RCN charting a new course in command roles and the reserves

[McG]

Looks like the Naval Reserve can expect to look more like the Army Reserve, and the Atlantic and Pacific commands will each take on national level functional responsibilities for the whole RCN.

Commander RCN sets a course with Executive Plan
13 January 2014
DND Press Release

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) has a new roadmap to establish the Navy’s direction and strategic priorities for 2013 to 2017.

The RCN Executive Plan, launched in early December by Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, Commander RCN, will help guide the organization through the most intensive period of transition and renewal ever in its peacetime history.

In the Plan, VAdm Norman sets out his four main priorities: to ensure excellence in operations at sea; to enable the RCN’s transition to the future fleet; to evolve the  “business of our business”, leading to more effective management of resources; and finally, to energize the entire RCN institution.

VAdm Norman is confident the Plan will allow the Navy to realize these goals. To this end, the RCN has set in motion a series of changes in its governance, readiness processes and structures as it seeks better, leaner and smarter ways to deliver on its mission. These changes, collectively known as  “Navy Renewal”, represent the RCN’s contributions towards the broader Defence Renewal effort.

“The organizing principle for Navy Renewal is ‘One Navy’, by which we will realign the RCN’s core readiness functions and processes around pan-naval authorities who will exercise their responsibilities on behalf of the entire RCN regardless of where they are located,” VAdm Norman explains.

The creation of pan-naval authorities includes a clear separation of roles and responsibilities between the strategic and operational levels of command. The Naval Staff in Ottawa is being realigned toward its corporate functions, such as ensuring the delivery of the future fleet, and further decentralizing operations to the coasts.

At the operational level, functions are being delegated to one of the two coastal commanders. Commander Maritime Forces Pacific will assume responsibilities for Naval Training Systems, individual training and education, as well as governance of the Personnel Coordination Centres. Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic will focus on collective and operational training, operational planning, fleet readiness, and warfare policy.

The Naval Reserves will continue to be realigned toward a more traditional CAF model of Reserve service, supplementing the Regular Force at home and abroad through part-time and full-time service, in addition to strengthening public awareness of the RCN as a whole.

“While the ‘One Navy’ concept refers to this functional realignment, it is also about our culture,” says VAdm Norman. “It’s about celebrating our legacy in Canadian history and our contributions on the world stage, and about embracing agility and change as we look ahead to a future of exciting new capabilities that will be essential to our success.”

“Each of us has a unique and equally important role to play in sustaining the RCN today and preparing it for tomorrow,” says VAdm Norman.  “The Executive Plan will allow us to do that, by uniting us in a common understanding of our challenges and our opportunities, as well as a shared vision of where we’re headed.”

http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/operations-abroad-current/op-attention.page?

 

[Infanteer]

So does this mean they are going to start reducing HQ RCN and the Commodores and Captains in it dedicated to pers management and warfare policy?

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Full circle?

That is just about the distribution of duties and responsibilities in the RCN prior to unification (except for individual training, where basic took place at Cornwallis, then trade training on whichever coast member posted to).

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

So does this mean they are going to start reducing HQ RCN and the Commodores and Captains in it dedicated to pers management and warfare policy?

Certainly a possibility.

Also possible under such scenario is that, as has happened a few times in the days of the old RCN, the senior seaman is Marlant and CNS is equal or junior to him/her.

 

[q_1966]

"At the operational level, functions are being delegated to one of the two coastal commanders. Commander Maritime Forces Pacific will assume responsibilities for Naval Training Systems, individual training and education, as well as governance of the Personnel Coordination Centres. Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic will focus on collective and operational training, operational planning, fleet readiness, and warfare policy."

HMCS Stadacona & HMC Dockyard: Operational training, planning, fleet readiness and warfare policy
HMCS Naden & HMC Dockyard: Naval Training Systems, Individual Training and Education

No teeth in the west, surely the west is more capable than just training. This seems like the Cold War idea with the west coast relegated to training squadrons.

 

[Ostrozac]

Are MARLANT and MARPAC both going to retain their extra hats as Commanders of CJOC Joint Task Forces?

If so, then there is your teeth for the west coast -- both Commander MARPAC and Commander MARLANT would still have to retain enough capability to be able to command operations.

 

[Monsoon]

HMCS Stadacona & HMC Dockyard: Operational training, planning, fleet readiness and warfare policy
HMCS Naden & HMC Dockyard: Naval Training Systems, Individual Training and Education

No teeth in the west, surely the west is more capable than just training. This seems like the Cold War idea with the west coast relegated to training squadrons.

Don't make the mistake of confusing the new roles for Comd MARPAC and Comd MARLANT with what the fleets on each coast will be doing. This is NOT a return to the days of the Training Squadron. Comd MARPAC and his staff in addition to having responsibility for the CANPAC AOR will also be the commander responsible for the NTS and IT&E within the RCN. We're talking about MARPAC the man and his staff, not the fleet. Think of the way that Comd MARPAC is also Comd JTFP - it's an additional responsibility.

Looks like the Naval Reserve can expect to look more like the Army Reserve

If you mean an emphasis on Reg F augmentation vice having specific "NAVRES roles" then I guess you could say that, but not in terms of adopting an organizational concept based around the deployability of the reserve units themselves. The idea is that the units will FG individuals who can work interchangably with Reg F members on any ship in the fleet, at a level commensurate with their rank and QL (which is how it worked in the pre-unification RCN, BTW). This still looks more like the way NAVRES has been operating over the past 15 years than like the CA Res.

