Chocks Away Team - The New RAF Uniform Debate

 

In a week when attention focused on how much the UK was spending on enhancing the MOD military capability in space (approx. £1.4bn), the RAF seemed determined to take it one step further and create uniforms for their ‘away team’. Leaked slides have put forward proposals that show a new look RAF uniform that looks more ‘Galaxy Quest’ than modern military.

Naturally these proposals have drawn the ire of veterans, and some serving personnel, who ridicule the concepts under consideration and generated reams of media coverage. But is this proposed change actually a bad thing?

Part of the challenge with being in a uniformed service is wearing a uniform that is fit for purpose, practical to work in, and which is comfortable while still being recognisably part of a disciplined fighting service. Over the last 104 years the RAF uniform has evolved, from battledress and wearing jacket and tie to shoot down the Hun from a Spitfire to combat gear, flying suits and an office uniform that appears to be fifty shades of bland.

It is telling that when you look at pictures from deployments and operations, one of the first things that people ditch is their uniform and resort to a more comfortable and practical outfit – shorts/tshirt – sometimes a hat (although god forbid a floppy hat with its brim shortened), and other practical gear to make life easier to work in.

The uniforms used by the RAF date back to the 1980s in places and haven’t recognisably changed in this time. What seems to have occurred is that the RAF has begun the process of thinking, in very initial terms, about what could replace the existing uniform with a variety of different options.

Some of them seem remarkably sensible – for example there seem to be proposals for a range of outfits involving polo-shirt style tops, practical trousers and other useful changes. For people who need to work in environments where they are not sitting at a desk all day, having uniform options that reflect their working experience seems pragmatic and sensible – there is nothing wrong with thinking about ways of doing things differently.

The reaction has been negative, with people immediately jumping to the worst case scenario and assuming that an old piece of leaked staff work, presumably not taken further forward, immediately reflects the 100% accurate uniform of tomorrow.

It is perhaps more interesting to reflect on this whole exercise as one of seeing how people react to the prospect of change, and how you bring change about in an organisation, than it is about the uniform proposals itself.

The RAF of the 2020s finds itself in a genuinely fascinating and curious position. It operates hugely advanced technology, and relies on a workforce able to take some of the most complex and potent weapons, sensors and platforms on the planet, and operate them at the very limits of their capability against very capable foes.

It has to be ready to operate in space, in the air and from land and sea, and use platforms with technology that has barely been invented all the way through to airframes approaching half a century of active use. It needs the very best people who are prepared to sign up to deliver this and look for ways to attract a workforce that will be tempted to give it a go.

This means being able to constantly evolve and look at ways of doing things differently, particularly as the RAF focuses more on space and cyber operations, and it has to think about its future. Change to the uniform may be a small thing, but it is a crucial step in helping ensure that people want to sign up.

Do the potential recruits of the 2030s want to wear a uniform designed 50years previously and which isn’t hugely practical for their daily work? Or do they want a uniform that is more modern, and comfortable and useful to wear in a myriad of temperatures and climatic environments – not just temperate north German plains circa 1985?

Tradition is key to binding a Service together, be it history, values or culture, and the uniform does form part of this process. The timeless look of the No1 ceremonial uniforms of all three services do look spectacular, even if they are somewhat impractical these days to wear.  Sometimes though tradition is cited as a reason why something shouldn’t be done differently.

To bring about change means starting with a fresh sheet of ideas, working up concepts and dismissing 99% of them out of hand. No one starts a process like this with a clear idea of what the finished product looks like, yet they sometimes need to think differently (‘a very brave idea Minister’) about things – if only to work out why they don’t work, as much as to get ideas on what could work.

This is what appears to have happened here – some very speculative ideas, based on what could theoretically be done have been put together and presented, and not taken any further forward. There is no sign off for this concept, no suggestion it will become uniform and no risk of it being worn.

We need to be careful being too fast to dismiss though because to immediately say ‘change is bad’ is to risk becoming stuck and losing a risk taking edge. Sometimes being willing to think things that are not conventional and do things differently is what wins wars – just look at the evolution of military technology and equipment since the 1920s. Much of this was born out by creating a culture where risk was taken and people felt they could challenge and change.

By itself a uniform is not going to win a war, but if your strong visceral reaction to an idea is overwhelmingly negative, and the response is to leak it and attract negative external attention, how do you then make people feel safe to think of challenging ideas that need to help shape how military technology and operations evolve?

This process arguably shows that there is a difficulty in accepting change, of any kind, and at any stage of the process, and that in turn it makes it harder to create an organisation where people feel they can help change other things that matter.

We need to be wary too of attacking one area of the Service for focusing on longer term picture when there are other issues of concern. There has been concerted and negative comments in some quarters about the RAF focusing on this now, when there remain huge issues with base infrastructure and basic hot water issues.

It is beyond debate that the material state of parts of the RAF estate is little short of a disgrace. In the 2020s we should not be in a place where even joking about hot water is part of the lived Service experience. But the people that do the estate are not the people who do uniforms – different areas and different budgets apply. Attacking one part of the system for doing its job of looking at clothing not estate standards is pointless.

There is also a wider narrative about ensuring that the RAF remains fit for purpose as an employer of choice. Yes, we get that in the ‘good old days’ things were better. The RAF had more jets, squadron leaders led squadrons, people flew 26hrs a day every day and then got pissed every night. Of course all the parties were amazing and those busloads of nurses didn’t just turn up at the party, but they brought their own portable brewery with them. No of course the RAF today is just a pale imitation of your RAF and you despair for the future of the nation. People have been saying this about the RAF going to the dogs since 1918, and will doubtless continue to moan about the standards on Away Team missions compared to when they were a space cadet in 2418.

The point is though that the next generation of recruits will have different expectations, values and standards. They may not match your own, but these are the people who need to serve to keep the country safe. If we continue to cling to a uniform model that will soon be nearly half a century old, and isn’t great to wear, will this attract people or will it put them off?

Getting the whole offer right – good uniform, good accommodation, meaningful work and a role that matters is what will attract people to join in the future. It is absolutely right that the RAF continues to think, challenge and be ready to change to ensure that the next generation of recruits join, so that in 40 years time they too can moan about the state of the RAF today.

The fact is that the RAF is always going to the dogs, and that change is always scary. But when push comes to shove it delivers the goods. This week alone has seen the RAF deployed around the world, supporting exercises in Africa with the Puma force, Op SHADER in the Middle East, and deploying Quick Reaction Aircraft to monitor Russian aircraft activity nearer to home.

It remains a busy, capable and fantastic organisation that is staffed by brilliant people. They are thinking about how to keep the RAF going for the next generation, as it prepares to become an aerospace force. New uniforms are part of the challenge, and it is vital that the means exist to challenge conventional thinking to ensure that the next generation is as good as the last.