Canada moves to 2% GDP end of FY25/26 - PMMC

[Remius]

So you were saying that the Reserves would require a tactical pause?

If we want to increase to 100k? That would be a part of that yes.

 

[PrairieFella]

So you were saying that the Reserves would require a tactical pause?

1. Yearly BTS 2. Named Op Augmentation 3. Double the Reserve. Pick two. That's all you'll get for 4-5 years.

 

[Kirkhill]

1. Yearly BTS 2. Named Op Augmentation 3. Double the Reserve. Pick two. That's all you'll get for 4-5 years.

Would that be so bad?

I pick 1 and 3.

What are you going to do with the extra reservists? I kind of think individual augmentation will take care of itself. At least for people with basic skills.

Naval programme seems to be

8 weeks of Basic (done at the NRDs or armouries? - one course or many courses?)
4 weeks of Environmental training (Regional training centres?)
40 weeks of OJT with an active unit.

Naval Experience Program (NEP) | Canadian Armed Forces

The Naval Experience Program (NEP) will provide you with exposure to life in the Royal Canadian Navy and help you decide if life in the Navy is the right fit for you.

forces.ca

The Naval Experience Program – Year 1 Update - Canada.ca

www.canada.ca

 

[dapaterson]

Sorry you’re right. Service related pensions.

The last actuarial review (as of 31 March 2022, triennial review as of closure of 31 March 2025 should be underway) stated that the CFSA part I fund has approximately $41B in assets for an estimated $37B in liabilities. Pension Plans for the Canadian Forces – Regular Force and Reserve Force as at 31 March 2022 - Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions

 

[FJAG]

Someone in MND office floated a trial ballon to see how it would be received.

IMHO, 100k PRes is entirely unrealistic not because of finding or training them, but because there is no need for them even if Canada was to equip them fully.

Im working with the reality that the Reg force wants the reserves to be self sufficient, which it is not capable of doing at its current size with the current TOS. Yes it would be great if the reg force could train all the reserves, but that would also require more regular force and larger schools. As it stands if we want regular augmentation, and domops response from the reserves, we need more troops period, not less or the status quo.

IMHO, self sufficiency is a non starter. There needs to be a level of hybridization./integration as between the RegF and PRes that goes beyond the RSS level. And as you say, it needs more schools and a whole lot of other things to make the solution practical.

So you were saying that the Reserves would require a tactical pause?

They've been on a "tactical pause" since my Militia days in 1965. Class B and operational augmentation is an "individual office overload" function and not the hallmark of a functioning tactical structure.

 

[Underway]

New rumint. They are standing up a tiger team to grow the PRes to 100k and a new mobilization reserve that will be several times the size of the PRes.

No decisions yet that have been announced AFAIK. The recent mobilization exercise (its was on the Defence News internal email they send to everyone on DWAN) looked at 100k PRes and 150-300k mobilization reserve. MRes would be basically pre-screened folks who have done basic, have identified skill sets that can slot quickly into mobilized army positions (Mechanic=Veh Tech, Nurse=Nurse, etc...). They have 5ish days of training a year all at once, most likely a DAG of somesort (still Med Fit? Still do your identified job? Any criminal records issues?), weapons safety, FORCE Test etc...

They will not have uniforms (maybe they get a Ranger style hoodie/ballcap or something.) or any issued kit at home.

The MRes would be the third wave. First wave is Reg F, second wave PRes, third wave MRes, fourth wave patriotic volunteers who join to fight and walk into recruiting centres. In a mobilization situation they would be called, be sent out to units for further deployment/trade training, and then assigned as backfill for casualties or new units/formations being created/mobilized for the big war.

Wasn't it the Green party that called for something like this ?

Not the same. They are not the natural disaster response team, they are the we are in WWIII and need people fast. I suspect the Sup Res will be rolled into these folks as they have the pre ID'd skill sets and they can be pushed to their units faster depending on how recent their skill sets are.

