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Corps ASM: An Update Nine Months In
Corps ASM
An Update Nine Months In
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WO1(CASM) Daniel McNeil is a third of the way through his tenure as the Corps’s Senior Soldier. This month he provides an update on what he’s working towards at the moment.
Ihope all of you, your fellow Soldiers and those dearest to you are keeping well through these very challenging times. It is an absolute privilege to have been asked to write in The Craftsman as the Corps’s Senior Soldier and something I certainly never thought I’d be doing 20 years ago as I walked through the gates of the Army Training Regiment Pirbright. I have been Corps Artificer Sergeant Major now for a little over nine months and it has been a hugely rewarding and often very humbling experience. I didn’t realise the scale and complexity of the work that occurs in the small team that is the Regimental Headquarters when I came into the role, but I certainly do now. The REME Skills Review is one of the Corps’ biggest projects right now; at its heart is the belief that we have top class REME engineers and technicians, but we need to move forward to ensure that we provide our people with the right skills to realise the opportunities offered in an Army that is changing quickly. The Skills Review’s intent is to highlight that, by regrouping, upskilling and/or reskilling, we have the opportunity to address an emerging capability gap before it impacts on our ability to support an Army that is undergoing modernisation and transformation at pace.
Over the initial third of my tenure, I have focused on getting after a few things that were important to the RSMs, ASMs and SSMs when I asked for their input during the respective WO1 Forums held at Lyneham very early in my tenure. The common threads from all of these cohorts were: that we needed to communicate a bit better than we were doing across the Corps; our trade training has got to improve to better reflect the needs of the Field Army we serve; we needed to improve on how we welcome our Soldiers into REME. I believe we are making progress on all fronts thanks to the efforts of
The recently appointed Recruitment Champion, WO2(AQMS) Gary Hooson The Corps ASM, WO1(CASM) Daniel McNeil
the RHQ, our Trade Champions, the MTI Champion and the newly announced Recruiting Champion. Keep an eye out for some notices advertising some of this good work in The Craftsman Magazine very soon.
The Corps Colonel has also pushed me hard over the last few months to have a look at our Mental Health Plan and how we can better support OPSMART, which went to full operating capacity in Nov 2020. Our new plan for 2021, aptly titled ‘Lifting the Decks’, will shortly be released to Commanders across our Battalions, Workshops, LADs and organisations. You may have already signed up for the ‘Lifting the Decks Virtual 10K’ which is part of our push to advertise the plan’s release, get people out exercising and even earn a medal for your troubles: a healthy body = a healthy mind. The tenpoint plan will provide Commanders with a simple toolkit to use as, how and when they see fit. It isn’t a tick box exercise - just a few helpful suggestions, strategies and available courses to ensure that we are all prepared to assist when that person chooses us to confide in that they are not doing ok.
I have now visited over 40 REME units and the common takeaway from everywhere I’ve been is that our Soldiers are impressive people and the ethos of ‘Soldier first, tradesman always’ is clearly as true today as it was in 1942. I was in the North West of England recently and was fortunate enough to spend some time with troops from 1
and 2 Close Support Battalions and 6 and 7 Regiment RLC LADs. They were there to train civilian staff on how to conduct Lateral Flow COVID Testing in support of Op RESCRIPT. The feedback from those they were supporting was simply outstanding, most notably for our Junior Commanders. The NCOs I met were motivated, knowledgeable, personable and really empowered. It was meaningful work with huge responsibility and being carried out ‘quietly and very professionally’ in the words of Lancashire Police Chief Constable, Terry Woods. I left buoyant and very proud. Our troops very seldom let us down when given a task. Trust them and delegate more to them – they will deliver.
Finally, please let me know if I can do more for you. Engage with me and keep me straight. I am your conscience as our Senior Soldier and will always represent your views. I look forward to seeing more of you throughout the remainder of my tenure.
Arte et Marte.