 

[Mike5]

Is there any information as to what the change will look like for the Naval Reserve (i.e. new / different MOSIDs or training cycles) - or is it still too early?

 

[MARS]

Is there any information as to what the change will look like for the Naval Reserve (i.e. new / different MOSIDs or training cycles) - or is it still too early?

still too early but I think any changes to those items you mentioned would not be affected by this change.

I do know that NAVRES will cease to be its own Formation and will fall under MARPAC.  But again, that change and the associated effects are not likely to impact training cycles, MOSIDS or many deck plate-type issues, I wouldn't think.

 

[Edward Campbell]

still too early but I think any changes to those items you mentioned would not be affected by this change.

I do know that NAVRES will cease to be its own Formation and will fall under MARPAC.  But again, that change and the associated effects are not likely to impact training cycles, MOSIDS or many deck plate-type issues, I wouldn't think.

What happens to the HQ in Quebec City?

 

[MARS]

Unknown, by me at least.  Some talk - just talk as far as I know, that perhaps COMNAVRES and/or some of the senior staff might be shifted to MARPAC.  That would  make sense in some regards, but I wouldn't see any savings or efficiencies by moving a lot of that HQ.  A lot of those functions can be accomplished without co-location with the Formation HQ.

 

[Stoker]

Unknown, by me at least.  Some talk - just talk as far as I know, that perhaps COMNAVRES and/or some of the senior staff might be shifted to MARPAC.  That would  make sense in some regards, but I wouldn't see any savings or efficiencies by moving a lot of that HQ.  A lot of those functions can be accomplished without co-location with the Formation HQ.

It will certainly be interesting to say the least. I would imagine moving operations from NAVRES will be met with some resistance as it is in Quebec and is a strategic asset.  Talk has it that all CM functions may be shifted to Ottawa.

 

[Journeyman]

I would imagine moving operations from NAVRES will be met with some resistance as it is in Quebec and is a strategic asset.

In what way?

(Not a smart-ass question; I'm just not sure how you're using the term)

 

[Stoker]

In what way?

(Not a smart-*** question; I'm just not sure how you're using the term)

Sorry I meant more the unit there actually. In conversations over the years about NAVRES and talk about it moving back to Halifax where it was before, placing it in Quebec was always touted as a political decision as was placing the fleet school there. I would imagine some sort of fall out if and when NAVRES is moved. We have very large units all over Quebec with 50 people max parading, why keep them open? Answer was they are considered a strategic asset, perhaps not the best use of the word though.

 

[Journeyman]

Got it. Thanks

 

[McG]

We have very large units all over Quebec with 50 people max parading, why keep them open?

I suppose it is the same reason the Army keeps +/- company sized battalions in its reserve: emotional attachment & appeasing local politics/interests.

 

[Stoker]

I was talking to NAVRES today and indeed they will be under MARPAC. NAVRES will still be in QC as briefed by the Commander of the RCN.

 

[Monsoon]

I was talking to NAVRES today and indeed they will be under MARPAC. NAVRES will still be in QC as briefed by the Commander of the RCN.

Yep - a "key constraint" of the transition plan is that the total number of RCN FTEs located in QC will not change. That's not to say that certain current NAVRES functions might not eventually be moved to Esquimalt or Ottawa and other RCN staff functions moved to QC (not a bad plan, given the pressure from the centre to reduce manning in Ottawa), but the overall head count won't change. The announcement indicated that the new staff arrangement is unlikely to be much visible from the unit floor level.

We have very large units all over Quebec with 50 people max parading, why keep them open?

Well, "all over" - there are two out of six in Quebec that fit that description. The units there are kept open for the same reason four units in the rest of the country that fit the same description are left open: hope springs eternal.

 

[Ostrozac]

Well, "all over" - there are two out of six in Quebec that fit that description. The units there are kept open for the same reason four units in the rest of the country that fit the same description are left open: hope springs eternal.

That is a good point, and one that may be applied to the army reserve as well as the navy reserve. Have we ever, in the last 30 years or so, looked at a reserve unit and said -- "not sustainable, time to close it down?" I'm not talking about reroleing, or the various reorgs that have happened in the service battalions, signals, artillery and engineer worlds that still kept the same people working in the same armories, under new names. I'm talking about actually closing down a reserve unit. I remember that happening to the combat engineer unit in Flin Flon, Manitoba, but that's the only one that comes to mind.

Is there a point where a reserve unit just isn't sustainable anymore? Or is it so difficult to establish a footprint in a new town, that it is worth keeping a unit running even if it's a CO, 50 troops and a weapons vault, because once you lose it, it's probably gone forever?

Although this is probably off-topic for the reorg of the RCN. Mods, feel free to move it.

 

[Stoker]

Yep - a "key constraint" of the transition plan is that the total number of RCN FTEs located in QC will not change. That's not to say that certain current NAVRES functions might not eventually be moved to Esquimalt or Ottawa and other RCN staff functions moved to QC (not a bad plan, given the pressure from the centre to reduce manning in Ottawa), but the overall head count won't change. The announcement indicated that the new staff arrangement is unlikely to be much visible from the unit floor level.
Well, "all over" - there are two out of six in Quebec that fit that description. The units there are kept open for the same reason four units in the rest of the country that fit the same description are left open: hope springs eternal.

Its really too bad, some of these units are pretty impressive facilities and they can't get the members. In time of emergency they can also support military assistance so they do have purpose.