Overseas CFBs

[Wookilar]

Reviving a necro here...

I am looking for info on Naples and Stuttgart. Has anyone been to either, even visiting? 9D and I are trying to do our homework before putting our names in the hat for OUTCAN next year. I would prefer GK, but that position won't be open for 2 more years and for us, next year would work best. My daughter has to switch schools anyway.

Any info is appreciated (especially family related and school related).

Thanks.

Wook

 

[dapaterson]

Reviving a necro here...

I am looking for info on Naples and Stuttgart. Has anyone been to either, even visiting? 9D and I are trying to do our homework before putting our names in the hat for OUTCAN next year. I would prefer GK, but that position won't be open for 2 more years and for us, next year would work best. My daughter has to switch schools anyway.

Any info is appreciated (especially family related and school related).

Thanks.

Wook

I don't have a link, but you may want to contact the MFRC in Europe as a start for your questions.

 

[Gunner98]

Naples:  http://www.familyforce.ca/sites/Naples/EN/Pages/default.aspx

GK:  http://www.familyforce.ca/sites/Tri-Community/EN/Pages/default.aspx

 

[captloadie]

If you are looking at Stutgart, you will be working in one of the two commands at the link below. They have a link for newcomers to the base that should give you some info. Although directed to American Personnel, much of the info will be the same for you. The two individuals that were there previously seemed to enjoy it, but there are a few things to be aware of. First, you'll likely be one of only 2 CF families in the area. Your support will all be done from CFSU (E), near GK, so things take a little longer to get done, as alot of things need to be sent back to Canadian sponsor for approval first. But, if you don't need to have a strong Canadian presence around, and can simulate into the American community, you might enjoy it.

http://www.eucom.mil/#

http://www.africom.mil/

I have heard good and bad things about Naples. There used to be a requirement to take a language course before going, but I'm not sure if that is still valid.

 

[Baz]

Everything you ever wanted to know about the current structure:
http://www.europe.forces.gc.ca/

I say current because there is a NATO Command Structure reorgainzation going on:
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_75773.htm

As well, there are some Canadian initiatives active, which are very much in the early days.

PS: Currently posted to SHAPE (Allied Command Operations), Casteau (just north of Mons), Belgium

PPS: ...and it is quite competitive in many trades to get here...

 

[vonGarvin]

Reviving a necro here...

I am looking for info on Naples and Stuttgart. Has anyone been to either, even visiting? 9D and I are trying to do our homework before putting our names in the hat for OUTCAN next year. I would prefer GK, but that position won't be open for 2 more years and for us, next year would work best. My daughter has to switch schools anyway.

Any info is appreciated (especially family related and school related).

Thanks.

Wook

I've been to Stuttgart.  Not posted, though.  It's a nice city in a nice part of Germany.  You aren't too far from anything there: Switzerland, France, etc.  You may notice an abnormally high ratio of Porsches in that city, which isn't a bad thing.

The food is excellent.  The beer is excellent, and you would be amazed at all the things you can do just in the local area.

 

[Gasplug]

Wooki,

After three years in Naples (2007-2010) and into my second year in Berlin, I guess I can give you a few pointers.  Naples is always dependent on the exact position you get on the Peace Establishment AND on where you live around the NATO Base.  I was lucky; I had 3 good jobs in three years (I know I cannot seem to keep any job!) and I had a very nice place to live.  I really enjoyed the weather (it remains above freezing for the whole year!!!!) but Naples itself is chaotic, dirty and polluted. You need to very careful of where you live but it is a very good springboard to visit Southern Europe. To me, the 42 Canadian families in Naples was a disadvantage; think of it as a small village with about 100 inhabitants! Everybody knows everything about everybody!

Germany (Berlin in my case) is much more "civilized."  I am only one of 5 Canadian service members in the city with the other four at the Embassy. It is much more peaceful as far as social activities are concerned and I do not have to worry about crime as much. Berlin, like Stuttgart, is a large city so there are always some dangers but overall, my wife and I are much more comfortable living in Germany than in Southern Italy.  The only real difficulty for us here is the language, which is harder to learn than Italian. I learned German many, many years ago and I have no problem working in German in my job. My wife does find it a little harder but most Germans will speak some English.

Hope this helps.

Gasplug 

 

[Wookilar]

Thanks everyone for the info.

The website links are great, but the 1st hand knowledge is excellent to have.

We're aware of the crime/pollution levels in Naples, but the job is a perfect fit, where the job in Stuttgart is ... well it would be new territory for me lol.

More info to chew on. Thanks again to everyone.

