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Defence

About Defence

The DTR Programme Background


Background to the project

Three factors considered when shaping the requirement against which bid proposals would be submitted:

Operational Factors

The Strategic Defence Review of 1998 and the additional chapter produced to analyse the security environment after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks stressed the need for expeditionary forces that could deploy jointly, coordinating the differing capabilities of the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force. There was also a further shift away from the Cold War posture that had been shaping defence policy for over 40 years. The Armed Forces were becoming smaller and more agile with a greater emphasis being placed on technological solutions or capabilities as opposed to measuring effectiveness in terms of number of warships, troops and aircraft.

Social Factors

At the same time, British society had been evolving and these changes were impinging on the Armed Forces in a variety of ways: the lifestyle and expectations of potential and actual recruits had changed significantly with more liberal attitudes, lack of familiarity with what life in the Services was like, and an expectation that training and employment would equip them for immediate job needs and be sufficiently portable to allow careers with other employers. Recruits were also familiar with communications and leisure technology which was influencing their approach to learning and expectations of teaching methodologies.

Military Training Factors

One area where the interaction between these operational and social factors was felt particularly intensely was recruitment and initial training.  It was here that the transformation from being a civilian (often leaving the family home for the first time) to being a member of the Armed Forces took place.

The training regime that receives these personnel is organised into three phases. Phase One introduces civilians to their respective Services, gives them basic military skills and indoctrinates them into the Service way of life. The courses are typically 9 to 12 weeks long. The drop out rate for this phase is typically between 10 and 30%. Students then progress to Phase Two training that equips them to carry out specific roles within the Armed Forces such as aeronautical and electro-mechanical engineering. This training has three aspects to it: specialist training, additional military training and the application of specialist skills in the military and operational environment. Phase Two lasts from a few weeks to over a year, depending on the complexity of the training. Students are then sent to units within the Armed Forces to carry out the job they have been trained for. They continue to receive on-the-job training and participate in collective training such as unit exercises. Thereafter, at various and often multiple points in their career, they return for Phase Three training, which tends to be more specialist or provides management training for officers and senior Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs). The DTR Rationalisation Programme focuses on specialist training in Phase 2 and Phase 3 only.

The delivery of this training is currently provided by three single-Service Agencies: Naval Recruiting and Training Agency (NRTA), Army Training and Recruiting Agency (ATRA) and the RAF’s Training Group Defence Agency (TGDA). In addition the Defence Intelligence and Security Centre (DISC) and Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency (MDPGA) in scope of DTR also provide specialist training. Links to the current Training providers are shown in the Related Pages/Documents section, however, some of these sites may not yet be fully developed.