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DG Land Reserve on "sustainable Reserve Force"

I am resurrecting an 2+ year old thread rather than start a new one, because I think this fits with the topic ...

Chief Stoker said:
I'm surprised no one is mentioning all the new things going on for the naval reserves. The mission of the Naval reserves will be Class A, Orca and new NST. The MCDV's are changing 40% of their billets to regular force this year, and the year after 100%. All class of ship will have 5% reserves at any one time in the future, mostly as back fills. Contracts up to a year will be given no more than two consecutive contracts. All members on Class B/C that have a year experience Class C in the last 5 years will be offered a transfer at rank up to PO1 and LCdr.

I think we, Canada, at large and DND and the CF, in particular, owe the NAVRES a vote of thanks for showing us both the capabilities and limitations of reserve forces over the past 25 years.

The Kingston class of ships was, originally, more about "industrial support" for (then) HDIL (Halifax-Dartmouth Industries Limited) and SNC-Lavelin than it was about the Navy's needs or wants and the decision to make them "shad boats" (reserve crewed vessels) was taken because the big, institutional (regular) Navy wasn't terribly interested.

The Naval Reserve, 4,000ish people in 24 Naval Reserve Divisions, was able to provide 400+ (well enough) trained people to crew a dozen small warships, top to bottom. But, as the years wore on the "bill" could only be paid by having, as the NAVGEN message says, "A CADRE OF FULL-TIME CLASS C RESERVISTS WHO FOR SEVERAL YEARS WERE ABLE TO MEET KINGSTON MANNING REQUIREMENTS," but who were, essentially a new, second tier of the NAVRES: full time, at sea, not "at home" training reserve sailors in their Divisions for the NAVRES' primary task: augmentation of the fleet. But, the NAVRES showed us all what good people can do when there is opportunity, which in this case, meant a flotilla of modern ships. If the 4,000 strong NAVRES could crew a dozen ships we have to assume that the 18,000 people in the Army Reserve ought to be able to field, say, 50+ (well enough trained) platoon/troop sized units from within the 11 Reserve brigades, IF they had enough proper equipment and fuel and ammunition etc for training.

The Naval Reserve also showed us the limits of trying to do too much with too little. The Navy is right, in my opinion, to want one "full time" fleet, crewed, in the main, by regulars and augmented by reservists and to have a reserve "base" from which "surge" manning, in a war, can be found without having to build the foundations. I do not doubt that the NAVRES can provide hundreds of well enough trained people to augment ships for both work-a-day tasks and for training. Equally, I do not doubt, that, given the right focus, each Canadian Army Reserve brigade could produce four or five platoon/troop sized units to, annually, train with regular force regiments and battalions, and to provide hundreds of individual augmentees on an ongoing basis.

But what the NAVRES did to and for the Navy, and vice-versa, was only possible because there was both equipment, the Kingston class ships, (and now the Orcas), and money available to make it happen. The Army Reserve, it appears to me, from far away, lacks both ... and maybe more.

The key, 20+ years ago, was that the institutional Navy was committed to making the Kingston class ships at least minimally useful so resources were provided ... sometimes grudgingly, but more and more freely as the little Kingstons proved their worth in training and operations from the High Arctic to the Caribbean.

I wonder if the institutional Army's leadership has anything like that sense of commitment to the Army Reserve.

It seems to me that we, Canada, needs the Department and the CF to recognize the capabilities and limitations of its reserve forces and direct, staff, equip and fund them to do practical, achievable, useful, important things.


Edit: typo

 
E.R. Campbell said:
But what the NAVRES did to and for the Navy, and vice-versa, was only possible because there was both equipment, the Kingston class ships, (and now the Orcas), and money available to make it happen. The Army Reserve, it appears to me, from far away, lacks both ... and maybe more.

The key, 20+ years ago, was that the institutional Navy was committed to making the Kingston class ships at least minimally useful so resources were provided ... sometimes grudgingly, but more and more freely as the little Kingstons proved their worth in training and operations from the High Arctic to the Caribbean.

I wonder if the institutional Army's leadership has anything like that sense of commitment to the Army Reserve.
I would say there are three strikes, not the two you initially highlighted.  The leadership simply isn't there.  'Connect with Canadians' in Butt-f Saskatchewan doesn't garner much attention or support.

....in my opinion.
 
Journeyman said:
I would say there are three strikes, not the two you initially highlighted.  The leadership simply isn't there.  'Connect with Canadians' in Butt-f Saskatchewan doesn't garner much attention or support.

....in my opinion.

