• Thanks for stopping by. Logging in to a registered account will remove all generic ads. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

Reserve Restructure

Posted by Derrick Forsythe <Derrick.Forsythe@gov.ab.ca> on Fri, 26 May 2000 09:24:59 -0600
There are too many units, too
little resources and too few reasons for talented soldiers to stay
in
the Reserves quite honestly I think it is boring/frustrating for
most
people now - when was the last time you had alot of fun doing
interesting and stimulating training on exercise?.
This goes to the heart of my ongoing argument:
too many units?
Maybe, but remember those units give the CF, as a whole, a larger
footprint in communities across the country. I mean outside of Steele
Barracks and maybe Gagetown most Reg Bases are in isolated locations and as
such contact with civilians is limited. It‘s difficult to put a price tag on
the important role these units play in raising the overall profile of the
organization - I am willing to argue toe-to-toe with anyone Reservists
generate more good will, pound for pound, than any/all of the Regular units.
too little resources?
We‘ve been squeezed by the same budgetary pressures as the rest of
government - but that is only half of the equation. Ultimately full-timers
set our budgets and when the fiscal noose tightens they look after their own
first so there‘s less of the reduced money trickling down to units.
too few reasons...?
This is the flipside of the para immediately above. In addition to
having budgets reduced we are being required to conduct increased levels of
what I call "remedial training" under the warrior program. It‘s not rocket
science to see that as the two opposing forces approach achieve?
cross-over there is going to be "leadership challenges" to keep soldiers
motivated.
fun and interesting training?
Given the pressures resident in the above two paras it can be
difficult to build exciting training plans. Not impossible however, it
takes a little creativity and a willingness from higher to allow units to
"think outside the box." It also requires us to maximize value for dollars
invested in training. That means outside of winter indoc we should be
training "in the green" which means Sep-early Nov and early Apr-May time
frames.
Brigades too must work to ensure concentrations maximize training
value including integration with Regular Force timetables - augmentation is
our primary role after all.
On a larger scale there has to be a re-focus on training philosophy.
For instance QL2 should revert to training every soldier to the warrior
standards - yes it takes longer and yes it costs more up front, but it will
lessen the amount of remedial training required at the unit level and will
allow greater focus on trade training during QL3. In fact many units could,
with proper support, conduct their own QL3 courses and work early on at
building the values inherent within a "Regimental Family". That would allow
Jr. and Sr. NCOs and Jr Officers to develop their leadership skills and
provide challenges on a range of levels.
As for the nature of unit training exercises, perhaps more should be
placed on integrating training - for instance we are starting to send FOOs
out with tankers and grunts lending an added level of realism on both sides.
It would be valuable as well to integrate with the Svc Bns to
exercise facets of our business like DPs and operating Fd kitchens.
Those are a few of my incoherent ramblings - questions, comments?
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
message body.
 
Posted by "Bradley Sallows" <Bradley_Sallows@ismbc.com> on Fri, 26 May 2000 12:25:55 -0700
The media continue to bat 1.000 in their inability to correctly interpret
anything military.
>Just read an insightful article by Strome Galloway in the May edition of esprit
de corps magazine.
"inciteful" might be more appropriate, although I suppose I should first read
the article. To my knowledge there is not, as yet, any correlation between
"non-viable" and "disbandment". Once again, the "assume" principle seems to be
demonstrated.
The LFRR evaluations employed some unusual metrics. Low numbers on a unit
nominal roll were not the only source of a low score. I thought the same
methodology was applied across Canada in the final assessment, but perhaps not.
Anyway, in LFWA one of the magic numbers was a count of "effective soldiers".
To be "effective", a soldier had to be trade-qualified QL2 alone was
insufficient, pass Warrior, and parade a minimum of 70 if memory serves of
scheduled unit parades and training activities. Again if memory serves,
although the total score of 20 was divided into 4 major sub-scores of 5 points
each, Warrior pass rates had a direct bearing on no less than 11 points and
some spare change of the total score owing to the methodology.
Thus, a large unit with a predominance of QL2-level soldiers, low Warrior pass
rates, or a large number of soldiers each attending only 2/3 of all activities,
could score low - and it in all likelihood might reflect a temporary state of
affairs hence the term, "snapshot". If one doesn‘t have access to the final
LFRR evaluation report submitted by a particular unit, then one doesn‘t know
jack s*** about why that unit scored "viable" or "non-viable" and should refrain
from commenting on the probable future of that unit.
>The article also quotes one militia general who said, "Soldiers don‘t join the
reserves, they join a regiment."
This is not an accurate representation of all reservists. I first enrolled at a
"regiment", but was joining "the reserves for a summer job" - the "regimental
identity" was irrelevant. I transferred to a different unit when I returned to
university. Any reservist in a one-unit town doesn‘t exactly have a choice to
"join a regiment". Where choice exists, I suspect soldiers join to be "a
gunner", "a crewman", "a rifleman" rather than to be a "1st Battalion
somethingorother", or join simply because they already have friends in the unit.
Clearly the service support soldiers are not joining "a regiment". Most
recruits are a blank slate when it comes to their "regiment" until they have
been indoctrinated. Is this an Ontario-centric thing, where regiments are thick
on the ground?
Brad Sallows
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
message body.
 
