MARCH 1986
20p
' I -H
I. I.
W I TH f i rst se l ec t i on boa rds s i t t i ng i n May to choose men for the Navy ' s Second Open Engagemen t , many peop l e i nt eres t ed i n th i s new-s t y l e l onger career a re ponde r i ng t he chances of the i r names appea r i ng i n t he se l ec t i on s i gna l i n June . Ass i s t i ng t he Navy i n ca l cu l a t i ng t hose chances i s a comme r c i a l f i rm wh i ch has been mode l l i ng t he r equ i r emen t f or r a t i ngs up t o t en yea r s ahead , Th i s t akes i n t o accoun t t he bes t f or ecas t s wh i ch can be made on f u t ur e r a t es o f no t i ce -g i v i ng ' wh i ch i n t urn has a d i r ec t bea r i ng on t he p romo t i ons and advance men t s poss i b l e i n br anches . The f i gures w i l l be r e -wor ked each yea r as r equ i r emen t s become
c l ea r .
Bu t
wha t
t hey
show a t pr esen t i s t ha t o f t he 6 , 000 or so sen i or ra t i ngs due to ach i eve 22 yea rs r eckonab l e serv i ce be t ween Ju l y 1, 1986 and Decembe r 31 , 1990 , a t l eas t f i ve pe r cen t (Or 300) can expect t he i r names on t he s i gna l i i i June . Some men on " F i f th F i ves " w i l l f ea t ure as we l l . No t i ce -g i v i ng sta t i st i cs up to Ma r ch 31 th i s yea r (e f f ec t i ve t e rm i na l da t es i n Sep t embe r
W i ngs o f Pegasus
STR I K I NG p i c t u r e o f t he Navy ' s mu l t i - ro l e s t r i ke a i r c r a f t : I t was t aken t o ma r k t he l ogg i ng o f a t o t a l o f 28 , 000 f l y i ng hou r s by Ro l l s- Royce Pegasus Ma r k 104 en g i nes as powe r p l an t o f t he Br i t i sh Ae r ospace Sea Ha r r i e r . The p i c t u r e shows an a i r c r a f t f r om t he F l ee t A i r Ar m ' s 800 Squad r on , and was t aken by Ro l l s Royce pho t og r aphe r Pe t e r Sco t t .
1987) w i l l a f f ec t t he f i na l quo t a f i gures - tha t i s t he numbe r t he Navy can keep unde r t he man powe r ce i l i ng i n f or ce f or 1987-88. Look i ng a l i t t l e f a r t he r ahead , t he D i r ec t or a t e o f Nava l Man powe r and Tr a i n i ng says : " Men due to comp l e t e 22 yea rs i n 1989-90 or l a t er m i gh t r easonab l y expec t a t l eas t a 25 pe r cen t chance o f 20E , ac ross t he t hr ee or f our boa rds i nvo l ved , bu t no ou t r i gh t gua r an t ee i s o f f ered , . Chances w i l l gene r a l l y i mprove , yea r on yea r . Men due t o comp l e t e 22 yea rs be f or e 1989 can expec t s i m i l a r or poss i b l y be t t er chances t han ", -
t hose t hey wou l d have had f or a F i f t h F i ve . " One o f t he ques t i ons wh i ch has been pu t to t he Second Sea Lord ' s Pe r sonne l L i a i son Team dur i ng presen t a t i ons i n r ecen t mon t hs has been whe t he r quo t as f or br anches cou l d be pub l i shed each yea r be f or e boa rds . The of f i c i a l answe r to th i s po i n t i s no . " The Boa rd mus t be g i ven some f l ex i b i l i ty t o " t r ade " be t ween g roups o f cand i da t es , accord i ng t o qua l i t y and t o de f e r dec i s i ons by a yea r i n ma rg i na l cases . Th i s i s on l y fa i r , par t i cu l ar l y w i t h i n t he sma l l er ,
