Reading the article and all the talking about finding the TA a "role" screams out what the very heart of the problem is. There role should be the same as the AD counter parts with plans on how to conduct training in peace time and a detailed plan on the train up needed to make them deployable when needed. Not some lesser "role" that they can conduct at there current training level.
Idk, but in my opinion i have always considered the 22nd to be the real and only SAS, and the 21st and 23rd just two units that somehow ended up sharing the same name.
Free Falling said:Would 21/23 SAS be better suited if they focused on a specific mission or two rather than being given too many tasks and diluting their skill sets?
Missed this the first time round... See, 22 SAS was formed by members of 21 SAS (who helped successfully defeat the Malayan insurgency), not the other way round, so it very much is the "real" SAS. Just as real as all the former (and perhaps future) Regiments, because the SAS didn't begin with 22 and there's nothing to say that it'll end with it for sure.
Not quite right mate.
22 SAS was formed separately and independently from 21SAS (in Malaya) as an unconventional unit, 21 SAS were a conventional unit as was the wartime SAS for the most part.
Members of 21 SAS did join the Malayan Scouts to form B squadron but that was after the formation of A & HQ squadrons.
But the CT aspect of 22 SAS isn't something that can be done as a Reservist.
Agreed that CT is another animal completely. My understanding of the 22nd is about special operation as a whole with a segment of the 22nd dedicated to the CT role. I would think the 21st and 23rd with the proper selection and training and pre-deployment train up, if done correctly, could fill in all the other roles beyond CT.
From what I have read the problems starts in the selection phase and just continues beyond that point IMHO. Treating the TA selection process as a part-time 9 weekend process and a couple week long phases instead of the same selection process as the 22nd endures is a real mistake. To endure a couple days of training with a week break then rinse and repeat is a helluva lot easier then enduring 5 weeks of continual selection process. If you have a reserve component they need to meet the same standards period. Yes in peace time they can do the part-time training with the understanding that there will need to be enough training pre-deployment to bring the troops up to speed to meet the same standard. I think there are 2 standards and people are shocked because the troops aren't of the same capabilities.
Didn't the Special Forces way back in the day have a part-time selection process for RC Special Forces Groups as well that caused AD vs RC friction as well?
While it might seem a lot easier to pass selection through a series of weekends (and a couple of continuous weeks) rather than in one long period, the difficulty is still well up there. In fact the endurance side will be ramped up to take this into account (i.e. that you've had all week to rest).
There's a good bit about it in Richard Tomlinson's book too, I think he went to 23SAS before moving to SIS later on.
FWIW the actor who played Bodie in the 1970s documentary series The Professionals passed selection for TA SAS but then told he had too high a profile for the unit IIRC.
One thing also being overlooked here is the caliber of men.
21/23 SAS might not have the sharpest skills but they have men with the right attitude who can in a pinch be trained up to do anything, the foundation is set.