# Opportunity for Reserve deployment [Merged]



## Pve Noesgaard (14 Jan 2005)

I heard a rumor that there might be an tour coming up for infantry reservists in 38 brigade to go to afghanistan sometime in the next year to be a security force or something.  Does anyone know anything about this?


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## JBP (14 Jan 2005)

I don't know sh*t from any credible source BUT I do remember hearing that after Canada finishes the 18-month "stand-down" they'll be upping the numbers over there again. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to have some reservists to help bolster the ranks.

Ask your 2 i/c ahead of time to find out...


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## MJP (14 Jan 2005)

I don't think 38 Brigade is sending a Pl on Op Athena for a bit, considering the Pl they just sent to Camp Mirage (which is not in Afghanistan) just came back before Christmas.   Ask your Training WO through your CoC, for any positions as you may get lucky.   There is also the chance that the Reg Force will need individual Reserve Augmentation to fill up some positions on upcoming tours.   I wouldn't hold my breath though as most of the Infantry reservists that are taken are for CIMIC or because they have courses/qualifications that the Reg Force is short in.


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## westie47 (16 Jan 2005)

The rumour going around on the left coast is that there is going to be a new version of the CRIC (Composite Reserve Infantry Company) going to Afghanistan in early 2006. That rumour originated from our Ops shop.


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## R031button (16 Jan 2005)

westie47 said:
			
		

> The rumour going around on the left coast is that there is going to be a new version of the CRIC (Composite Reserve Infantry Company) going to Afghanistan in early 2006. That rumour originated from our Ops shop.



 Talking to my OC at the university a few days ago; and he said something about being asked to lead a company sized unit in Afganistan to provide protection for NGO's in Afganistan. He wants it based off of 39 Brigade units.


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## BKells (16 Jan 2005)

A tasking was announced at my unit. 33 CBG needs to supply 25 troops for a D&S platoon, deploying in July for Roto 4.


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## cbt arms sub tech (17 Jan 2005)

Interesting, what trades are they looking for, will the taskings be posted across Canada within the reserve world of doing things!  Any info would be definitely appreciated!


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## Dark_Soldier (17 Jan 2005)

I am doing build up training now to go on South Bound Trooper (training in Virginia, USA) which is set up like Afghanistan. 28 of us from 2NSH, in 36 Brigade are going down. of the 28, i believe 10 or so will be doing some training with 2RCR for 6 months and then do a 6 month tour in Afghanistan with them.


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## cbt arms sub tech (17 Jan 2005)

Thanks for the info, work out west with 41 Bridgade, haven't heard too many taskings out west, must be looking for Rifleman & Drivers?


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## Cooper (18 Jan 2005)

Just last week at my unit they were handing out applications for overseas deployment for the 2nd time this year. I'm in 31 brigade BTW.


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## MoRat (19 Jan 2005)

My unit (in 41 Bde) gave us a big spiel about raising a D&S platoon to begin trg next Sept and "maybe or maybe not" deploying in spring 2006. Judging from this thread, something tells me the idea isn't quite kosher.


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## Golkarian (6 Sep 2011)

Do reserves ever get deployed and how likely is it? I ask because I'm interested in peacekeeping (which some of you might view as a waste of time, but that would be a different topic), but would like to join the reserves so I can pursue a civilian career as well. Thanks.


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## MikeL (6 Sep 2011)

This has been asked and answered a few times already.  Here is your one and only spoon feeding.

Yes Reservists can be deployed, but they volunteer for deployments.  


Also, I don't know if you've been watching the news or not, but there hasn't been a major UN/NATO Peace Keeping type mission in awhile.. it's all been about Combat Operations in Afghanistan, and now recently a training mission in Afghanistan.  As well as the Combat Operations being conducted over Libya.

Now go, and read around the forums, as well as educate yourself on Canadian deployments this past decade on news websites and DND/Canadian Forces websites, etc.


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## Journeyman (6 Sep 2011)

-Skeletor- said:
			
		

> Also, I don't know if you've been watching the news or not, but there hasn't been a major UN/NATO Peace Keeping type mission in awhile..


