Divining the right role, capabilities, structure, and Regimental System for Canada's Army Reserves

[daftandbarmy]

With my math you have three divisions. 1 Cdn Div does what it does now: command and control all forces assigned and deployed on operations as the C&C arm of CJOC. 2nd and 3rd Division control the Army's force generation aspects (in my scenario that's Ontario including 2 Bde in Petawawa and everything east going to 2 Div and 3 Div taking southern Ontario and everything west. - Each controls four brigades with 3rd Div focused on Latvia/Europe and heavy forces while 2 Div focused on light and medium forces and everything else but Latvia

In part the dividing line between the two Divs is based on the population centres necessary to generate four brigades each and the superiority of Wainwright and Suffield and Shilo for training heavy forces. Petawawa, Valcartier and Gagetown are eminently suitable for light and LAV mech forces.

Distance is a factor but not a problem with communications being what they are. Concentrating forces scattered over a wide region is an opportunity to exercise road, rail, air and even sea movements which is a skill set everyone needs (4 CMBG did it a rail move every year)

:cheers:

Geography is so ‘Boomer’.

Why can’t we have virtual brigades?

 

[BDTyre]

Isn't that what the cyberoperators are for?

 

[MilEME09]

Speaking of Suffield, that has got to be one of the most under utilized training areas in the CAF. That base could support so much more then what I have seen it used for, heck I am surprised that when CFB calgary closed they didn't move LDSH(RC) there instead of edmonton, perfect training ground for armoured warfare.

 

[Blackadder1916]

Speaking of Suffield, . . .  perfect training ground for armoured warfare.

And lousy "hunting" ground for young, single (primarily male) soldiers reaching the peak of their mating years.

 

[MilEME09]

And lousy "hunting" ground for young, single (primarily male) soldiers reaching the peak of their mating years.

Good thing medicine hat, and Calgary are an hour and a half away or less. Not to mention colocation with BATUS would allow for some good cross training with the Brits.

 

[Kirkhill]

Good thing medicine hat, and Calgary are an hour and a half away or less. Not to mention colocation with BATUS would allow for some good cross training with the Brits.

26 minutes to Medicine Hat.

 

[garb811]

Good thing medicine hat, and Calgary are an hour and a half away or less. Not to mention colocation with BATUS would allow for some good cross training with the Brits.

BATUS owns Suffield from May to Oct. If you want to do a winter ex in Suffield, fill your boots I guess. I've done it, wasn't fun with nothing to break the wind on the bald ass prairie.

Leslie used to like to take 1 CMBG down to try and squeeze PRAIRIE RAM in between spring thaw and the arrival of the first Brit BG.

 

[daftandbarmy]

BATUS owns Suffield from May to Oct. If you want to do a winter ex in Suffield, fill your boots I guess. I've done it, wasn't fun with nothing to break the wind on the bald *** prairie.

Leslie used to like to take 1 CMBG down to try and squeeze PRAIRIE RAM in between spring thaw and the arrival of the first Brit BG.

So, not very muddy then?

 

[MilEME09]

BATUS owns Suffield from May to Oct. If you want to do a winter ex in Suffield, fill your boots I guess. I've done it, wasn't fun with nothing to break the wind on the bald *** prairie.

Leslie used to like to take 1 CMBG down to try and squeeze PRAIRIE RAM in between spring thaw and the arrival of the first Brit BG.

Work with the Brits, do force of force training against them, I am sure am arrangement could be made, suffield also has a railhead for easy transportation access for heavy assets.

 

[OldSolduer]

Leslie used to like to take 1 CMBG down to try and squeeze PRAIRIE RAM in between spring thaw and the arrival of the first Brit BG.

I remember those. Pretty neat to see a full or almost full brigade.

 

[FJAG]

BATUS owns Suffield from May to Oct. If you want to do a winter ex in Suffield, fill your boots I guess. I've done it, wasn't fun with nothing to break the wind on the bald *** prairie.

Leslie used to like to take 1 CMBG down to try and squeeze PRAIRIE RAM in between spring thaw and the arrival of the first Brit BG.

Did safety officer for the Airborne battery one winter in February in the days long before GPS. Map reading is a real challenge on snow covered bald ass prairie.  ullhair:

:cheers:

 

[Colin Parkinson]

26 minutes to Medicine Hat.

Sober that is

 

[Blackadder1916]

Did safety officer for the Airborne battery one winter in February in the days long before GPS. Map reading is a real challenge on snow covered bald *** prairie.  ullhair:

:cheers:

What is also a challenge on the bald prairie is finding a spot to privately take a shit cat-sanitation style.  On a Prairie Ram (1995 - when Jimmy Cox was Bde Comd) I had moved my coy CP into location in advance of the portapotties being positioned (and Suffield's environmental guidelines about sanitation rivaled the ones we had to follow in Germany); having a sudden urge, I grabbed a shovel and bog roll and went to find a convenient location that wasn't in public view.  I stopped walking after about 5 minutes and decided "fuck it - what's more important - not shitting my pants or being seen squatting for a dump".  If I had decided in favour of modesty, I'd probably still be walking.

 

[BDTyre]

Took a walk in Suffield to go see the stand of trees we could see from camp. We thought it was about a kilometer, it was actually closer to two (if not over). The trees were dead and the "pond" they surrounded was filled with black water. But it was a nice, sunny day and we had the afternoon off so at least it got us out of camp for a little while.

