Army Reserve Restructuring

[Halifax Tar]

And that’s a problem. RSS positions should not be used as a “break” or a place for broken people in the first place.

If they can’t properly support the units they go to they shouldn’t be there. I’m not saying they should be abused but if they can’t be there when Reservists do the bulk of their training then we are better off just filling those jobs with actual reservists.

That's nice to say, and its not with out merit, but every unit says that. Including those more impactful and busier than an ARes unit.

We all get to take bites of the shit sandwich.

If you're a unit of part-timers, there is nothing so "urgent" it can't wait until Wednesday. Unless you're on a short notice to move, there is little that "urgent" in the full-time force either... Normally the urgency comes from some pencil pusher wanting to look keen, or waiting too long to ask for returns that they knew about weeks prior.

This is the reality.

 

[MilEME09]

This is the reality.

Nothing is usually urgent because, and this is my own personal experience, is I am asked to do lesson prep, manage my section, platoon level admin, PACE, etc on a full time basis, but when it comes to compensation? Here's 1 full day a month, im probably working 5 or more worth a month and document it all, but not approved for additional pay. So a lot of us just stopped putting in the extra work and are letting the system fail.

 

[Kirkhill]

So what do we think about registering young cybertechs and overweight truck drivers and backhoe operators that volunteer for this new reserve?

In case it isn't clear I am in favour. I also recognize that they are not, and mist of them never will be, soldiers. But they can take a lot of the strain off soldiers. And they add more electoral heft to capital requests.

 

[Kirkhill]

Nothing is usually urgent because, and this is my own personal experience, is I am asked to do lesson prep, manage my section, platoon level admin, PACE, etc on a full time basis, but when it comes to compensation? Here's 1 full day a month, im probably working 5 or more worth a month and document it all, but not approved for additional pay. So a lot of us just stopped putting in the extra work and are letting the system fail.

WRT the lesson prep. Did you have ready access to prepared lectures and training aids? Or did you have to scrounge and make things up on your own?

 

[PrairieFella]

WRT the lesson prep. Did you have ready access to prepared lectures and training aids? Or did you have to scrounge and make things up on your own?

Almost everything you could want is on ACIMS unless you want to tailor your own training

 

[Kirkhill]

Almost everything you could want is on ACIMS unless you want to tailor your own training

Good. So that should make it easy to run courses at the local armouries and make week nights productive training oportunities.

 

[PrairieFella]

Good. So that should make it easy to run courses at the local armouries and make week nights productive training oportunities.

A lot of units already do. I was frankly surprised how unproductive some units can be with weeknight training, but I suppose its my confirmation bias coming from a unit that does lots of training.

 

[Rifleman62]

And you personally visit other units in other locations on parade nights on a regular basis to view and analyse their training?

 

[PrairieFella]

And you personally visit other units in other locations on parade nights on a regular basis to view and analyse their training?

Other units in my geographical area where there doesnt seem to be much going on sometimes. Just my observation

 

[Halifax Tar]

Nothing is usually urgent because, and this is my own personal experience, is I am asked to do lesson prep, manage my section, platoon level admin, PACE, etc on a full time basis, but when it comes to compensation? Here's 1 full day a month, im probably working 5 or more worth a month and document it all, but not approved for additional pay. So a lot of us just stopped putting in the extra work and are letting the system fail.

Nothing is really urgent because you are a part time nondeployable unit. Yet you are being held to the standard of the full time deployable unit.

I believe we cannot and should not expect the same administrative or operational out put from part timers as we do from full timers. Or we need to pay them for the time we require.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Nothing is usually urgent because, and this is my own personal experience, is I am asked to do lesson prep, manage my section, platoon level admin, PACE, etc on a full time basis, but when it comes to compensation? Here's 1 full day a month, im probably working 5 or more worth a month and document it all, but not approved for additional pay. So a lot of us just stopped putting in the extra work and are letting the system fail.

Or even worse, the leaders put in a huge effort to plan and deliver training to meet a stated goal and then - on a whim - the goal changes at the last minute

 

[MilEME09]

WRT the lesson prep. Did you have ready access to prepared lectures and training aids? Or did you have to scrounge and make things up on your own?

If its a classroom lecture, yes everything is on ACIMS, thats the easy part. If its technical training? a lot more work that usually requires me to go in on my own time or make a lot of phone calls to sort things out.

 

[FJAG]

Nothing is usually urgent because, and this is my own personal experience, is I am asked to do lesson prep, manage my section, platoon level admin, PACE, etc on a full time basis, but when it comes to compensation? Here's 1 full day a month, im probably working 5 or more worth a month and document it all, but not approved for additional pay. So a lot of us just stopped putting in the extra work and are letting the system fail.

It goes without saying that what is expected of you is not right. The systemic problem is that these improper expectations of voluntary unpaid service have become ingrained in the system and its those folks who care about their troops and the job who end up being abused the most.

So what do we think about registering young cybertechs and overweight truck drivers and backhoe operators that volunteer for this new reserve?

In case it isn't clear I am in favour. I also recognize that they are not, and mist of them never will be, soldiers. But they can take a lot of the strain off soldiers. And they add more electoral heft to capital requests.

Notwithstanding my negativity about the CoC's announcements about the 400,000, I'm actually in favour of a home guard system myself if for no other reason that a pool such as this, like the cadet movement and the reserves, is a good way to create a feeder system for the RegF and the Primary Res.

My objections come primarily from what appears to be a dividing of the RegF and the ResF into two divisional solitudes. It deprives the ResF of what it needs most, competent full-time leadership and administrative support and it deprives the RegF of what it needs, a competent well trained, well-equipped PRes.

I'm generally a guy who likes paradigm shifts to solve long-standing problems (and the lack of numbers and leadership in the reserves is one of those) but I just don't see this working at the end of the day because the CAF as a whole is not going to dedicate the resources, either human or equipment, needed to make something this big a success.

 

[Rifleman62]

Other units in my geographical area where there doesnt seem to be much going on sometimes. Just my observation

You should not make broad statements like you did without some substantiation. Your observation appears to be just your gut feeling.
It also depends on how much experience you have at what rank level to be able to analysis what other combat arms, service support or Sigs are doing.

 

[Kirkhill]

Suppose the deployability bit were removed.
Suppose the armoury was primarily a schoolhouse.

 

[MilEME09]

Suppose the deployability bit were removed.
Suppose the armoury was primarily a schoolhouse.

Basically a full time battle school?

 

[Halifax Tar]

Or even worse, the leaders put in a huge effort to plan and deliver training to meet a stated goal and then - on a whim - the goal changes at the last minute

or

all they get for participation from the unit is the Command team, 2 Coy Commanders a CSM and a couple corporals.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Suppose the deployability bit were removed.
Suppose the armoury was primarily a schoolhouse.

I think this is the way.

 

[Kirkhill]

If its a classroom lecture, yes everything is on ACIMS, thats the easy part. If its technical training? a lot more work that usually requires me to go in on my own time or make a lot of phone calls to sort things out.

And then we are back to Palantir's $5000 a month internship and Ford's 5000 $120,000 mechanics.

Is the juice worth all your squeezing?

 

[MilEME09]

And then we are back to Palantir's $5000 a month internship and Ford's 5000 $120,000 mechanics.

Is the juice worth all your squeezing?

Right now? no, especially given last summer the school cancelled every tech course, and theres a chance it will happen again this year. Sure my troops will have a leg up when ever a course finally happens. However this is how you get people submitting VR's when you can't career advance.