Honestly is feels like the army is a federal political party, cares about Ontario and Quebec, doesn't give a rats ass about the rest until they absolutely have to. Connecting with Canadians is also difficult when many of our bases in or around major populations centers were closed (probably to get us out of sight and mind along with the rest of the politics behind it) Winnipeg, Calgary, Chilliwack, Downsview, London to name a few. The Canadian Armed forces has lost over the past 30+ years much of its footprint and visibility in Canadian society.
 
MilEME09 said:
Honestly is feels like the army is a federal political party, cares about Ontario and Quebec, doesn't give a rats *** about the rest until they absolutely have to. Connecting with Canadians is also difficult when many of our bases in or around major populations centers were closed (probably to get us out of sight and mind along with the rest of the politics behind it) Winnipeg, Calgary, Chilliwack, Downsview, London to name a few. The Canadian Armed forces has lost over the past 30+ years much of its footprint and visibility in Canadian society.

Which, coincidentally, lines up geographically with 80% of the Army reserve units in Canada. The closest regular force infantry company to us is based a 14 hour bus ride (ask my troops about that one last summer) away.

The Naval Reserve seems to be co-located with their regular counterparts, so augmentation/ collaboration is much easier from the get go.
 
daftandbarmy said:
The Naval Reserve seems to be co-located with their regular counterparts, so augmentation/ collaboration is much easier from the get go.

Umm no.... The RCN has 2 regular bases (Esq and Hfx) they each have 1 of the 24 NRDs across the country.  The other 22 are very much on their own.

Ask HMCS Unicorn or HMCS Queen how long they have to travel to interact with the regular RCN.  You aint driving that distance for a weekend ex sonny Jim! 
 
Halifax Tar said:
Umm no.... The RCN has 2 regular bases (Esq and Hfx) they each have 1 of the 24 NRDs across the country.  The 22 are very much on their own.

Ask HMCS Unicorn or HMCS Queen how long they have to travel to interact with the regular RCN.  You aint driving that distance for a weekend ex sonny Jim!

Question though.  Would you still consider Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City as on their own?
 
Remius said:
Question though.  Would you still consider Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City as on their own?

When the nearest RCN regular counterpart is in roughly 1800, 1400 and 1200Kms to the east in Halifax, yes.
 
Halifax Tar said:
When the nearest RCN regular counterpart is in roughly 1800, 1400 and 1200Kms to the east in Halifax, yes.

I was asking just in regards to port access, ressources etc and what not.

Thanks. 
 
Halifax Tar said:
Umm no.... The RCN has 2 regular bases (Esq and Hfx) they each have 1 of the 24 NRDs across the country.  The 22 are very much on their own.

Ask HMCS Unicorn or HMCS Queen how long they have to travel to interact with the regular RCN.  You aint driving that distance for a weekend ex sonny Jim!

I give!

:surrender:
 
daftandbarmy said:
I give!

:surrender:

Striking your colors, how nautical. ;)  I accept

Remius said:
I was asking just in regards to port access, resources etc and what not.

Thanks.

I can see how that may seem so on the surface; but there are no ships, regular or reserve, stationed at these locations.
 
How much is this manning change driven by a lack of big ships? We lost the 2 AORS, all of the Tribals are gone with no replacements, are they now looking at the Kingston's as a place to put warm bodies? Once the fleet starts to grow with AOR and AOP's, will the manning of the Kingstons become less interesting to the Regular Force?
 
Colin P said:
How much is this manning change driven by a lack of big ships? We lost the 2 AORS, all of the Tribals are gone with no replacements, are they now looking at the Kingston's as a place to put warm bodies? Once the fleet starts to grow with AOR and AOP's, will the manning of the Kingstons become less interesting to the Regular Force?

At first the RCN needed a place to employ the extra sailors from the Iroquois and Tankers. Although many of them went to the rest of the fleet which was short and at times it was hard to find sailors to fill the reg spots. With the coming of the tankers and AOPS those extra sailors will be needed for those ships and the general fleet. The CT offers come with the caveat that they may need to remain with the Kingston Class for several years before moving on. The end state is 5% reserves on each class, for the Kingston's that's 2 reserve sailors per ship. What I have been hearing is that realistically more than 5% will be reserves because the RCN won't be able to fill all the billets and not all will be taking the CT. There are also studies to streamline crewing on the Kingstons as well. There are many Kingston Class sailors at the units who would love to come out for a contract, but if they adhere to the 5% rule, they will be disappointed.
 
Colin P said:
How much is this manning change driven by a lack of big ships? We lost the 2 AORS, all of the Tribals are gone with no replacements, are they now looking at the Kingston's as a place to put warm bodies? Once the fleet starts to grow with AOR and AOP's, will the manning of the Kingstons become less interesting to the Regular Force?

While we're waiting for ships to put them in, we could always stand up the Royal Canadian Navy Division. It's all been done before, of course :)
 

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