Saturday - January 16, 2010

A NEW “TOUCHY-FEELY” TRAINING GUIDE FOR BATTLING BRIT RECRUITS?  oh dear oh dear

‘If you are telling soldiers what to do at every stage, a typical command style, what happens when that individual giving the orders isn’t there? You can get paralysis. We don’t want soldiers to be robots.

Gee, I’m not even a Brit and I think I resent that.  I’m sure the new guys are pretty fearsome in their own way, I don’t think the Army here is gonna become a bunch of wusses, BUT ... Robots?
The Brit soldier has NEVER shown himself to be any less brave or any more robotic then anyone else. And as for robots, that’s crap.  Their wartime achievements and in fact even where all they managed to achieve was less then victory, are still awe inspiring. Robots hell. Where do these new age jerks get that from? I know too many ex-Brit servicemen who are pretty tough hombres, and there isn’t anything robotic about em.
Those kids fighting and dying or coming back maimed from Afghanistan are hardly robots.  I read the reports here of the heroism exhibited by these young people in combat over there.  At my younger best I could never be as good or as tough as the things I’m reading about them. 

I would not argue against the case however that there may well be some in authority who overstep the bounds of good training and behavior. We’ve all of met those sorts.  The bullies in any army are a disgrace to the uniform and their service. I’m not blind to that.

Anyway, I have long admired the guts and bravery of the Armed forces here.  Although I have to confess I’m a little nervous about what’s become of the Navy, especially after that fiasco with Iran a couple of years ago.

‘Would you mind standing to attention?’ Sergeant majors told to adopt touchy-feely approach

By Ian Drury
Saturday Mail

Eyes bulging with fury, cheeks purple and moustache bristling, the sergeant major draws himself to his full height and yells: ‘You ‘orrible little man!’

This is the memory for generations of cowering recruits who have incurred the displeasure of the dreaded tyrant.

To the dismay of traditional disciplinarians, however, such scenes are being consigned to history.

Commanders have decided that, in a changing society, a gentler approach is required.

Young soldiers, they say, should be coaxed, reasoned with, and allowed to think for themselves.

Rather than simply shouting and screaming orders, military instructors are encouraged to ‘be progressive’ and discuss tasks with recruits.

All this will doubtless be welcome to the modern-day soldiers spared the kind of tongue-lashing memorably dished out by Windsor Davies, pictured, who played the fearsome Sergeant Major Tudor Williams in the 1970s TV comedy It Ain’t Half Hot Mum.

No more shouting: Touchy-feely military instructors are now replacing fearsome types such as Sergeant Major Tudor Williams

But veterans raised concerns that the new touchy-feely approach could lead to a lack of discipline.

Ex-recruiting sergeant Fred Burden, vice-chairman of the National Malaya and Borneo Veterans’ Association UK, said: ‘The Army is getting too soft on recruits.

‘The British Army has been the finest in the world for years, so what is the point of changing now? If you don’t shout orders at recruits there’s a risk they won’t concentrate.’

The overhaul came after a series of investigations revealed unacceptable levels of bullying in the Armed Forces.

The measures are being put in place at the Army Recruiting and Training Division’s Staff Leadership School (ASLS) in Pirbright, Surrey. Around 4,500 officers have been trained about the need to be able to motivate, encourage and enthuse trainees’.

Lieutenant Colonel Matt Fensom, Commanding Officer at the ASLS, said there were ‘limitations’ to traditional training techniques.

He said: ‘If you are telling soldiers what to do at every stage, a typical command style, what happens when that individual giving the orders isn’t there? You can get paralysis. We don’t want soldiers to be robots.

‘We need them to think for themselves. This is about getting the best out of recruits.’

The Army has also commissioned research into psychological techniques to identify personality traits that could hold back soldiers, such as lack of confidence, fear of failure or stress.

Staff Sergeant Paul Campling, 37, from the Royal Tank Regiment, said the style of training marked a significant change for the Army.

But he added that recruits could still be bawled out if they got an instruction wrong.

‘There is still a time and a place for a one-way debrief or barked orders but people are happier now because the communication is better.’

SOURCE

Posted by peiper     on 01/16/2010 at 08:53 AM   
Filed Under: • Battling Brits • Nanny State • UK •  
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