IMHO, 100k PRes is entirely unrealistic not because of finding or training them, but because there is no need for them even if Canada was to equip them fully.

This is all part of a mobilization plan, so unrealistic is looking more and more realistic. The 100k PRes isn't to meet the Latvia mission, its to replace casualties in Latvia when we are fighting Russians. There is a massive sea change in thinking that has happend both in the government and particularly within the military. We're getting ready to fight a real near peer shooting war within the next 5 years. Maybe in three different places. North America, South China Sea and Europe. Which means we are going to need these folks.

Given that thinking a Reg F of 120k, PRes of 100k and MRes of 300k is half a million troops for all elements makes complete sense.

 

[MilEME09]

This is all part of a mobilization plan, so unrealistic is looking more and more realistic. The 100k PRes isn't to meet the Latvia mission, its to replace casualties in Latvia when we are fighting Russians. There is a massive sea change in thinking that has happend both in the government and particularly within the military. We're getting ready to fight a real near peer shooting war within the next 5 years. Maybe in three different places. North America, South China Sea and Europe. Which means we are going to need these folks.

Given that thinking a Reg F of 120k, PRes of 100k and MRes of 300k is half a million troops for all elements makes complete sense.

Might as well expand the sup res at that point for almost no cost

 

[Underway]

Might as well expand the sup res at that point for almost no cost

Sup Res to be part of the MRes would be my take. Pre ID'd trades that match, previous experience, already DAG'd. They get called, show up, get issued kit, sent to unit. Get your refresher training there or with the PRes units in Wave 2.

The MRes doesn't seem like a one size fits all sort of thing, it feels more like a recriting centre with predone PLAR's.

For other less experienced MRes folks you'll get the same situation, but you're going to go onto a training course for what you are missing. But you get to skip BMQ and perhaps some training will just become OJT.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Given that thinking a Reg F of 120k, PRes of 100k and MRes of 300k is half a million troops for all elements makes complete sense.

Does this plan call for new combat arms units?

 

[McG]

Im working with the reality that the Reg force wants the reserves to be self sufficient, which it is not capable of doing at its current size with the current TOS. Yes it would be great if the reg force could train all the reserves, but that would also require more regular force and larger schools.

You were proposing changes and opening the NDA to make them happen. Why would you keep a broken part of the current system and constrain your proposals to that when solving that existing problem solves the limitations of your proposal?

 

[Kirkhill]

IMHO, 100k PRes is entirely unrealistic not because of finding or training them, but because there is no need for them even if Canada was to equip them fully.

Are you sure about that?

warfare has grown beyond its traditional three domains of maritime, land and air to include three more: space, cyber and information.

All the six war-fighting domains are already being tested throughout Europe by the Kremlin, which suggest any ceasefire or peace in Ukraine that is not meaningful would merely provide Russia with the necessary pause to re-equip, train and re-arm before embarking on a new kinetic adventure. Subsea cables have been cut far outside the combat zone, and, as I write, Sweden is currently investigating the “unexplained sabotage attacks” on 30 mobile phone masts along its coastline. Stockholm police hint there is only one serious contender for the crime.

In the wake of arson attacks in 2024 on factories supplying Ukraine in Berlin and London and a Bulgarian spy ring working for Moscow recently uncovered and jailed in the UK, a senior NATO official announced there had been a Russian plot to kill Armin Papperger, head of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. “We have seen incidents of sabotage taking place across NATO countries over the last couple of years, by which I mean derailment of trains, acts of arson, attacks on politicians’ property, plots to assassinate industry leaders,” he observed. “We need a war mentality because there is a continuous and escalating campaign of destabilisation against all of our countries.”

Ukraine: Masters of the digital battlefield | Peter Caddick–Adams | The Critic Magazine

The greatest defence failures of history often originate from a lack of imagination: the inability to anticipate catastrophe has led to Armageddon.

thecritic.co.uk

IMHO, self sufficiency is a non starter. There needs to be a level of hybridization./integration as between the RegF and PRes that goes beyond the RSS level. And as you say, it needs more schools and a whole lot of other things to make the solution practical.

