British Army takes month off

[Beowulf]

December 2, 2012
Pg. 2

Army Shuts Down For Christmas
By David Leppard
THE British Army has been ordered to take an extended 25-day Christmas holiday or "work from home" in an attempt to cut its gas and electricity bills.

In a move that former military commanders say is unprecedented, a leaked memo from a general says all military and civilian personnel in land forces — amounting to 110,000 men and women — are to take "block leave" for 25 days from December 14 until January 7. The decision means all army barracks, Territorial Army buildings and other military sites in Britain will close for almost four weeks to provide "an opportunity for utility savings".

Although it says the closure is in recognition of the extra workload for the Olympics, which involved 18,000 personnel, the order applies to almost the entire army. It adds that the aim is "to fully exploit the utility efficiencies available by closing down buildings/working areas over this period".

The directive, issued to all army bases by Major-General David Cullen, chief of staff, land forces, says those soldiers, officers and civilians who have already used up their annual leave are to "work from home".

Bases are to be put on a "frost protection" footing to guard against harsh weather. The order applies to all military and civilian staff in land forces together with several thousand service personnel from the Royal Navy and RAF working with them.

Retired officers and MPs greeted the decision with incredulity.

Richard Kemp, a former commander of UK ground forces in Afghanistan, said he had never come across anything similar in 25 years of military service.

"Shutting down the army for an extended period over Christmas is an act of sheer desperation by military commanders starved of cash by the government. The troops themselves will welcome the extra time off. But nevertheless to an army at war this sends an insulting and morale-sapping message that makes it entirely clear just where spending priorities do not lie," said Kemp. "The idea that the troops can work from home is beyond satire. What are they supposed to do? Shooting in the back garden? An improvised bayonet assault course at the local play park? For a few office-bound staff home-working might be possible, but even among these the majority are tied to classified and networked computer systems that they do not have at home."

Patrick Mercer, the Tory MP and a former infantry officer, added: "Let's just hope that our enemies are full of Christmas cheer and don't choose to attack us during this month off."

The order will apply to all troops in Great Britain, Germany, Nepal and Brunei, together with training units in Canada, Belize and Kenya.

Yesterday an army spokesman claimed it would be wrong to describe the order as a cost-cutting measure. "In recognition of the exceptionally busy year the army has had both on operations and at home — including vital support to the 2012 London Olympics, fuel tanker drivers' strike and diamond jubilee — the usual Christmas leave period has been extended.

"Personnel who are essential to supporting operations will remain on task regardless of this leave period and there will be no impact on the mission in Afghanistan."

Yeah... I'm not sure who had this brilliant idea. It'd be very funny if they had to go shooting in their back garden, especially in light of the SAS trooper that got arrested for illegal possession of a Glock earlier this year.

[Zaune]

It...! They...! But...?

Ugh. Nothing else for it:

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[Skywalker_T-65]

I have to agree with Zaune on this one...

[Block]

They're closing the barracks for a month? So people that live there and don't have the money to go on vacation are just fucked?

[Sea Skimmer]

Staging a coup sounds like a plan to me for anyone who doesn't feel like living in an army issue tent for a month. Either that or take the initiative and go prepare to repel the imminent French invasion using public transport. Seriously, if at the least some French collage students don’t hoist the tricolor over Dover while this absurdity goes on, I will be most disappointed.

Though I'd also like a link, because I know nothing of this paper and it seems more then dumb British enough to be satire.

[TimothyC]

Staging a coup sounds like a plan to me for anyone who doesn't feel like living in an army issue tent for a month. Either that or take the initiative and go prepare to repel the imminent French invasion using public transport. Seriously, if at the least some French collage students don’t hoist the tricolor over Dover while this absurdity goes on, I will be most disappointed.

Though I'd also like a link, because I know nothing of this paper and it seems more then dumb British enough to be satire.

I think I know where Beo got it from, but the original is here. The Sunday Times is a NewsCorp owned broadsheet. It is decidedly not satire

[Beowulf]

I got it off the Early Bird, so I had no reasonable link to give. The link Timothy gave looks to be where the original is from.

[Zaune]

Staging a coup sounds like a plan to me for anyone who doesn't feel like living in an army issue tent for a month. Either that or take the initiative and go prepare to repel the imminent French invasion using public transport. Seriously, if at the least some French college students don’t hoist the tricolor over Dover while this absurdity goes on, I will be most disappointed.

Bloody hell, I hadn't thought of that. They surely can't be kicking everyone out of on-base accommodation for a month as well as shutting down training and admin, can they?

[The Romulan Republic]

Putting a large number of your soldiers on the street during winter sounds like a way to start a revolution. Hopefully the British people will be satisfied by voting their government mother fuckers out of office if this happens.

Regardless of weather there's any violent backlash, the thought of soldiers who have sacrificed a great deal for their country freezing on the streets during Christmas time because their government fucked them sickens me, and I sincerely hope this does not turn out to be the case.

[PeZook]

Fucking soldiers over when they are not needed is a long and proud British tradition. In fact, it's probably a tradition of virtually any government anywhere, although if they do actually kick them out of the barracks/make them stay in unheated rooms with no food, that will be positively 1600s kind of fuckery. In the XXI century we're supposed to deny them health care and fuck them over pay.

