This country is a complete joke.

'We are going to get laughed at'
OH NO PLEASE GOD NO. NOT THAT.
I mean mass genocide, governmental racism, death penalties, legalised child marriages is fine. But please, not other people laughing at us

Because none of this happens in the UK right? Let's not pretend none of this is happening in the UK. If you think it all isn't then you're incredibly naive.

I'm referring to the Military here, not social and political factors in the UK.

I wouldn't worry too much. Things have been much worse and they always sort themselves out. Before Peyps, the RN was in absolute meltdown and we basically had no Navy. After the first Options for Change, we still had loads of infantry - but as it turns out we were pretty incapable of doing anything with it. Before the Falklands, our Army was much bigger - but as it turns out not very good at dealing with anything other than rolling around the German countryside.


I also would caution against all this Laconophilia. The Spartans were really overrated. The only reason they got to be "professional" soldiers of the day was by not only owning slaves, but effectively enslaving the native Helots. Outside of the Peloponnesian Wars and some sallies against the Persians, the Spartans rarely went to war because they were too scared of a domestic uprising by the Helots. They were also rubbish at Naval Warfare, didn't get seige warfare and were everyone's bitches at Pylos.

Your thread is called 'This country is a joke'

Prison and police is fair enough and respectable, but I really can't even see 1% of the civil service being able to become effective reservists. We are going to get laughed at and not taken seriously.

Lets not pretend the OTC is anything like the regulars, or even reserves. Although the OTC has become a lot more serious in its aims and training standards since 2011 (quite a lot actually to be fair), it's not the same.

I feel that this drive to get civil servants to join the reserves is nothing more than a last stand by the MoD before they admit they were wrong.

Well, 1, no Government department will ever admit they were wrong... but no, it's not just a ploy to do that, or else they'd ask for more than 1% per department.

And I don't see why that would be the case, who's laughed at the members of the TA over the past 60 years? They've always been pretty well respected, as well trained as they could be and keen to get stuck in. The way you're going on about it you make it sound like these reservists are going to be deployed on their own, everybody - and I'm including you in this - knows that that's utter nonsense. They'll only ever get deployed with regular personnel and getting brought into the regular force structure, so I fail to see what the problem is in having a larger reserve force.

Who cares if people laugh at us, when we're in the field we'll still be British Forces and we'll still be effective. Let them laugh - makes our job easier if they're not prepared.

Look at how much men that cost though. How many people were killed due to sheer senseless idiocy and incompetence. Absolutely no planning in the long term, and zero plan of actions for such things such as war occurring. Just about to scrap half the bloody navy, and it was only the Argies that saved us. (And then killed a few hundred more)

I know what the Spartans were. (I used the video as a expression. I would be the Leonidas on the left at some point in the future, and a bunch of reservists/civil servants come along and **** about)

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/reserves-prepare-for-deployment-with-regulars

Pretty much. Integrated into a company means **** all when you are out in the field.

We're never going to make the right decisions long-term. No-one goes into this thinking "let's really mess up the Armed Forces" (except maybe Gordon Brown). Everyone has at least some good intent - it's just that it's impossible to plan and structure for the future and defence projects always, always cost far too much.

I could probably make a good few educated guesses where he next threat comes from in order to plan and structure our future defence and strategic assets. And it would probably end up being cheaper too.

From that very source:

"We will represent around 20% of the group alongside 200 Irish Guards. It is a great opportunity to learn from our regular counterparts while bringing our own unique skills to the operation."

So, they're not deploying on their own. They're not forming the majority or even half of a formed unit. They're learning from the Regulars.

Yeah... that's a disaster...

You think you could. Do you honestly think that no-one in any part of the General Staff or MoD has had any similar well intentioned ideas?

I have a great plan for undermining terrorism and insurgency worldwide, but no doubt it is full of unforeseen holes and consequences. That's why I'm not in MI6.

Honestly? No. I have zero confidence in the general staff and MoD. Maybe there are a few good eggs at staff level like Major General Sanders, but on the whole, no; I don't think they have good intentions.

So you honestly believe that they have ill intent and want to actively make the Armed Forces worse?

Honestly? No. I have zero confidence in the general staff and MoD. Maybe there are a few good eggs at staff level like Major General Sanders, but on the whole, no; I don't think they have good intentions.

Because you know them all...?


The Forces have always been dealt a ****ty stick, you know that perfectly well, but they make them work. Plans right now won't be perfect, hence why an early deployment under the new model is to a place where nothing ever happens bar extinguishing a few forest fires and dealing with sunstroke. Plans will be refined and lessons learned and implemented in the future. Like it has been forever.

Calling it a disaster before it's even had chance to prove you right is nothing more than typical defeatism.