An Arctic Army without Arctic Boots, only in Canada (From: Brown Boots)

[Northalbertan]

My BMQ field and range ex were both in the dead cold prairie of Suffield, the wind cuts into you like a thousand little daggers. Wet Weathers didn't even help.

Half of my platoon had to borrow mukluks, Arctic jackets (the old fur lined parkas) from a cadet unit because the supply system is literally ******** the bed in all aspects. The mukluks were returned to the cadets, but with BMQL starting in the next couple weeks, some of those same people will be without proper winter footwear for the last 2-3 months of bitter Alberta winter.

My cadet corps has been buying surplus gear for years (Crown auction site).  I have plenty of mukluks.  I'm 60km north of Wainwright, give me a shout if we can help out.  Only half kidding, if they really can't get the mukluks do get ahold of me.

Northalbertan

 

[George Wallace]

You guys gotta have more faith!

A request was sent out to units to have anyone who is unfit for field duty return their mucklucks, bib overalls and some other winter kit.

Problem solved.

Then what would they wear when they go hunting?    >

 

[The Bread Guy]

Typical timelines might indicate you'll be playing in the snow, without proper footwear, for about five years then.

You eternal, starry-eyed optimist, you ....

 

[Halifax Tar]

I think this is indicative of the CFSS as whole.

We have gone from an organization that warehouses supplies to one that stores some stuff, relies on LPOs way to much, and now just try's to put out fires as they arise.

Its my belief that we have made supply much more complicated than it has to be.  DRMIS is and MIMS was an example of this.  It shouldn't take multiple transactions to order or receive a part, which is our bread and butter.  I contend supply consists of issues, receipts, orders and adjustments. Why we make it more complicated is beyond me.

An example of how simple supply can be:

I was in CT last week.  I needed a sight and rail system for my new shotgun.  My local CT didn't have any in stock.  The clerk looked around the local area none there either.  So she place an order and had 10 ea delivered in 7 days.  That's excellent logistics if you ask me.  It took her 5 mins to locate, order and set up delivery for a part AND she got spares.

Perhaps we have gone too far in trying to run our logistics like a money making company.  I know its cliche but no operation will succeed if your logistics train breaks down.  We came close in AFG WRT to ammo supplies and I don't think we have learned from it. 

Some of the older members of the forum may be able to shed light but I am told our logistics system used to be excellent and the envy of others.  At what point did we lose this focus and how can we get it back ?  Well my answer is a massive shift in military mind set and huge reworking of the logbranch as a whole.

 

[acen]

At least it's easy to source Neos (and many have already done so), but we'll certainly need to re-invent the wheel with them and come up with a more "canadian" option at 5x the cost and produced in procurement's favorite locale. Having a better sole would be a welcomed addition though. The winter Neos are beautiful but I doubt we would opt for that style given what the mukluk replacement is trying to accomplish.

With Mukluks, finding a COTS alternative becomes a little more difficult unless we opt for a Sorel style boot, and not too many would pass the RSM smell test quite like Neos do if they were purchased privately.

Does anyone have any photos of the assault overboot (the neos-esque boot) or the new mukluk?

 

[Nfld Sapper]

I'll see if I can upload the ppt later....

 

[Kirkhill]

I think this is indicative of the CFSS as whole.

We have gone from an organization that warehouses supplies to one that stores some stuff, relies on LPOs way to much, and now just try's to put out fires as they arise.

Its my belief that we have made supply much more complicated than it has to be.  DRMIS is and MIMS was an example of this.  It shouldn't take multiple transactions to order or receive a part, which is our bread and butter.  I contend supply consists of issues, receipts, orders and adjustments. Why we make it more complicated is beyond me.

An example of how simple supply can be:

I was in CT last week.  I needed a sight and rail system for my new shotgun.  My local CT didn't have any in stock.  The clerk looked around the local area none there either.  So she place an order and had 10 ea delivered in 7 days.  That's excellent logistics if you ask me.  It took her 5 mins to locate, order and set up delivery for a part AND she got spares.

Perhaps we have gone too far in trying to run our logistics like a money making company.  I know its cliche but no operation will succeed if your logistics train breaks down.  We came close in AFG WRT to ammo supplies and I don't think we have learned from it. 

Some of the older members of the forum may be able to shed light but I am told our logistics system used to be excellent and the envy of others.  At what point did we lose this focus and how can we get it back ?  Well my answer is a massive shift in military mind set and huge reworking of the logbranch as a whole.

Tar,

Perhaps you should be supplied by a money-making organization.  Last I heard CT was not a charity.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Tar,

Perhaps you should be supplied by a money-making organization.  Last I heard CT was not a charity.

Your right totally right but perhaps we need to realize that to do things like moving and providing supplies costs money and shouldn't be nickled and dimed.  You want to watch a battle group fall apart, kill its ability to get supplies. 

