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

[daftandbarmy]

Part of the problem is, or used to be, Res units weren’t authorized to hold parts and spares etc like a Reg force unit is auth. There was an article in the Armour Bulletin, written by a Capt Graham (who went on to become CO of the RCD I believe) who spoke to the differences - as the 8 CH had returned to Canada and formed a Total Force Regiment - this was a growing pain they had as the Cougar Sqns couldn’t hold spares etc to the needed levels. Something like that.

Having decent infantry soldiers at the Platoon to Company level is one thing but can they be supported beyond the A and B Ech level? Can they be supported at the A and B Ech level for more than 48hours?

My understanding is the average reserve unit could not properly kit out the majority of its soldiers if they all showed up for a weekend ex. Not enough comms, not enough vehicles etc.

Dude... we always had rental buses

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Dude... we always had rental buses

We had “milli-lopters”. Militia helicopters sometimes…

 

[rmc_wannabe]

I've only had a passing acquaintance with the local ARes Sigs Sqn, but I was always impressed with the quality of their kit and professionalism of their troops.

Of course, being Infantry, I had no detailed knowledge of what they were up to, but they always seemed to be 'switched on' regardless

Oh don't get me wrong. We have very switched on Sigs in the A Res. The problem arises where we have a large diversity of tasks, roles, and eqpt within the Reg F that it makes it hard to have the same kind of "plug and play" that the Infantry enjoys.

C9 Gunner #2 is pretty uniform across the Reg F and P Res. When we get into the various C2IS we use at the Strategic, Operational, and Tactical levels... much harder to find a specific skill set from within the P Res.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Part of the problem is, or used to be, Res units weren’t authorized to hold parts and spares etc like a Reg force unit is auth. There was an article in the Armour Bulletin, probably back around the late 90s written by a Capt Graham (who went on to become CO of the RCD I believe) who spoke to the differences - as the 8 CH had returned to Canada and formed a Total Force Regiment - this was a growing pain they had as the Cougar Sqns couldn’t hold spares etc to the needed levels. Something like that.

Having decent infantry soldiers at the Platoon to Company level is one thing but can they be supported beyond the A and B Ech level? Can they be supported at the A and B Ech level for more than 48hours?

My understanding is the average reserve unit could not properly kit out the majority of its soldiers if they all showed up for a weekend ex. Not enough comms, not enough vehicles etc.

The VOR rate for my CBG is improving, thanks a RCEME MWO on staff who takes his role and the effectiveness of our CBG personally. But it's a long slow fight.

From a stores side things are bad. We can get everyone a rifle, how's that for a start ?

For my CBG much of the problem is that we are CBG with no big Army footprint to lean on, and a Navy organization that's busy doing it's thing, and has no understanding of our business and needs. It goes right down into the DRIMS mapping and reporting lanes.

What we need is a Reg Force Svc Bn and to delink our support from the RCN organization.

I'm loving my job, no kidding. So much that I asked to stay for another year and I think big Navy is going to let me. These are some of the best people I have ever worked with, and I'm not just blowing smoke.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

VOR rate on a fleet that is likely too small to start with…

When I was Armd Recce, when I started we had enough vehicles to field 3 x 5-7 car recce tps, a A1 and small A2/B Ech, SHQ complete with step-up CPs and OCs rover.

Nowadays, I’d be surprised if there are enough veh at that unit for a full Recce tp and minuscule token Ech.

Comms…same situation.

Spare parts? Dreamland…

We were bleeding crew served wpns, SRAAWs etc for summer tasking brick stuff and then just not getting them back. That was “late 90s”problems. Can’t imagine the state of things now…

 

[Halifax Tar]

VOR rate on a fleet that is likely too small to start with…

When I was Armd Recce, when I started we had enough vehicles to field 3 x 5-7 car recce tps, a A1 and small A2/B Ech, SHQ complete with step-up CPs and OCs rover.

Nowadays, I’d be surprised if there are enough veh at that unit for a full Recce tp and minuscule token Ech.