Well actually, Canada has troops participating in seven of the 15 current UN ops. There are two more spooling up associated with Sudan and South Sudan, which will include Canadian participation.



Yes, amongst my five deployments, I did 10 months in Afghanistan; but I try not to write-off everything that wasn't _my_ tour.


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## PuckChaser (6 Sep 2011)

Journeyman said:
			
		

> Well actually, Canada has troops participating in seven of the 15 current UN ops. There are two more spooling up associated with Sudan and South Sudan, which will include Canadian participation.



Good luck getting on those if you're not an officer though... I've seen some of the CFTPO bricks, Capt and above.


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## Journeyman (6 Sep 2011)

Well, the OP never specified rank, just Reserves


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## MikeL (6 Sep 2011)

Journeyman said:
			
		

> Well actually, Canada has troops participating in seven of the 15 current UN ops. There are two more spooling up associated with Sudan and South Sudan, which will include Canadian participation.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, amongst my five deployments, I did 10 months in Afghanistan; but I try not to write-off everything that wasn't _my_ tour.



I meant operations with large amount of troops.  As far as I know, the current peace keeping missions are rather small scale.   As well, I don't believe there are many positions for Jr NCMs on those operations. - Other posts by the OP show that he wants to join as a Med Tech.


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## Scott (6 Sep 2011)

It's not a recruiting thread, hence JM's needing to reply and be heard


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## PuckChaser (6 Sep 2011)

Journeyman said:
			
		

> Well, the OP never specified rank, just Reserves



Good point.


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## Fishbone Jones (6 Sep 2011)

Golkarian said:
			
		

> Do reserves ever get deployed and how likely is it? I ask because I'm interested in peacekeeping (which some of you might view as a waste of time, but that would be a different topic), but would like to join the reserves so I can pursue a civilian career as well. Thanks.



Go here to see the current missions http://www.comfec-cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/ops/index-eng.asp

Few, if any, are what you would consider classic blue beret peacekeeping missions, a al Bosnia & Cyprus.

As stated, Reserves have to volunteer for deployment as opposed to being ordered to go. Even if you joined as an officer, it'd be a long time before you ever got in a position to get loaded to one of the current missions.

Although the military is always full of non sensical suprises that no expects. So never say never.

All the rest is fly shit\ pepper nause.


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## Mainz (9 Sep 2011)

I am a Naval Reservist currently on a six month deployment here at Camp Eggers in Kabul, Afghanistan.
There are other reservists here, all of whom, as stated in this thread, volunteered.


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## FlyingDutchman (9 Sep 2011)

Thanks for the link recce, I was looking for something like that.

EDIT: and I echo what others have said, you volenteer.


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## FlyingDutchman (9 Sep 2011)

They might be able to deploy you if the emergiancies act is used, but s*** would have to hit the fan for that to happen.  Anyone have a concrete answer to that?


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## dapaterson (9 Sep 2011)

FlyingDutchman said:
			
		

> They might be able to deploy you if the emergiancies act is used, but s*** would have to hit the fan for that to happen.  Anyone have a concrete answer to that?



Per the National Defence Act:



> 32. (2) The reserve force, all units and other elements thereof and all officers and non-commissioned members thereof
> 
> (a) may be ordered to train for such periods as are prescribed in regulations made by the Governor in Council; and
> 
> (b) may be called out on service to perform any lawful duty other than training at such times and in such manner as by regulations or otherwise are prescribed by the Governor in Council.



(Subsection (3) to the above places further restrictions on the ability to mobilize the Supplementary Reserve)


A full mobilization of the Reserve Force would require placing all Reservists on "Active Service" per s31 of the NDA.  At this time, an order-in-council from 1989 has placed all members of the Regular Force on Active service, and all members of the Reserve Force on Active Service when outside Canada.


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## shortym (26 Nov 2011)

how does reserve deployment work? do you get placed in a reg force platoon ? im taking about infantry.