The whole run like a business model doesn't work to me.  We aren't a business and we don't produce profits and if we run under a business premise then people are only concerned about maintaining a budget, who cares if the job actually gets accomplished we came in under budget, phew!  To me that's terrible way for a war sustaining organization to work.

Its just my opinion.  I would prefer us to be totally focused on and able to sustain the pointy end's ability close with and destroy the enemy. 

 

[Kirkhill]

Facetious comments aside,

I agree entirely that without a solid supply chain nuffink moves.  I don't share the belief that your supply chain shouldn't be run like a business. It should.  But the defining metric should not be the budget but the capability.

Budgets are important, but so are bullets, beans, bandages, blankets and batteries. 

No business shuts down operations just because the budget is stressed.  The budget and the model are adjusted to match the reality of operations.  Budgets are tools for planning and measurement.

 

[ArmyRick]

I have a simple solution (might be knee jerk reaction, be warned)

1. Reduce Regular Force Regiments to 2 x battalions each (lets stop pretending we can field 9 x battalions), wave a magical wand and re-allocate funds towards supplying and clothing the troops (better to have well equipped 6 battalions worth of troops!)
2. Reduce the P Res recruiting to almost nothing (oh wait, we are already doing that)
3. God forbid, GUT HQ elements at all levels
4. Seriously, seriously, seriously, if your like old and ancient and have been in forever, and have no real position (yes you dinosaurs know who you are), please get out. Your kit could be useful and the money for your wages better spent.
5. Gut the HQ elements (Mentioned twice, driving a point home)

Like I said, a few ideas to cough up some quick money and shift money around the budget

Oh, of course, Really need to fix the procurement system. I don't know how to do that, not my thing. Supply Techs should be all over it.

 

[Bzzliteyr]

Oh, of course, Really need to fix the procurement system. I don't know how to do that, not my thing. Supply Techs should be all over it.

Don't worry, the government is here to help: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/SOMNIA/article16703809/

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Well that's nice and all,.....but does anyone think this could just another layer of wasted money? ?

 

[Journeyman]

How can you even think that? 

As it notes in the article:

The government has already placed two troubled procurements under the management of secretariats at Public Works: fighter jets and fixed-wing search-and-rescue aircraft.

Look how awesomely those projects have advanced.  :nod:


The good news is, look at all the procurement-related PYs we'll recoup.  Those HQs will shrink in size commensurate with these positions being no longer required, right?

 

[Loachman]

1. Reduce Regular Force Regiments to 2 x battalions each (lets stop pretending we can field 9 x battalions), wave a magical wand and re-allocate funds towards supplying and clothing the troops (better to have well equipped 6 battalions worth of troops!)

And before you know it, you'll have six under-strength and under-equipped battalions instead of nine and a couple more/bigger headquarters in order to squeeze the last few drops of efficiency from them.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

At least it's easy to source Neos (and many have already done so), but we'll certainly need to re-invent the wheel with them and come up with a more "canadian" option at 5x the cost and produced in procurement's favorite locale. Having a better sole would be a welcomed addition though. The winter Neos are beautiful but I doubt we would opt for that style given what the mukluk replacement is trying to accomplish.

With Mukluks, finding a COTS alternative becomes a little more difficult unless we opt for a Sorel style boot, and not too many would pass the RSM smell test quite like Neos do if they were purchased privately.

Does anyone have any photos of the assault overboot (the neos-esque boot) or the new mukluk?

May or may not be the actual equipment we get....only showing the winter items

 

[Nfld Sapper]

con't

 

[acen]

Thanks NFLD Sapper, it looks as though we could be moving towards real solutions for some kit deficiencies that we have, though my first thought is just how we are going to screw some of these up. Have I become jaded, or has there been a paradigm shift in procurement in regards to what someone on the ground wants/needs? We know how terrible the new snowshoes are, the new gore-tex gloves, the cadpat leather gloves and other CTS systems, perhaps "sense, common, C1" is being issued out once again after the national shortage that lasted the better part of CTS's lifespan. Next up, a complete revamp of the load carriage systems that has been in the works (tac vest, rucksack, and small pack replacements). I'll surely have a CD (7 years in now) by the time I see some of this kit, but it will be welcomed. Until then I'll just hope that I can keep using my privately purchased counterparts.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Some of those items are light years ahead of what I got issued when I got in...

 

[Journeyman]

Some of those items are light years ahead of what I got issued when I got in...

Conversely, lots of people still like the 64-pattern ruck, and my old trail snowshoes and mukluks work just fine.  :nod:

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Didn't have the joy of using the 64 ruck, still got those trail snowshoes (in addition to the newer ones) and mukluks (rarely wear them)