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Stephen Harper pledges expansion of military reserves

cupper said:
I remember those days in the mid 80's. Training nights and weekends reduced, charging certain members to the District JV accounts rather than the unit accounts.

Happy days are here again!

Which is a great argument for separating the Militia budget (NOT the Reserves) and signing the Militiamen to hard contracts after the fashion of the US system of Guard and Reserves.

The budget becomes a contractual obligation.
 
Kirkhill said:
Which is a great argument for separating the Militia budget (NOT the Reserves) and signing the Militiamen to hard contracts after the fashion of the US system of Guard and Reserves.

The budget becomes a contractual obligation.

I think the gov't and the CF should stop considering the Reserve's budget as being their "loose change" - something they can do without - the path of least resistance.
 
geo said:
You can plan to hire and employ as many reservists as you want, but the day the government tells the CF to cut xx millions from his budget, where do you think he's going to cut 1st....

Class A reservists
payroll & field training budget is one of the only places the CDS can cut, without hamstringing his ability to field an effective fighting force.

I would say Class B reservists and post reg force members in to fill the spots.
 
Crantor said:
Given the current state of the regular army, navy and airforce I would hazard a guess that with the exception of a few high readiness units the regular force is in exactly the same shape (proportionately speaking) and they are supposed to have the assets to do this. 

This is a CAF wide problem that isn't just limited to the reserves.

On the contrary, it's pretty clear you have a negligble understanding of the MRP, BTS, and assigned LoO / NEO tasks.
 
milnews.ca said:
Reviving an uber-necro thread with the latest - the latest Conservative election 2015 promise (also attached in case link doesn't work):
Harper Announces Plan To Establish A Canadian Armed Forces Reserve Unit In Yukon
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced a plan to establish a Canadian Armed Forces reserve unit in Yukon. A primary reserve unit in Yukon will complement other measures which the Harper Government has taken to protect Canadian sovereignty in the north and will build a stronger connection between the Canadian Armed Forces and the people of Yukon.

“Our Government has made the rebuilding of the Canadian military a priority since we took office,” the Prime Minister said. “The establishment of a reserve unit in Yukon will provide important enhanced capacity for the Canadian Armed Forces in the north as part of its mission to defend Canada’s sovereignty.”

This announcement builds on Prime Minister Harper’s previously announced plan for expanding and strengthening the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve Force as a whole. A new reserve unit will fulfill several tasks:

    enhance the Arctic operations capacity of the CAF by specializing in northern survival skills;
    provide a specialized emergency response capacity in the face of natural disasters such as wildfires, for which they would receive specialized advance training, or other emergencies;
    assist in supporting other elements of the CAF, including the Canadian Rangers, in Yukon; and,
    re-establish an important connection between the Canadian Armed Forces and the people of Yukon which was lost in 1968 when the previous Yukon Regiment was disbanded by the then-Liberal government.

“These initiatives to expand our Reserve Force will permit the Canadian Armed Forces to draw on the varied skillsets possessed by Canadians in the private sector who are also anxious to serve their country through service in the military,” said Prime Minister Harper. “The initiative we are proposing will restore an important connection between the people of Yukon and the Canadian Armed Forces and provide important additional military capacity in Yukon.”

“While Justin Trudeau and Thomas Mulcair’s NDP irresponsibly proclaim their intent to end Canada’s military mission against the ISIS terrorist group, we will continue to take the steps that are required to strengthen our military and to ensure that it is positioned to respond to the real dangers that Canada faces,” said Prime Minister Harper.

“My focus is on ensuring that the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces have the resources they need to continue protecting and serving their fellow citizens effectively.”

-30-
Well, looks like the promised growth is going to mean a continuation of the trend for more old-is-new capbadges, and more mini-units (Plattalions and Tregiments) with LCols and CWOs.  Maybe we can expect to see the Alberta Dragoons and the London and Oxford Fusiliers parade around again.
 
MCG said:
Well, looks like the promised growth is going to mean a continuation of the trend for more old-is-new capbadges, and more mini-units (Plattalions and Tregiments) with LCols and CWOs.  Maybe we can expect to see the Alberta Dragoons and the London and Oxford Fusiliers parade around again.

The only relevant community in Yukon is Whitehrose, just shy of 28,000 people. Marginal, but possible. Whitehorse currently has a three man JTF(N) det of an InfO Maj, an RCAF Log Capt, and an RMS MCpl as detachment clerk. There's a Cl B Sup Tech WO running the local stores at the cadet camp, which is 90% of the logistical work.