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## MikeL (27 Nov 2011)

Not sure how it is now for Op Attention, but during the combat mission,  Infantry Reservists would join Regular Force units and be placed within sections, platoons, etc with Regular Force Soldiers.  The ones who were sent to NSE Force Protection were a bit different as that was mainly a Reserve manned unit.  I believe CIMIC and Psy Ops had a large percentage of Reservists as well.

In the past, I believe there was a entire Rifle Coy made up of Reservists in the Battle Group for some Bosnia tours.


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## Canadian.Trucker (28 Nov 2011)

This is all dependent upon the mission/theatre that you self-identify for and then the job that you're selected to do.  It's a pretty broad question you're asking because as an infanteer you can be placed in many non-combat arms jobs as well a hard wired Infantry positions.  As well for some theatres different workup training is required such as UNMO (United Nations Military Observer) type tasks, combat training etc  and therefore the length will also widely vary.

As Skeletor said there were situations where an entire sub-unit was all Reservists, but this is not always the case.  For example my entire Pl in Afghanistan was all Reservist (until we received a replacement for one of my guys that was injured), but the Battle Group had Reserve augmentation throughout right down to the Sections within the Rifle Company's.

Each tour and rotation is different depending on the theatre, specifics would help to answer your question better.


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## BDTyre (28 Nov 2011)

My reserve infantry unit has contributed members to:
NSE Force Protection (the platoon had 2 RegF Sgts and 1 RegF Pte)
NSE Det Kabul (SecFor)
NSE (later converted to MCU)
CIMIC
Psy-ops
OMLT
Battlegroup
408 SQN (door gunner)
TFK HQ
RC-South HQ

That only covers the last 5 years of deployment to Afghanistan. The list for other operations would probably fill lots of spaces. Every single member that filled these positions was an infantry reservist, either officer or NCM, and ended up working with other reservists and RegF members. As others pointed out, the composition of your sub-unit depends on theatre, task, and other variables.

Lots of stuff for infantry to do....


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## matthew709 (15 Oct 2013)

hey there, just a few questions.

1. can a reserve infantry volunteer for any deployment that Canada is involved in. or does the government only request reserves when necessary, and then they can volunteer for the deployment.

2. how does a reserve infantry go about volunteering for one of the current UN deployments. I assume its a bit different of a process.

3. once accepted into the reserves. how long would it take for me to be able to volunteer to be deployed. (aside from training that would be then done for the specific deployment)


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## dapaterson (15 Oct 2013)

If there is a requirement for reserve augmentation, the chain of command will seek volunteers.

To be deployable, you must be at least 18 years of age, and must have reached the Occupational Functional Point - OFP.  That is, you must have successfully completed the common military and occupation-specific training to make you employable in your military trade.  That is the bare minimum; additional qualifications may make your candidacy more appealing.

The precise requriements vary from deployment to deployment; sometimes we want infantrymen; sometimes we want logistics officers; sometimes we want generic staff officers.  The short answer is: it depends.


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## x_para76 (15 Oct 2013)

dapaterson said:
			
		

> If there is a requirement for reserve augmentation, the chain of command will seek volunteers.
> 
> To be deployable, you must be at least 18 years of age, and must have reached the Occupational Functional Point - OFP.  That is, you must have successfully completed the common military and occupation-specific training to make you employable in your military trade.  That is the bare minimum; additional qualifications may make your candidacy more appealing.
> 
> The precise requriements vary from deployment to deployment; sometimes we want infantrymen; sometimes we want logistics officers; sometimes we want generic staff officers.  The short answer is: it depends.



To piggy back off dapaterson's answer you also need to be merited high enough by your unit that they would submit you as a candidate for deployment over other members.


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## SurgicalError (6 Jun 2014)

Hey everyone,

I'm new to the forum and have searched around for an answer to this question for a while now, but don't really know what keywords to search, as none of my efforts have been fruitful so far.

Here goes...

