RG-31 ideal for the PRes?

[Gunnerlove]

A a reservist I would rather see 17.5 MILCOTS in the parking lot than 1 armoured vehicle worth 1 million.

As Gunners we have a close relationship with the reg force Artillery, love us or hate us we do our jobs and do them well.

 

[KevinB]

What if we gave the reserve armoured the job of crewing Infantry LAV's?

  Given that the 031' typically punch out majority of their crews ina  PCF prior to departing -- I fail to see how a Armoured Reserve unit could not maintain a skill set and max out in DLOC trg -- that woudl give the R011's a role and free of 031's to dismoutn and do foot recce...

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Kevin,

Go see the medic! Your sick man!! Tossing a bone like that the the Reserves?!! and Armored Reserves at that??!!!

Kev, my son, your delerious!!

However, I love your idea to death and think it certainly has merit. Maybe something else that can be looked at seriously. Thanks.

 

[KevinB]

Beleive it or not I am not a reserve hater -- I just want to find a viable way to employ people to the best of their abilities.

Anyone can dismount from a LAV - so the lack of LAV training in day to day Bn operatiosn would not kill it.  Plus it would save a lot of budget dollars in not running the LAV 24/7 per sa.  As well 99% of 031's join to be INFANTRYMAN not crewmen.  It woudl help retain a lot of 031's who leave the mech units do to disappointment they could not get into the 3rd BN's.  It would raise the dismounted skills set - and create a better pool for the CSOR as well.

The Reserves would get a modern and viable platform to train and deploy with -- raising their moral (IMHO), deployability and thus utility.  The skills and training from the regular armoured would carry over better as well.  Reserve pers could also be nearly seemlessly intergatred into Coyote (well driver and surv would require add trg).

Thus the 011 trade could monopolize the vehicle crewing throughout the Mech Fleet.

 

[brihard]

Beleive it or not I am not a reserve hater -- I just want to find a viable way to employ people to the best of their abilities.

Anyone can dismount from a LAV - so the lack of LAV training in day to day Bn operatiosn would not kill it.  Plus it would save a lot of budget dollars in not running the LAV 24/7 per sa.  As well 99% of 031's join to be INFANTRYMAN not crewmen.  It woudl help retain a lot of 031's who leave the mech units do to disappointment they could not get into the 3rd BN's.  It would raise the dismounted skills set - and create a better pool for the CSOR as well.

The Reserves would get a modern and viable platform to train and deploy with -- raising their moral (IMHO), deployability and thus utility.  The skills and training from the regular armoured would carry over better as well.  Reserve pers could also be nearly seemlessly intergatred into Coyote (well driver and surv would require add trg).

Thus the 011 trade could monopolize the vehicle crewing throughout the Mech Fleet.

Kevin;

As a possible addendum to this idea, what would be your views of R011s employed in class B positions for varying durations to serve with the reg battallions to crew LAVs for training purposes? I'm nto sure what youre trainign schedule is like- I'm rpesuming taht as it stands each sub unit provides and crews its own LAVs, but for regular training could there not be a platoon or company set of training LAVs crewed by Class B reserves who would circulate throughout the battallion as necessary to conducted mounted training?

As I see it it would free up 031s for fundamentals training instead of being crewers, would preserve the equipment each sub unit has in a better (less used) condition, and could concentrate LAV maintenance tasks into one group of training vehicles, likely having some positive contributions towards maintenance efficiency- and of course, the unit's 'real' LAVs would still be available for collective training or deployment.

And of course at the end of the day it gives some reservists some damned good experience to filter back down to their units- at 85% of the normal regs pay.

Jsut a thought...

 

[KevinB]

I'm out - so dont look at me for current training regime. 
With managed readiness I think the reg mech BN's are down to Coy of LAV's at the unit.

IF they took the LAV's from the units and gave a Pl worth to a few Armoured Reserve units - they could gain familiarity on them -- saving Class B jobs for R011's at the Manuver Centre when units come to play mechwarrior-

Thus all 1,2,3 Bn's would be Light and train Light -- only acting as crew for tours that "require" a LAV/VBL contingent.  Fitness and Infantry skills would go up in the 031 units and create a better pool for JTF and CSOR -- and the R011 and thus 011 support would have a viable skill set to employ.

