medicineman
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runormal said:I personally think the reserves should do a better job of selling what they do and highlight the skills that reservists recieve. I.e leadership, technical knowledge, attention to detail, problem solving. Things like the liaison council need to be expanded, more spots for "executreks". I mean why can't we bus up a load of bosses/supervisors for every TBG Excercises? I think we should be offering incentives to employers in the terms of Tax Credits to hire reseverists and additional credits if they get time off for courses / excercises. Telling an employer that they have to give Cpl Bloggins time off for an excercise/course isn't the best way to create a positive relationship with not only the reserves but the reservists career.
The "problem" is that the Army dgaf about the reserves. Besides, things happen, things change and the regular army more easily adapts to this change.dapaterson said:Perhaps that's where the Army can initially invest its efforts: at properly planning ahead, setting dates firmly, and committing to training so Reservists can schedule with confidence around their civilian commitments.
daftandbarmy said:We all work for the same government, and Generals, so shouldn't have to 'sell' what we do. We should all be seamlessly integrated into a well oiled machine that is designed to consign our nation's enemies to the garbage heap of history with efficiency and, hopefully, a certain degree of panache.
runormal said:Legislation is all fine and dandy in theory, but let's look at my current situation.
I need 6 weeks off or 2 3 weeks mod for PLQ as this is my next career course.
Could I get 6 weeks off for PLQ? Possibly, but consider the following:
What happens if I fail or get injured? Whats in it for my employer?
Should I have to use my vacation time? Should my employer have to top up my salary? Why or why not?
What happens to my bills if I take a temporary pay cut?
How much notice does my employer need >?
Should this notice be a longer period for a 2 month course than a 2 week excercise?
Is getting the time off as important for say PLQ as would be getting the time off for BASIC PARA? What about other none career courses?
What happens when the course is cancelled or my unit loses the spots? Who pays for my replacement employee? If the Army gives the reservist employer a tax credit/money for a temp hire is the reservist obligated to stay in the reserves?
What if due to operational requirements for the civilian employer it isn't possible to give the time off? I.e the employee has a specific skill set, or other members of the reservists team already have booked off vacation time.
Who defines "operational requirements"?
Why should my organization promote me if they know that I could be gone for x amount of time? You might be able to protect my job, but can you protect my career?
What penalities does my organization face if they don't grant me the time off?
Is a reservist obligated to disclose that they are a reservist throughout the hiring process? What if this reservist has no intention of taking any additional time off for courses?
I personally think the reserves should do a better job of selling what they do and highlight the skills that reservists recieve. I.e leadership, technical knowledge, attention to detail, problem solving. Things like the liaison council need to be expanded, more spots for "executreks". I mean why can't we bus up a load of bosses/supervisors for every TBG Excercises? I think we should be offering incentives to employers in the terms of Tax Credits to hire reseverists and additional credits if they get time off for courses / excercises. Telling an employer that they have to give Cpl Bloggins time off for an excercise/course isn't the best way to create a positive relationship with not only the reserves but the reservists career.
In closing, let assume that legislation was passed yesterday that protects my job. Do you really think that I'm going to go after my employer if they don't give me the time off for PLQ? Fuck, no. I'm still on probation for crying out loud. Even I wasn't my civilian career is a alot more important and pays a lot more money than the reserves.
runormal said:This is why I don't think it would work or very well. Where I work, there is 2 other people who manage the pay/benefits for the entire organization. I'm being trained to replace one of them when they retire.
I think that there are lots of unanswered questions. Legislation is all fine and dandy in theory, but let's look at my current situation.
I need 6 weeks off or 2 3 weeks mod for PLQ as this is my next career course.
Could I get 6 weeks off for PLQ? Possibly, but consider the following:
What happens if I fail or get injured? Whats in it for my employer?
Should I have to use my vacation time? Should my employer have to top up my salary? Why or why not?
What happens to my bills if I take a temporary pay cut?
How much notice does my employer need >?
Should this notice be a longer period for a 2 month course than a 2 week excercise?
Is getting the time off as important for say PLQ as would be getting the time off for BASIC PARA? What about other none career courses?
What happens when the course is cancelled or my unit loses the spots? Who pays for my replacement employee? If the Army gives the reservist employer a tax credit/money for a temp hire is the reservist obligated to stay in the reserves?
What if due to operational requirements for the civilian employer it isn't possible to give the time off? I.e the employee has a specific skill set, or other members of the reservists team already have booked off vacation time.
Who defines "operational requirements"?
