Hahahaha, you must be new
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No. To be clear though, only Comdtās letter attached not AOC 22 Gp letter
Only aware at the same time as other CCF(RAF) CFAV; although many of the things in it are familiar to me as things I have heard discussed, I was not aware of any decisions.
Our copy of the letter is not protectively marked, either in the letter itself or the file name.
In fairness to COS, apparently he posted in some Teams channels (thatās right, a permanent member of staff purposely using Bader rather than MODNet) asking to engage volunteers in supporting the communications of ASTRA, which Iād assume was also inclusive of this.
For some reason though, the new CFAVs supporting HQAC Media Comms donāt seem to have been engaged before this email was already prepped and sent to RCs, so too late for them to advise:
Hopefully if COS is keen to use CFAVs now, and the ASTRA document is accurate, maybe this is the final comms blip.
We can hope, but we will doubt.
Iām looking forward to learning more, especially how TEST officers are going to work now. But this could be a really good thing in terms of integration if it means we get better access to Region led courses.
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Not sure that appalling comms over many, many, years can be described as just a āblipāā¦ not with a straight face anyway.
Regardless. I for one will not be holding my breath. Call me jaded, but so many times I have seen a nice letter and thought; āooh positive changeā and nothing has changed.
We have the half adopted ewow. Some pretty good systems in place - yet things like sms ccf/fts donāt use it properly. We have wings putting out courses needing spreadsheet returns.
We have disparity between how regions and wings operate. We have a commitment to reduce red tape that has turned into just working through different red tape.
We have permanent staff that make up their own local rulesā¦
So what do I see in this announcement?
I see utter chaos.
Weāre going to incorporate 25% more cadets and staff from the ccf into a command chain that already is inconsistent and can barely function.
Weāll dice up some regions to fit in with RFCA. Sounds sensible but will likely end up with some wings/squadrons in limbo for years, and be a real pain in the backside for those staff.
I see Woolly words about the future, but no coherent plan or strategy.
I see nothing to celebrate, but lots of problems we need to brace ourselves for.
Iām not confident our CoC will be able to implement this sort of change without totally lousing it up, costing a fortune and so taking the precious financial resource actually spent on cadets and spending it on fixing the inevitable balls upā¦ yet further reducing the quality of the cadet experience.
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Not sure this is the panacea it may sound like. ATC squadrons are already woefully underserved at region level for more advanced courses - adding ccf in the mix will just further dilute the opportunities.
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Itāll be interesting to see what changes the RFCA alignment will bring. Wikipedia suggests RFCAs provide supervision of the administration of private funds, for example. Will they start doing that, with us doing away with committees and councils?
I can see benefit from a policy perspective with the CCF integration; thereās too much unecessary* āone rule for us and another for themā stuff going on.
*some will be necessary with their setup, eg headteachers and involvement with other sections, etc.
However, it canāt be as simple as āweāre now one big happy RAFAC familyā with the entanglement of multiple-Service schools. Eg I know of a school which transferred its RAF cadets to be Army cadets to get around a (silly) rule, and back again. I just donāt see that kind of stuff changing. š¤·
I agree, but at the moment we get nothing. Plus, if manager properly (and thatās a big if) there will be a load more CFAVs added to the pool, (and venues if schools can be brought on board.)
Anyone got a copy of that letter about getting rid of civ-coms handy?.. Might be on to something here 
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There will also be the question of who the DDH is. Contingent Commander or RC?
Hmm contingent commander isnāt DDH now (though there has been some embarrassing debate over who is in the last couple of months!) ā¦ but yes, I assume the RC would become the DDH.
The question might be who becomes the Exercise Director for things. Will that be, for example, the Rgnl SSO? Will there be a new Wg Cdr post in each Rgn to oversee CCF, like an OC Wg?
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Speaking with some ccf friends tonight, their first impression is:
Things might get harder and timelines longer for approval as at the moment the headmaster can bypass a lot of rubbish / approval process that ATC has to deal with - and this may likely lead to CFAV leaving.
Watch out for those unintended consequencesā¦
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Iād put money on the RC holding that role. Some CCFs might have a sudden change in Cadet Experience from a do what they want cultureā¦
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Yes, get that list going now!
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Do RSOs start overseeing CCF activities, eg Rgnl DofE Off, Rgnl ShO, etc?
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Will CCF do DofE under the RAFAC / ATC NOA or still as a school?
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With RHQs looking after more, will everyone suffer from burnout or will RHQ staffing increase?
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Will TESTs also come under RHQs? How will they work with the TSA and SATTs?
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What will happen to CCF Area CFAVs?
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Hence my friends comments about expect staff resignations.
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Or theyāll just transfer their cadets and staff over to CCF(Army) within a week?
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Precisely, which they already do.
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āSomeā already do. Most CCFs follow the rules, especially the CEP ones.