KevinB
Army.ca Relic
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Not to mention that SK isn't exactly a safe zone if something kicks off -- this would provide a safe zone production (unless you buy in the Big 51 insanity)
Indirect Fires Modernization Project - C3/M777 Replacement
- Thread starter MattGotts
- Start date
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I have zero faith that they will get to giving the Reserves useful stuff before the money taps get shutoff. Plus if they bought K9's for the Reserves, they would be broken down for most of their lives as there will not be enough maintainers and many will have to sit outside as they won't fit into many of the armouries.
Believe me I deeply hope I am wrong and well supported modern equipment flows to the Reserves. But my gut says I am right. Plus you don't have a lot of time before the current fleet says "We are done".
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The Army more than the rest of the CAF needs to get a grip on the sustainment enterprise - applies to Reg and Res.
They could install simulators in the Armories and base the actual K9s at the training centers. Hire the Techs to maintain them there. On a long stretch you could outsource most of the maintenance to local Civi companies. Ya someone is going to say they need security clearance and also know how to fix intricate optical electrical specialized systems. The civi world has more security cleared people then the Military, the equipment can be worked on at the local base if required. There are many more experienced trained people in the civi field who can work on intricate systems then in the military.
There are viable workable solutions if people stop saying "can't", (all that means is "won't)
KevinB
Army.ca Relic
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110%
The ARNG isn't anymore competent than the CA PRes, there is just funding and a will to do it.
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If it were me I wouldn't give the reserves any warfighting equipment.
I would pump any available capital into war stocks and maintaining them.
The regs and reserves both would draw from warstocks for training and deployment. Appropriate equipment would be drawn for the environment.
You don't need pride of ownership. You just need to enforce returning kit to stores in the condition you drew it.
You can keep LG1s, L119s, M777s, K9s and RCH/AGMs on hand in good condition and train for the situation of the day.
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The Army Reserve needs to lose a lot of its history and embrace the future instead.
Units need to have training areas within reasonable proximity. There needs to be a force structure designed for outputs, not perpétuation of fictional tales of heroism from the world wars. There needs to be institutional commitment to members, and member commitment to the institution.
MilEME09
Army.ca Fixture
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The defense of canada division means they gotta actually invest in reserve sustainment.
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Or invest in sustainment for the Army Reserve.
MilEME09
Army.ca Fixture
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Well when we are being told we will do all first line and limited second line. They better put the money and training where their mouth is or its all going to fall apart real quick
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The CAF is "infantry-centred". That means focusing on man-power and equipping the man.
Ukraine is demonstrating that the world has moved on. With automation and drones and withdrawing men from the field everyone is now a gunner.
Gunners man the equipment.
1st question
Given the current situation what equipment do I need?
2nd question
Who is available to operate the equipment?
Ukraine is demonstrating that the world has moved on. With automation and drones and withdrawing men from the field everyone is now a gunner.
Gunners man the equipment.
1st question
Given the current situation what equipment do I need?
2nd question
Who is available to operate the equipment?
The Regular Force should also then.
That's a large problem for units on the West Coast or northern parts of the provinces.
How about the we stand up a Air reserve with Helicopters and Hercs who can fly to local Airports, Pickup the units and deliver them to the training areas. You can male it as tactical or as non tactical as you want. Arrive to the training area a hour or three later. Do your training and fly them home at the end of the training.
Loose history and you loose purpose.
I agree, not much commitment level from the employer, there is a lack of commitment from the workers.
Buy the equipment, allocate the training money, spend the money and they will come.
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Somehow CSS and engineer units can be amalgamated and renamed and they continue on just fine; why are the infantry, artillery and armoured such snowflakes?
KevinB
Army.ca Relic
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I think that is an unfortunate fiction that many seem to have acquired. Personnel still need to seize and hold ground -- that has not changed since the time man first picked up a rock.
Again I think you are simplifying the equation - instead of looking at what the situations look like outside of Ukraine.
1) Small Wars
2) Medium Wars
3) Global Non Nuclear Conflict
One needs to look at Ukraine sort of like the Korean War -- we (the West) failed to act early enough to provide forces to stop the situation from escalating - but it is a regional conflict with global repercussions.
That does mean that there still will not be small dirty wars like the 60's and 70's, and quite frankly I suspect that we will see more of these as our opponents realize that method is a lot more efficient to impede our progress than a larger one that will also militarily and economically degrade theirs. But forces also need to be ready to deter and destroy hostile incursions large or small into friendly territory.
Every man women and child who wants to remain speaking their choice of language and exercising democratic freedoms that are taken for granted.
It is much better to have a Conventional Force that is well equipped for a LSCO. Currently on the land battle side there is no better option than Combined Arms formations for that -- sure some tools have been added and/or refined - but that has not changed remarkably since WW2.
