Informing the Army’s Future Structure

[foresterab]

A very sound basis for a robust Reserve/Militia/Guard force, and for avoiding things like the neverending Afghanistan mission.

Perhaps use some federal funding arm-twisting or bribery, whichever seems more effective, to establish Reserve footprints on every major campus in the country: combination recruiting, training, and administrative hubs, with a robust side of liaison and outreach, to attract and retain students as CAF members.

Pte Bloggins who joined the CSCOTR, took their first couple of years of schooling at VIU, and is now at UBC, intending to return home to Nanaimo, should be provided the tools and minor incentives necessary to continue as a member.

Was thinking of the changes to international student enrollment and wonder if there is a window for RES (and possibly REG) members to attend and make up some of the missing enrollment numbers.

In a nut shell ROTC for any enlistee, where tuition is also compensated with military service, and those student numbers are tied federal funding allowing consistency for college/university programs. It might not work with RES personnel as the invested cost would most likely mean at minimum a short term 4 year REG commitment but was thinking of the following scenario.

Private Bloggins - 18 year old grad wants to join the CAF. Enlists under a hybrid terms of service for 6 years....4 years serving in the local reserve unit + summer employment (CAF trade training + exercises etc.). Following graduation from local university Bloggins transfers from his Reserve unit to Regular Force and serves out the remainder of his contract as a trained member. If it's a college program maybe it's a year less to account for less schooling costs incurred. These would then be competitive job offers with the CAF choosing the school and could be aligned to the desired skill sets desired (Thinking trades but not solely...also GIS mappers, AI computer programmers, medical nurses etc.)

Difference from RMC and ROTC is that this is focused on enlisted personnel and could be used to help bulk up units (if Reserve unit is having issues recruiting in say...Thunder Bay, ON) or accelerate skill training input streams for CAF members especially in technical skill sets like mechanics. RCN could partner with coastal schools (St. Xavier, Turo Agriculture College, UVic) while RCAF would have a different pool of schools and most broadly the Army.

Random thoughts but anything to encourage more critical skills entering the CAF to avoid burnout of the few remaining.

 

[FJAG]

I don't think that kind of coercion would matter much.

Having suffered through several COs who had just emerged from the Reg F to command a Reserve unit, I can assure you that the leadership strengths required to be the successful CO of a Reserve Unit do not come naturally to most Reg F Senior Officers.

To put it mildly.

OTOH, most Res F COs could not command and manage a full time operational units. Their experience is limited, their ignorance is outstripped by their arrogance.

The Army Res F tends to fixate on what they think is cool,rather than developing proper skills and awareness that Army missions last longer than 48 hours.

You both turn to the extreme but, unfortunately, there is a lot of truth in both positions.

A half century of unaddressed systemic failure has brought the army to this point. In any profit based industries, the CEOs and upper management would have been replaced long ago. Canada is perpetuating incompetence on how it manages its human capital with a resulting capability far below what it could be.

The immutable fact is that you can’t be a combat commander at the LCol level with the training and experience ResF officers get. Capt, yes. Maj? Maybe. LCol? No. But then, we don’t have ResF battalions anyway. Platoons with a band don’t really need a real LCol anyway.

The whole system is weak beyond the ability to generate Class Bs and the odd Class C.

Canada’s army should aspire to more than what it is.

 

[Kirkhill]

A significant piece of the puzzle is meeting military demands domestically.

Enter Turkey(Turkiye).

 

[GR66]

A significant piece of the puzzle is meeting military demands domestically.

Enter Turkey(Turkiye).

With Canada having a pretty extensive aerospace industry you'd think that UAV's and loitering munitions would definitely be areas where we could be competitive. It would likely require CAF buy-in (literally) to kick start the industry by providing enough demand to allow companies to scale up production and gain efficiencies.

If drone (and counter-drone) warfare are going to play a key role in future conflict then the CAF should have a significant annual budget for these systems. We should use them, lose them and practice destroying them on a regular basis so that not only do we gain the skills required to use them effectively but also keep up enough demand to support a domestic industry.

 

[KevinB]

With Canada having a pretty extensive aerospace industry you'd think that UAV's and loitering munitions would definitely be areas where we could be competitive. It would likely require CAF buy-in (literally) to kick start the industry by providing enough demand to allow companies to scale up production and gain efficiencies.

Canada however doesn't have a Military Industry, at least a domestic one.
So while some of Canada's items are going into Military UAS, Canada isn't an integrator, thus no domestic end product.

If drone (and counter-drone) warfare are going to play a key role in future conflict then the CAF should have a significant annual budget for these systems. We should use them, lose them and practice destroying them on a regular basis so that not only do we gain the skills required to use them effectively but also keep up enough demand to support a domestic industry.

Any idiot can make a UAS - the problem is Canada isn't big enough, the CAF isn't big enough, nor does DND spend enough IRD money to be a early adopter.

Canada should look for international JV's to build materials in Canada, and also offer large areas for training on UAS, and C-UAS warfare.

 

[GR66]

Canada however doesn't have a Military Industry, at least a domestic one.
So while some of Canada's items are going into Military UAS, Canada isn't an integrator, thus no domestic end product.

Any idiot can make a UAS - the problem is Canada isn't big enough, the CAF isn't big enough, nor does DND spend enough IRD money to be a early adopter.

Canada should look for international JV's to build materials in Canada, and also offer large areas for training on UAS, and C-UAS warfare.

The two highlighted comments seem to contradict each other

Joint Venture or domestic end product doesn't matter to me. It's domestic production to me that counts. We need a secure domestic supply so that product is available when we need it.

Agreed 100% that volume is a big key to this which is why we'd need CAF buy-in and a significant recurring annual procurement budget both for training and to build up our stocks. Obviously even better if the domestic production lines are also building for our allies.

Love the idea of a large NATO UAV/C-UAV "Centre of Excellence" with a large training area. Allied militaries could send their UAV/C-UAV forces to train and experiment with new products and tactics. Canada (in partnership with industry) could provide the Red Force.

 

[KevinB]

The two highlighted comments seem to contradict each other

I should have said while any idiot can make a UAS, it isn't as easy to make a economic blue UAS.

Joint Venture or domestic end product doesn't matter to me. It's domestic production to me that counts. We need a secure domestic supply so that product is available when we need it.

JV spreads risk, and as Canada is a pretty erratic actor in terms of actually buying stuff on time...

Agreed 100% that volume is a big key to this which is why we'd need CAF buy-in and a significant recurring annual procurement budget both for training and to build up our stocks. Obviously even better if the domestic production lines are also building for our allies.

There are multiple different types and subtypes of UAS these days, I think the best options would be to spread out production across allies of different versions, and have as much in common in the bill of materials as possible that one factory can built other types as needed/desired.

Love the idea of a large NATO UAV/C-UAV "Centre of Excellence" with a large training area. Allied militaries could send their UAV/C-UAV forces to train and experiment with new products and tactics. Canada (in partnership with industry) could provide the Red Force.

You have an ass ton of land -- why not use it.