 

 

[Armymatters]

I think what should be looked at is what role does our LAV III operate in? Is it more of a IFV or is it more of a APC? There is a big difference between the roles of either. One is designed to carry some infantry around and support that infantry with covering fire, while the other is a battle taxi, where everyone gets out to engage the enemy once contact with the enemy is established. Once we defined the role of the LAV III, everything will fit in. The RG-31 is a excellent patrol vehicle, and will make a great convoy escort vehicle for non-sensitive cargo and escorting the PRT's around. It will be a lot better than the G-wagon's we are currently using, and it is a hell of a lot more durable than the HMMWV for these tasks. However, if that convoy is critical, I would want heavier firepower to escort that load.

 

[KevinB]

The 25mm on the LAV if overkill for Afghan missions unless the militia forces pull out tanks -- then it is too little anyway.

  The LAV is good for intimidation of local warlords - but thats about it.

 

[TCBF]

"The Reserves would get a modern and viable platform to train and deploy with -- raising their moral (IMHO), deployability and thus utility.  The skills and training from the regular armoured would carry over better as well.  Reserve pers could also be nearly seemlessly intergatred into Coyote (well driver and surv would require add trg).

Thus the 011 trade could monopolize the vehicle crewing throughout the Mech Fleet."

This has some merit.  It won't happen, because the Infantry Reserves would say "Why not us?".  A lot of Inf don't really want to go to a Light Bn, or be an 'operator' etc, and if we crewed AFVs with Reserve Crewmen, they (Inf) would have issues. 

If you used Regular Crewmen, then someone would cut 1000 LAV crew 031 Infmn PYs from the Inf and give 1000 PYs to the 011 Crmn trade to crew the LAVs, and the purple people eaters in the Career Shops in Ottawa would go "Whoaaaa...."

I think giving the Inf P Res a greater role in the LAV would help, and use the P Res 011 Crmn to rotate through the '1st Cdn Tank Bn' in Wainwright.

But then, I also think we should form the 'Baffin Island Regiment' , and hire starving university students in the spring, give them a YTEP military training, send them up north until June the next year, then on leave and release so they can go back to school having missed a year but in better shape and with more money.  Plus, with lots of tent-in-the-winter arctic stories.

;D

Hope things are going well for you on the outside, Kevin.

Tom

 

[KevinB]

Tom - the Bn's are way below their PY anyway -- rerolling to strict light would actually add troops as the TOE would have more bayonets.

Things are good on the outside  ;D  This way I can look in make observations and not be hurt when the CF stuff that is assinine 

 

[Colin Parkinson]

The Rg-31 does give Canada a vehicle that fits into the gap between the armoured G-wagon and the LAV. The views I hear here are typical of a “culture of survival” that has taken over the forces. This not to knock people, but to remind them that asking for the bare minimum will result in getting less than you barely need. If you ask the present government for 50 vehicles likely you will get 25 as they assume that’s what you figured you need at least. The Forces and the Citizens of Canada need to say the lowest possible amount of gear is no longer acceptable. So yes you need to think bigger and build the push for new equipment for both the Regs and the Reserves.

The one concept that is lost on Regular force people is that you have to “sell” the Reserves to people, and not having decent equipment makes that impossible. When I joined up the Reserve units had GPMG armed jeeps and a Lynx or access to them. At the very least each squadron needs 6 softskinned G-wagons armed with MG’s and AT weapons. A number of them should receive some sort of wheeled armour, generally the ones near the bases.

If the Crap really hits the fan (Korea, Iran) then we will have to go with whatever you might have. Having the reserves equipped with equipment that can serve overseas in combat means that the military has some sort of “surge” capacity. This is how almost every modern military works around the world, does it have problems yes it does is it perfect no it’s not.

Also the reason the unit cost is so high (beside a certain unnamed party giving out favours) is that we are rush ordering so few of them, at the same time everyone else want the same thing. Do we even have enough armoured G-wagons to replace combat losses without stripping other units? I doubt it. Our forces suffer from a culture of thinking small, we are kind of like the abused spouse, that when the government stops beating you for a day, you say thank you. I know that lots of people try their best, but I think all of us, especially those of us outside the service have to keep the pressure on the politicians. 

 

[geo]

(at least the GWagon is a vehicle in current production and additional units can be had - "if the need arises") but you are correct ColinP - always dealing with minimum quantities will always leave us chasing our tail, always looking to cover deficiencies instead of taking care of business.