It is only a few weeks since my first appearance in Soldier but a lot has happened in that time – not least in world events.
There has been an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and fighting has been intense in Ukraine. Closer to home, we have had the publication of the strategic defence review, which I think is good for our army. For the first time in many years, the armed forces are growing rather than shrinking.
The review enables a new way of fighting; one of ever-increasing lethality over ever-increasing distances. We have fresh equipment coming and it also plans to spend £1.5 billion of new money to enhance our soldiers’ accommodation and welfare. The good news does not stop there.
Our recent pay award is also welcome. The 4.5 per cent rise, when combined with our pay system and increases over recent years, is really positive. But while cash might be available for defence, what we don’t have lots of is time.
We know that CGS has mandated that we double our fighting power by 2027 – so that’s less than 550 days to achieve it. This can be done, but it is going to take a concerted effort. I want us to focus on what we can control rather than worrying about the outcomes we cannot.
This means taking ownership of our personal prep and taking every opportunity to train – do PT, get out on the range, work on navigation or medical drills. And it goes without saying we must all stay on top of our trade or arms-specific skills as well.
In the last few weeks I’ve visited the NCO Academy at Sandhurst. It has come a long way in a short space of time and I had the privilege of giving a Tea and Toast talk – there have been a fair few of these now. In addition, the Land Warfare Centre pages distil learning from Ukraine plus updates on the Middle East. Remember, at its heart soldiering is a team game.
The more we work, play and think together, the better we will all be.
