Army Reserve Restructuring

[FJAG]

Coming back to this topic and your point, a major change to the role and organization of the Canadian army reserves would need to come from a PM and Defence Minister in concert with the minister of global affairs. Former Army Commanders have tried to reorganize the reserves (at least two major attempts during my career) and these have foundered on the shoals of politics. The reserve can draw on a web of political influence that an army commander cannot. So the reserves soldier-on in their current form, contributing to the role and tasks of the Canadian Army even if they are inefficiently organized and not equipped for the fight tonight.

Firstly, I agree with the general point that reform of the reserves must come from the PM, MND and MGA. I think that the RegF side of the army (and DND) overestimate the political influence of reserve units. There is certainly some, but it's not as strong as it once was. The last few plans to reform the reserves foundered primarily, IMHO, because they were bad plans. LFRR received strong opposition from within various agencies including from retired senior RegF officers.

Reforming the reserves should not be a goal in and of itself. It should be an consequence of a political decision about the role of the Canadian Army. That would then drive how the reserves would be organized, equipped and trained. If government states that they want to have a Canadian Division deployed to Europe within two months in the case of Russian aggression with another Division as a follow-on and another for homeland defence against credible threats then the necessary reforms would occur if they were serious. There would be a real price tag, not to mention opposition from MPs from the ridings of units affected. Form should follow function.

Again, opposition from MPs from the ridings of reserve units affected presupposes that the plan is so poor that it causes outrage. I would think that a good plan that affects reserve units in a positive way would receive support.

Again I fully agree that any such reorganization must be one that comes from a political decision that affects the army as a whole vis a vis its role and specifically contemplated visions. Reforming the reserves in and of themselves is generally a Titanic deck chair reshuffle.

That said though, doesn't it also behoove the Canadian military to fully and frankly inform the government of perceived shortcoming in the military and have contingency proposals (including costings) for how to mitigate those shortcomings? And let's be honest, the reserves are far from the effective force that they could and should be. I know that those of us sitting on the outside looking in do not have access to the discussions between the MND, CDS and DM, but it strikes me that I have yet to see a CDS or senior GOFO resign in protest over government inaction.

 

[dapaterson]

Good for the Army needs to be the deciding factor, not perpetuating ineffectiveness in the name of tradition. The latter has a strong influence, unfortunately...