CTD, you have some good points, which could probably easily be resolved, but some others on your "wish list" wouldn't be possible unless you reprogrammed every human being that put on a uniform (they try in Basic, but they don't succeed on every level).
The good (IMO):
-More and better training all the time, not just before work ups for deployment.
The problem that I see with this is, well, money. The training you get during deployment (and which crept into deployments, i.e Bosnia) is from another budget, seperate from the unit/brigade. So, of course, EVERYBODY loves the training, they just don't love paying for it. I said it before, and I'll say it again: cost-accounting has been the death of the military.
-start hiring people with lower education levels again, they seem to be some of the best workers the military has ever had. Some will argue that we need a highly educated well trained military, Yes I agree, but we do not need a Infantry Regiment, a Ships Company or an Airforce Sqn full of members whom all have University degrees. The military can train our members to be the best, Being specific to one type of educated people is going in the wrong direction.
I tend to agree with this, as going after the techie crowd to attract death-techs (Inf) isn't a very smart move. I would go after the small town boys, who are good at hunting, tracking, working. Big city nerds, are, well, big city nerds.
-Loose the people whom are confortable with their cushy jobs in support positions. Whom think that the Cbt Arms are lesser of us all. We all work to support them, they are the primary reason why we have all these other trades.
The "Soldier First" mentality is definitely the way to go. What happened over the last 10-20 years (or perhaps even further back) where some tradesmen felt that the combat arms types were an inconvenience for them (the classic example is clerks who felt that they should exist to only help other clerks), and couldn't be bothered to learn or maintain their basic soldier skills. If you can't handle a weapon, and man a defensive position, at the least, there is no need for you, no matter how skilled you might be at flipping eggs, filing memos, or turning a wrench.
Reduce the Officer Corp to a realistic level with the level of troops and assest's we actually have.
This one I definitely agree with: we seem to have a disproportionately large officer corps, especially when you take into account the phantom units that we hear about, but don't really seem to exist. I know the theories about how we have to be prepared to stand up these units in case of war, but I don't know how cost effective it is to have these positions filled, and having these people not doing anything.
One thing that I'm also not a big fan of, and it might not seem like it's relative to this, but I think it is: how is it that officer's are entitled to a career, right from the get go, and NCO's just do whatever is expected of them until, wham, all of a sudden, boom, they have one. What I'm referring to, within my limited scope, so it might be different elsewhere, is that an officer will have finished their training and is then a Tp Ldr for 1 or 2 years. Then they go off and fill some weiny job somewhere, and then bounce around different headquarters, and one day appear back at the unit as a BC. Then it's off to weiny world for a few more years, then back as a 2IC. Gone again, and then they are the OC. Lather, rinse, repeat as neccesary. I know that it is a little more complicated than that (they have to be well rounded!!!), but for NCO's there is no real parallel until the rank of WO, which is, as of late, a good 20 years into a career. The officer spends 3 maybe 4 years within a Sqn, and the rest of the time is spent doing lord knows what, but probably as far away from soldiers as possible (and, one may argue, common sense).
Some of the jobs that are in the officer's realm could easily be held by NCO's, which would greatly increase morale no doubt, are 1) Pilot. There are many Western militaries that allow NCO's to fly, maybe not all aircraft, but definitely helo's. My late father-in-law had his pilot's license, with only a grade 9 education, so it certainly doesn't require a rocket scientist to fly an aircraft. I know more than a few NCO's that have their civvy pilot's license, so there's more proof. 2) Combat arms officers. If we were to cultivate more NCO's to look at CFR as a career goal, as opposed to something to do to increase pension payoff (I wonder if that happens now??), we could have a good corps of officers that rose up from nothing. How many police forces allow a person to be a Lt before they were ever a beat cop? Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the Roman army, one had to rise up through the ranks before becoming a Centurion. I know this idea ruffles more than a few feathers, but I would wager the payoff would be greater, as the level of experience that the NCO's would bring would be vast, and they (should) have already proven their worth. 3) I'm sure there are more, but my brain hurts, so I need to rest it.
Now onto: the unlikely-
-Less politics at the lower level of the troops,
Refer to my comment above ref changing how people are hard-wired.
-No more long 20-25 year contracts. Make a overall contract as the Reserves have for a "indefinite period" of service up until retirement, Then Offer full time contracts in 3-5 year stints. In order to renew your contract you have to prove that you have done a good fair job as indicated on your PER.
I agree somewhat, as it would remove some of the element of unionization that we have achieved, but it would be hell for forecasting for postings, career courses, promotions. I must be too close to a HQ element to be thinking like this..... time for the tin-foil helmet :warstory:
-Overhaul the Per/Pdr programme so that it has a full effect on the overall situation. Eliminate the buddy buddy system that we see all to often. The people whom write them should not be directly employed with you.
I don't really know what you would propose as an alternative. Have somebody who barely knows you write it? Where are they going to get their information from? Your direct supervisor, of course. I could see where this MAY work, but I think it is the exception rather than the rule. Now, to shoot my own opinion square in the foot, I know of more than a few people who made out like bandits, because they worked for the same person for at least 3 years, and they happened to be "toight". But, it also cuts the other way.... I know guys who bounce around, from job to job, or have a new supervisor every few months, so it doesn't really matter who wrote the assessment, it probably wasn't too meaningful.
- Offer lower rent on Military housing, encourage members to live on base, where the operational goals can be met quickly with out the hassle of members during snow storms and that saying I cannot make it to work due to the weather etc
I don't know where you live, but near any major base this is impractical, if not impossible to accomplish. I have never missed a day of work due to snow, rain, sleet (I'm like a frickin' mailman, baby!!). And no, I didn't live in Victoria, Vancouver or Toronto (I would have had the army dig me out there, at least). I think that it's lame when they call "snow days". The majority of the time it seems people just use that day to go shopping anyway. And, unless you are a money managing expert, what would the average person do at the end of their career? Keep living in PMQ's, or rent forever?? Building equity with a house is where it's at, whether you're married or single. A career in the CF does have to end some day, right?!?!
Some good ideas have been bandied about here, and a lot of the changes have come about because people did voice their feelings/opinions at things such as the SCONDVA meetings. But I think we all realize that everybody has different motivations for joining, and then as we grow older, those motivations will change (spouse, kids, mortgage, planning for life after the CF). Throwing money at a problem never seems to work, and telling people to "suck it up!" for 20-25 years doesn't seem to cut it any more, and I'm sure if/when historian's look back in 500 years at the Army.ca forums, they will shake their heads and say "Soldiers back then complained about the same things that soldiers today do!" And then a jackbooted soldier will teleport in, kill the egghead with his plasma cannon, and laugh before taking a swig of beer (though it couldn't be more than 2 beer per day, perhaps....)
Al
Note: Editted for typo's and to throw in a witty comment. Yes, I know a lot of these points were posted by other's before I got a chance, but I was on a roll, had to put my kids to bed, and damned if I was going to lose my hard-fought thoughts!!! So there.