Comms…same situation.

Spare parts? Dreamland…

We are bleeding crew served wpns, SRAAWs etc for summer tasking brick stuff and then just not getting them back. That was late 90s problems.

Let's not talk about TAPV VOR, ok ? Lol

I'm trying to be as positive as I can lol.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Let's not talk about TAPV VOR, ok ? Lol

I'm trying to be as positive as I can lol.

 

[FJAG]

But when it comes to CSS* it's a complete disaster. Despite the best efforts of some very dedicated and motivated pers. And half of that is that the systems in place don't jive with ARes routine. They were established only thinking about Reg Force Svc Bn and 3rd line and back support construct.

I really can't understand why CSS should be hard for reservists, and, if I'm reading you right its the system itself that does that.

I can't think of anything easier to form and run than a PRes transport company. It's one of those things which we need only in a limited way as a full-time resource in peacetime but you'll simply never have too many of on operations. We could form independent transport companies that could be located anywhere in the country and slotted in pretty much at any echelon level on deployment.

Supply is the same. Additional people, trained in running the supply system shouldn't be hard to train and sustain as reservists in even the most austere armouries in peacetime to bulk out the system in a crisis.

Maintenance is a challenge but training reserve maintainers and keeping up their military skills is doable.

Where the system falls down is expecting part-time truckers, sup techs and especially maint techs to actually do the job part-time during peacetime. It can't be done. Delivery of CSS services in peacetime, regardless of whether to a RegF organization or a ResF one is a job for full-timers and not part-timers. CSS reservists, OTOH, are invaluable in an operational surge roll and should be organized and trained for that.

I'm not sure what role a ResF Svc Bn has under our current construct. To provide CSS for a non deployable, non operational CBG? Surely not! That only leaves an administrative aggregation role of CSS elements in a given geographic region. I expect that ResF Svc Bn headquarters are as efficient in learning and practicing their operational jobs as ResF armoured, artillery regiments and infantry battalion headquarters are at theirs - in other words not at all. So I do not see a ResF Svc Bn with any realistic role in preparing a bn headquarters and its elements for mobilization as a bn any more than we expect the QOR to mobilize an infantry battalion headquarters and companies under the current construct.

We literally have a division's worth of reservists. The fact that they are hard pressed to do a company level exercise much less a battalion one is a scandal over which heads should have been rolling continuously over the last half century.

 

[daftandbarmy]

We literally have a division's worth of reservists. The fact that they are hard pressed to do a company level exercise much less a battalion one is a scandal over which heads should have been rolling continuously over the last half century - if anyone really cared.

There, FTFY

 

[mariomike]

I can't think of anything easier to form and run than a PRes transport company.

I didn't run it. But, 134 Company was a good place to work.

 

[GK .Dundas]

Currently I work at a Community Collage I am still have some difficulty understanding why we didn't build an Armoury within a couple of blocks of it . Or the Railyard Less then a half Klick away.
Perfect place for a Transport company.
Spitting distance of the airbase too,come to think of it.

 

[FJAG]

Currently I work at a Community Collage I am still have some difficulty understanding why we didn't build an Armoury within a couple of blocks of it . Or the Railyard Less then a half Klick away.
Perfect place for a Transport company.
Spitting distance of the airbase too,come to think of it.

I can't think of a better place than a community college to put a CSS and HSvcs armoury and units close to.

I can't understand why we don't have a massive program where we pay tuition at community colleges for mechanics and health care workers and cooks and so on to get trained in the fundamentals of their trade in exchange for terms of obligatory RegF or ResF service.

 

[WLSC]

I can't think of a better place than a community college to put a CSS and HSvcs armoury and units close to.

I can't understand why we don't have a massive program where we pay tuition at community colleges for mechanics and health care workers and cooks and so on to get trained in the fundamentals of their trade in exchange for terms of obligatory RegF or ResF service.

Because we do not recognise civilians qual except for cook and postal. A full qualified civilian diesel mechanic have to start at the beginning when he joins in. Remember my white tower story? Only Borden knows how a tank engine works.

