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The Strangulation of the Army Reserves

Muskrat: I remember not that long ago when they were running driver wheeled and comms courses every year during the weekends. With the ability to run a QL2/3 in the summer, followed up with a QL4 driver, MG or comms course in the fall, guys could get corporal qualified in less than a year. Also, this allowed units to have a large pool of drivers to pull from and to task out during the summer. I know 39 CBG ran some BMQ courses during the year and a driver course over Christmas, but it was one of the first ones offered locally in a long time. I know many reservists who would love to do weekend courses locally rather than lining up to get shipped off to Wainwright for a whole summer. The local courses are easier on the instructors, FAR more convenient for the candidates and, since you don't have to house anyone and feed them only 2 lunches a week, I imagine they're a lot cheaper. Offering more of them would also alleviate a lot of the stress and backlog on the major training centres like WATC, leaving the more specialized and difficult to run courses there.

So, one of the big questions is, why isn't there more local training being offered? Is there some limitations by brigades? Budget allocations? Standards? 
 
Combat Medic

I can only speak from 41 CBG experience, but they do run local LFC Driver Wheeled.  Both 14 and 15 Svc run at least one course during the year.  15 Svc also has run an HLVW course.
 
Why no courses on weekends? Well 1 reason may be that standards would have to work weekends, think that will happen for long? Reason #2- we would have control over our courses, think they want that?

Anymore questions?.....................
 
One of the main problems with running local couses at least here in 39 Bde is a shortage of instructors.  Every time a course is planned there is a flurry of waivers flying thick and fast to get enough semi-qualified instructors.  It was rumoured that there would be junior officers teaching on PLQ...SACRILEGE!!!!  The winter Dvrs course was only saved by one unit's putting it to their Class B staff over Xmas.  Yes it would be great to go back to the days when the militia (Reserves) ran its own courses in its own schools but I doubt that will ever happen again.  It would mean some people giving up control & money.  No one ever wants to give up control & money.

My short-term solution is to suck back on this recruiting fetish that we have.  Invest the time and money in training the people we already have.  Build up a large strong cadre of trained & motivated leaders.  This will assist in retention as we would no longer be training to the lowest common denominator constantly and the troops will more challenged and motivated.  Once a critical mass has been reached we can start filling the lower ranks again.  Like it or not this sort of policy during the 20's and early 30's led in no small way to the German Army's tactical and operational successes in the early part of the war.
 
For what its worth here are my opinions on the reserves.  Streamline our recruiting process to a medical and background check done at the local unit level.  At one time we were capable of enrolling people in under a week.  Personnel officers for high tech firms, hospitals, medical schools even law enforcement, fire and paramedics can do this why do we need to take weeks.  Two much value is placed on interviews by PSOs, career tests and aptitude testing.  For most 16 yearolds that are applying this is their first job and their first interview.  When I hear of fit, capable, sports-minded, young Canadians being turned down because they fail to impress an interviewer who is rating them against 24 yearolds looking for a full-time military career I get cheesed off.  In our Bde the year before last we were turning down one in six applicants. 

Now you might argue our youth are so unfit both mentally and physically that we are better off without them.  but I look at 16 year olds and see potential. Seems to me some Youth nowadays need toughening both mentally and physically.  And there is nothing like military life to do that: drill, sports, fieldcraft, digging trenches and humping your ruck are all excellent means to build soldiers from citizens.

A previous writer mentioned the German Staff schools of the 20's and 30's.  By international law the size and equipping of the army was limited and so they used TEWTS to build a leadership cadre.  However they also had youth organizations of all descriptions where young leaders were cultivated.    In Canada, believe me there is nothing like giving a corporal and master corporal the responsibility of training troops.  This is where character is formed and forged.  And there is no organization better at fostering a military ethos then the reserves (militia from my experience).

Several years ago we ran a BMQ course that offered school credit.  If memory serves me right we took in 19 and graduated 17 or 18.  All of the parents were impressed by what the militia had done for their sons and daughters.  Talk about a community footprint we had 100 people out for the grad parade including elected officials, school administrators and parents and grandparents.  We had 60 people for the next course that was cancelled because of lack of further training opportunities post BMQ.  We know how to get people in but there is just no will to buck a recruiting system that places the reserves on least priority.

There are those that will dismiss this opinion as wanting to return the reserves to "basement recruiting" a term I came to understand meaning no standards and no quality.  Well go talk to the 12 people that are still in the reserves from that course.  They are now training others and going on tours.  Once exposed to the reserve life it gets in your blood for most people.  I think it's time we changed our recruiting structure and began to empower senior officers and NCOs to step up and get training.

BG

 
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