Movements

ForewordGroup Captain R Atherton MA RAF
It seems no time at all since I
penned a Foreword for this
magazine introducing myself
as new in post with plans for
the future. Now after 18 months
I am moving on and it’s time for a
short reflection on events.
If we thought the level of operational
commitment being undertaken by the
Movements trade group was high in
mid 05, it was a case of ‘you ain’t
seen nothing yet!’ The expansion of
Op HERRICK, the odd short-notice
operation - MATURIN, HIGHBROW etc
- together with surge requirements
t o s u p p o r t
R o u l e m e n t s i n
Place, have all put
significant pressure
on most of you as
individuals and
e v e r y t i m e y o u
have risen to the
challenge. That
said we cannot
a f f o r d t o b e
complacent in our
achievements and
as I write this, the
‘Lancaster Letter’
i s h i t t i n g t h e
headlines, raising
the profile of both
the Movements
Trade and the RAF
but not in a way
any of us would
wish. Whilst some
of the content is
erroneous, there are some key points to
take away if we are to ensure that we
achieve the degree of professionalism for
which we all should strive. Pressure is not
an excuse!
That said we are all well aware that
pressure on Movers is considerable and
to that end the A4 Ops Movs together
with the main movements units and our
Auxiliary colleagues have been working
hard to lessen the effects of the operational
tempo. I apologise for the length of time it
took for the Strategic Movements Review
report to hit the streets. Unfortunately it
came up against the vagaries of staffing
politics, but at least it was published
- some review reports never see the
light of day! And now the pressure is
on to get the proposals implemented
to generate movements capacity. The
relief from DWR commitments with all
operational deployments being filled by
No 1 AMW and 4624 RAuxAF should
result in more stability and less mandays
lost to pre-deployment training
and post-deployment leave. We have
a dedicated staff officer, Wg Cdr Alex
Swift, employed for the next 6 months
to ensure the recommendations are
implemented. Please give him and his Flt
Lt, Cath Bailey, every assistance because
the eventual aim is that in future you will
be able to plan your lives more effectively
whilst providing maximum effect in
support of the RAF mission.
So what have I learnt about movements
over the past 18 months. Well, firstly
there’s no thanks for doing a good job.
The vast majority of you do a fantastic
job, day in, day out, but don’t expect
any recognition. Secondly, Movers will
always be in the spotlight. Whether it’s
pax handling or consignment tracking
the eyes of the RAF, the other Services
and, indeed, the politicians are on you.
It’s a fact of life but if you can go to bed
each night (or day) and sleep soundly in
the knowledge that you have done the
most professional job you can, then noone
can ask for anything more and the
reputation of the Movers will be second
to none.
Movements