Posted by "Bradley Sallows" <Bradley_Sallows@ismbc.com> on Fri, 26 May 2000 12:31:03 -0700
>However, recognition must be given to the fact that the reserves have not been
well taken care of by our government or by the Regular Force. They are sorely
neglected and need solution fast money will not solve all their problmes.
My belief is that if the Regular Force truly believes it needs the reserves as a
source of individual augmentees and direct component transfers, then the single
most beneficial thing it could do would be to commit as a highest priority to
staffing summer courses to make up shortfalls of available reserve instructors
who, in some cases, are on an operational rotation or have transferred to the
Regulars.
Brad Sallows
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
message body.
 
Posted by "Dave Kenney" <cao@lf.ab.ca> on Fri, 26 May 2000 17:04:28 -0600
Brad Sallows wrote:
>Is this an Ontario-centric thing, where regiments are thick on the ground?
No. I joined the Ontario Regiment in 1968 because
1 I wantd a job to earn some money
2 They were recruiting
3 They were the only unit within walking distance of home.
4 It wouldn‘t have mattered if they were Artillery, Armoured, Infantry or
Postal
5 Pride in unit came later
6 Dedication came later
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
message body.
 
Posted by Gunner <randr1@home.com> on Fri, 26 May 2000 17:41:46 -0600
Good comments Dave Kenney. I think your comments of 1968 are valid today
as they were then. I agree with you that a minority of soldiers join a
certain Regt because of the tradition of that unit. A soldier may join
because a member of their family had joined...but I think they are few
and far between.
When I joined the artillery it was it was the only unit in my hometown
and within walking distance. I stayed in though when I took pride in
my unit and dedicated to it. When I leave full time service, I will
join the Reserves again, because I enjoy doing it.
I think we put to much emphasis on the Regt system and not enough
emphasis on the Army. If the Regt system is so important...why was the
Soviet Union no Regt system the main winner of WWII? What about the
runner up of the US no Regt system? Loyalty to your country above all
else, followed by the CF, the army, and your unit not the reverse.
Dave Kenney wrote:
>
> Brad Sallows wrote:
> >Is this an Ontario-centric thing, where regiments are thick on the ground?
>
> No. I joined the Ontario Regiment in 1968 because
> 1 I wantd a job to earn some money
> 2 They were recruiting
> 3 They were the only unit within walking distance of home.
> 4 It wouldn‘t have mattered if they were Artillery, Armoured, Infantry or
> Postal
> 5 Pride in unit came later
> 6 Dedication came later
>
> --------------------------------------------------------
> NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
> to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
> to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
> message body.
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
message body.
 
Posted by freegroup@acbm.qc.ca HLCOL Dennis Dwyer on Wed, 23 Aug 2000 11:05:26 -0400
The following comments were submitted by
HLCOL Dennis Dwyer freegroup@acbm.qc.ca on
Wednesday, August 23, 2000 at 11:05:25
to the Canadian Army Mailing List.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To All,
I‘m initerested in opinions, articles, letters, books, etc that will help me to better understand how we in Canada and people in other countries can improve our Militia, get a better bang for our buck for our tazpayers yet imrove morale within our units and brigade headquarters.
Dennis Dwyer
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information, please see The Canadian Army Home Page at:
http://army.cipherlogic.on.ca
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
message body.
 
