Divining the right role, capabilities, structure, and Regimental System for Canada's Army Reserves

[Humphrey Bogart]

I would do away with most local stuff if it were up to be me. Monthly weekend training, annual week long concentration. That allows for more centralization.

This is a better plan IMO. When I visited CEFE in France, all of the vehicles were there, with a full maintainer shop, warehouse, repair facility, etc.

Companies would rotate through and assume possession of the equipment while they were there and then drive them right back in to the garage when they were finished to be maintained and given to the next group that came through.

The vehicles that I saw were all in good condition. They had a Sqn of AMX-10s/Sqn of VBCIs, and a very low VOR rate, especially considering the age of the AMX-10 platform.

The OPFOR also had their own vehicle fleet. They had a troop of AMX-30s and they were all working!

 

[Furniture]

I lived that reality. It's not what you think it is. The 1 TAPV (in Three years I think I had 2 for 6 months tops) spent it's life rotating from Unit Trg (~3-4 months a year), to being flat bedded to Gagetown 3-4 times a year for maint and the mandatory "inspections" where it would sit for a month or so each time, with any remaining time spent in Gagetown IOT to conduct ranges/driving for courses. There were times we had to flat bed it for COMREL activities because it was broken waiting to be flat bedded to Gagetown. Don't put armoured vehs in places where there are no maint pers/equipment. Oh and originally (until I made a stink about my O&M) the 6-8k flat bedding costs came out of my budget. Yet I received the same per soldier as all the other Brigade Units.

So more ISVs and modern Milverados? Stuff the local GM dealership can maintain, and still looks cool to the locals?

 

[FJAG]

I have a friend thats a log o in the MN NG. Most of their techs are prior regulars who are on contracts as civilian techs for their warehoused equipment. Seems like the ideal set up, but would also require we depot equipment at scale.

I agree with centralized and warehoused equipment maintained by full-time staff. I'm leery of using civilian contractors. Somewhere in the system you need trained maintainers who are liable for operational deployment. I prefer putting that very necessary full-time pay to use by offering one or even two-year full-time contracts to PRes technicians coming off DP 1 courses (and wanting money, experience and DP 2 training), all supervised by a few senior RegF maintainers.

 

[markppcli]

I agree with centralized and warehoused equipment maintained by full-time staff. I'm leery of using civilian contractors. Somewhere in the system you need trained maintainers who are liable for operational deployment. I prefer putting that very necessary full-time pay to use by offering one or even two-year full-time contracts to PRes technicians coming off DP 1 courses (and wanting money, experience and DP 2 training), all supervised by a few senior RegF maintainers.

I think the key point here is that they way you keep maintainers in yhe reserves is by having a job for them to do full time. We are trying to get mechanics to do their day job for less money on the weekend and its having the predictable result.