# How Soon After Enrollement Can You Be Deployed Overseas



## vercingetorix (8 Mar 2005)

O.K. so now I'm in the propcess of being accepted into the Reserves, and would eventually like to sign onto a U.N. peace keeping mission.  I was told by the recruiter in my hometown, that you put your name on a tour list and eventually when they need you, they pull your name up.    But then again, this recruiter said alot of stuff and did not seem entirely enthused about his job and some of the info I heard, was contradicted by others.

So my real quesion is if someone can validate this information regarding the wait list and such process for U.N. misisions.

-cheers, -Vercingetorix


----------



## 291er (8 Mar 2005)

Well you can't just go on any UN mission...Canada has to have signed on to send some troops first.  There are'nt many UN missions that have huge Canadian contingents at the moment that I am aware of, if I'm wrong, please someone correct me.  There are plenty of opportunities to deploy with the CF though, we still have Afghanistan and I suspect that we'll be there for some time to come.  
Right now you should focus on getting your training done.  As a young buck newly QL3 trained Pte, there probably won't be a lot of chances to deploy, but as your career progresses and you specialize in something, the opportunity MAY arise.  As far as this list thing, I'm not sure how it works for the Reserves.  I know that Reserves are called up to deploy, but I think that they prefer to take Reg Force people if they can, simply because the point of the Reserves is to augment the Regular Force.  I would think there are a fair number of deployments available to Reservists, but I would also suspect that there are a fair number of Reservists as eager as yourself who have put in for them.

My 2 cents....


----------



## johnny_boy (8 Mar 2005)

How good your chances are to deploy are heavily trade dependent from what I have been told. Apparently once you have QL3 and SQ you could technically be deployed. 

In my trade (Int) we were informed we are basically garunteed a deployment with the new army restructure. I'm not sure how it affects other trades though.


----------



## TCBF (8 Mar 2005)

I wouldn't fall in love with the UN all that quick if I were you.  They have screwed up everything they have touched.

Tom


----------



## the 48th regulator (8 Mar 2005)

You will have great chances to go on a tour.  Work hard at your training, complete your courses, then once at the unit, put your name in.

Someone's love of the UN has nothing to do with it, I couldn't even tell ya where the UN HQ was located let alone its many mandates.  I just wanted to have fun with some good training, and good operational experience.  Of which I got both.

Good question and good luck

tess


----------



## paracowboy (8 Mar 2005)

Vercingetorix, (interesting choice of name, considering his military history   ) focus on the 100 meter target first, then aim for the 300. Complete your courses, learn your new trade, be the best troop you can, THEN worry about tours.

Good luck.


----------



## pbi (9 Mar 2005)

Vercingetorix: heed the advice given, especially that from paracowboy, and your time will almost certainly come. The Army is in the process of restructuring Reserve contribution to overseas missions (I prefer that to UN "peacekeeping" which is often an inaccurate term these days), with a plan to ensure that a Reserve combat team is ready to support each of the Task Forces we prepare for deployment. How this will work out remains to be seen, but the demand for qualified, fit and deployable Reserve soldiers will probably not go down. Good luck!

Cheers


----------



## vercingetorix (9 Mar 2005)

Thanks for the comments guys!  

 ( P.S. hey paracowboy I think your the only one to have understood the name and history )

-cheers

-vercingetorix


----------



## Rad (7 Mar 2006)

Hello, 

I appologize in advance if this has been asked before, in which case a link would help alot as i for some reason could not find a good answer.

What are the chances of a reserve Pte. who is only trade qualified (BMQ, SQ, and DP1) getting deployed on a UN tour?  And what kinds of jobs/duties would be done?  Would I be able to apply for a position if my unit was not tasked to go? I would take one if the chance came up, in fact i might even go out of my way to get one, but i would only expect to go over sweep the floors or something and learn as much as i can about foreign operations, i have no hopes to be on patrols or anything though i would surely do it if i could.  

