Memorandum from the Ministry of Defence
CARE FOR SERVICE RECRUITS AND TRAINEES
This memorandum provides a broad outline of
the principles underpinning the Department's training policy and
procedures. The statistical and other detailed information requested
by the Committee follow this memorandum.
INTRODUCTION
1. The United Kingdom's Armed Forces, both
Regular and Reserve, have justifiably gained a world-wide reputation
for their professionalism, proved across a wide spectrum of operations,
including war fighting, peace support, and counter-terrorist operations.
Britain's Servicemen and women have invariably risen to these
challenges. While there are many factors that have contributed
to their success, one of the most important has been, and remains,
the high quality of individual training and education that Service
personnel undertake throughout their careers.
POLICY
People
2. Our people are our single most valuable
asset. As one of the UK's largest employers, we seek to recognise
and value all employees and the individual contribution they bring
to the organisation. We seek to develop their skills and talents,
irrespective of their religion, race, gender, sexual orientation
and their cultural or social background.
3. The Armed Forces train for war. They
require individuals to perform tasks ranging from the highly technical
to the intensely physical, at their most demanding under the stress
of combat. We draw personnel from across the whole of society
and the educational attainment of recruits varies from personnel
with literacy and numeracy deficiencies to those with postgraduate
qualifications. The training system builds on this diverse intake
to develop the individual and to ensure they are equipped to fulfil
the diverse roles they will perform throughout their careers.
Training
4. The overall defence personnel objective
is to ensure the provision of sufficient, motivated and capable
personnel to deliver defence capability.
The individual training and education opportunities
available within the Armed Forces are key factors in recruiting,
retaining and sustaining personnel. Regardless of the level of
personal ability on joining, the Services seek to maintain a training
environment in which all individuals can realise their full potential.
5. The Services are the single largest training
and development organisation in the country, and a high proportion
of this training is delivered to adolescents at the beginning
of a very challenging career. Today's recruits generally have
less understanding than previous generations of the unique challenges
and demands of service in the Armed Forces, and of the opportunities
available. The Services remain a demanding profession, requiring
self-discipline, dedication and, potentially, self-sacrifice in
a variety of unfamiliar and stressful situations. Military training
requires uncommon levels of fitness, commitment and determination.
Thus, for many recruits, the transition to a military culture
represents a decisive moment in their lives and substantial change
takes place over a short period of time. The training environment
is their first introduction to the military way of life and inevitably
shapes their attitude to a potentially long career. It is thus
essential to establish desired attitudes and behaviours from the
outset.
Care
6. We take our responsibilities to care
for recruits and trainees very seriously, as is shown by published
policies and instructions, training and management of instructors,
the supervision by unit commanders at all levels and the provision
and ready availability of medical and welfare support.
7. Part of that responsibility to care for
trainees is to provide them with training that is as robust as
possible, to help them to take their place in a physically and
mentally demanding operational environment that may be unpredictable,
violent and dangerous and which may require them to apply lethal
force in a disciplined manner. Teamwork and discipline are paramount
to success, but the training must also enable individuals to have
the confidence and ability to take the initiative, when and where
circumstances dictate.
Responsibilities
8. The Service Chiefs of Staff are individually
accountable to the Secretary of State for the delivery of operational
capability, which is achieved through the effective combination
of a number of "pillars", including personnel and training,
equipment, doctrine and concepts, logistics and force structures.
Training is delivered through individual and collective elements,
the latter being the responsibility of the operational Commanders
in Chief (and General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland), to
meet their own military output requirements and those of the Chief
of Joint Operations.
9. Some 50% of individual training is provided
through 5 Training Agencies (the Naval Recruiting and Training
Agency, the Army Training and Recruitment Agency, the Training
Group Defence Agency, the Defence Medical Education and Training
Agency and the Defence Intelligence and Security Centre). The
operational commands are the principal customers of the Agencies
and also deliver the balance of individual training. Education
for personnel is provided across the Department.
10. The Director General of Training &
Education provides the central strategic policy focus for Defence-wide
individual training and education. He is also the MoD focal point
for other Government Departments, external education providers
and auditing authorities. The Director General of Training &
Education may, from time to time, be responsible for the delivery
of discrete individual training and education change programmes.
PROVISION OF
MILITARY TRAINING
11. The military training system is designed
to produce personnel, in each of the Services, who are trained
for high intensity conflict. This training provides the foundation
for training for the less intense, but equally demanding, peace
support operations.
12. In order to achieve these complementary
tasks the Services ensure that the training that they deliver
follows the following broad principles:
— Inculcating, from the outset, an
understanding of the Armed Forces and the demands they place on
the individual.
— Understanding the specialist role
and skill required of the individual at a given position in the
structure.
— Command, Leadership and Management
training conducted at all rank levels to foster an operational
working relationship of intelligent teamwork.
— Developing, on an ongoing basis,
mentally and physically robust individuals who have the flexibility
to cope with the range of challenges they may face.
— Specialist training across the wide
range of career avenues required to generate the operational capability
of each Service.
13. To meet its complex training commitment
the Armed Forces use a combination of individual and collective
(or team) training. Initial training focuses on providing the
core single-Service competences to give recruits a sense of their
own Service's ethos as well as the confidence to function in the
operational environment. Phase 1 training is delivered on a single-service
basis, although training must also allow individuals to adapt
quickly and efficiently to a changing operational environment.
More joint deployments and joint force structures require greater
exploitation of training synergies across Defence and, to that
end, the planned formation of the Defence Training Establishments,
where some Phase 2 (specialist skill) Training will be delivered
in the Joint Service environment, is an essential development.