Fires are needed, and LARGE amount of them -- predominantly Tube Artillery - but also rockets and missiles.
Ranges for some things have increased - but at the soldier in the trench aspect - the majority of combat is still inside 300m.
More and more uncrewed systems will be added, but there are still personnel needed on the ground - in the air, and both on and under the sea.
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Because since WW2 everyone decided reorganization and redesignation was spitting on their history. Look at the BCR - they have history as artillery and infantry, as needs changed their name and tasks changed to match the requirements.
What CSS and Engineer Units were amalgamated?
Ultimately if the Military needs to stand down one unit and stand up another then so be it.
I look at 15 Field Regiment and 5th BC Field Regiments. I know the 5th has gone from Regt to Bty back to Regt. I know the men and women serving had no issues with the situation. Nor did they have any issues closely cooperating with 15 Field Regt at the time and amalgamating services.
Personally I would say Stand down all current Regiments in the Military reg and Reserve.
Then stand up 1CDn Division. Then each Brigade in each Geographical region be numbered 1-13 Start east to west.
Take into account each Brigade may not have the same numbers and functions but equip each one the same with unused equipment put into war stocks. Each Brigade gets allocated 2 Infantry Regiment 4 Battalions, 1 Tank Regiment 4 Troops, 1 Artillery Regiment 4 Btys, 1 Engineer Regiment 4 Troops. All can be numbered Battalion, Troop, can be called 1, 2,3,4 etc.
One badge across the entire nation with a number denoting where your from. A fancy Trade badge on the Velcro sleeve with a number beside it denoting what Unit.
You can fit the Reserve units within the Regular Force structure as Numbered Units as required. They can be more dispersed as they are now. With requirements to full fil contracts.
Or leave things the way they are now, allocate proper funding and equipment so the Units can hit proper strengths.
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Don't forget they also produced Combat Architects
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If we judged every regiment by its most embarrassing members the RRCA would be banned from owning dogs.
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Seizing ground and holding ground are two different operations. A third distinct operation is securing people.
I will concede that you need people to seize ground. I question how many people you need to secure ground.
Maxims and 75s reduced the number of people necessary to hold ground in a world where no man's land was a grenade throw wide. No man's land is now 20 km wide and secured by individuals in holes hundreds of meters apart. Some people contributing are watching satellite feeds a world away.
I will go further and point to the layering that progresses through C-RAM, C-UAS, V-SHORAD, SHORAD, MRAD, LRAD, IAMD, Coastal Defence, LRPF, CAS, Aerial Bombardment.
In my view all of that reduces the need for people in those types of roles. It does not reduce the need for people in the assault but, if we can free up people in any role we will use them as police in urban environments where the hybrid war is being fought. The war among the people, as opposed to the war of the spaces, is going to require a lot of labour, especially if we are intent on not killing them all and sorting out the good from the bad,
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No it doesn't. The history doesn't impede anything if you have a proper future to work towards. The reason people look backwards is because they have nothing to look forward to. If I was a reservist these days and told that my future would be homeland defence and "no, we don't know what that means but we want you to do it as cheaply as possible," then I'd be handing in my walking papers.
Tell me, in good conscience - what is this future that they are supposed to be embracing?
Easy to say when you live a couple of hours from Petawawa. The mass of your reservists live in areas where the training areas are tiny and close to non-existent - Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver - Canada's three largest cities with a third of the country's population have miniscule training areas.
There needs to be a force structure designed for outputs. Period. The tales of heroism aren't fictional; they're very real. But they are not the impediment to creating force structures designed for outputs. The impediments reside in Ottawa.
That we agree on.
The Suttie commission amalgamated combat arms units in the 1960s and closed a hundred or so armouries. It solved nothing because it was followed by an immediate drop in funding and mission/role confusion and reservists left in leaps and bounds.
Forget the history crap - its a red herring. Set proper roles that people want to join for; buy the equipment; hire the maintainers; and spend money on realistic training. That's what will create valuable outputs. But that won't happen because it costs money and needs regular force personnel to be involved in leadership, administration and maintenance (as we both say to everyone - continuing, full-time = regular force) But the RegF won't play that game. They'd rather wink, wink, nudge, nudge, use Class Bs that are barely more qualified then the folks they are supporting.
I had a chat with someone recently on the IFM project and asked "what about the reserves?" The answer was "Up to now we've had to put all of our energy into the RegF - we'll be able to turn our attention to the reserves now."
That's exactly where the system comes crashing down. When force structures are discussed, reservists are an afterthought rather than part of the initial force structure discussion - its the perpetualization of reservists as augmentees rather than an element in the expanded force structure.