Ryan


----------



## reccecrewman (7 Mar 2006)

Your chances right now of a UN tour are slim to none.  Afghanistan is not under a UN mandate (Thank the stars  ;D )  I'm not sure of the exact number, but there is a required percentage of reservists be part of each rotation.  In fact, I know of a handful of armoured reservists that have done 3 different tours in the past 5 years.  Wait out, you'll get a slew of information on your actual chances of deploying and what sort of duties you'll perform. I wear a black hat so I'm not straying out of my lane.  Good luck to you though.


----------



## phionex (19 Mar 2009)

Just a question I am wondering I just passed the CFAT and have my Med and Interview schedueled for the next couple of weeks and I am curious I am signing up as a Sig Op and was told its one of the few Jobs that are constantly deployed and needed overseas on Peacekeeping and Canadian Missions. I am curious how long after enrollement will I be deployed. Is it after OJT or before OJT. I want to be deployed to UNAMID or UNMIS if that helps. Oh and if you need to know I am singing up for a four year contract.


----------



## Teflon (19 Mar 2009)

Alot of things need to happen before they consider sending you overseas, like for starters the recruiting process, you just completted the CFAT, means your not even in yet, then theres BMQ and trades training (I'm Infantry and I have no idea how long Sig Op trades trg is but i'm sure a Sigs member will soon answer that) After you get that training theres work up trg with your unit - as to time lines, depends on length of time between courses, spots available on said courses, availability of instructors, when your unit is slated to go, etc, so you can expect to deploy sometime during your first 4 years but when, who knows


----------



## meni0n (19 Mar 2009)

Both of those are observer missions and staffed mostly by officers and sncos. There is almost no chance of a new sigop pte getting on those tours. Not trying to burst any bubbles but try to be realistic.


----------



## phionex (19 Mar 2009)

The other two mission I was interested was the UN Mission in Haiti and the UN Mission in Kosovo


----------



## Run away gun (19 Mar 2009)

Well you will do your basic training then be sent to PRETC to wait for trades training, you may do SQ in the mean time. Your QL3 Sigop apprentice course (trades training) is approximately 6 months. By this point you will have at least a year in the military. Then you will be posted to a unit. Depending on what unit you go to, you could be out the door pretty much any time after that. Your chances are better from a combat arms unit, as when they go the whole unit for the most part goes. When headquarters goes, they stand up a troop for the sole purpose of the deployment and so people get shuffled around and some people are left behind for the next tour.

Oh and there is about a 99.9 percent chance if you deploy it will be on Task Force Kandahar.


----------



## davidk (19 Mar 2009)

Haiti and Kosovo are pretty much all wrapped up. Afghanistan is where the cool kids go these days. Most of the other overseas positions are for officers (like in the Sudan)


----------



## CountDC (19 Mar 2009)

Haiti is a small op and unless things have changed there is is no privates on small ops. Mostly Officers, some snco's and a few cpl/mcpls (mostly egypt).


----------



## phionex (19 Mar 2009)

By the time I finish Training Task Force Kandahar and the Canadian Mission to Afghanistan will be Finished so I am stuck with OOTWs which is peacekeeping beacuse whats the likely hood of them needing a junior Sig Op in Afghanistan to help train Police and Military after our withdrawl in 2011.


----------



## phionex (19 Mar 2009)

is there any peacekeeping missions junion NCM's participate on currently beacuse one of the main reasons i joined the military no matter how idealistic it sounds is to work for the UN on Peacekeeping Missions


----------



## HItorMiss (19 Mar 2009)

You want to do good deeds, join the peace corps...

the CF are not Peacekeepers! We sometimes participate in UN missions but they are not generaly peacekeeping they are peace support or peace making. And Currently (THANK GOD!) we have moved away from that to NATO missions.


Son As I have said in another thread finish getting in and passing basic then worry about other stuff later.


----------



## Grunt_031 (19 Mar 2009)

Apply for a job in the UN because your chance of going with the CF is slim to none. 

http://www.unsystem.org/jobs/job_opportunities.htm


----------



## Eye In The Sky (19 Mar 2009)

phionex said:
			
		

> is there any peacekeeping missions junion NCM's participate on currently beacuse one of the main reasons i joined the military no matter how idealistic it sounds is to work for the UN on Peacekeeping Missions



Small point (pet peeve of mine).

