So this was posted on their Facebook page tonight.
Anyone know anything more about it?
So no flying no gliding and now no shooting. HQAC takes shotgun and blows off both feet. Maybe they need a Skill at Arms team.
It makes very sad reading, in particular the part about no support from HQAC.
edited to add comment.
Will this affect D&C at all then?
Shouldn’t do. Part of their key remit was delivering courses to qualify staff for shooting and weapons related activities. Their disbandment doesn’t in itself stop shooting or weapons training.
How has this only became news 2.5 months after it occurred?
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I believe the reason was that all the courses for SAAI & SA(M)07 are now being delivered at Frimley by the Army, One standardised source of delivery. So this team had no purpose…some may say like a number of HQ teams.
The delivery of SAAI is being pushed to the SATTs in the long term to keep delivery within the RAF AC.
Not entirely accurate. ATC and CCF(RAF) CFAV have the option to attend the course run by CTC Frimley (both SAAI and M Qual).
From TY19, some of the SATTs will also offer the SAAI course as well (these will be weekend courses).
The result being that there should be a greater range of dates and opportunity available for those CFAV who wish to gain the qualifications, i.e. the choice of either CTC or SATTs.
this is what I have heard and understand - this being the case i can see the CTT would be an suitable audit team in the worst case to attend a course to confirm it meets the standards, best case assist courses, perhaps providing instructors who are local.
seems odd to disband the team entirely - there we’re reasons it was formed, are these reasons now no longer valid??
The quality measures for the various shooting qualification courses offered are ultimately SASC (who act as the qualifying authority). In addition, the HQ Training Standards and Support Team are also tasked with checking the standard of deliver of all training conducted by the SATTs.
so where did CTT sit in the structure?
if not under SASC or a RAFAC branch of it (appointed by HQAC) and not part of HQ Trg Standards - why not?
surely it saves the Trg Standards team some work if they have a “shooting branch” to cover that element and they can be call the CTT??
TSST - Training Standards & Support Team is a HQ RAFAC function with a responsibility for Shooting ONLY
More details on the team are available on their Shooting Portal Team Site
Sounds to me as if the SAAT / CTT should have remained in situ, and gone back to delivering the SAAI Course over 2 weekends across the UK as they did originally rather than adding extra courses to the SATT which they may may not be as experienced at delivering.
Over time the SAAT could have then taken roles on the SATT local to them, which would have perhaps been better for volunteer morale rather than just closing a unit!!
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The Training Standards and Support Team (TSST) are part of the HQ TG Team. They are purely focused on checking the standard of delivery of training conducted by the SATTs.
CTT sat under the Training Development Team, who in turn are also part of the HQ TG Team.
Information around the roles of these teams, and associated output can be found in ACTO49, or under the Shooting Portal.
Before the SATTs start to deliver the SAAI course, they will have undertaken a period of up-skilling to ensure that they are ready to deliver the course at the standard required.
Seems bizarre that the CTT aren’t being used to help the SATTs get to this standard, having spent the last couple years delivering the course. Or as The Major says, being seconded to SATTs on an individual basis.
The upskilling is being undertaken in conjunction with SASC as the qualifying authority. They are probably best placed as to judge what’s needed as it’s they own the course content and standard.
… They are feeling threatened by a shrinking armed forces and need to justify their jobs and protect their empire.
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Possibly, or possibly not.
But in the same way that 2FTS are the custodians of gliding, ATF are the same for drillies, as it stands SASC are the qualifying authority when it comes to shooting qualifications in the Cadet Forces. Therefore until a decision is made to change that, we have to play by their rules.
If there are new plans / proposals afoot, then maybe someone with an ounce of common sense will push SASC into accepting that single shot bolt action rifles are not wpns of war. Then all such drills / NSPs could change to national (NSRA / NRA) tgt rifle safety requirements = commonality & a significant reduction in trg requirements.
For example - UNLOAD - insert breech flag.
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Sorry if I got your hopes up MikeJenvey, but there are no plans afoot to the best of my knowledge.
Probably not, but it still worth pushing for!