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I would wish to begin this introduction by congratulating Captain Peter Norton on his award of the George Cross for exceptional courage and prescience of mind under harrowing conditions following an explosion near Baghdad. The announcement of Peter’s medal, along with the Military Cross for Captain Simon Bratcher, the QCB for Lieutenant Colonel Bob Seddon and the QGM for Lieutenant Colonel Martin Gliniecki highlights the crucial and dangerous role which our ATOs and ATs play in the defence of the Nation. On behalf of our Corps and the Country, you all have our congratulations and thanks.
I now wish to mark the changeover of the Corps’ Regimental Sergeant Major. The post has gained in importance and influence since its inception and each new incumbent has added to the stature and depth of the appointment. I congratulate the, now, Captain Alan Tindale on his commissioning, on the sheer effort and enthusiasm he has put into his time in the Directorate and, more specifically, the work he has done to get the Corps’ capbadge once more established amongst the SNCO instructors at Sandhurst. The award of his Meritorious Service Medal was very well deserved indeed. I now warmly welcome WO1 (Corps RSM) Davis into the hot seat!
It has struck me since arriving at Deepcut that amid all of the changes now taking place across Defence, and the challenges which we will face in the future, that we should have a clear plan for where we, as a Corps, want to be in the 20 years time. Call it a view of the ‘Corps after next’ if you will. All successful organisations have this long-term intent well embedded into their plans. It provides continuity, direction and coherence and avoids short term, knee jerk planning. It will inevitably need to change and adapt as the unforeseen events hit us with the passage of time. However, it will put us on the front foot and inform the rest of the Army, and the other services, of our intended direction and priorities for the future.
To this end I have initiated a piece of work to generate such a Strategic Plan for The RLC. This is a serious task and will require the guidance and assistance of the whole of the diaspora of the logistic support community. This development campaign will work across all of the lines of development with the aim of shaping the Corps of 2025 and will need to be coherent with the plethora of other studies taking place pan-Army. We have engaged the Army Management Consultancy Services (AMCS) to facilitate and enable the work. We have also had a first shot at defining the Corps’ intent. This is shown below:
‘As part of a World Class, battle winning Army, The RLC is to deliver and sustain operational effect and to provide logistic support for peacetime operations.’
Now, this wording may not be perfect at this stage and I am sure that there are a number of doctrinal purists and spotters/anoraks out there who will take delight in firing pot shots at it. It is, however, a start point and will help to shape our deliberations over the next 12 months. I hope everyone invited will be able to contribute to this work as it develops and make a real contribution to the future shape of our Corps.
I have also authorised a number of regular Regimental and sub-unit title changes as a consequence of FAS and my Strategic Plan for our Corps. The changes will bring conformity and greater consistency to The RLC titles, which will assist the wider Army in understanding the myriad of roles and tasks that we conduct. Units are directed to complete all unit insignia by 1 June 2006.
We as a capbadge have a number of key sporting successes in recent weeks in the area of skiing, rugby, boxing, squash et al. In particular, I wish to congratulate the 13 Regiment teams who fought their way to victory in the Army Boxing championships. Coming on the same day as the Operational Honours and Awards, this made the 23 March a very special one indeed. Whilst also on sport, I have just heard that Private Johanne Brekke of 580 Squadron won a Bronze Medal for shooting at the Commonwealth Games. Does this mean she gets an honorary pass of her APWT? I hope so!
I would like to thank all of the participants for taking the time to train and prepare themselves for these competitions. Secondly, I should like to say well done to all of those who coach and manage our players and guide them on the route to victory. Lastly, I want to thank all those in the chain of command for releasing players to compete at National, Army and Corps level. I am well aware of the pressure upon unit establishments at this time and of the tempo of operational and training commitments. However, sport is important for your units, for individuals, for fitness and team spirit and it is part of Army life and one that we should both treasure and nurture. I look forward to your support over the coming season. | 