Wook

 

[vonGarvin]

And one last shout out for Stuttgart.

The phrase "Ordnung muß sein" is more than a slogan: it's a way of life in Germany.  Yes, there are punks and stuff in the cities, but in general terms, Germany is much more civilised than Italy.  And I think you'd find the Swabians of that part of Germany to much more like Maritimers here in Canada.  Friendly and more relaxed in terms of the "rat race".  Although that of course is a broad generalisation.

 

[The Bread Guy]

.... in general terms, Germany is much more civilised than Italy ....

At least more organized....

 

[dapaterson]

At least more organized....

... and less bunga-bunga...

 

[aesop081]

Most of Italy is not Bad. Sicily on the other hand..............

 

[vonGarvin]

At least more organized....

Yes.....organised....that's what I meant 

 

[The Bread Guy]

Most of Italy is not Bad. Sicily on the other hand..............

They say as you go north, you run into those who say they're more civilized/organized than those you just left until you reach the far north, where some Italians speak English with German accents.

 

[Kalatzi]

About two monthe ago there was an article available from Agence France Press. I posted the article and a mod deleted it as a duplicated threadThat I can no longer find, That teh CF was indeed considering get back into the overseas base game.

Concept was similar to Camp Mirage, prepositioned staging areas for heavy equipment and the like. Cant recall all the areas, the one that did stand out though was Korea. I found it kinda odd, especially since we are not part of SEATO.

Not a peep in the MSM though.

 

[aesop081]

especially since we are not part of SEATO.

So what ? Nobody is part of SEATO as that organization was dissolved on 30 June 1977.

 

[dapaterson]

About two monthe ago there was an article available from Agence France Press. I posted the article and a mod deleted it as a duplicated threadThat I can no longer find, That teh CF was indeed considering get back into the overseas base game.

Concept was similar to Camp Mirage, prepositioned staging areas for heavy equipment and the like. Cant recall all the areas, the one that did stand out though was Korea. I found it kinda odd, especially since we are not part of SEATO.

Not a peep in the MSM though.

The media did give the concept some coverage.  The concept is not bases (with all the personnel and equipment those entail) but rather limited pre-positions supplies and, more importantly, pre-arranged agreements with foreign countries for basing and staging.

https://www.cirrelt.ca/DocumentsTravail/CIRRELT-2008-34.pdf

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/pal/01605682/2011/00000062/00000004/art00007

 

[The Bread Guy]

The media did give the concept some coverage.  The concept is not bases (with all the personnel and equipment those entail) but rather limited pre-positions supplies and, more importantly, pre-arranged agreements with foreign countries for basing and staging.

https://www.cirrelt.ca/DocumentsTravail/CIRRELT-2008-34.pdf

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/pal/01605682/2011/00000062/00000004/art00007

With some discussion here:
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/101118.0;all

 

[AERO2012]

The media did give the concept some coverage.  The concept is not bases (with all the personnel and equipment those entail) but rather limited pre-positions supplies and, more importantly, pre-arranged agreements with foreign countries for basing and staging.

https://www.cirrelt.ca/DocumentsTravail/CIRRELT-2008-34.pdf

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/pal/01605682/2011/00000062/00000004/art00007

To address these tactical planning/scheduling decision problems, good and robust optimization methods are needed and, preferably, within the framework of the network design and transportation models. A robust optimization tool can provide a complete business solution that manages the CF overseas operations and monitors the technical performances of the entire logistics network (Navy, Army and Air Force). In contrast to the simple approach of decomposing the CF logistics using a conventional planning/scheduling methods (pre-positions supplies, amongs others, as proposed by CIRRELT report), the optimal network design modeling approach should accounts for actual materials flows in the entire CF supply chain, from the basic professional equipment to the overseas operations. Therefore, a global optimum solution for the CF operations could be generated which is different from a local optimum or a feasible solution that is found using simple decision support tools (CIRRELT report). The cost savings could be important since the logistics decisions have a huge impact on the cost of CF overseas operations.

 

[dapaterson]

I cringe whenever I see "cost savings" and "optimization" in discussions of military logistics.

"Just in time" and "lean" and all the other great corporate buzzwords are fine in many circumstances.  For military logistics, however, margins need to be built in; supplies stockpiled and kept on hand, and inherently, there will be cases of oversupply.  It's a trite saying, but the enemy gets a vote in these matters.  The best analytical model in the world is just that - a model, that may or may not match reality.  And being forced to tell the commander that his plan is unsupportable because his ammunition consumption doesn't match the model...