Partisan
Active member
Having only reviewed these details and not being on the ground to investigate the factors involved, this looks to me like a simple RTA, tragic though the consequences were.
Almost all soldiers serving abroad are protected by a Status of Forces Agreement, which covers how they are treated under law. In the British Army in Germany, you were responsible (broadly speaking) for your own actions whilst not in uniform to the German authorities, although you would be taken into British custody whilst awaiting the judicial process.
SOFA can be hugely contraversial with local populations as they tend to suffer the negative side, but do not think of the benefits of a military base to the local community as well.
So how do we resolve this tension? For me the military needs to do a better job of communicating it's purpose and the benefits that it brings to the community, we have P Info officers twiddling their thumbs - put them to work!! More integration with the local community - not talking big flashy stuff, or inviting the locals on base, which do work, but getting out doing simple stuff that is visible, had my guys clearing a path of debris as part of a PT lesson - they got noticed and a nice letter was sent to the unit. We often forget that it is the simple things that can mean the most.
Almost all soldiers serving abroad are protected by a Status of Forces Agreement, which covers how they are treated under law. In the British Army in Germany, you were responsible (broadly speaking) for your own actions whilst not in uniform to the German authorities, although you would be taken into British custody whilst awaiting the judicial process.
SOFA can be hugely contraversial with local populations as they tend to suffer the negative side, but do not think of the benefits of a military base to the local community as well.
So how do we resolve this tension? For me the military needs to do a better job of communicating it's purpose and the benefits that it brings to the community, we have P Info officers twiddling their thumbs - put them to work!! More integration with the local community - not talking big flashy stuff, or inviting the locals on base, which do work, but getting out doing simple stuff that is visible, had my guys clearing a path of debris as part of a PT lesson - they got noticed and a nice letter was sent to the unit. We often forget that it is the simple things that can mean the most.