Acronyms and other gobbledygook
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Acronyms and other gobbledygook
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/the-...sense-anymore/
I bet there is a lot more than that in use. You just have to read the preface to the RAF yearbook.
I bet there is a lot more than that in use. You just have to read the preface to the RAF yearbook.
And a simple method of giving your spoken or written comms more impact is to use an Anglo-Saxon word instead of a Latin derived one.
Prime example :
Avoid "commence" (far too popular in mil speak),
Use "start".
Prime example :
Avoid "commence" (far too popular in mil speak),
Use "start".
Having spent a decent amount of time in industry, having done a fair few years in the military, I can safely say that the only time I hear ‘business speak’ is when listening to a senior officer, usually one who has recently attended, or aspires to attend, Staff College.
When I was in paid employment, it was usual to find those in middle management and those climbing the greasy pole would talk in their own language, leaving the rest of us to try and translate. One way of we plebs fighting back was to make up our own acronyms - I guess most of you will have done this as well. It was surprising how few on the receiving end, who had no idea what we were describing, had the courage to ask what had been said.
Whatever happened to the basic principles of brevity, clarity and relevance? The current phrase that really annoys me is ‘moving forward’ rather than ‘in the future’. To me moving forward is what my car does after I release the brake etc. The other appalling word that has crept into management speak is ‘outwith’. I am so glad that I was educated and grew up in the previous millennium!
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Try this for padding out a speech.
https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles...f-britain-day/
To secure Battle of Britain victory, the RAF, working with industry and global allies, drove a battle-winning technological advance at an extraordinary pace. This innovation-drive continues with each generation, as the RAF seeks to maintain the ability to operate in the ever more complex, competed and contested multi-domain operating environment of the future.
“At this moment in time” really “gets up my nose” ....! 
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https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisat...the-air-staff/
as opposed to amateur?
The Chief of the Air Staff is the 4-star commander and professional head of the Royal Air Force.
Staff appointments in the Ministry of Defence have included the Operations Directorate and the predecessor to what is now Military Strategic Effects.
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Another one off the RAF website and a lesson in how to tick every box.
and I do wonder how that lot of erm…. fits in with this off the same site.
Do not get me wrong I am not against any of the above diversity, but if you are recruiting bus drivers you do not advertise for, nor recruit blind people, similarly if you are recruiting combat troops, you need fit people and able people, that’s just playing sensible.
I regard Diversity & Inclusion as essential elements of the Royal Air Force. Through both we will develop wisdom, increase insight and deepen our understanding of the World today. This will improve our decision-making and enhance our lethality as we confront the challenges ahead.
We must attract and nurture diversity through race, religion, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/reassignment, marriage/civil partnership and pregnancy alongside increased socio-economic representation and greater cognitive diversity if our Service is to succeed and prosper. Visible and invisible Diversity will enrich our understanding of the World, broaden our insight into its challenges and widen our debates to allow us to make better decisions, build velocity and act more effectively as a Service. In parallel, Inclusivity allows us to harness the innate and collective power of our Whole Force. We will benefit from a sum greater than the parts and materially and cognitively mobilise the workforce through a real sense of worth and reward. Everyone’s intellect, perspective and cultural points of view are vital to the Service’s endeavours.
As the Royal Air Force Diversity & Inclusion Champion, I will deepen and broaden Diversity across the Service and extend and exploit Inclusivity across the Command. I am passionate about this and will be a strong advocate for both. I will lead our drive, set the direction, harness the network, direct the Champions and demand progress. I will seek out and reward positive behaviours and role models in order to inspire others and raise awareness of our successes. I will be an active and engaged ambassador with external organisations, which will help make our Service more accessible to minorities and enable us to learn from others.
We must attract and nurture diversity through race, religion, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/reassignment, marriage/civil partnership and pregnancy alongside increased socio-economic representation and greater cognitive diversity if our Service is to succeed and prosper. Visible and invisible Diversity will enrich our understanding of the World, broaden our insight into its challenges and widen our debates to allow us to make better decisions, build velocity and act more effectively as a Service. In parallel, Inclusivity allows us to harness the innate and collective power of our Whole Force. We will benefit from a sum greater than the parts and materially and cognitively mobilise the workforce through a real sense of worth and reward. Everyone’s intellect, perspective and cultural points of view are vital to the Service’s endeavours.
As the Royal Air Force Diversity & Inclusion Champion, I will deepen and broaden Diversity across the Service and extend and exploit Inclusivity across the Command. I am passionate about this and will be a strong advocate for both. I will lead our drive, set the direction, harness the network, direct the Champions and demand progress. I will seek out and reward positive behaviours and role models in order to inspire others and raise awareness of our successes. I will be an active and engaged ambassador with external organisations, which will help make our Service more accessible to minorities and enable us to learn from others.
Do not get me wrong I am not against any of the above diversity, but if you are recruiting bus drivers you do not advertise for, nor recruit blind people, similarly if you are recruiting combat troops, you need fit people and able people, that’s just playing sensible.
Everyone who joins the RAF must pass a fitness test.
Pre-Joining Fitness Test
The test is called the Pre-Joining Fitness Test (PJFT). To pass, you’ll need to run 1.5 miles (2.4km) on a treadmill within a set time. Then you’ll need to do a minimum number of press-ups and sit-ups within a minute. The time limit for the run and the number of press-ups and sit-ups will depend on your age and gender.
Pre-Joining Fitness Test
The test is called the Pre-Joining Fitness Test (PJFT). To pass, you’ll need to run 1.5 miles (2.4km) on a treadmill within a set time. Then you’ll need to do a minimum number of press-ups and sit-ups within a minute. The time limit for the run and the number of press-ups and sit-ups will depend on your age and gender.
Last edited by NutLoose; 10th Jul 2021 at 11:28.
1991 working with our senior transatlantic allies regarding a possible overnight development.
" I'll make a straw man of this and run it up the flagpole for the head shed before breakfast".
" I'll make a straw man of this and run it up the flagpole for the head shed before breakfast".
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Battlespace is the one that gets me.
Whatever happened to the basic principles of brevity, clarity and relevance? The current phrase that really annoys me is ‘moving forward’ rather than ‘in the future’. To me moving forward is what my car does after I release the brake etc. The other appalling word that has crept into management speak is ‘outwith’. I am so glad that I was educated and grew up in the previous millennium!
'Moving forward'. No, I just turn round and walk away. 'Ahead of...' A head of cabbage please.
MoD issues a book 'MoD Acronyms and Abbreviations - Definitions for terms and acronyms used throughout MoD documentation'. Over 21,000 of them in the 2014 version!
https://www.gov.uk/government/public...-abbreviations
Shortly before I retired I was gobsmacked to learn of an MoD office, in Oxfordshire I think, which you can call up and ask for the formal MoD definition of any word or phrase. Think of the fun you could have...
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Lol, pun intended, for each acronym there can be up to ten different meanings, you are screwed if you use several in the same document.
The Canadian Armed Forces has a manual of abbreviations. The first abbreviation listed in the official manual of abbreviations is the abbreviation for abbreviation; ABVN 
My all time favourite example of MILSPEAK, however was an initiative by the USAF to designate broken aircraft as being subject to an “unscheduled unserviceabilty”
My all time favourite example of MILSPEAK, however was an initiative by the USAF to designate broken aircraft as being subject to an “unscheduled unserviceabilty”