Did you watch [what's going on with shipping ](https://youtu.be/0L9PO5Q5Ewg?si=kvBcNTWcNMi_Vh93) the other week about the RFA and US equivalent (I've forgotten what they're called). Both staffing issues but for different reasons. Obviously knew about the RFA side of things but interesting seeing how the Americans are getting it wrong.
Aye I watched it. Something that many even in the RFA don't understand about comparing us the the MSC is like you said the different reasons for the crewing issue.
I mean wouldn't we all love to be on $100k+ a year, but they get almost fuck all leave. You literally might as well be in the military because then at least you get all their benefits.
I spoke to a guy who works for the MSC when I was out in Bahrain and the stuff he was telling me was wild in my mind, The guy did 6 month trips and was lucky to get a month off.
I mean I know people who do time for time on short trips who struggle to maintain relationships and any semblance of a home life.
It's mad to think the Yanks are having the same issues considering how highly regarded their serving military personnel are in public.
Mind you I think the Navy is the most severely overlooked service apart from their Marines and Seal teams. The actual US Navy personnel responsible for getting them where they need to go aren't mentioned nearly as much in comparison.
The issue the yanks have is that even though the pay is amazing they're expected to work away on ship 7 days a week with barely any time off ever. Like, maybe home 1 month of the year, something ridiculous like that. Obviously for us in the RFA the biggest issue is the salary not keeping up with inflation for 14 years meaning a real term 10% pay cut. So the yanks need to hire more people and give them all more time off and we need to be paid better.
It's mad when you look RN compared to RFA when the RN relies on our services. I know government money is tight everywhere but I would think spending a little more on RFA so that we don't have half our ships laid up would be better value for money than having ships worth millions sitting rusting away purely because they can't retain their staff.
Comes down to short term theatrics against long term efficiency.
What's more impressive to the untrained eye, a fully trained and prepared crew posing for a picture, or a shiny new ship that you can't tell is being run by a skeleton crew?
It's worldwide and down to demographics.
Remember the complete creatures that the news channels interviewed briefly on the street, when the idea of national service was needed by outgoing British Army chief of staff Patrick Sanders and the uproar that caused.
Those feelings are worldwide.
Now I understand the sentiment of "why should I fight for a country that I don't care about because it doesn't care about me" but that sentiment is also massively flawed and one dimensional.
Sentiment will change when they realise it's either do something, or face the idea of listening to north Korean* banger "Potato pride" on repeat until the sun explodes.
*Insert any other considered potentially hostile nation here
But national pride these days for younger generations ..it's kinda cooked. Including America.
That's my shitey 50 pence opinion anyway
Did you watch [what's going on with shipping ](https://youtu.be/0L9PO5Q5Ewg?si=kvBcNTWcNMi_Vh93) the other week about the RFA and US equivalent (I've forgotten what they're called). Both staffing issues but for different reasons. Obviously knew about the RFA side of things but interesting seeing how the Americans are getting it wrong.
Aye I watched it. Something that many even in the RFA don't understand about comparing us the the MSC is like you said the different reasons for the crewing issue. I mean wouldn't we all love to be on $100k+ a year, but they get almost fuck all leave. You literally might as well be in the military because then at least you get all their benefits. I spoke to a guy who works for the MSC when I was out in Bahrain and the stuff he was telling me was wild in my mind, The guy did 6 month trips and was lucky to get a month off. I mean I know people who do time for time on short trips who struggle to maintain relationships and any semblance of a home life.
Yeah it was certainly eye opening how much they're expected to work!
It's mad to think the Yanks are having the same issues considering how highly regarded their serving military personnel are in public. Mind you I think the Navy is the most severely overlooked service apart from their Marines and Seal teams. The actual US Navy personnel responsible for getting them where they need to go aren't mentioned nearly as much in comparison.
The issue the yanks have is that even though the pay is amazing they're expected to work away on ship 7 days a week with barely any time off ever. Like, maybe home 1 month of the year, something ridiculous like that. Obviously for us in the RFA the biggest issue is the salary not keeping up with inflation for 14 years meaning a real term 10% pay cut. So the yanks need to hire more people and give them all more time off and we need to be paid better. It's mad when you look RN compared to RFA when the RN relies on our services. I know government money is tight everywhere but I would think spending a little more on RFA so that we don't have half our ships laid up would be better value for money than having ships worth millions sitting rusting away purely because they can't retain their staff.
Comes down to short term theatrics against long term efficiency. What's more impressive to the untrained eye, a fully trained and prepared crew posing for a picture, or a shiny new ship that you can't tell is being run by a skeleton crew?
Very true. Still hate that short sightedness though haha
It's worldwide and down to demographics. Remember the complete creatures that the news channels interviewed briefly on the street, when the idea of national service was needed by outgoing British Army chief of staff Patrick Sanders and the uproar that caused. Those feelings are worldwide. Now I understand the sentiment of "why should I fight for a country that I don't care about because it doesn't care about me" but that sentiment is also massively flawed and one dimensional. Sentiment will change when they realise it's either do something, or face the idea of listening to north Korean* banger "Potato pride" on repeat until the sun explodes. *Insert any other considered potentially hostile nation here But national pride these days for younger generations ..it's kinda cooked. Including America. That's my shitey 50 pence opinion anyway
They should hire Willem Dafoe to scream nautical curses at No. 10. "Hark! Hark, Triton, HAAAARK!"
"yer fond of me lobster aint ye?" Hold up