21 & 23 to be disbanded?????

[nikolai]

Just before we fell out yesterday one of our captains (at 10coy 4 PARA), no less the company 2ic mentioned that there was a good chance that 21 and 23 could be disbanded on the basis that

- 22 do not particularly like them or rather are not particularly impressed by them
- SFSG are doing a great job in providing quality soldiers to support 22 therefore no need for TA SAS regiments.

He went on to suggest that the natural place to go for all the blokes currently serving in 21 & 23 would be obviously be 4 PARA and we could expect in influx of soldiers.

Is there any truth to this?

[EXREG]

I dont like to speculate, as I dont know the truth.

But I was having a drink the other day with a friend of mine in the SFSG and he was buzzing along the same sort of lines as what you've just said. He said alot of people in hereford and the SFSG where not happy with the standard of the SAS(R) blokes. This was touched on again when a 3 Para friend of my (who was on R&R from Afghan) mentioned that he was not impressed from what he had seen of SAS(R) over there. His words where 'they are keen lads and quite fit, but they dont have the military skills and experience required. They seem more concerned about how they look rather than just getting on with the task'.

Now i'm not putting the SAS(R) lads down, as I was currently training for selection in February 07', but after that conversation I was rather dejected and am considering my options.

My tupence worth anyway....

[SO19]

It really makes you wonder just how redundant 21 & 23 must be if this is actually on the cards. It's not all that suprising either, perhaps inevitable, considering just how potent the SFSG is.

[genco]

I hope that any change can be handled with a degree of sensitivity, these guys work hard and they are a resource that shouldn't be wasted. Hopefully this will turn out to be pie in the sky. I bumped into some guys from 23 at Holcombe Moor back in 1992 and was astonished at the sheer physical effort that they were expected to show in every aspect of their training; they were even barred from the cookhouse and had to sit outside in the pi55ing rain cooking on hexis. That kind of thing takes a degree of character and an affinity for hardship which are rare attributes in today's society.

[monkey_1]

I know that the level of training will not be upto the same level as the regs but what happens if the reserves are disbanded?
Will they be allowed to try for 22.
I am currently training for selection for 21 but now may look at another unit if this rumour is true.

[SO19]

Don't let this sort of speculation disuade you from the choices you make, these sorts of rumours always pop up and the last thing you should do is take them to heart. With regards to disbandonment, not in the forseeable future, is what someone told me.

[monkey_1]

Cheers SO19, I would hate the thought of all that training going to waste if they did disband

[King_duck]

I heard, from my sisters dog no less, that the whole of the TA were being disbanded for the following reasons:

1. They are STABS
2. Some regulars do not like them very much
3. The rest of the army do a lovely job

.......Oh wait.. I wonder what they would do as about one quarter of the army on Ops are TA...Lucky the regular army isn't stretched at all eh?

[neil1955]

Has your Captain by any chance tried and failed selection,

[mfat_man]

.......Oh wait.. I wonder what they would do as about one quarter of the army on Ops are TA...Lucky the regular army isn't stretched at all eh?

Dead right mate