM, a few RAF Regt and other 'specialists' to provide dedicated support to SF. This idea apparently gained support after Op Barras (I think) when the Para provided support to the SF rescue mission in Sierra Leonne. The group will provide the support that will mean that the SF do their core activities. Some if not all of which are beng done 'in house' at present. In Afghanistan whole Sqns of SAS were doing 'infantry' jobs in support of core activities. Miss employed by all accounts.

There is a consensus that there is no longer a requirement for para deployable troops. Firstly, when was the last time they were used in that role? Suez I believe, please correct.The RAF does not have the capability to drop paras in sufficient quantities at the same time to make it a viable method of insertion. They may have with the C17, but it not going to be used in that role. One vision is that the only troops with a requirement for para insertion are SF and SF Support.

The same could be said for arctic warfare cadre as well. They could be employed in certain current areas of ops, but are not. They werent used in the Falklands either, the Guards fresh from ceremonial went instead. That debate is still doing the rounds!

[rockapemk1]

Ah right.
Think your right DA, i've read the book "Op Barras" and it was 1 Para who deployed with SF.

Fair one, I wasnt aware of what JSFSG was.

[Leigh Dowell]

Arctic warfare cadre, there is a name that hasn't been used for years for a unit(Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre) that hasn't existed for years, re: the Falklands look up Top Malo House.
It was Brigade Patrol Troop when I left and it deployed with the brigade in N.Iraq, Kosovo and were lead elements on the invasion of S.Iraq last time around. It is to 3Cdo Bde what the Pathfinders are to it's brigade.

[Long Timer]

And another rumour, now from 3 different (and reliable sources) that II are going to loose their para capability - anyone else heard this!!

Same rumour comes round every couple of years, and has done for around the last 20.

The new 'Ranger' SF Support Unit (JSFSG) is just about to be formed, RAF Regt is expected to provide a sizable part, and volunteers are currently being sought. Long term, II will no doubt become the main feeder unit and those non II pers who volunteer will probably have to do Pre-Para first. Anyhow, that just about fixes II's and the Para capability for the medium term.

[Rockape]

Long Timer wrote:

RAF Regt is expected to provide a sizable part

Not strictly true. The rough breakdown is Army (1 Para) filling about 2/3 of the slots, the Royal Marines filling the vast majority of the other 1/3, and the RAF Regt filling the remaining slots (which equates to about 5% of the unit).

II Sqn is the obvious source for guys to fill the RAF Regt slots, however anybody can volunteer from across the Regt, as long as they are in the rank that is being sought and are parachute trained, pre-para qualified or willing to do pre-para. II Sqn would unable to fully man the RAF Regt requirements for JSFSG as it would cripple the squadron in manpower terms.