My plan would be for Company-level augmentation to provide a trained and worked-up Reserve Company to EXERCISE with the Reg Force Battalions annually.
This is truly hard because RegF and ResF train at different times. We tried this using the Easter break and it didn't work well and you'll never get RegF unit to exercise in the summer because of APS and its simply out of their training cycle. When I think 30/70 units I see two separate training cycles with only the Bn HQ and RegF cadre to ResF companies involved in both.
To make the Army Reserves combat effective for a reliable consistent force, it would require a complete restructuring of how we deal with both the Regs and Reserves, something neither side wishes to do at the moment. The way I see this working is doing something similar to the Swiss model with some Canadian modifications.
Absolutely
Basically have the Army Reserves centered around a mandatory 1 month to 1-1/2 month exercise/training session each year. Two weeks of that being IBTS, range qual, medicals, etc. basically all the admin and refreshers. The next 2 weeks to a month being a full field exercise featuring the Regs as well (possibly having Reg Force members acting as instructors for the previous two weeks).
You simply won't get that long a period in our society. The ARNG moved to a four-year progressive cycle under Guard 4.0 which applies mainly to ARNG ABCT and SBCTs. Under this the first two years use the standard 39 day training year of one weekend per month as well as a two week summer exercise. The last two years add an extra week to the exercise with year three being preparatory to NTC and year four being an NTC rotation. One of the keys is that by knowing where a brigade is in its four year cycle lets command know exactly how much additional predeployment training it needs once an ARNG BCT is mobilized.
Only trained Reservists would participate and time off from work would be guaranteed (with changes to leglisation to make it happen).
To become a trained Reservist there would be 3 entry routes.
1) summer training based, aimed at highschool-university students or others that wish to do it that way.
2) have soldiers do a full year give or take to become trained in Reg Force courses. Contract can be extended if they wish to do more advanced courses past the basics.
3) transfer from the Regs into the Reserves with some sort of incentive to make it worthwhile for members leaving the Regs.
The intent would be to primarily get Reservists to OFP and then if they wish to progress past that point they need to find the time to do so. Higher up manning positions would mainly be held by Reg Force members/retired Reg Force members who have moved into the Reserves.
There still would be Reservist taskings throughout the year but they would be sent to you via email, which is basically how you receive most info now anyways.
Going with this model would also be logistics saving because you would remove the whole parade night function/requirement. Remove the admin for Reservists to attempt to plan training and exercises.
Generally in agreement to this point.
Remove the requirement to have armouries and even regiments based on a geographical location.
There are many advantages for local armouries (albeit they do not need to be 19th century fortresses) including rapid assembly areas and , yes, even places to socialize and bond.
Remove the requirement for a ton of clerks as a lot of what is required as a Reservist clerk is simply managing who is on what tasking, who is NES, who is parading what days, where is that paysheet, etc. all things that take a lot more effort than it sounds, certainly more admin than a Reg Force member.
Admittedly reservists require a fair bit of admin. Removing clerks doesn't solve this. Removing or streamlining policies does.
Equipment could be completely centralized and maintained in a couple locations.
Equipment needs to be located where troops train. Local training has many advantages including cost and time savings. One needs the right equipment at the right location. Where that right location is varies with the training.
Your troops would be significantly better trained this way and actually forming functional units. Yes they will not be 100% up to the standard of our Regular Force units but they would be a substantially higher standard than they are currently.
It also allows for a greater variety of soldiers from the sense your not geographically tied to a unit (i.e. the only Reserve unit in the area is the XYZ infantry so if you don’t want to be infantry you can’t join in the area, still try to tie close to the geographical area but it isn’t a limitation).
This model I think could work but it would be a huge undertaking with all sorts of changes along the way and empires both in the Regs and Reserves being destroyed.
The reason I see this being the best way forward is two fold
1) as mentioned we have neither the funding or willingness to maintain a Regular Force the size we need for defence, therefore a Reserve force (preferably in the 200k range) is necessary, and
2) Its hard to ask someone to do the Reserves part time and expect a large commitment when they actually get a life going without substantial changes. Its easier to get 1 month off mandated by law than it is to constantly give up weekends and show up to parade nights, especially those on shift, etc.
I'm not sure. I think some of these might be counterproductive. I do agree that any meaningful change to the system will be a huge undertaking.
As an ARes OC I never had any specific training or coaching in how to do my job in my three decades of service, outside of some lame CAX events and one two week course in Wainwright (the latter was pretty good, actually).
That's the problem with truncated courses for rank progression. Inevitably important stuff gets cut to fit the time frame. IMHO many of our RegF courses are overstuffed because they combine administrative management with tactical skills training. I see reservists learning the tactical while RegF people handle the "management"
I have never seen an ARes CO receive any training that might be connected with running a BGp/Bn, and doubt that 80% of the ones I've worked with would have been capable anyways. I have never seen a ARes CO give a set of orders for anything, beyond emailing around a sync matrix, quad slide package or something equally unimpressive and ineffective. I have only observed A Res COs (and their RSS stooges) in the field sleeping on the ground and slogging through the mud with the rest of us a handful of times.
That's my experience too. During my years as RSSO the two COs I spanned both left training entirely to me while my RegF Chief Clerk handled 90% of all admin and Class B fin clerk 100% of pay leaving band fund, regimental fund, messes, regimental ball etc etc to the CO, DCO and RSM. That suited all of us.
This 'workup' you speak of... it's more like a huge culture shift IMHO
I don't think that workup will happen. My take on it is that certain positions need both training AND experience in order to be done right. I think being an OC of a mech company is one of those (and maybe even a dismounted company) As it was in Afghanistan even some of the well trained and experienced RegF company commanders did not have a handle on many nuances, such as the use of artillery in close battle or engineering resources, until after the first contacts because their training covered those things in a superficial and unrealistic way. This goes back to my Combat Team Commanders course in the 1970s where all artillery was "notional" and engineers rarely dismounted their vehicles to actually do an engineering task (it too was done as "notionally they are blowing the bridge now")
I don't think a ResF artillery major can handle a modern battlefield's FSCC duties what with JTAC'ing and running a LAV OPV and various types of smart munitions. That too takes time and experience. I'm not saying a reservist can't learn that. I'm just saying in the time available for a reservist in peacetime its not possible and you probably won't have the time and resources at mobilization. That's why I lean towards a RegF leadership at the company and above level for all units.
It limits the career of reservists but I'd prefer platoon commanders with lots of time in the job and good at it rather than a company commander who gets people killed.