I am currently in my third year of university, and am looking to join the Toronto Police Service after I am done school in 1.5 years. Recently, I spoke to a buddy of mine who was in the QOR and is pursuing the same path as I. His story lead me to checking out the reserves, and I am now very interested in joining. I already went and spoke to a recruiter, but I was having difficulty thinking of questions on the spot. My main question is as follows; In what scenario is a reserve infantryman obligated to deploy (involuntary). I have been told that if we go to war, I will have to ship out and fight, but I'm not really sure what that means. Did reserves have to involuntarily ship out to Afghanistan at any point? 

Again, I'm sorry if this has already been answered, but I did search and couldn't find it.


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## George Wallace (6 Jun 2014)

Reserves are 'voluntary', period.  The Reserves are NOT 'involuntarily' sent on foreign, nor domestic, deployments.  All Reservists who deployed to Afghanistan, or any other foreign deployment, have done so voluntarily.

It would take an Act of Parliament to 'activate' Reserve units in times of 'Total War', such as WW II, for deployment outside of Canada.


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## SurgicalError (6 Jun 2014)

Thanks George, that's really good to know


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## FJAG (6 Jun 2014)

George Wallace said:
			
		

> Reserves are 'voluntary', period.  The Reserves are NOT 'involuntarily' sent on foreign, nor domestic, deployments.  All Reservists who deployed to Afghanistan, or any other foreign deployment, have done so voluntarily.
> 
> It would take an Act of Parliament to 'activate' Reserve units in times of 'Total War', such as WW II, for deployment outside of Canada.



Wrong! Wrong! and indirectly, partially right.

The National Defence Act has several key sections that provide for the terms of service for reservists which DO include obligatory service. 

S 31 allows the Governor in Council (i.e. cabinet) to place individuals and units (including reservists) on Active Service for the defence of Canada or in support of UN or NATO obligations;

S 33(2)(a) and QR&O 9.04(2) provide for those circumstances where reservists and their units may be ordered to train;

S 33(2)(b) allows the GiC to call out reservists and their units to provide any lawful duty other than training and make regulations to that effect. QR&O 9.04(3) is such a regulation that provides that the Minister of Defence may do so in the event of an emergency which is defined to include war, invasion, riot or insurrection whether real or apprehended;

S 275 provides that the CF (including reservists or units) may be called out for service in aid of the civil power

All of these are provisions already enacted in the NDA and may be triggered by the GiC or the Minister as set out in the individual sections. All of these are obligatory service and NOT voluntary.

That said, the practice at least since Korea, or even earlier has been NOT to use these provisions but to rely on reservists individually volunteering their service.

The point is however that a common practice, even a long standing one, can be changed at the drop of the hat with the right Minister, cabinet and situation without the need for any action by parliament at all.

Don't let the above worry you as far as joining the reserves and the police at the same time. The chances are extremely slim that you will be required to do anything other than "voluntary" service.

 :cheers:


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## SurgicalError (6 Jun 2014)

So when was the last time that  involuntary deployment was enacted?

Thanks for the detailed answer btw


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## George Wallace (6 Jun 2014)

FJAG said:
			
		

> That said, the practice at least since Korea, or even earlier has been NOT to use these provisions but to rely on reservists individually volunteering their service.


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## SurgicalError (6 Jun 2014)

Ok thank you George


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## DAA (6 Jun 2014)

Could be slightly out of date (1999) but some interesting reading.......( THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES:  THE ROLE OF THE RESERVES )

http://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection-R/LoPBdP/BP/prb9911-e.htm


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## SurgicalError (6 Jun 2014)

Seems like an interesting read. Gonna give it a look over tonight. I'm really liking this forum btw. You guys are all very helpful and quick on the responses too


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## Blackadder1916 (10 Jun 2014)

SurgicalError said:
			
		

> So when was the last time that  involuntary deployment was enacted?



