There’s the rub isn’t it, because without set sizes we end up constantly reallocating, and none of the reserve units follows a similar or established structure.
How do they not follow the established structure? They are formed as a Regiment. In reality they are Companies at best.
If they follow along and can provide a Company sized element then they get allocated that amount of equipment. If they need more we will get them more. If they fall below their numbers their equipment gets parked on the fence and cycled through the units that need the equipment.
Those are two contradictory statements. Each brigade right now has an entirely random number of artillery regiments and batteries. Which may or may not have an existing command relationship.
When I started at 5th BC Field Regiment were were the 5th BC Field Bty. Due to mystery funding and reallocation we stood up as a Regiment again. Yet we had no where near a Regiment of People, hardly had a Troop worth of equipment. But we had Two Gun Troops plus of Gunners and continued to grow. 56 Bty (now 156 Bty) Grew to over hundred Gunners. Drilling well over 60 a night. Hard to continue training using one gun and no radios, no rifles.
It would be simple fix for the multiple Regiments. Call them XYX Brigade Artillery Regiment compromising of each Bty . Stand them down to Bty size. Have them Fill a Bty Each compliment, If they cant do that then have them fill a Troop each.
All administrative action that can be done.
I wonder how well the Full time Infantry Regiments have for staffing levels now?
We all more kit, in that we agree. My point, which seems to be constantly missed so I’ll attempt to make it again and hopefully better, is that we need a reserve force structure that makes sense in order to equip it.
That structure is already there on paper. The staffing levels are the concerns as are the actual budgets and equipment.
SIMPLE SOLUTION amalgamate the Current Regiments into Companies, Btys, Troops etc. Keeping their traditional Names.
Each Brigade gets an artillery regiment with 18 guns? Fantastic love it, that will mean merging 5 with 15 and 26 with 10.
You can have 5th BC Fd Bty and 15th Fd Bty with a H&Q Svc Bty. They live fire together anyways. (twice in my time in they did not because they had to many Gunners and not enough equipment). Good make it happen. Same as 10th and 26th Fd
Huge fan of that. Push out armoured vehicles to training areas, with a Sqn per existing regiment? Love that idea too but we’ll need to recruit or hire a bunch of mechanics and revamp parade systems to get guys to their horses.
So hire mechanics/techs. Contract the work out lots of companies who can provide the services. (some have higher security clearance requirements then our guys)
Then let’s ask why we have extra admin hurdles to make planning between those too more complicated. (And yes I consider the superfluous emails between COs to a hurdle however small)
Admin hurdles can be eliminated and or fixed with the right people.
Because a lot of our equipment is substantially more sensitive to store and leave unattended.
Store it at the Training centers then. Or secure property with the proper security protocols. As if CFB Edmonton or Shilo is that secure. An alarm system with a MP or two showing up.
CN rail or Syncrude can sell off unused equipment, it’s much more difficult to dispose of weapons and radios.
A few manufactures made their own equipment and stored it in their secure yards for years. Had hundred pieces of equipment sitting idle. Did a one for one as required. Flowed extra equipment to the field as required and then rebuilt the old stuff.
I did not say sell off equipment, store it. Long term/ short term. Right now we could use a few dozen more Tanks/ Howitzers/ Jets etc. We dont have any along the healing fence to put back into use.
I actually very much like this. I don’t really like city and county named units simply for the purposes of potential expansion. I don’t know how well B Coy LER really ever appeals to the population of Yellowknife, and I’m not sure which regiment a denizen of Red Deer would want to be a part of.
They amalgamate keep their name in tradition as a Bty, Troop, Company or they get stood down. Either way it works and can work well. As much as I do not like how the Americans stand down units and redesignate them. I think if we cant find a solution to the Unit name administrative issues then we need start doing this.