# Professional Development



## Master Blaster (29 Aug 2000)

I have probably opened a can of worms with this one but is it just me or are the powers that be in this Armed Forces organization trying to be obtuse?

I have, on every occasion that requires me to be in contact with staff level officers and SrNCO‘s, seen nothing that would indicate a change for the better in the professional development of JrNCO‘s or JrOfficers.  The staus quo appears to be maintained at all costs (usually at the expense of the lowest private) and the worst enemy they ever face is complacency.

It is my greatest fear that my offspring will one day (without my foreknowledge) join the ranks of the CF.  They will experience the opposite of what they should be...proud citizens serving a great nation.  They will instead become confused, embittered people that will do almost anything not to have to make any effort of will to accomplish a poorly planned mission of a wannabe polictically motivated officer.  Shades of the USSR!

I have only one suggestion that may cause the CF to change direction in a positive move.  Start all over again from the beginning.  No politics, provisions for personal gain or career advancement or anything that would detract from the mission of producing sound private soldiers with the attitude that they will not advance until they themselves have trained their own replacement to be as good or better than they are at the area of speciality they occupy.  No more schools (or empires), no more shuffling off the dead wood to another posting and let ‘them‘ deal with a problem child.  Leadership development through the hardships of real (or at least realistic) training.  Sensible, common sense methods of corrective measures in discipline and not being ‘fearful‘ of what a decision now might have on your future later.  Mature, wise counsel that comes from older, more experienced soldiers rather than higher ranked less experienced officers.

To some this is close to heresy or treasonable thinking.  To others this is ‘pie in the sky‘ wishful thinking.  To a very few that know, this is the only way that we as a nation can expect to survive an encounter with an enemy that knows the weaknesses of complacency and how to capitalize it.  That enemy will not respect any ROE, Hague Conventions or any ‘decent‘ method of warfare.  It will be our undoing as a nation if we fail to correct this shortcoming.  We must stop relying on our ‘sure knowledge‘ that if the balloon ever goes up we can rely on our Allies to the south to bail us out.  It won‘t happen.

Dileas Gu Brath


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## RCA (30 Aug 2000)

Until we get our heads out of our ass and get past the higher ups preoccupation with our ethical and moral education nothing going to change. Training has taken a back seat to SHARP, Sexual Harressment trg etc. The new recruit crse (QL2)places greater requirements on military writing and accident reporting than it does on weapons trg. 
 Being a reserve Arty NCO for the past 25 yrs, the amount of time we spend trg within our trade has been steadly decreasing. We have appox 5 days within limited mandays as is to conduct SHARP trg etc, and when we get to field we do not have enough ammo to adequatly trg with. The Reg F is better off but only because of overseas deployment, forceing workup trg which turns out combat ready troops.
 Politics will always be a part of the system as in all groups of humans greater than two. However I agree that it has become a major factor in the CF (witness Gen Boyle - ex CDS). Part of this is because we haven‘t been part of a confict to weed out the incomptent. The criteria today is not getting yourself in trouble and you will higher therefore breeding the CYA syndrome. It not all their fault as the system does not allow one from learning from ones mistakes. we only pay lip service to it.


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## RCA (30 Aug 2000)

Until we get our heads out of our ass and get past the higher ups preoccupation with our ethical and moral education nothing going to change. Training has taken a back seat to SHARP, Sexual Harressment trg etc. The new recruit crse (QL2)places greater requirements on military writing and accident reporting than it does on weapons trg. 
 Being a reserve Arty NCO for the past 25 yrs, the amount of time we spend trg within our trade has been steadly decreasing. We have appox 5 days within limited mandays as is to conduct SHARP trg etc, and when we get to field we do not have enough ammo to adequatly trg with. The Reg F is better off but only because of overseas deployment, forceing workup trg which turns out combat ready troops.
 Politics will always be a part of the system as in all groups of humans greater than two. However I agree that it has become a major factor in the CF (witness Gen Boyle - ex CDS). Part of this is because we haven‘t been part of a confict to weed out the incomptent. The criteria today is not getting yourself in trouble and you will higher therefore breeding the CYA syndrome. It not all their fault as the system does not allow one from learning from ones mistakes. we only pay lip service to it.