The usual simple answer is World War 2.  However, as FJAG mentioned in his detailed, lawyerly post, the practice since Korea, and perhaps earlier, has been to rely on reservists individually volunteering.  The perhaps earlier experience also mostly relied on individuals volunteering for "overseas" active service.  In the months leading up to the declaration of war against Germany in 1939, some units of The Non-Permanent Active Militia (the whole Canadian Army was called the Militia, the Regs being in the Permanent Active Militia) had been placed on active service to guard vital points.  With the mobilization of an Active Service Force that would see overseas service, members of the NPAM (and perhaps the PAM) "re-attested" for the Active Service Force, just as they had for similar overseas service during the Boer War and WW1.  Likely there may have been members of the NPAM who refused to re-attest for the ASF, but I don't have any details about what action would have been taken against such militiamen.  The preceding notwithstanding there were Canadian soldiers who were involuntarily sent overseas later in the war when conscripts (who had previously been told that they would not be sent overseas) were required to meet personnel shortages.


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## Canadian J (13 Sep 2014)

Hey everyone, 

I am interested in joining the Army Reserve Force but have a question to ask as I seem to have discovered conflicting statements made by the CAF. On the forces.ca website, in particular the webpage entitled "Career Options" under "Part Time", or following this link and clicking "Part Time":

http://www.forces.ca/en/page/careeroptions-123#PartTime-2

It states that "reservists may be asked to serve full time as part of a mission in Canada or overseas. *As a reservist, the choice to go is always voluntary*." Also, the same webpage states that "Reservists train and work close to home. They *do not have to serve overseas*, but many choose to do so."

Now looking over the "Queen's regulations and Orders" under Volume I, Chapter 9, Section 1 and also in the National Defence Act, Section 31, both state:

  "The Governor in Council may place the Canadian Forces or any component, unit or other element thereof or any officer or non-commissioned member thereof on active service anywhere in or beyond Canada at any time when it appears advisable to do so"

I am unsure which statement is binding. Is the forces.ca webpage lying to me? As a Reserve Force member, is it actually possible to be deployed overseas involuntarily, and or without my consent as the website advocates against? Am I confused with the definition of "Active Service"? Did I miss any exceptions to the above sections?

I look forward to becoming a part of the Army Reserve Force, but before that, I would like clarification on this subject prior to applying.

Any input would be greatly appreciated, thanks to everyone in advance!


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## Zoomie (13 Sep 2014)

<Not a CF recruiter>

Yes - you could be involuntarily deployed.  Is it going to happen? No.  Has it happened in the last 50 years? No.

We're talking a full-out, throw down fight that would cause the GOC to enact this power.


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## The_Falcon (13 Sep 2014)

Merged (with a few topics, there are still plenty of other ones) and locking since this is not new, nor has anything changed in the last several decades regarding how reserves are deployed/activated etc.  Also friendly reminder, if you aren't a recruiter DON'T answer threads in the ask a recruiter section.


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## Jonothan751 (28 Feb 2017)

Hello, I am new to this forum and had a sudden question as I was browsing here. If someone was 16, in the reserves, and a full time high school student, could that person volunteer to go on any operations? Any information would be great thanks


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## Michael OLeary (28 Feb 2017)

No-one under the age of 18 can be deployed on overseas operations.


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## dapaterson (28 Feb 2017)

Specifically, per the National Defence Act:



> Limitation on Deployment
> 
> Marginal noteersons under eighteen
> 
> 34 A person who is under the age of eighteen years may not be deployed by the Canadian Forces to a theatre of hostilities.



http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/N-5/page-7.html#h-24


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## Jonothan751 (28 Feb 2017)

Thanks for the info!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Mahir0901 (29 May 2017)

Can you volunteer for deployment in CAF?


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## mariomike (29 May 2017)

Mahir0901 said:
			
		

> Can you volunteer for deployment in CAF?



Yes.

"Reservists train and work close to home. They do not have to serve overseas, but many choose to do so. Reservists volunteer also support Canadians at home, such as during natural disaster relief operations and sovereignty exercises."
http://www.forces.ca/en/page/careeroptions-123#tab3

"However, in the event of a threat or crisis, you may be asked to serve full-time as part of a mission in Canada or overseas. As a Reservist, the choice to participate is always voluntary."
http://www.forces.ca/en/page/lifeintheforces-75

See also,

Reserves and Deployment
https://army.ca/forums/threads/102409.0
2 pages.


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