Why should my organization promote me if they know that I could be gone for x amount of time? You might be able to protect my job, but can you protect my career?
What penalities does my organization face if they don't grant me the time off?
Is a reservist obligated to disclose that they are a reservist throughout the hiring process? What if this reservist has no intention of taking any additional time off for courses?
I personally think the reserves should do a better job of selling what they do and highlight the skills that reservists recieve. I.e leadership, technical knowledge, attention to detail, problem solving. Things like the liaison council need to be expanded, more spots for "executreks". I mean why can't we bus up a load of bosses/supervisors for every TBG Excercises? I think we should be offering incentives to employers in the terms of Tax Credits to hire reseverists and additional credits if they get time off for courses / excercises. Telling an employer that they have to give Cpl Bloggins time off for an excercise/course isn't the best way to create a positive relationship with not only the reserves but the reservists career.
In closing, let assume that legislation was passed yesterday that protects my job. Do you really think that I'm going to go after my employer if they don't give me the time off for PLQ? Fuck, no. I'm still on probation for crying out loud. Even I wasn't my civilian career is a alot more important and pays a lot more money than the reserves.
https://www.hilltimes.com/2016/09/21/army-reserves/80981Feds will face budget ‘strain’ in boosting army reserves: AG
Michael Ferguson also raises concerns with reservist training, and availability of crucial equipment
The Hill Times
By MARCO VIGLIOTTI
21 Sep 2016
The Liberal government will face difficulties in adequately training an expanded Canadian reserve contingent with the resources available in the existing defence budget, according to Auditor General Michael Ferguson.
Speaking before the Senate National Security and Defence Committee on Tuesday, Mr. Ferguson said that if the Canadian Army was tasked with training the number of reservists it planned to accommodate, it would likely squeeze available funding channels.
“I think it’s very clear that if the Canadian Armed Forces…had 21,000 troops in the reserves to fully train, that would put a significant strain on the resources they’ve already allocated,” he told the committee, which is meeting this week to study issues relating to the government’s ongoing defence policy review.
“I think there very much is a strain in terms of how much budget they have been allocated compared to what they’ve been asked to do,” he said, noting that $166-million of the reserves’ roughly $700-million budget is sent back to National Defence to pay for infrastructure.
Although the army has provided funding for 21,000 reservists, who are part-time soldiers, only about 14,000 are active and trained, and when reserve units met for their annual large-scale elective training events across Canada in 2015, only about 3,600 showed, he noted.
In his presentation, Mr. Ferguson also raised pointed concerns about training, and the availability of crucial equipment for reservists.
A study released by his office last spring as part of its annual spring report found that training of the army reserves “was not fully integrated” with that of the regular army units, and though they received clear guidance when preparing for domestic assignments, reserve units did not receive the same level of guidance in how to train troops for international missions, he said.
Army reserve courses, he said, were designed to teach significantly less skills than regular army courses and this skills gap was “not always addressed” prior to the deployment of reserve soldiers.
For example, when Canadians troops began to deploy as part of the NATO mission in Eastern Europe earlier this year, a gap remained in weapons training between reservists and regular members, he said.
“We identified that a number of reserve soldiers weren’t receiving the number of days of training that was predictive for them,” Mr. Ferguson said.
“It’s very important that the Canadian Forces determine what that is that they expect from the Canadian reserves, that they make sure that the reserves have the equipment that they need…and they have enough money to be able to carry out what they’re supposed to do.”
Recruitment has also proven to be challenging for the reserve force.
Mr. Ferguson said his office found many units failed to meet desired troop levels, with 12 of the 123 army reserve units “smaller than half of their ideal size.”
But while the government is pushing to grow the reserves, figures continue to show a precipitous slide in recruits.
“[The government] has set a goal to increase the army reserve by 950 soldiers by 2019 but, in our opinion, this goal will be difficult to achieve given that the number of army reserves soldiers declined by about 1,000 soldiers for the three years we audited,” Mr. Ferguson told the committee.
As of May 15, the number of active and trained army reserve soldiers has declined by a further 1,000 soldiers to 13,180, he said, charging that “National Defence knows that the current reserve recruiting system doesn’t work, and that it needs to take steps to improve retention.”
Jordan Owens, spokesperson for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan (Vancouver South, B.C.), said that the Liberals are committed to ensuring reservists are “fully trained and ready” for international and domestic deployments.