Can you imagine if those personal where just teached the military delta? We could save months if not years.

 

[dapaterson]

Civilian quals are routinely recognized. But units who fail to request that PLAR are unfortunately common.

 

[WLSC]

Civilian quals are routinely recognized. But units who fail to request that PLAR are unfortunately common.

As far that I know, only cooks and postal is red sealed. I never had an answers by any senior maintainers why the same was not done for most CSS trades that have a civilian conterparts. I always had that knee jeck reaction of ''what will happen to our shcools, what will we do if we have to mobilised, etc.'' Great white tower mindset.

It should by systemized, not put on the members to PLAR their background.

 

[Rifleman62]

If the ARNG down here can do Mech and Armor....

I laughed to myself when the ARNG deployed modern Tanks and Helicopters to WX to exercise with the RegF. Accepted, yes. Cdn PRes, not so much.

Let alone the AirNG.

 

[mariomike]

I can't understand why we don't have a massive program where we pay tuition at community colleges for mechanics and health care workers and cooks and so on to get trained in the fundamentals of their trade in exchange for terms of obligatory RegF or ResF service.

Before putting their licence on the line, Ontario applicants should be familiar with provincial regulations.

R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER A.19
Holding out
20.0.1
No person other than a paramedic acting in the course of or in relation to his or her duties as a paramedic for an ambulance service shall hold himself or herself out as a paramedic. 2017, c.25, Sched. 1, s, 6.

Off Duty Paramedic Practice & Special Events

https://tbrhsc.net/wp-content/base-hospital/policies/MC-400.pdf

When a Paramedic is hired by a special event agency that is not contracted through a licensed ambulance service, they are providing independent service contract (volunteer or paid it does not matter) and are not covered by the Medical Director of their Base Hospital to provide controlled acts.

IN ALL INSTANCES WHILE OFF DUTY A PARAMEDIC MAY NOT PERFORM CONTROLLED ACTS AND WILL HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO UTILIZE THEIR ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT SKILLS OR EQUIPMENT.

 

[daftandbarmy]

I really can't understand why CSS should be hard for reservists, and, if I'm reading you right its the system itself that does that.

We had about 5 or 6 ARes troops who were part of our (Inf unit) Admin Company who did a great job of driving, we even had one driver trainer, and keeping the vehicles up to scratch. The problem was that these were not positions we were formally allowed to fill, but we had people who wanted to do the job - and we had a need - so 'boom'.

We regularly interacted with the local Svc Bn for various vehicle related things, including driver courses etc.

If Reserve units, outside of Svc Bns, had hard positions for MSE Ops etc we'd all be alot further ahead IMHO.

 

[dapaterson]

As far that I know, only cooks and postal is red sealed. I never had an answers by any senior maintainers why the same was not done for most CSS trades that have a civilian conterparts. I always had that knee jeck reaction of ''what will happen to our shcools, what will we do if we have to mobilised, etc.'' Great white tower mindset.

It should by systemized, not put on the members to PLAR their background.

If the individual does not self identify and report the quals, there is nothing the CAF can do.

I know multiple veh techs who had the majority of their training PLAR'd. That is the systemic method used to assess non military training.

Indeed I know one person who first visited the RCEME school as a Sgt on their WO course.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

We had about 5 or 6 ARes troops who were part of our (Inf unit) Admin Company who did a great job of driving, we even had one driver trainer, and keeping the vehicles up to scratch. The problem was that these were not positions we were formally allowed to fill, but we had people who wanted to do the job - and we had a need - so 'boom'.

We regularly interacted with the local Svc Bn for various vehicle related things, including driver courses etc.

If Reserve units, outside of Svc Bns, had hard positions for MSE Ops etc we'd all be alot further ahead IMHO.

Res Armed Recce units are full of qualified drivers. D & M (driving and maint) is part of the QL3/DP/whatever the RQ is called for Armd Soldier/NCM, and more Snr drivers have things like Troop Carrying quals on green fleet veh.