 

[MilEME09]

I was reading the QR&O's the other day and came across this in chapter nine.

"(2) Subject to any limitations prescribed by the Chief of the Defence Staff, a member of the Primary Reserve may be ordered to train each year on Class "B" Reserve Service prescribed under subparagraph (1)(b) of article 9.07 (Class "B" Reserve Service) for a period not exceeding 15 days and on Class "A" Reserve Service (see article 9.06 - Class "A" Reserve Service), for a period not exceeding 60 days."

It sounds like depending on the policy the CDS has set out a CO can order a reservist to parade. Combined with reservist leave granting a minimum of 20 days, this could be a way to force attendance and get effective collective training Done.

 

[FJAG]

It sounds like depending on the policy the CDS has set out a CO can order a reservist to parade. Combined with reservist leave granting a minimum of 20 days, this could be a way to force attendance and get effective collective training Done.

It's there and is effectively never used. I'm inserting a quote from an article that I've written which explains why:

Two provisions in the National Defence Act, in combination, require that a reservist, who fails to attend ordered training, has to be charged and tried before a civilian court rather than under the Code of Service Discipline (CSD)—a process which is not followed because of its impracticality and almost meaningless punishment.

PART VII Offences Triable by Civil Courts
...
Failure to attend parade
294 (1) Every officer or non-commissioned member of the reserve force who without lawful excuse neglects or refuses to attend any parade or training at the place and hour appointed therefor is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction for each offence, if an officer, to a fine not exceeding fifty dollars and, if a non-commissioned member, to a fine not exceeding twenty-five dollars.

Each absence an offence
(2) Absence from any parade or training referred to in subsection (1) is, in respect of each day on which the absence occurs, a separate offence. 

Concurrently, s 60(1)(c) of the National Defence Act sets out the circumstances when a reservist is subject to the CSD. When a reservist fails to show up is not one of those circumstances. As a result, even though there are clear CSD provisions for dealing with a member being absent without leave  when one is dealing with a reservist being absent from training, one is forced to rely on the jurisdiction of a civilian court.

This is a fundamental and fatal flaw. The result is that the chain-of-command accepts most reservists attending unit training in a haphazard manner. Without appropriate legislation and regulations by which compulsory training can be enforced internally under the CSD, essential collective training is impossible

:cheers:

 

[daftandbarmy]

Work with the Brits, do force of force training against them, I am sure am arrangement could be made, suffield also has a railhead for easy transportation access for heavy assets.

I can walk, thanks

 

[Eaglelord17]

I was reading the QR&O's the other day and came across this in chapter nine.

"(2) Subject to any limitations prescribed by the Chief of the Defence Staff, a member of the Primary Reserve may be ordered to train each year on Class "B" Reserve Service prescribed under subparagraph (1)(b) of article 9.07 (Class "B" Reserve Service) for a period not exceeding 15 days and on Class "A" Reserve Service (see article 9.06 - Class "A" Reserve Service), for a period not exceeding 60 days."

It sounds like depending on the policy the CDS has set out a CO can order a reservist to parade. Combined with reservist leave granting a minimum of 20 days, this could be a way to force attendance and get effective collective training Done.

Forcing attendance would be the dumbest thing they could do without the legislation to protect the Reservists civilian jobs.

I know it doesn't occur to many but Reservists have a life outside of the military, and they can't just drop everything and show up all the time. If they made it so employers were required to provide unpaid leave for military training (maybe a month every year, which you can bank so if you need to take a 2 month course to progress you can still do it later), you would likely see more Reservists training and progressing in their careers. Some sort of benefit would have to be made to the employers though otherwise they wouldn't hire Reservists. Maybe some sort of tax break per Reservist they employ.

 

[MilEME09]

Forcing attendance would be the dumbest thing they could do without the legislation to protect the Reservists civilian jobs.

I know it doesn't occur to many but Reservists have a life outside of the military, and they can't just drop everything and show up all the time. If they made it so employers were required to provide unpaid leave for military training (maybe a month every year, which you can bank so if you need to take a 2 month course to progress you can still do it later), you would likely see more Reservists training and progressing in their careers. Some sort of benefit would have to be made to the employers though otherwise they wouldn't hire Reservists. Maybe some sort of tax break per Reservist they employ.

Thats why I mentioned reservist leave legislation. In Alberta we get 20 days per year for military activities, a brigade EX is usually 10 days, give plenty of notice, order all to show up and use 10 of their 20 days. now you get collective training for the entire brigade atleast once a year. I am well aware the flaws in the legislation, I am a weapons tech in the PRes, my courses have been as long as 3 months, employers aren't thrilled at all with that.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Forcing attendance would be the dumbest thing they could do without the legislation to protect the Reservists civilian jobs.

I know it doesn't occur to many but Reservists have a life outside of the military, and they can't just drop everything and show up all the time. If they made it so employers were required to provide unpaid leave for military training (maybe a month every year, which you can bank so if you need to take a 2 month course to progress you can still do it later), you would likely see more Reservists training and progressing in their careers. Some sort of benefit would have to be made to the employers though otherwise they wouldn't hire Reservists. Maybe some sort of tax break per Reservist they employ.

Agreed.

As ever, good leadership is the most effective, and most difficult, thing to guarantee any military organization.