Re; MCDV and MCM:
You are both right. The MCDVs were never intended to be 'full time' MCM platforms but were an amalgamation of several roles including sovereignty patrols, some limited MCM capability and of course training junior officers. As a result there are not ideally suited for any of the above (and yes perhaps there is a lesson here for JSS). Accordingly when they are retired we will be loosing some of our limited MCM capability.
In addition to you various comments about divers etc that we also have the remotely operated mine detection system (using side scan sonar in a remote semi-autonomous body) which can be operated from frigates, destroyers and AORs (with the right crane). This system (whose name escapes me) can do many of the same jobs as the route survey payload on the MCDVs but obviously can't do the BOIV role.
I guess what I am saying is that with the end of the MCDVs in 10 years or so that we will loose some of this but a small mixed fleet often has to make trade-offs in capability. My guess is the adults either have weighed the options or are weighing them and have decided that is worth it.
Could an AOPV do MCM? A little I guess and at least as well as an MCDV could with the right payloads and crew training.
Finally Sailor West is right about the crew mix. It will be a mix of regular force and 'reserve'. However let me point out some other facts that will be happening about the same time.
First the total crew requirements for the AOPV will be more or less the same as the total crews of the MCDVs, about 300 - 400. (Which by the way the Naval Reserve can't meet now, much less 10 years from now).
Second, by that time (2019) the 280s will be long gone and there is not signed contract to replace them. It takes our navy working with our politicians about 10 years betwen signing a contract to having a hull in the water. The FFH contract was signed in 1983, the 1st (HALIFAX) was delivered in 1991 with VACOUVER in 1993. The point here is that there will be a gap where significant numbers of regular sailors will be available.
Third, at the same time some of the FFHs will be still going through the FELEX program, again more sailors available.
Fourth, even if a AOR/JSS contract were signed today (presuming they are locally built) it will take 10 years to build them and they will probably have smaller crews. More sailors available.
Fifth, the SSKs will probably reach the end of their useful life about this time and any government other than this one will be loathe to replace them. More sailors.
In summary I do not think manning the AOPVs or the JSS will be a problem in 2019 -2020. Too many other classes will either be gone without replacement or going through refit, or hopefully under construction. So assuming we have about the same numbers of sailors in that time as we have now we will have plenty of regular sailors at least initially.
What does this mean? Well if I were a 'permashad' in my 20s or thirties I would give serious thought about staying on 'full-time'. About the same time that you expect to have a 'career' the "raison d'etre" of the reserves will be gone and there will be plenty of regular sailors to fill any bunks required.
Additionally, while the crews are 'mixed' (although I agree with Sailor West here in that personally see no difference between a permashad and a regular sailor, they certainly aren't 'reserves' by any stretch of the imagination) the manning will proably not be a reserve responsibility. Accordingly training, qualifications and appointments will be controlled by CMS staff and not NAVRESHQ. As such all those nice juicy shore jobs currently held by so called 'reservists' (most of whom have long since given up their day jobs, if they ever had one) will probably also not be required. If a bosn requires the same skills as for a FFH as for an AOPV why have a separate training system?