Reservist Roles?

[pbi]

You guys are asking questions that take me back to my days as a Sgt and WO. It's disturbing (but, I suppose, not too surprising...) to see that this rubbishy wasting of Res soldiers time still goes on: it is a curse and IMHO one of the biggest causes of attrition. We have it in our Res Bde too: the Comd and I made a surprise visit to several of our units one night. What we found going on ranged from very good training with a back-up plan in place, to so/so training, to a bloody disgrace with very junior leaders being left to fend for themselves. Fortunately, neither the CO nor the RSM of the latter unit are in those appointments any longer.

What to do as an NCO/WO? (The following advice is aimed at Army Reserve-for Comm Res it may be different)

First, collar your officer and try to sort it out.This is a skill you MUST master as a WO/NCO. There may be problems you don't know about, or he/she may honesty be unaware. If you can't get together at the Armoury, arrange to meet at somebody's house, a Timmy's, a bar, something.... But first, give the officer a chance.

Next, if that doesn't work, go to your CSM/SSM/BSM. If that doesn't work (or if that person doesn't exist...) ask for an audience with the RSM. Finally (at least in our Bde anyway, I don't know about others...) get hold of your Bde RSM.

In the meantime, if you are left without training guidance at all, go and see the unit training officer. Ask them what BTS were assigned to your coy/bty/sqn. Get them to give you a copy of the Unit Operating Plan and take a look for yourself. Then, apply your knowledge and common sense as WOs/NCOs to set up proper training to achieve these assigned BTS.

In our Bde (again I'm not sure about others) all of our units are assigned specific BTS and other goals to achieve in the training year-the units must in turn come up with an Operating Plan that explains to the Bde Comd (and to their own people) exactly how this will be done. We post the Bde Operating Plan and the approved Unit Operating Plans on our website/shared drive. You should have a simillar arrangement in your Bde-check it out.

I am not so foolish and naive to think that this advice will solve every problem. But, unless you pursue all these steps to the best of your ability, you haven't done all you can do as WOs/NCOs to try to fix it. Remember-the young soldiers are depending on you: don't give up! Cheers.

 

[ackland]

pbi

Thanks for the advise. that is what we are currently doing at my unit. The problem is the OC is abit of a Nob. He once said, be it jokingly or not, in front of the troops " f*** the troops." What kind of leadership does that show. Our SSM is always trying to straighten him out but the CO keeps giving him a second and third chance and it keeps getting all mess up.

Things amy improve this year as our BC is now our RSS Capt.

Here's hopin for the future.

 

[logau]

here's an idea

Give total control of the Reserves to the Provinces

Regulars set the standards and the provinces do all the rest

If they are truly needed have the provinces pay them and support the National Army vs being a poor couisn of the underfunded National Army......

Ideas mes amis?

And no its not a trick question  

 

[pbi]

" f*** the troops

If this officer actually said this in the way you suggest, he should be removed. Of course, it sounds to me like the command climate in your unit wouldn't permit that decisive action. Get your RSM involved, or ask for an audience with the CO, which is a traditional right of every soldier (and a smart move for a CO who wants to keep problems "in house"). Respect is earned, not demanded, and an officer who says things like that sure isn't doing it. Good luck. Cheers.

 

[CanadianSIG]

Thanks for the advice folks - and we've already started down that road --- we finally have gotten one of our core members into the troop WO position and our new SM seems to be a together and approachable guy - so now it's just getting together to draw up the plans and run the gauntlet.

I just do not know WHY it has to come to this - with that "bow wave" of RegForce retirements on the immediate horizon the Reserves are going to be called upon more and more to augment operations... you would think that Units/Brigade/Regiment would be doing everything possible to ensure that their troops are being prepared to the best levels they are able... and I can verify your opinion pbi that wasting a Res soldiers time IS the biggest cause of attrition - most of us join to be soldiers - we want to learn the skillsets - we want to practice those skills in a way that we can understand --- and the expectations are great - particularly from the new young recruits.

When an ex or training day fails to meet those expectations - well - mission fails...

Wish us luck and maybe we'll run into you out there someday  

 

[ackland]

What comms regt are you with?
/

 

[pbi]

logau:

Give total control of the Reserves to the Provinces.Regulars set the standards and the provinces do all the rest

IMHO the Provinces would never go for that in 100 years. They have a sweet deal now. They already get the domestic operations support of the CF (mostly the Army, with an increasingly greater Reserve component) and they are guaranteed military support to maintain public order if they need it. For all this they are charged only incremental costs.

Imagine the reaction if Ottawa tried to download the cost of National Defense onto them! We'd just turn Reserve funding into another intergovernmental football like medicare. Cheers

 

[GDawg]

I've half jokingly discussed the idea of Canada adopting a Provincial National Guard system. We all agree that Alberta is the place to be, lots and lots of surplus $$$ and oil fields to protect from terrorists. If we keep getting Liberal governments in Ottawa I might wind up joining the Alberta Republican Army some day...hopefully I don't meet you guys going the other way in battle on the Saskatchewan frontier

 

[pbi]

Yes: It would be the Sask People's Army >. Just kidding, folks. Put that pitchfork down.

I assume that logau has the USARNG in mind. The states don't actually have "total control" of their ARNG units: there is a complex relationship between the state and the Feds. As well, the relationship between the ARNG and the Active Army is not necessarily what it could be (although OEF/OIF is probably changing that). When I was in Quantco, the ARNG wanted to get their own seat on the Joint Chiefs because they didn't believe that the COS of the Army represented them properly. I have also had an ARNG officer here tell me that the reportedly poor performance of ARNG units at NTC in preparation for the Gulf War was in fact a plot  by the Active Army to "prove" that they needed more Regulars, not more ARNG "round-out" units in the Active divisions. Hmmmmmmm-sound familiar? Cheers.