Posted by Rhett <lawson@cclacbrome.qc.ca> on Wed, 23 Aug 2000 14:40:14 -0400
Hello Dennis
As you know the system is in poor repair and we are all hoping that somehow LGEN Jefferies will be able to pull the rabbit out of the hat.
Be glad to talk to some time about this
Rhett Lawson
HLCOL Dennis Dwyer wrote:
> The following comments were submitted by
> HLCOL Dennis Dwyer freegroup@acbm.qc.ca on
> Wednesday, August 23, 2000 at 11:05:25
> to the Canadian Army Mailing List.
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> To All,
>
> I‘m initerested in opinions, articles, letters, books, etc that will help me to better understand how we in Canada and people in other countries can improve our Militia, get a better bang for our buck for our tazpayers yet imrove morale within our units and brigade headquarters.
>
> Dennis Dwyer
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> For more information, please see The Canadian Army Home Page at:
>
> http://army.cipherlogic.on.ca
> --------------------------------------------------------
> NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
> to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
> to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
> message body.
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
message body.
 
Posted by Gunner <randr1@home.com> on Fri, 25 Aug 2000 16:44:09 -0600
To all:
I‘ve been reading alot of the good comments that are being made by all
the members of this newsgroup. Whether the correct amount of class A
days is 35 or 36, I think it is difficult to narrow it down to merely
this one area that is effecting reserve effectiveness. Although it has
been several years seven at last count since I was a member of a
Reserve Unit, I have dealt with reserve issue at the Area HQ and
interacted with many reserve officers and NCMs on trg, etc.
There is no magic solution to the problems plaguing the reserves as they
are widespread and far reaching problems. The limited number of full
time Res/Reg F assigned to each unit, limited trg ammo, limited trg
eqpt, limited trg realism at unit level, limited Cl A mandays, limited
opportunities for Reg F crses, limited call outs to Reg F units,
benefits and pay that will help keep trained and experienced people in,
lack of a percieved role besides a reg f manning pool that takes the
best and most motivated, lack of recognition by the Reg F much better
now then it was, etc, etc.
I‘m a firm believer in the Govt, MND and the CF deciding what the Res F
must do and what it should be capable of becoming and allocating
resources that are adequate plus vice the current scrappings of the
bottom of the defence budget that the militia currently is allocated.
Will this mean the closing of units? Sure it will and this is not a bad
thing. I don‘t advocate a militia of postal and NBCD units, however they
have their place and reservists could fill that role.
The militia has always been a very poor second cousin compared with both
Reg F understandably and especially compared with our cousins in air,
sea, and comm reserve. Why is this? Why has it been allowed to
happen? I really haven‘t seen anything from any of the studies
commissioned that really address the heart of the matter. The reserves
are on life support and it will take an intensive shock therapy to get
them into the 21st century.
My two cents....
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
message body.
 
