Army Reserve Restructuring

[daftandbarmy]

Weekends.
3hrs is never 3hrs on an evening.
I know when I was a reservist that at least 30min was wasted in signing in and then nominal roll parade.

And weapons draw... and return...

 

[Ostrozac]

100+ buildings need to be replaced, lets just ball park 50 million min for each for land and construction. Thats a spicy bill

Double that, at least. The Voltigeurs de Quebec Armoury project was $104 million, and the land didn’t need to be acquired.

 

[Kirkhill]

Weekends.
3hrs is never 3hrs on an evening.
I know when I was a reservist that at least 30min was wasted in signing in and then nominal roll parade.

Going back to the mists of time at Mewata most of those showing up arrived around 6 PM and left around 11 or 12.

Weapons were seldom drawn on week nights. Classes ran from 7 PM to 9 PM. BOR and stores stayed open longer.

 

[KevinB]

Going back to the mists of time at Mewata most of those showing up arrived around 6 PM and left around 11 or 12.

I think you may be remembering more nostalgia than reality.

Weapons were seldom drawn on week nights. Classes ran from 7 PM to 9 PM. BOR and stores stayed open longer.

That’s 2hrs

The ARNG do virtually nothing on weeknights.
They use training days on weekends, or blocks of active duty.

 

[Kirkhill]

I think you may be remembering more nostalgia than reality.

That’s 2hrs

The ARNG do virtually nothing on weeknights.
They use training days on weekends, or blocks of active duty.

There was a third hour of admin and preps for the weekend.

 

[Kilted]

Weekends.
3hrs is never 3hrs on an evening.
I know when I was a reservist that at least 30min was wasted in signing in and then nominal roll parade.

Are you suggesting doing two weekends a month as opposed to one weekend and parade nights like some remote regiments do it?

That is good in theory, but there are a number of issues with it. First of all, this isn't as bad as it used to be, but the assumption that the reserves still seems to have that everyone works a Monday to Friday 9-5 job, which is very much untrue. It also comes down to there being a finite number of weekends in the training year. Once you take away 8-10 weekend ex's, Remembrance Day and other random tasks that units have to send people to, you don't have that many weekends left. Plus throw in holidays.

It's already bad enough for the people working weekend courses that depending if they fall on different weekends from unit ex's and their civilian employment, they could end up working for a couple months straight without a day off. Add two nights a week in there and you wonder why we lose so many people in the MCpl to Sgt range.

 

[KevinB]

Are you suggesting doing two weekends a month as opposed to one weekend and parade nights like some remote regiments do it?

That is good in theory, but there are a number of issues with it. First of all, this isn't as bad as it used to be, but the assumption that the reserves still seems to have that everyone works a Monday to Friday 9-5 job, which is very much untrue. It also comes down to there being a finite number of weekends in the training year. Once you take away 8-10 weekend ex's, Remembrance Day and other random tasks that units have to send people to, you don't have that many weekends left. Plus throw in holidays.

It's already bad enough for the people working weekend courses that depending if they fall on different weekends from unit ex's and their civilian employment, they could end up working for a couple months straight without a day off. Add two nights a week in there and you wonder why we lose so many people in the MCpl to Sgt range.

I’m suggesting that the evening ‘training’ nights are just a waste of time for anything but social interaction.

The goal of the PRes should be to have effective units, not provide people with a weekly drinking club. Right now the CA doesn’t get its money out of the vast majority of reservists, and hasn’t for years.

Summer block training should be a mandatory 3 weeks.
Of course that would need job protection legislation.

Additionally there should be much easier ways for reservists to take reg force courses, as well as employ reservists with Reg units if the individual reservists have time to dedicate.

 

[Halifax Tar]

I’m suggesting that the evening ‘training’ nights are just a waste of time for anything but social interaction.

The goal of the PRes should be to have effective units, not provide people with a weekly drinking club. Right now the CA doesn’t get its money out of the vast majority of reservists, and hasn’t for years.

Summer block training should be a mandatory 3 weeks.
Of course that would need job protection legislation.

Additionally there should be much easier ways for reservists to take reg force courses, as well as employ reservists with Reg units if the individual reservists have time to dedicate.

What does the US do with its equivalent to our ARes ?

Do they do the whole 1 evening a week, 1 weekend a month thing ?

 

[markppcli]

And when do you think would be a better time for training?

Weekends. One weekend a month is double the training time of four parade nights at the same cost to the army and less transit time for the member. Ack your concerns about courses essentially being every weekend but how is that different from now? What is a viable solution?

 

[MilEME09]

I’m suggesting that the evening ‘training’ nights are just a waste of time for anything but social interaction.

The goal of the PRes should be to have effective units, not provide people with a weekly drinking club. Right now the CA doesn’t get its money out of the vast majority of reservists, and hasn’t for years.

Summer block training should be a mandatory 3 weeks.
Of course that would need job protection legislation.

Additionally there should be much easier ways for reservists to take reg force courses, as well as employ reservists with Reg units if the individual reservists have time to dedicate.

Good thing my unit doesnt have a mess, cant be a drinking club without a bar. Speaking for my own unit, once IBTS is done, wednesday night and weekends is pure trades training. Vehicle techs turn wrenches, wpns does vault inspections or pending repairs. MSE might go on a road move, cooks meal plan etc

 

[KevinB]

What does the US do with its equivalent to our ARes ?

Do they do the whole 1 evening a week, 1 weekend a month thing ?

The closest affiliate would be the ARNG.
Which runs a 1 weekend/month (Friday evening to Sunday evening) and 2 weeks a year schedule.
Basically 39 days a year

Edit: Some units are now on a 64 day / year - but this appears to be a voluntary aspect (folks choosing to move into a higher readiness unit).

 

[daftandbarmy]

I’m suggesting that the evening ‘training’ nights are just a waste of time for anything but social interaction.

The goal of the PRes should be to have effective units, not provide people with a weekly drinking club. Right now the CA doesn’t get its money out of the vast majority of reservists, and hasn’t for years.

Summer block training should be a mandatory 3 weeks.
Of course that would need job protection legislation.

Additionally there should be much easier ways for reservists to take reg force courses, as well as employ reservists with Reg units if the individual reservists have time to dedicate.

Over the years I've seen both systems tried.

YMMV but because our main source of troops (70% or so) comes from students, a famously shiftless lot, the 'weekends only' approach was definitely sub-standard IMHO.

Keeping in touch with as many troops as possible, on a weekly basis, was a far more effective way of keeping them engaged during probably one of the most personally disruptive phases of their lives.

A monthly schedule means that if a solider misses the once per month training event, for whatever reason, you might not see them for two months or more. And then they just start to drift away and go NES.