Seems right. Eventually. But lets get people in the door first. And help them get themselves sorted out into the trades that are their best fit. Maybe some will be happy on the books as a 5 day a year reserve rifleman. Maybe you will find a bunch of electronics techs and programmers will be in the intake and are easy fits.

They've been on a "tactical pause" since my Militia days in 1965. Class B and operational augmentation is an "individual office overload" function and not the hallmark of a functioning tactical structure.

Far be it from me to comment. Reality apparently is not my strong suit.

 

[GR66]

Does this plan call for new combat arms units?

Or fewer, but effective and equipped combat arms units?

 

[MilEME09]

You were proposing changes and opening the NDA to make them happen. Why would you keep a broken part of the current system and constrain your proposals to that when solving that existing problem solves the limitations of your proposal?

Sure why not change it all, but Changing the NDA is one thing, mind sets will need to change as well, if the reserves were increased to 100k, that would represent a 200% increase in the res force. Making self sustainment possible. As essentially you would turn every res unit into a full strength regiment/battalion. Not to mention a substantial increase in the navres and airres.

This is really going to depend what NDHQ wants from the reserves.

 

[Underway]

This is really going to depend what NDHQ wants from the reserves.

They are going to want the MCpl and below to go off and replace all the Reg F casualties and the Snr NCO's and Officers to train the next batch of replacements at the armouries. Just like the original mobilization plans from the 50's wanted.

Air Res and Nav Res are going to want different things though.

 

[dapaterson]

They are going to want the MCpl and below to go off and replace all the Reg F casualties and the Snr NCO's and Officers to train the next batch of replacements at the armouries. Just like the original mobilization plans from the 50's wanted.

Air Res and Nav Res are going to want different things though.

Over forty percent of MCpl/Sgt/WO/Capt/Maj in the Res F are already full time.

The Reg F has demonstrated repeatedly that it is manifestly incapable of managing itself.

 

[Jarnhamar]

It's a struggle to recruit, train, and retain reservists right now. And we have less than 30,000 of them.

I'm curious how we're going to attract 70,000 more, especially with our current reputation.

 

[daftandbarmy]

It's a struggle to recruit, train, and retain reservists right now. And we have less than 30,000 of them.

I'm curious how we're going to attract 70,000 more, especially with our current reputation.

Show them our modern, high quality training facilities and they'll flock in... especially if they're English Civil War re-enactors.

"Don't worry, the bars on the windows aren't for keeping us in.... honest."

 

[MilEME09]

It's a struggle to recruit, train, and retain reservists right now. And we have less than 30,000 of them.

I'm curious how we're going to attract 70,000 more, especially with our current reputation.

Well for starters we need to make it take less the 8 months to get in. People will move on unless really dedicated. If we want to rapidly expand we gotta get this process down to 30 to 60 days.

 

[RedFive]

A simple way to lead by example for protecting reservist jobs and making it attractive to serve, the feds could come up with some mechanism of not requiring federal employees to burn annual leave to serve, and if they really wanted to get me excited find some way that my day job keeps paying me instead of the Army so I don't lose significant amounts of money (and/or leave) to train as a reservist.

This would obviously have to be accompanied by similar requirements for private employers, and probably some sort of reimbursement program for missed hours or replacement workers as employees took advantage of this to train and deploy.

A guy can dream I guess.

 

[MilEME09]

This would obviously have to be accompanied by similar requirements for private employers, and probably some sort of reimbursement program for missed hours or replacement workers as employees took advantage of this to train and deploy.

A guy can dream I guess.

These is already a compensation program in place called CERP.

Compensation for Employers of Reservists Program - Canada.ca

Financial support to civilian employers of reservists when reservist employees are deployed on military leave and operations.

www.canada.ca