A hypothetical unit in Yukon, likely Infantry, would either wear a (reestablished) Yukon Regiment cap badge under 39 CBG out of B.C., or would become another remote company of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment out of 41 CBG. Which brigade frankly doesn't matter as Yukon has no PRes formation presence whatsoever, just Rangers and the small Reg Force det. I bring up the Loyal Eddies because they have a company in Yellowknife. A unit in Yukon would likely be structured as a company with a Major just to hang a big enough sig block on any support requests. There's no reason to establish a battalion structure, it would be a waste. It should likely leverage the existing structure of either the Loyal Eddies (likely, as they have a company colocated with the JTF(N) det in Yellowknife), or perhaps the Rocky Mountain Rangers.

As for an org structure, I would forsee an infantry platoon, with a second training/admin platoon for PATs and the various clag. The Inf Maj in command of JTF(N) could easily double hat as the OC, since a PRes OC is a part time job anyway, and frankly JTF(N) Yukon hasn't got a lot on its plate anyway. The other two reg force staff could be similarly double hatted and so between the two of them, and with a Cl A RMS clerk or two likely cover most of the admin. The Cl B Sup Tech WO ought to be able to handle the duties of RQ without great difficulty if properly augmented by Cl A or possibly a Cl B member. So you'd need someone to deal with transport, not a huge issue. That covers most of the support.

As for the actual 'so what?' part of the unit- an Inf Platoon's worth of recruits would be easily enough gathered, and a Pl Comd could be sustained within a couple years, but NCOs would be hard. There's a PRes Inf Sgt kicking around, and a smattering of other former reservists and a few released RegF guys, mostly in various government jobs. A few would come out to play, but for a few years a modest RegF cadre of MCpls and a couple Cpls (QM, Transport) would likely need to be posted in the get it off the ground. I don't know how the Loyal Eddies company in Yellowknife was stood up, but they had the advantage of an existing 200 person JTF(N) base. Yukon hasn't got that.

An interesting political promise, but difficult to sustain and at the remote end of a long logistical train either up the Alaska Highway for two days form Edmonton, or by military/commercial air from Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, or Yellowknife. It would take some posted augmentees and some keen, switched on people to make happen. The population could support it I think, and the political support at territorial level is certainly present (the speaker of the territorial legislature is a former Sgt, and the local Legion branch has a strong voice). But the big chokepoint would be qualified, experienced NCOs for the first... call it 5 years until a newly established regiment could begin getting Cpls through the entirety of PLQ. The experience of the Loyal Eddies in Yellowknife suggest it would be a tenuous, chancy thing...
 
MCG said:
Well, looks like the promised growth is going to mean a continuation of the trend for more old-is-new capbadges, and more mini-units (Plattalions and Tregiments) with LCols and CWOs.
The Yukon Platallion - few and cold  ;D
 
2nd bn rnfldr does quite well with recruiting in corner brook, a community of 19000 (though there are a number of small communities nearby where many recruits come from)

Don't under estimate the recruiting draw of "something to do" in a place without much going on, coupled with a moderate unemployment rate.
 
a Sig Op said:
Don't under estimate the recruiting draw of a paid form of "something to do" in a place without much going on, coupled with a moderate unemployment rate.

TFTFY

I'd also like to see more money and effort spent on reducing the crushing admin burden on reserve units.  A tremendous amount of leader's time is taken up with activities that don't contribute to training and retention and is mostly to satisfy the curiosity of higher HQs.
 
Haggis said:
TFTFY

I'd also like to see more money and effort spent on reducing the crushing admin burden on reserve units.  A tremendous amount of leader's time is taken up with activities that don't contribute to training and retention and is mostly to satisfy the curiosity of higher HQs.

Higher HQs that don't realize or accept that you can't compel a Reserve member to parade. They don't understand why something in the RegF that takes four days to complete might take the ResF four months to complete.
 
Yup, the 'Platallion'- the curse of the small town militia. But that's another discussion for another day.

I think there's a good enough work force in Whitehorse that a unit could be more viable than, say, some of the small town units in Ontario. But it's just so damned far from all the logistical support, and far enough from any other unit to make a 'tactical grouping' of reserve units convenient...
 
Bonner's Ferry, Idaho.  Population 2473

20888170504db06023dd0cc9.05150003.jpg


The Idaho Army National Guard is headquartered in the state's capital, Boise. Affiliated units are dispersed throughout the state in 28 diverse communities. Idaho's citizen soldiers have a long and honorable history dating back to the Nez Perce Indian Wars of 1877. Today, over 3,500 soldiers make up Idaho's Army National Guard.

That is one armo(u)ry for every 125 guardsmen.

Perhaps you would be happier if we just created numbered independent companies.

If I remember correctly, from driving in by it recently, it is a Log Coy in Bonner's Ferry.
 
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