mo r e sens i t i ve br anches . " Ano t he r ques t i on i s whe t he r a " r ese r ve " l i st w i l l be pub l i shed. The rep l y he r e is : " A rese rve l i st is un l i ke l y , i n t he norma l course , as your group w i l l be e l i g i b l e aga i n , yea r by yea r , as i t p r og r esses t h r ough t he ' e l i g i b i l i ty ' zone (17-21 yea r s t i me ) . " The quo t a w i l l be app l i cab le t o t ha t par t i cu l ar group ( men due t o comp l e t e 22 yea rs dur i ng one ca l enda r yea r ) as i t progresses and a drop-ou t in 1986 wou l d c r ea t e an ex t r a Tu r n t o beck page
LATEST ad j us t men t s t o t he p r og r amme o f sh i ps l eav i ng and j o i n i ng t he Ac t i ve F l ee t i nvo l ve ea r l i e r - t han-p l anned depa r t ur e o f some o l de r vesse l s . A numbe r o f manpower i n t ens i ve sh i ps schedu l ed t o go a t va ry i ng t i mes dur i ng t he nex t f our yea rs a re now t o l eave th i s year . Bu t t he r e a re no p l ans t o depa r t f rom t he po l i cy o f ma in t a i n i ng an escor t F l ee t o f des t roye rs and f r i ga t es a round t he 50 ma r k , i t was s t a t ed . I n rep l y t o a Commons ques t i on , i t was sa i d tha t on pr esen t p l ans t he sh i ps to be w i t hdr awn i n 1986 are : The des t roye r HMS G l amorgan , t he f r i ga t es HM sh i ps Leande r , Ga l a t ea and Ya rmou t h ; t he survey vesse l HMS Hydr a ; t wo subma r i nes ,
HM sh i ps Orpheus and Obe ron ; and s i x Ton- c l ass m i nesweepe r s . These a r e HM sh i ps B i l des t on , B i ck i ng t on , A i f r i s t on , Hodges t on , S t ubb i ng t on and Wa l ke r t on. Some o f t hese vesse l s wou l d , howeve r , con t i nue to be ava i l ab l e on s t andby s t a tus , whe r e t hey wou l d be dec l a r ed t o NATO . Po i n t i ng t o t h i s yea r ' s ad j us t men t s as w i t hdr awa l o f l owe r- capab i l i t y o l de r sh i ps (a l l a re 20 yea rs o l d or mor e ) as new sh i ps j o i n t he F l ee t , MOD says t hey f o l l ow f rom a rou t i ne scru t i ny o f manag i ng t he f o r wa rd p rog r amme t o ge t bes t va l ue f rom ava i l ab l e r esour ces and manpowe r . DRAFT I NG
-
-
:'.
A t HMS Cen t u r i on t he dra f t i ng i mp l i ca t i ons o f t h i s yea r ' s p l anned ad j us t men t s a r e st i l l i n ea r l y s t ages o f cons i de r a t i on . Wh i l e t he assump t i on i s tha t men w i l l be r e l eased f or dra f t i ng , t he r e i s a t th i s s t age no c l ea r i nd i ca t i on o f t he exac t numbe r s becom i ng ava i l ab l e , nor o f t he prec i se da t es i n vo l ved . I n t he answe r t o a second Commons ques t i on , i t was s t a t ed tha t pr esen t p l ans f or 1987 i nc l ude w i t hdr awa l o f t wo subma r i nes , HM sh i ps Wa l rus and Sea l i on , RFA Engad i ne (he l i cop t e r suppor t sh i p) and RFA S i r Ca r adoc ( l og i s t i c l and i ng sh i p) . BR I TANN I A REF I T " Re f i t i n a comme r c i a l ya rd i s now be i ng p l anned f or HMY Br i t ann i a. To a l l ow t he Roya l Yach t t o con t i nue i n serv i ce f or a t l eas t ano t he r 10 years , t he Gove rnmen t i s cons i de r i ng i n v i t i ng comme r c i a l t ende rs l a t er th i s yea r f or a re f i t i n 1987 . The wor k has been brough t f orwa rd f or ope ra t i ona l reasons , t he Commons we r e to l d , and cou l d no t be ca r r i ed ou t a t t he Yach t ' s Por t smou t h base por t w i t hou t d i s rup t i ng p l anned wor k on wa rsh i ps t he re.