Haggis said:
So why bother trying, right? Why bother allowing Reserve NCOs to lead on operations in progressively more complex environments? Leave them at home to train BMQ, SQ and DP1 while the soldiers they train go off and gain relevant operational experience. Great idea.
There are two different issues here, and I’ll try to clarify them:
1) Reservists are not as well trained and experienced as the Regular Force, simply because of part vs full time. At the Pte/Cpl level this can be rectified relatively quickly and easily, and Reserve NCM's brought up to speed. At the NCO/Officer level this becomes more difficult; there is a greater difference in experience and formal courses between the Regs and Reservists. I don’t see how this difference can be closed – the courses take years to get, and the experience even longer.
2) Reserve Companies are
one way to employ reservists on operation, augmentation is another option, and Reserve-centric specialties like CIMIC and PsyOps a third, and there are others. Given my own experience with Reserve Companies, and the things I hear from others, I don’t believe that Reserve Companies offer the best way to integrate Reservists into operations, and
one of the reasons I don’t believe they are optimal is because of the wide gulf between the Reg F NCO/Officer standard and the Res F NCO/Officer standard.
Many Reserve NCOs
do perform brilliantly, and match or exceed their Reg counterparts, but more than a few fail in their new leadership positions (as many Reserve troops fail in their new roles). One night a week, one weekend a month does not give someone a whole lot of leadership experience. The Army has decreed that infantry reservists require One Year of pre-training to be allowed to a) operate as pte/cpl in a Reg F infantry section, or b) guard a gate and escort convoys under Reservist leadership, so as far as I can tell, the Army agrees with me.
I would prefer a more competitive system that was not obligated to employ "x" number of Reservists, in whatever ranks, in each position, to fill a Reserve Company establishment but rather an open system of augmentation based on need. Let ability and skill decide, not the need to maintain the integrity of the Reserve company. I also like the idea of specialties, such as CIMIC and PsyOps, being maintained primarily in the Reserves - make us experts in some areas, rather than half-trained infanteers/gunners/whatever.
Haggis said:
And you base this comment on what??
Serving in the Reserve Company on Roto 11 with 1 PPCLI in Bosnia.
Having many friends serving as augmentees in 2RCR and in the Reserve Company with TF1-07.
A very long and informative conversation with a group of British TA Combat Engineers who had served as a formed Reserve Troop in Iraq. (They regarded their own leadership as a complete failure in Iraq, and would have much preferred to be broken up and placed under their regular counterparts.)
Conversations with RegF troops who work with reservists in TMST and overseas.
Haggis said:
That's why each area only has to cough up volunteers every third Roto. There's four areas, remember? There's rarely a shortage of Reserve volunteers, many of whom are on second or third Afghanistan tours.
Every third Roto means every 1.5 years, and nominations would likely start even earlier. It takes 8 months to over a year to train a reservist infanteer, plus the one year of pre-training. This means we’re using up the limited pool of troops we have now, because we won’t be getting bodies in the ranks fast enough. Yes, everyone is keen to go over – but most will only go once, and there is a finite number who are able (for a variety of reasons) to deploy. This is the first time in many years there has been an 'open call' for volunteers, and many of the soldiers volunteering have been waiting and hoping for many years to get a tour. Once each Area coughs up its huge numbers, they won’t be able to replicate that for several years. We’ve never taken Reservists in numbers like this for such a sustained period, and I doubt the Army will find the second call as successful.
Haggis said:
True. They'll come into a Regiment populated by leaders and soldiers with real-world, recent operational experience except that, oh yeah, you don't think Reserve NCOs should go.
First – I was referring to recruits who join their units now, when they are semi-crippled for lack of NCOs and experienced troops. After the veterans return, then yes – the units will be as you describe them, and we all gain.
Second- I never said Reserve NCOs should not go overseas. I stated they don’t have the experience/training as their Reg F counterparts, and I questioned if the Reserve Company concept was the best way to employ reservists.
Haggis said:
Remember that the COs allowed this to happen. Likely they're looking at "short term pain for long term gain". Contrary to your belief, they obviously saw the benefits in letting their NCOs deploy.
Of course there’s a benefit to NCOs and troops deploying, I never stated there was not.
I like the points mentioned by Flawed Design, and I completely agree with all of them - the Reserves need more courses, and more operationally-focused courses and conversions. Unfortunately, the divide seems to keep growing - in the Infantry, we get the Milcot instead of the G-Wagen, we don't see programs like Gunfighter or updated Urbans Ops tactics, we never see armoured vehicles and get almost no experience with Helo Ops or similar specialties. To be operationally relevant, the Reserves need better training - but that will likely mean taking resources from the Regs.
Staff Weenie said:
Enfield - suck back and reload here - go back and read your basic history texts on WWI and WWII combat. Rotation in/out of the lines was particular to each nation's approach, and could differ greatly. Some nations ground their Divisions to a pulp before replacing them. Having units in high intensity combat day in, day out, for over a month, was entirely within the realm of possibility.
I replied to this in the Military History Forum - didn't want to get off topic here.
And so ends the longest time I've ever put into a post. Good thing my girlfriend isn't home. I look forward to the replies - and now, I need some food.