“Following up on previous recommendations from the auditor general, the Canadian Armed Forces is taking steps to make improvements [including] ensuring funds are appropriately allocated across the army reserve force, improving recruitment and retention strategies, resolving training gaps during the pre-deployment phase for international operations, and investigating a plan to address the accessibility of equipment to support Reserve Force training,” she said in an emailed statement.
Conservative Senator Daniel Lang (Yukon), chair of the committee said that Mr. Ferguson’s testimony raises alarms about sparse resources being allocated to the reserves.
“The information that he has provided us [shows] the reserves are obviously, at the present time, in a state of flux, and the fact is the necessary financing is being put in place for the necessary training that they need,” he told The Hill Times, calling on the federal government to review the situation and determine what it expects out of the reserve forces, which comprise roughly 20 per cent of those being deployed.
“It brings up a real question that we have to ask in respect to any future deployments: are people being adequately trained and are we meeting the objectives we need to meet?”
Mr. Lang also touched upon safety concerns voiced by Mr. Ferguson, saying that training gaps raise questions about whether reservists are being adequately prepared to safely perform what is being asked of them.
“It’s a very serious issue and something that I think the government has to address,” he charged.
The Senate committee is expected to conclude meetings on the defence policy review this week, and produce a report with recommendations to the government by the end of October.
The federal government concluded public consultations on the review in August, with the development of a formal defence policy paper expected in early 2017.
On Monday, the committee heard from several academics, experts, and retired military brass, including retired Liberal Senator and lieutenant-general Romeo Dallaire.
The topic largely centred on the future of Canadian peacekeeping, with the Liberal government pledging this summer up to 600 troops for a still to be determined peacekeeping mission, likely in Africa.
While acknowledging potential difficulties in staffing, Mr. Dallaire urged Canada to step up and contribute to international peace operations.
“We fully understand the complexity of peace operations, but we cannot be an island of stability in an ocean of turmoil. Canada needs to do its part,” he said.
The opposition Conservatives are demanding that any deployment be debated and voted in Parliament. Mr. Dallaire, who accompanied Minister Sajjan on his study trip of African peacekeeping operations in August, said that the Liberal government would welcome a debate on the merits of a peacekeeping mission, though stopped short of promising a vote.
“We are going to take a thorough effort before we put all the facts together and before we have a thorough debate on this,” he said.
Defence chief General Jonathan Vance has said that the military was not recommending any missions that would stretch it too thin, though he was comfortable that the military could conduct a peacekeeping mission in Africa while operating in the Middle East and Latvia, the Canadian Press reported.
He is scheduled to testify before the committee on Wednesday.
mariomike said:"Although the army has provided funding for 21,000 reservists, who are part-time soldiers, only about 14,000 are active and trained, and when reserve units met for their annual large-scale elective training events across Canada in 2015, only about 3,600 showed, he noted."
wow
dapaterson said:Based on our Afghanistan experience, we admitted that the Regular Force isn't ready to deploy without a lengthy work-up, so I am less concerned about the need of the Reserve Force to do the same.
dapaterson said:Based on our Afghanistan experience, we admitted that the Regular Force isn't ready to deploy without a lengthy work-up, so I am less concerned about the need of the Reserve Force to do the same.
dapaterson said:Based on our Afghanistan experience, we admitted that the Regular Force isn't ready to deploy without a lengthy work-up, so I am less concerned about the need of the Reserve Force to do the same.
NinerSix said:While we should still refer to PLQ as a leadership course between us .mil folks, y'all need to "civillianize" the teaching points. I heard that some people even went as far as becoming consultants using the battle procedure and communication process, to help increase efficiency in businesses.
-Any decent/good instructor demonstrates the ability to verbally communicate effectively, even in front of groups.
-Orders format and reports/returns are logical written communications. I typically use the orders format to convey information in emails, minus the headings and military jargon, quite efficient.
-Can work/strive in a diverse environment, under the most difficult situations.
-Focuses on company goals above your own.
-Battle procedure is our term for what really are steps of project management. A successful superintendent I know always referred to the 15/16/17 SBP and claimed it is the main source of his success.
-Evaluating/counselling peers ans subordinates.
-Using PPT. I loath it for how terribly abused it is, but lets not kid ourselves, it can be a great tool to make yourself look good.
-Attention to detail.
-Leading small teams.
A half decent PLQ grad who can translate the skill/teaching points to the civilian world makes a better than average manager, IMHO.
While I am sure most of you had already figured out what I said, we need to ensure to teach it to our troops. People in corporate pay incredible amounts of money and time to teach these things to their employee. And here we are giving it to them for almost nothing, and practiced under some pretty harsh conditions (typically).