SAR To Be Outsourced

[tomahawk6]

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htcbtsp/articles/20060421.aspx

The UK is moving to contract out SAR to a civilian firm. Not a surprising development as the military increasingly outsources many functions to private firms. The plus as the article points out, is that the UK in this case, wont have to buy and maintain helos used in these rescue operations.

 

[Centurian1985]

What about CSAR?

 

[Good2Golf]

This is for National SAR only (leftmost box below).  Everything else (DSAR, CR, CSAR and SOF-supported pers recovery) will remain military.

From NATO JWP 3-66 - Joint Personnel Recovery publication:

 

[Centurian1985]

Not surprising; if they can outsouce domestic SAR then they can dedicate more pers to overseas CSAR... 


:gunner:  <-- need to upgrade this guy to include an orange beret!

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Well the UK already outsources it’s navigational aids stuff to Trinity house, but they are almost government in a way.

Funny though when you outsource stuff like SAR and Special forces, all the guys you spent years and big bucks training, leave to go work for them, because of the better pay. Then you either need to hire the company to train the new guys coming up or let standards slide. Meanwhile the company is happy as they got great people assets without any training costs, after those highly trained individuals go, there is not as many to replace them and neither the company or the government has the same high standard training programs or instructors to teach the new generation.

 

[Navy_Blue]

Why would we do this??  No matter what a Helo or fixed wing purchase would cost its short term comapared with what it will cost to contract a SAR organization long term.  The Gov only thinks of short termbudget numbers (4 years) not what a new Airframe will cost them 20 years from now.  If a private firm can afford to pay a SAR Tech more than DND it will be charging the Gov a fortune to run its operation.  I'm a closet Commy and I think some of our social programs and operations should stay that way.

 

[Daidalous]

The cormorants are already out sourced through IMP.  I know for parts (and maybe maintenance too), with the current trend I can see the new fix wing SAR aircraft will be the same.

 

[Loachman]

But, despite making healthy profits, companies CAN do the job at less cost. They are not paying for all sorts of personnel support functions, as their employees are just living off of the local economy like any other civilian worker. When Portage closed in 1992 only about 30 military personnel, flying instructors for the most part, were left behind from about a thousand before Bombardier took over. There could not have been more than a few dozen civilians running a single small consolidated all-ranks mess, aircraft maintenance, and other necessary functions. There was no base defence force needed, no extra bodies required to allow large numbers of people to be on course somewhere, no Canex, no MPs, no CE, only a visiting Med A or Flt Surgeon, supply tech etcetera. Far less money was spent posting people. We do not organize for efficiency, but for operational effectiveness. That includes developing careers and capabilities (training and education). A civilian  employee comes pre-qualified and generally pays for any personal upgrading out of his own pocket and on his own time or does the same thing in the same place for his entire life.

We have been contracting out aircraft maintenance because we are so desperately short of techs and ageing fleets require more and more effort.

I do not consider that to be a good thing.