NATO AT 3O E i gh t m i ne coun t e rmeasur es vesse l s o f NATO ' s S t and i ng Nava l For ce Channe l , i nc l ud i ng H. M , S , Hubbe r s t on , be r t hed i n t he Poo l o f London l as t mon t h f or a f our -day v i s i t to t he cap i t a l . Th i s yea r i s t he30 t h ann i ve r sa r y o f t he f ound i ng o f NATO . Ou r cen t r e - spr ead f ea t ure te l l s t he s t ory o f t he organ i za t i on ' s ne r ve cen t r e a t Nor t hwood.
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r i gh t s t hey have bw l t up du r i ng t he i r t i me i n t he Navy . I n add i t i on , t he Ar med For ces Pens i ons Scheme i s j o i n i ng t he ub l i c sec t or " c l ub " whose 150-p l us membe r pens i on schemes ope r a t e a t rans f er sys t em . Un t i l now ' nava l pe r sonne l on pens i onab l e t e rms who l eave t he Se r v i ce be f or e qua l i f y i ng f or i mmed i a t e re t i red pay or pens i on have had t he i r accumu l a t ed pens i on pr ese r ved by MOD f or paymen t a t age 60 (or , i n t he case o f t hose w i t h unde r f i ve yea rs serv i ce ' been bough t back i n t o t he -St a t e scheme ) . Now ' and w i t h ce r t a i n cond i t i ons ' membe r s o f t he Roya l Navy and t he o t he r Se rv i ces l eav i ng i n t hese c i r cums t ances w i l l be ab l e to op t t o t rans f er t he i r r i gh t s i f t hey j o i n ano t he r occupa t i ona l pens i on scheme .
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The Roya l Navy i s f ac i ng a cr i s i s ove r t he l oss o f sk i l l ed men , accord i ng to t he F i rs t Sea Lord (Adm i r a l S i r Te r ence Lew i n) . And Serv i ce pay i s t he cause .
Adm i r a l Lew i n c l a i med a t a London l ec t ur e t ha t t he Roya l Navy was ahead o f t he wo r l d i n pro f ess i ona l ma r i t i me compe t ence and t ha t i t s men we r e neve r be t t e r ' bu t t he Se r v i ce was o f f a r t oo f ac i ng a p r ob l em o f " c r i s i s d i mens i ons ove r t he l oss many h i gh l y - t r a i ned and h i gh l y - sk i l l ed peop l e , Men we r e l eav i ng no t because nava l pay , i n wh i ch Rea r -Adm i r a l t hey d i d no t en j oy t he Navy , bu t Mo rgan G i l es (W i nches t e r ) sa i d , because t he i r pay was no t good " The f orces a r e no t ge t t i ng a enough compa r ed w i t h c i v i l i an squa r e dea l a t a l l - f a r f rom i t . " l i f e , he sa i d a t t he Roya l Soc i e t y He c l a i med tha t eve r yone e l se o f Ar t s on Ma r ch 21 . excep t t hose i n t he Se rv i ces had " dr i ven a car t and horses t hrough t he Gove rnmen t ' s pay norms , " and t ha t a l l Se r v i cemen we r e To a ques t i one r ' he sa i d rec " co l d l y and s i l ent l y f ur i ous " abou t ru i t i ng was " no t a l l tha t bad " ' bu t t he pay s i tua t i on. t he prob l em was re t en t i on The Gove rnmen t , he sa i d , keep i ng peop l e i n . A l l t hr ee Ser shou l d res t ore fu l l compa r ab i l i t y v i ces we r e i n t he same pos i t i on now and no t wa i t unt i l Apr i l 1980 . and t he hope was tha t t he re t urn The Navy M i n i s t e r (Mr . Pa t r i ck t o compa r ab i l i t y wou l d pe r suade Du f f y ) sa i d he expec t ed t he men t o st ay . AFPRB r epor t t o be pr esen t ed to W i t h t he AFPRB r epor t soon t he Pr i me M i n i s t e r t owa rds t he expec t ed i n t he hands o f t he Pr i me end o f Ma r ch ' bu t pe rsona l l y he Min i ster f i rst week i n Apr i l i s t hough t i t m i gh t " s l i p a week . " t he h i n t - t he announcemen t to Mr . Du f f y spoke o f h i s many f o l l ow i s awa i t ed w i t h deep . . v i s i t s t o sho r e es t abi nt eres t by of f i cers and ra t i ngs l i shmen t s and sh i ps . " The and t he i r w i ves . I mee t on t hese v i s i ts The compa r ab i l i t y ques t i on a l so peop l e f ea t ur ed i n a Commons deba t e on " Con t i nued i n back page
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The sys t em w i l l wo r k by a t rans f e r va l ue sum based on l eng th o f serv i ce and wh i ch w i l l " buy " a numbe r o f yea rs cred i t i n t he ex -Se r v i ceman ' s new pens i on scheme . Th i s shou l d be enough t o g i ve t he same l eve l o f pens i on accumu l a t ed unde r t he AFPS . Bu t ex -Se r v i cemen shou l d no t be surpr i sed i f t he numbe r o f yea rs ' cred i t i s gr ea t e r t han ac t ua l r eckonab l e serv i ce i n t he Roya l Navy ' s i nce pens i ons accumu l a t e a t a f as t er ra t e i n t he AFPS t han i n mos t o t he r pub l i c serv i ce pens i ons schemes (no t ab l e excep t i ons be i ng t he Po l i ce and F i re Se rv i ce schernes) . So each yea r i n t he AFPS is wor t h mo r e t owa rds pens i on t han i n mos t schemes ' and w i l l t he r e f or e " buy " mo r e yea rs when conve r t ed i nto a t rans f e r va l ue . Bu t whe r e a t rans f er va l ue i s pa id t o a pens i on scheme ou t s i de t he c l ub " ne t wor k ' I w i l l e e
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Af t e r a spe l l i n dr y dock a t Gr eenock , she i s t o comp l e t e t he t r i a l s of f wes t Sco t l and ' re t urn i ng to Ba r row t owa rds t he end o f May .
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The l a rges t wa r sh i p t o be bu i l t f or t he Roya l Navy s i nce t he 1950s , she wi l l have a comp l emen t o f 1 ' 000 when she comm i ss i ons i n a yea r ' s t i me .
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