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## RCA (30 Aug 2000)

Until we get our heads out of our ass and get past the higher ups preoccupation with our ethical and moral education nothing going to change. Training has taken a back seat to SHARP, Sexual Harressment trg etc. The new recruit crse (QL2)places greater requirements on military writing and accident reporting than it does on weapons trg. 
 Being a reserve Arty NCO for the past 25 yrs, the amount of time we spend trg within our trade has been steadly decreasing. We have appox 5 days within limited mandays as is to conduct SHARP trg etc, and when we get to field we do not have enough ammo to adequatly trg with. The Reg F is better off but only because of overseas deployment, forceing workup trg which turns out combat ready troops.
 Politics will always be a part of the system as in all groups of humans greater than two. However I agree that it has become a major factor in the CF (witness Gen Boyle - ex CDS). Part of this is because we haven‘t been part of a confict to weed out the incomptent. The criteria today is not getting yourself in trouble and you will higher therefore breeding the CYA syndrome. It not all their fault as the system does not allow one from learning from ones mistakes. we only pay lip service to it.


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## RCA (30 Aug 2000)

Until we get our heads out of our ass and get past the higher ups preoccupation with our ethical and moral education nothing going to change. Training has taken a back seat to SHARP, Sexual Harressment trg etc. The new recruit crse (QL2)places greater requirements on military writing and accident reporting than it does on weapons trg. 
 Being a reserve Arty NCO for the past 25 yrs, the amount of time we spend trg within our trade has been steadly decreasing. We have appox 5 days within limited mandays as is to conduct SHARP trg etc, and when we get to field we do not have enough ammo to adequatly trg with. The Reg F is better off but only because of overseas deployment, forceing workup trg which turns out combat ready troops.
 Politics will always be a part of the system as in all groups of humans greater than two. However I agree that it has become a major factor in the CF (witness Gen Boyle - ex CDS). Part of this is because we haven‘t been part of a confict to weed out the incomptent. The criteria today is not getting yourself in trouble and you will higher therefore breeding the CYA syndrome. It not all their fault as the system does not allow one from learning from ones mistakes. we only pay lip service to it.


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## RCA (30 Aug 2000)

Until we get our heads out of our ass and get past the higher ups preoccupation with our ethical and moral education nothing going to change. Training has taken a back seat to SHARP, Sexual Harressment trg etc. The new recruit crse (QL2)places greater requirements on military writing and accident reporting than it does on weapons trg. 
 Being a reserve Arty NCO for the past 25 yrs, the amount of time we spend trg within our trade has been steadly decreasing. We have appox 5 days within limited mandays as is to conduct SHARP trg etc, and when we get to field we do not have enough ammo to adequatly trg with. The Reg F is better off but only because of overseas deployment, forceing workup trg which turns out combat ready troops.
 Politics will always be a part of the system as in all groups of humans greater than two. However I agree that it has become a major factor in the CF (witness Gen Boyle - ex CDS). Part of this is because we haven‘t been part of a confict to weed out the incomptent. The criteria today is not getting yourself in trouble and you will higher therefore breeding the CYA syndrome. It not all their fault as the system does not allow one from learning from ones mistakes. we only pay lip service to it.


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## RCA (30 Aug 2000)

Sorry about that - finger error


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## RCA (30 Aug 2000)

The last thing I wat to add is until the gov‘t and general public reconize the the Armed Forces role is combat and not peacemaking nothing will change. When the Minister for Foreign Affairs decides and annouces operations instead of the MND this perception will not change. We must convice the public that peacekeeping/aid to civil power is just one extra tasks we do, but our primary function is protecting their intrests by being combat ready.


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## bossi (31 Aug 2000)

aaaaahhh .... music to my ears (within the context of a "virtual mess")

I can‘t add anything to that fine "vent".

Dileas Gu Brath
M.A. Bossi, Esquire


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## Brad Sallows (31 Aug 2000)

>The new recruit crse (QL2)places greater requirements on military writing and accident reporting than it does on weapons trg.

And a good thing it does, too!  If we don‘t train the soldiers to handle weapons well and safely, we‘d better make certain they can express themselves well in the subsequent investigations.

>The Reg F is better off but only because of overseas deployment, forceing workup trg which turns out combat ready troops.

At what level?  Platoon?  Company?  I wonder if overall battleworthiness suffers from lack of collective training time.


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## RCA (1 Sep 2000)

The way things are going it is becoming any trg is better than no trg. As for overseas trg 2 PPCLI BG just completed collective trg at Shilo which I think went up to BG. Also 1 CMBG did Bde level ex under Leslie. Also 38 CBG is having a Bde ex in Oct although each arm will be on its own. However it is true that collective trg is suffering especilly in the reserves.
  Now with the introduction of JANUS, TacOPs, the small arms trainer (SAT), and indirect fire trainer (IFT) not only will we not hear a shot in anger, but any shot at all.
   I know this has gotten of the track of professional development (particually for juniors) but trg is development and when it is shortchanged the whole hierarhy suffers, top to bottom.


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