Phase 1
14. Phase 1 Training is the initial training
in basic military skills and the inculcation of single Service
ethos required by all personnel. Trainees spend, on average, 12
weeks in Phase 1 Training. Whilst there are some differences in
the delivery of the Phase 1 Training determined by the particular
environment in which each Service operates, there are many common
elements, which assist the transition from civilian to Service
life.
15. Many recruits are living away from home
for the first time, and have responsibility for all the personal
administration that they may previously have taken for granted
or left to others. Learning to live together, building self-reliance
and the instilling of teamwork are paramount, together with the
essential, parade ground drill, which helps to bond individuals
into a team instilling pride and help discipline. Everyday living
skills are also covered to ensure that all Phase 1 recruits attain
the highest personal standards and take a pride in both their
appearance and their surroundings. Physical education and sport
feature in all these initial courses, but academic subjects are
not neglected. The skills that are needed to survive under field
conditions are taught and tested through mini exercises.
Phase 2
16. Phase 2 Training is the initial specialist
training, which gives Service personnel the necessary skills for
their first employment. On completion of Phase 2, which normally
follows on directly from Phase 1, Servicemen and women join the
trained strength of their Service and are employed in their chosen
skill area. The time spent in Phase 2 Training varies from a few
weeks to over a year for highly technical training. Whilst there
is no universal template for Phase 2 Training, some common threads
exist across all courses. These include the teaching of essential
elements of academic knowledge, together with the practical skills
that the trainee will need to employ in his or her front-line
employment. Additionally, Phase 2 Training recognises the newness
of the recruits and continues to build their military skills and
knowledge and to reinforce the ethos of the Service they have
joined.
Phase 3
17. Phase 3 Training develops the skills
of Service personnel for further employment and greater responsibility
throughout their career. It increases their skill base, meets
career aspirations, through both training and education, and aids
professional and personal development. The training ranges from
short courses dealing with specific aspects of leadership and
management through to extended periods learning how to operate
and maintain highly complex and specialist equipment. As with
Phase 2, the time spent on Phase 3 courses varies.
Collective Training
18. Collective Training is aimed at improving
the ability of teams, units or formations to function as a cohesive
entity in order to deliver operational military capability. This
training is usually conducted under the auspices of the Front-Line
Commands. It seeks to develop performance of units at all levels,
often in realistic field conditions. Examples of such training
are: RN Operational Sea Training conducted by the Flag Officer
Sea Training and Army Combined Arms Battle Group training in Canada.
More complex collective training includes joint exercises conducted
on either a national or multi-national basis.
Defence Training Reviews
19. The Defence Training Review (2001) and
the Directorate of Operational Capability have examined, from
different perspectives, the training provided to UKs Armed Forces.
The Defence Training Review was a fundamental examination of military
training, which led to a comprehensive change programme based
upon some 200 recommendations. The Directorate of Operational
Capability (2002) conducted an independent, cross-cutting examination
of initial training of non-officer recruits in all three Services
(including initial and basic specialist training). It focused
on ethos, transitional mechanisms (from civilian to Service life)
and welfare aspects. The initial study was followed by a second
review in Summer 2003. The results of both appraisals are being
taken forward at present. A further reappraisal to confirm progress
is being conducted later this year.
CARE
Welfare/Supervisory care
20. We have a legal obligation to care for
the well-being of recruits and trainees. The Commanding Officer
of every training establishment is directly responsible and accountable
for ensuring that a pragmatic supervisory care regime is in place
for the recruits, trainees and other students within his establishment.
21. "Supervisory Care" is the
expression used to define the moral component of the MoD's duties
as a responsible employer. It is the provision of an appropriate
military, pastoral and welfare regime that goes beyond merely
the delivery of military, technical or specialist training and
education; it includes the inculcation of professional military
ethos and mentoring of trainees by military staff.
22. The MoD recognises the importance of
selecting role models as Phase 1 and Phase 2 instructors, who
are experienced, enthusiastic and motivated, well-skilled in their
specialist subject and highly professional in attitude. This includes
pre-employment training, so that instructors understand the problems
and issues that are important to today's young adults, as well
as the development of more advanced training skills such as coaching
and mentoring. The newly formed Defence Centre for Training Support
is taking forward initiatives to provide even better training
for the trainer.
23. In addition to their chain of command
staff and trainees have access to a network of other agencies
to help them deal with personal or welfare problems. These agencies
include the Women's Royal Voluntary Service, the Council of Voluntary
Welfare Work (which run non-alcoholic cafes), chaplains, and the
individual welfare services.
Bullying and harassment
24. The Armed Forces diversity goal is to
achieve an environment free from harassment, intimidation and
unlawful discrimination, in which all have equal opportunity and
encouragement to realise their full potential.
25. We have a commitment to the principles
of Investors in People, with zero tolerance for bullying and similar
inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. Depending on the strength
of evidence, disciplinary or administrative action may be taken
against perpetrators.
26. It is the responsibility of Officers
and senior ranks/rates to preserve good order and discipline,
and all three Services have set up confidential helplines for
use by personnel in complete confidence should they be subject
to harassment or bullying.
CONCLUSION
27. The MoD is proud of its training organisation
and of the way it cares for recruits and trainees. Over 20,000
recruits pass through it each year and the success of the training,
in operations at home and around the world, speaks for itself.
Recruits, many of whom join the Services without qualifications
and from a disadvantaged background, acquire new skills and abilities
that serve them well both during the Service career and on their
return to civilian society. Where failings occur, either at an
individual level or in terms of process, we are eager to identify
these promptly and we are committed to doing all we can to remedy
them.
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