- you will be a Pte for 4 years.  Pte's are not Junior NCOs (Junior NCM is not a correct term).

- Cpls and MCpls are Junior NCOs.


----------



## CountDC (19 Mar 2009)

phionex said:
			
		

> is there any peacekeeping missions junion NCM's participate on currently beacuse one of the main reasons i joined the military no matter how idealistic it sounds is to work for the UN on Peacekeeping Missions



depends on the trade.  Egypt has several posns for junior ranks - it even has one posn low rank Pte - RMS Clerk. Most are MCpl - comms, supply, RMS.  Several Air Trafiic Control Cpl posns.

May be posted already somewhere but just in case here is a link for those with access:

http://cefcom.mil.ca/hq/j1/JobDescriptions_e.asp


----------



## jacob_ns (19 Mar 2009)

phionex said:
			
		

> By the time I finish Training Task Force Kandahar and the Canadian Mission to Afghanistan will be Finished so I am stuck with OOTWs which is peacekeeping beacuse whats the likely hood of them needing a junior Sig Op in Afghanistan to help train Police and Military after our withdrawl in 2011.



As far as I know (which isn't far) we're not leaving A-stan, we're no longer going to be in a combat role. There is a significant difference here.


----------



## chris_log (19 Mar 2009)

jacob_ns said:
			
		

> As far as I know (which isn't far) we're not leaving A-stan, we're no longer going to be in a combat role. There is a significant difference here.



Not even. The 2011 date is the date for when "the current mission ends". That could mean something as simple as moving to a different province, we're not necessarily getting out of the combat role (placating comments by politicians to the contrary).


----------



## TimBit (19 Mar 2009)

Piper said:
			
		

> Not even. The 2011 date is the date for when "the current mission ends". That could mean something as simple as moving to a different province, we're not necessarily getting out of the combat role (placating comments by politicians to the contrary).



The current wording, though, is for a withdrawal of the vast majorities of troops:

"By 2011, we will have been in Kandahar, which is probably the toughest province in the country, for six years.
Not only have we done our bit at that point, I think our goal has to be after six years to see the government of Afghanistan able to carry the lion's share of responsibility for its own security. At that point, the mission, as we've known it, we intend to end." While there may be a few Canadian soldiers who stay on after 2011 as advisers, the bulk of the troops will be home by then, Harper said.

"I don't want to say we won't have a single troop there, because obviously we would aid in some technical capacities," he said. "

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/story/2008/09/10/harper-afghanistan.html

We can probably expect some Int, Inf, Sigs and Staff Officers to stay behind a bit, but probably not that many. COmments?


----------



## brihard (19 Mar 2009)

phionex-

One way or another, sig ops and some of the other comms trades tend to be among the most frequently  deployed members of the forces. Any deployment that numbers more than a handful is going to have some sort of sigs component, so if going overseas is your goal, it will happen in time.

There's still going to be a Canadian Army post-Afghanistan. I would not be surprised were we, come 2012 or 13, to find ourselves looking at committing a force to a U.N. mission somewhere in Africa. I have nothing concrete to back this with, but traditionally so long as we've had the capability we've generally had at least one major commitment to an international mission of some sort. After a post-Afghanistan tactical pause to rest the military up for a year, I'd be surprised if we weren't back on another U.N. mission (assuming something bigger doesn't brew up).

It's hard to look into the future, and harder still to look into the future of a new recruit's career. Just stick with it, and the deployments will come.


----------



## Journeyman (19 Mar 2009)

A couple of mindless points......

Candian troops deployed to Cyprus in March 1964, with a _four-month_ mandate. We still have a Canadian flag on the UNFICYP flagpole.

As mentioned, in 2011 our Afghan mission "as we know it," will end. For anyone believing that means no CF troops remaining....well, come and see me about either real estate or poker -- bring cash.