Posted by "The MacFarlanes‘" <desrtrat@amug.org> on Fri, 25 Aug 2000 21:14:22 -0700
One problem that I identified personally while in my unit - with no
mandatory work release from employers, and very little PR, even, generally
the people that we were sending on courses, callouts, peacekeeping duties,
whatever, were people who didn‘t have long term, stable careers. Chances
are, if you were a leader as a soldier, you were a leader at your civilian
job. Not knowing much about the Militia, and having no legislation to back
you up, your employer could ill afford to let you go on course for 6 weeks.
Thus, again, generally the people getting qualifications and eventual
promotion were not the best people in your unit. They were the people who
couldn‘t/wouldn‘t/didn‘t want to have a regular, full time career.
Obviously, there were some exceptions to this, especially as you got higher
up in rank. No severance packagethen, no pension, relatively low pay,
morale suffering - those of us who stayed in the Unit a long time were there
because we were loyal, and enjoyed it. Incidentally, I lived in a border
town, and there was a National Guard unit 15 minutes away. They were
artillery like us, so we compared notes a lot. We seemed to be much better
trained, but utilized much less, and had, of course, generally crappy
equipment, compared to theirs. They used guard personnel to assist US
Customs in drug interdiction work, the Border Patrols‘ mechanics were NG,
they were mobilized for the Gulf.. you name it. I tried to organize an "Aide
to the Civil Power" exercise once assist/observe local mounties or town
police at a DUI checkpoint, and it got blasted by higher ups. Too much
liability, not PC, etc. For the most part, people in our town were
supportive of our local unit - well, those who knew anything about it. The
lack of knowledge regarding the Armed Forces, and Militia in particular, is
making it even easier to shut down units, strip away traditions, etc. What
our Government has done to our Army, Navy and Air Force, regular and
reserve, has hurt me more than any other thing as a Canadian. If the average
citizen understood some of the traditions/history of these units, knew the
esteem in which the average Canadian soldier is held in the rest of the
world, and understood the dedication of our troops they want to volunteer,
and are not allowed??!!!, I am sure they would be ashamed too. I had some
other points when I started out, but I digressed, rambled, and forgot them.
I will try to remember them for next time.
Ubique
M J MacFarlane
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gunner"
To:
Sent: Friday, August 25, 2000 3:44 PM
Subject: Re: Restructuring the Militia
> To all:
>
> I‘ve been reading alot of the good comments that are being made by all
> the members of this newsgroup. Whether the correct amount of class A
> days is 35 or 36, I think it is difficult to narrow it down to merely
> this one area that is effecting reserve effectiveness. Although it has
> been several years seven at last count since I was a member of a
> Reserve Unit, I have dealt with reserve issue at the Area HQ and
> interacted with many reserve officers and NCMs on trg, etc.
>
> There is no magic solution to the problems plaguing the reserves as they
> are widespread and far reaching problems. The limited number of full
> time Res/Reg F assigned to each unit, limited trg ammo, limited trg
> eqpt, limited trg realism at unit level, limited Cl A mandays, limited
> opportunities for Reg F crses, limited call outs to Reg F units,
> benefits and pay that will help keep trained and experienced people in,
> lack of a percieved role besides a reg f manning pool that takes the
> best and most motivated, lack of recognition by the Reg F much better
> now then it was, etc, etc.
>
> I‘m a firm believer in the Govt, MND and the CF deciding what the Res F
> must do and what it should be capable of becoming and allocating
> resources that are adequate plus vice the current scrappings of the
> bottom of the defence budget that the militia currently is allocated.
> Will this mean the closing of units? Sure it will and this is not a bad
> thing. I don‘t advocate a militia of postal and NBCD units, however they
> have their place and reservists could fill that role.
>
> The militia has always been a very poor second cousin compared with both
> Reg F understandably and especially compared with our cousins in air,
> sea, and comm reserve. Why is this? Why has it been allowed to
> happen? I really haven‘t seen anything from any of the studies
> commissioned that really address the heart of the matter. The reserves
> are on life support and it will take an intensive shock therapy to get
> them into the 21st century.
> My two cents....
> --------------------------------------------------------
> NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
> to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
> to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
> message body.
>
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
message body.
 
Posted by Ian Edwards <iedwards@home.com> on Sat, 26 Aug 2000 13:00:05 -0600
Gunner from Ian: good posting and I agree with everying you say. Phew,
isn‘t that a relief :
But to snip out all but one remark:
Gunner wrote:
>
> To all:
> ... The reserves
> are on life support and it will take an intensive shock therapy to get
> them into the 21st century....
Ian on his soapbox sez:
The Militia reached a postwar postWW2 peak strength in numbers about
1964. As an example I was on two annual "garrison" parades of 23 Mil Gp
Northern Alberta and we had 1800 I saw them no exagggeration on
parade each year. We had no equipment but shiny boots and highly
polished brass. Even the Dental Corps unit in Edmonton had over 50 on
parade that‘s a lot of teeth.
Then came the fold-up of units the Dental Corps unit bit the dust as
did Northern Alberta‘s only armd unit, the 19th Alberta Dragoons.
Everyone knew the 19D were going to be cut because Ottawa took away
their perfectly serviceable/usable Ferret Scout Cars without any
replacement the armd cars were sold for scrap. Then came the
hippy-dippy long hair popular culture and dislike of anything military
due to the Viet Nam war. And cut backs almost constantly thereafter one
step forward and two steps back. The Militia body is, indeed, still on
life-support. Why? Because between then and now no-one, in Ottawa or in
our lobby groups sic has a LONG RANGE PLAN to garner public support
for the Reserves nor for a "favourable" foreign policy that drives the
raison d‘etre for the Reserves local natural disasters
notwithwstanding.
> --------------------------------------------------------
> NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
> to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
> to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
> message body.
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
message body.
 
Back
Top