Armoured Regiments and their Locations

[Q.Y. Ranger]

Hi, i am currently in high school and am about to start my Res. BMQ course. For now, i am joining and Armoured Recce unit. If i like it, i will most likely join the Regular forces. Which is what I've been thinking of doing after high school for some time now. With that being said, i have been Trying to research information about the different Regiments. To my knowledge, there are 3 different Regt's. My first question is which one(s) are armoured recce? And second, where are they located. Is the entire Regt. located at one base, or is it split up across the country. And last, will i have a choice in where i get posted, or do i go where ever I'm told? Any help would be great.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[TangoTwoBravo]

There are three Regiments:

  a.  The Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD).  They are located in Petawawa and are all Recce.

  b.  12iem Regiment Blinde de Canada (12 RBC).  They are located in Valcartier and are all Recce.

  c.  The Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) (LdSH(RC)).  They are in Edmonton and have Recce and "Direct Fire Support."

I should also point out that the Armour School is in Gagetown and the staff are from all three Regiments.

Members of a respective Regiment serve across the Canadian Forces, but the Regiment is in one place.  For example, I am RCD but am currently serving in Kingston.  You are free to ask for a Regiment but Service requirements will trump personal desires.  You can expect to serve at the Regiment for some time before being posted out, although each case is different.

Cheers,

2B

 

[Q.Y. Ranger]

Thanks for the information. I just have one more question if its not to much trouble. Assuming everything goes well with transferring to the Regular forces, will the fact that my girlfriend will be coming with me (or possibly fiancee by that time) make any difference in having a choice in which Regiment you would like to serve with(for location reasons)? Or is everyone treated the same, single or in a relationship?

Thanks again,
Mike

 

[George Wallace]

Bluntly....No.  The Army is/may be hiring you, not your girlfriend.  It will send you where it needs you.  It will send any Serviceman or woman where ever it needs them. 

 

[Q.Y. Ranger]

Thanks for the replies. Gives me an idea of what i might be getting myself into. 

Mike

 

[Gayson]

M. Sparks.

I recommend that you speak with the recruiter that you have dealt with so far.  Many of the people on Army.ca are very very knowledgable, however when dealig with your career, I personally like to speak with someone in person, it will allow you to get that much more information.

I recommend giving Sgt N a call aswell as posting your questions here.

Are you on the coop serial for this year, or are you doing battle school?  Just curious.

 

[ASLT TPR]

Mike, George is right the army will ship you where ever they need the numbers. As for talking to the requiter. They are very knowledgeable, but you also here alot of horror stories. There job is to get numbers. When I joined I was missled and I imagine if you talked to alot of people on this site you will hear alot more horror stories. I think the fact that you ask this site for advise is a good idea because you are now picking alot of peoples brains. People who know and people who have been through it. Then when you go and see your requiter you have more of an idea what to expect and more of an idea of whats going on.

GOODLUCK

 

[Q.Y. Ranger]

Thanks for all the replies. One last thing, through out the recruiting process, i knew for a fact that if i passed everything, i would be joining as Armoured Recce, because of the location of the unit. But seeing as in how you can be shipped anywhere in the country with the Regular Forces, would you have a choice between Recce, and Direct Fire Support, or is armoured just one classification. (ex. when applying for an armoured crewman, would you choose armoured recce or direct fire support, or is armoured one class, and you are placed where ever then need you?)

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Bzzliteyr]

DP1 covers everything you need to know to become an armoured crewman, they will train you on either LAV or Leopard at the school but when you get to your regiment (eg: LDSH(RC)) you might end up getting a different qualification altogether. For instance, you leave the school as a Leo driver but they need LAV gunners at the regiment, they would toss you on course to give you that qual.  You might hope to be a LAV recce driver but end up thrown on the tanks for a bit.. the Armour Corps puts you were it needs you.  In 99% of the times, it will give you the training you need to have to do the job.  Good Luck!

 

[plattypuss]

I hate to spread rumours but...not when its a good one.
I have heard that the MGS distribution plan may be revisited as the Western unit cannot sustain the number of deployments it may be faced with. As a result I have heard (from the water-coolers) in Ottawa that MGS may be distributed amongst the various Regiments.  Still a rumour, a good one, but a rumour.  Irregardless the DP1 soldier has a 2 in 3 chance of being posted to a Recce Sqn.

 

[George Wallace]

And what a rumour.  That would be at least a Sqn's worth per Regt....plus; don't forget the School.  Now would we keep them as a DF Sqn, or recreate the Light Armd Recce idea all over again, by farming them all out to the Recce Troops?          (That is another Topic altogether.)

 

[plattypuss]

Yes it is a good one.  Better yet is the fact that due to managed readiness a Sqn would only get two troops of MGS (for some reason I think that it is a 3 car troop context but I may be wrong it might be 4). the School is supposed to get 6 irregardless but who knows, the crystal ball remains cloudy...

 

[TCBF]

Here we go again.

In the spring of 1992, the Comd of the Army (CLS) visited Lahr.  At the North Marg, he spoke to the Officers and the Snr NCOs of the 8CH(PL) in the Snr NCO Rest Area.  Our questions included ones dealing with what the plans were for the three sqns of Leo C1 tanks we had parked outside the door.  The recommendation of most of us, was that we should leave the Cdn based regts with Cougars, and put ALL of our tanks on one base - Wainwright if we could, Gagetown if we had to - and rotate the Regts through them like we rotated through the M60A1s in Fort Hood in the 70s/80s.

He then told us they would be spread among the Canadian Regts.  Our RCEME types told him on the spot that they could not sustain those tanks with enough trained techs if they were spread out all over the country, and that our tank VOR (Vehicles Off Road: busted)  rate would go through the roof.  Not to even consider the spare parts issue.

The CLS then said that he had been told by his EME advisors in Ottawa that it was workable.  One of our senior techs then siad "They are empire building."

So guess what happened?

;D

The North Marg was right, and Ottawa was wrong.

And here we go - again.  Even if the MGS does eventually get built and bought, it would be a nightmare shipping and retaining qualified (Veh/FCS/Wpns/LCIS/etc) techs to keep it going, not to mention the stocking of spare parts. 

Prob easier to have the Crewmen stay on Coyote in Pet and Val, qual Cdr and Gnr MGS on 'Mobilization Gunnery' Courses, like we did on Leos, and if need be, bring them together at CMTC wainwright to refresh their skills on the MGS before deploying.

Otherwise, a nightmare.

Tom