For any crystal ball readers....if the left (any combination of Lib/NDP) takes control, get out your Africa maps. The combination of "white mans' burden" and "peacekeeping mythology" will inevitably be coming home to roost in the dark continent; with leftist delusions of UN competency however, it will be sooner rather than later.


phionex -- take a deep breath, and _know_ that you will definitely spend quality time deployed. You may want to print off reminders of your enthusiasm for when your future wife is talking with a divorce lawyer. CF troops are unlikely to be bored any time soon.


----------



## BradCon (19 Mar 2009)

Journeyman said:
			
		

> A couple of mindless points......
> 
> ....if the left (any combination of Lib/NDP) takes control, get out your Africa maps.
> 
> ...


----------



## Journeyman (19 Mar 2009)

Please don't presume to dictate my political beliefs to me.
While it's an old cliché, I _have_ been there.


----------



## Teflon (19 Mar 2009)

BravoCharlie said:
			
		

> Journeyman said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## aesop081 (19 Mar 2009)

BC,

If you had ever been on a mission administered by the UN, you would not think it is "responsible". I have been there and have a long list of horror stories.


----------



## Fishbone Jones (20 Mar 2009)

And another has been answered and proceeded to do a Thelma and Louise.

Locked

Milnet.ca Staff


----------



## DarkFireTaker (21 Apr 2009)

I've been enrolled for 5 months now, learned a lot with my regiment's pre-BMQ trainings. I'm officially starting (reserves) BMQ next month. And yes, I know this might seem funny, but I've already been thinking about asking to go on a tour in Afghanistan. Especially that the opportunity won't be there after February 2011, the date announced for the pullback by Stephen Harper, backed by Peter Mackay. 
So, I'm guessing that the last rotation is set to depart around September 2010? I'm also guessing it's my region's (Quebec) rotation, which I hope. If not, then hopefully will still work.
Then there's pre-deployment training (for us reservists), if I decide to go and they let me, then starting this September, that's about a year of pre-deployment training, if I take a break from school.

So my main question comes. Is this possible? If I do make the decision to ask for a tour in September, would they accept my request to volunteer? Any information or discussion could help. Thanks! And this might help other new CF members who are in my position of thinking about going.


----------



## dangerboy (21 Apr 2009)

Once you have completed all your trade training, BMQ and DP1 Infantry course and decide that you like the job there is no reason you could not put your name in.  Now if you get picked or not who knows, there might be a waiting list and people with more time in or more qualifications might get pick over you.  But the worst they can do is say no. So I say if you are still interested after yur training go for it.


----------



## Michael OLeary (21 Apr 2009)

When the opportunity arises to volunteer for an upcoming tour you will know.  That is all that the soldiers in your unit will be focussed on as they decide if they want to try for a spot.


----------



## DarkFireTaker (22 Apr 2009)

Thanks.
I will probably ask once I get qualified, so as not to seem funny. And because I should get qualified first at least, before thinking ahead of myself.
Nevertheless. Is there a required minimum amount of pre-deployment training before being deployed? Especially for reservists, as our courses are shorter versions than RegForce's.
Cause if the last roto is September 2010. Then starting this September, that's already merely a year left for pre-dep training. I'll have to take a break from college. Unless, my pre-deployment training goes from May 2010 (when I graduate) to September 2010 (deployment/last roto), grand total of 4 months..I doubt it. Unless maybe there's such short pre-dep training for a more "simple" tasking?


----------



## Michael OLeary (22 Apr 2009)

Minimum time in unit has seldom been a factor because there's usually more volunteers than available positions.  This means people with more time in unit and who have been around long enough to demonstrate their capabilities and maybe pick up extra courses (such as driver or communicator) get the preferred recommendations from the units.  Don't get too focussed on the end of the current mandate in 2011.  It could be extended, or there could be new missions in interesting places after that. Dig around on the site and you'll see that predeployment training usually lasts longer than the deployment.  And don't decide now to postpone your last year of college, just because you _want_ to deploy.  There are no guarantees no matter how badly you think you want it.


----------