[Welf]

Hey, if they also introduce home-office-war here, too, I might finally join the military.

[Sea Skimmer]

More then once I have mused the idea that in the far future all the war robots might be remotely operated by soldiers at home, while being maintained by civilian contractors who deploy sort of near the combat zone. The US is halfway to this model already; if only the easy half.

I'm still skeptical on this though. Shutting down training and non accommodations for a month, yeah maybe, but all the barracks? 1600s really is the comparison to make. However in both the US and UK a long history exists of 'leaked' memos on defense cuts proving to be far more radical then what actually happens. This is very deliberate on the part of officials. May well be what's going on here.

[LaCroix]

Hey, if they also introduce home-office-war here, too, I might finally join the military.

So you want people to come and shoot you at home? In your sleep? At Christmas?

Anyway - I seriously do hope that this is simply an attempt to blackmail the government into releasing more funds.

[The Romulan Republic]

Its horrible either way. Saying it will hurt moral and makes the military look idiotic.

[Spoonist]

Regardless of weather there's any violent backlash, the thought of soldiers who have sacrificed a great deal for their country freezing on the streets during Christmas time because their government fucked them sickens me, and I sincerely hope this does not turn out to be the case.

*tounge in cheek*
I think the brits are quite used to to their weather so whether or not these savings are done or it getting wetter I think that they will continue to witter on the subject.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Mind...blown. How much of a cost saving can they actually make on this?

Although the idea of squaddies improvising a bayonet assault course at the park does sound amusing...

[Alkaloid]

Armoured manoeuvre exercises along Picadilly Circus, anyone? If this sort of thing is happening I imagine we can rent a tank, at least for an afternoon.

[Welf]

Hey, if they also introduce home-office-war here, too, I might finally join the military.

So you want people to come and shoot you at home? In your sleep? At Christmas?

Well, better than travelling to Afghanistan, spending a extremely cold day outside on guard on Christmas, and then getting shot anyway. Same result, but more comfort for me, and government saves the money for the plane ticket.

[Mr Bean]

Wait.... correct me if I'm wrong but shutting down utilities in winter is a bad idea. Now I know Britain is "wet and rainy" 24/7 365 a year but I believe that things still get below freezing. So if we have lots of shut off barracks and office buildings... is anyone going to remember to leave the heat running or come January are we going to hear about 200 British Army facilities that need pipes repaired because cold weather+abandon home=burst pipes.

I've got a contractor friend of mine who's been bitching about that since the crash with temperatures around here dipping below freezing and so many forclosed homes with the power turned off the pipes all break because the banks want to save 30$ a month and instead fork over 1000$ per home for repairs.

[Zaune]

Wait.... correct me if I'm wrong but shutting down utilities in winter is a bad idea. Now I know Britain is "wet and rainy" 24/7 365 a year but I believe that things still get below freezing. So if we have lots of shut off barracks and office buildings... is anyone going to remember to leave the heat running or come January are we going to hear about 200 British Army facilities that need pipes repaired because cold weather+abandon home=burst pipes.

I presume the "frost protection footing" they're going to be putting the bases on will include shutting off the water at the mains and draining the system. How exactly that's going to save much money with typical British central heating systems I have no idea, because we predominantly use water-filled radiators; I don't think you can just refill them with plain tap-water either.

[Skywalker_T-65]

On a weather related note:

They could shut them off here, and it wouldn't matter. Freaking 60's/70's in December...

On topic:

Why do I see a lot of bored soldiers doing incredibly stupid things? Assuming they aren't all freezing in a British winter of course.

[Dartzap]

I have a sneaking suspicion when they say 'everyone' its the same rule as when its a bank-holiday. All the managers piss off for the day, but the nurses and shop assistants all still go in.

[K. A. Pital]

What PeZook said. Although letting the sailors who defeated the Spanish Armada starve to death right after the battle can't ever be topped.

[thejester]

Talk of coups and soldiers sleeping on the street is a little melodramatic, even the critics of the move quoted in the article don't suggest soldiers would be unhappy with it - and how many of those 100,000 would actually live in their barracks? In Australia even young enlisted will often marry/claim de facto and move out to private housing, although they get pretty generous subsidies.

[Mr Bean]

Talk of coups and soldiers sleeping on the street is a little melodramatic, even the critics of the move quoted in the article don't suggest soldiers would be unhappy with it - and how many of those 100,000 would actually live in their barracks? In Australia even young enlisted will often marry/claim de facto and move out to private housing, although they get pretty generous subsidies.

Different country different rules. In the US military until you've hit E-4 living off base unless married or having dependants is impossible due to Pentagon rules. Britian is a little different but there are bases I've seen in areas where it's financially impossible to live off base because the British housing allowance is considerably stingy compared with other militaries. From what I've talked to, experienced myself Britain is on the low end compared with America (middle ground) and the high end (Germany) which supposedly has fantastic allowances for it's military like paying for house supplies and upkeep repairs.

*Edit
To clarify, American housing allowances are based on rank. Higher ranks get more money but not that much more. E-4 when you generally speaking can draw it (At all) is depending on the area 150$ less than you need for a decent place or 150$ more than you need. California is on the low side, Norfolk the high side.