A Useful Niche Role for Canadian Engineers??
- Thread starter Kirkhill
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The requirement to build infrastructure in "lawless" areas exists in many places around the world today.
There is a Canadian historical pretext. British Royal Engineers were given the task of building the road into the Cariboo in the 1850's-60's. This supplied a British presence, a uniformed Government presence, an armed entity capable of legitimately using lethal force in self-defence and supplied infrastructure supporting trade, communication, settlement and the movement of Government forces to dominate the line of communication and the Interior. This forestalled American involvement during the Gold Rush period.
Similar rationale could probably be ascribed to the Mounties (what would nowadays be described as a Paramilitary Police Force similar to the Carabinieri and la Gendarmerie rather than a Civil Police Force like the modern RCMP or a true military force like the US Cavalry of the day) and the deployment of the Railways.
Armed and Armoured Aid Workers if you like.
Please note - before I get my head taken off, I am not advocating that ALL Engineers should do NOTHING but this type of work, nor am I advocating this as the sole role for the Canadian Forces.
I still want an army and I still like "Tanks, Tanks, Tanks".
I am just wondering out loud whether or not this a useful role and whether it would be a role that Engineers in particular and the CF in general could support.
Cheers.
There is a Canadian historical pretext. British Royal Engineers were given the task of building the road into the Cariboo in the 1850's-60's. This supplied a British presence, a uniformed Government presence, an armed entity capable of legitimately using lethal force in self-defence and supplied infrastructure supporting trade, communication, settlement and the movement of Government forces to dominate the line of communication and the Interior. This forestalled American involvement during the Gold Rush period.
Similar rationale could probably be ascribed to the Mounties (what would nowadays be described as a Paramilitary Police Force similar to the Carabinieri and la Gendarmerie rather than a Civil Police Force like the modern RCMP or a true military force like the US Cavalry of the day) and the deployment of the Railways.
Armed and Armoured Aid Workers if you like.
Please note - before I get my head taken off, I am not advocating that ALL Engineers should do NOTHING but this type of work, nor am I advocating this as the sole role for the Canadian Forces.
I still want an army and I still like "Tanks, Tanks, Tanks".
I am just wondering out loud whether or not this a useful role and whether it would be a role that Engineers in particular and the CF in general could support.
Cheers.
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I must admit I agree with TR...we are not in IRAQ
...now do I agree that our expertise as engineers could help the "rest" of the world...oh yes! that is in our "nature"..
I am an engineer and have spent most of my career on infrastructure work..ie. pumps and pipes...it is something that we as Canadians..that is the John Q Public has enjoyed with somewhat of a reliance and saftey for many years (ok..I admit a few mishaps along the way..). It is not something the rest of the world has had the pleasure of enjoying!
Can we combine the CF with our engineering expertise...I hope so..or else why would we have engineering units!?!?
Can we help in IRAQ?...probably not at this point in time..since our government will make that ulitimate deicision..and if I am not mistaken..is that not an area of contention (spelling??) that occurred with our american "friends"?
...now do I agree that our expertise as engineers could help the "rest" of the world...oh yes! that is in our "nature"..
I am an engineer and have spent most of my career on infrastructure work..ie. pumps and pipes...it is something that we as Canadians..that is the John Q Public has enjoyed with somewhat of a reliance and saftey for many years (ok..I admit a few mishaps along the way..). It is not something the rest of the world has had the pleasure of enjoying!
Can we combine the CF with our engineering expertise...I hope so..or else why would we have engineering units!?!?
Can we help in IRAQ?...probably not at this point in time..since our government will make that ulitimate deicision..and if I am not mistaken..is that not an area of contention (spelling??) that occurred with our american "friends"?
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McG said:
On the money McG.
But if tasked with the job in Iraq and if we had the funds I think we could set up a basic and I emphasise a basic ininfrastructureust to get a sense of normalcy for the people and is that not what we have done but on a minor scale and again I emphasise" minor" in the Former Yugoslavia even before SIMIC was created.
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McG said:
I did an IFOR tour with the Brits while I was on exchange with the 1st Battalion the Royal Green Jackets. I commanded the equivalent of Cbt Sp Coy, which was "disbanded" fro the Op - Recce went to BHQ, and the Mors, MG and MILAN Pls became Rifle Pls reinforcing the three Rifle Coys. I ended up as the Chief LO for the Battalion, and the CIMIC dude to boot. In a 4 month period (we were short-toured because of drawdown from IFOR to SFOR) I spent 2.2M DM re-building basic infrastructure, from power lines to schools. For almost all of our work, we used local contractors. The expertise is generally there already (which I admit may be less so in Iraq), and the funds that are disbursed serve to "goose" the economy. If you do it yourself using Engr assets, then you are a) using engineers that could be employed on other tasks, such as mine-clearance, vertical and horizontal construction in support of own tps etc), b) missing a chance to goose the economy, and c) falling into the aid vs development trap. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day - teach a man to fish and he will never be hungry...
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