Army Reserve Restructuring

[JLB50]

looks like we are taking a page from the Swedish and Fin's with home guard civil defense model for this new third reserve

The military plans for a volunteer force to defend Canada

Faced with rising threats from competing states and climate change, the top military minds in the Canadian Armed Forces are drafting a plan to bolster the nation’s defences by creating a civil force made up of 300,000 volunteers.

www.ctvnews.ca

The thing I like about the concept (as for the reality we will have to wait and see) is that it brings greater awareness of the military to the average Canadian. For too long, the military has been something both our politicians and the general public have, at best, tolerated. With Russia, China and now Trump all posing threats to Canada, this presents a great opportunity for a large number of Canadians to express their patriotism, especially amongst those who lack the qualifications to join the CAF We’re now seeing things start to change. On top of that, dealing with natural disasters could largely become the specialty of our own version of the Home Guard and free our military to concentrate more on dealing with international issues. Mind you, getting all of this approved in Parliament is another thing entirely. A Home Guard is something we should have had in place decades ago.

 

[MilEME09]

The thing I like about the concept (as for the reality we will have to wait and see) is that it brings greater awareness of the military to the average Canadian. For too long, the military has been something both our politicians and the general public have, at best, tolerated. With Russia, China and now Trump all posing threats to Canada, this presents a great opportunity for a large number of Canadians to express their patriotism, especially amongst those who lack the qualifications to join the CAF We’re now seeing things start to change. On top of that, dealing with natural disasters could largely become the specialty of our own version of the Home Guard and free our military to concentrate more on dealing with international issues. Mind you, getting all of this approved in Parliament is another thing entirely. A Home Guard is something we should have had in place decades ago.

My concern is how is it administered? will they be attached to the local reserve CBG? or administered more nationally? I've already read they wont get kit, so thats not an issue, but what kind of TOS will they have, 5 days a year is all they train, what if they miss those 5 days? lot of questions to answer

 

[FJAG]

Enthralled with all of this my eight year old self observed that my Dad had served, all my uncles had served, both my grandads had served and so had my Dad's mum.

Same with my family. After the war I had quite a few aunts - uncles not so much.

 

[OldSolduer]

The thing I like about the concept (as for the reality we will have to wait and see) is that it brings greater awareness of the military to the average Canadian. For too long, the military has been something both our politicians and the general public have, at best, tolerated. With Russia, China and now Trump all posing threats to Canada, this presents a great opportunity for a large number of Canadians to express their patriotism, especially amongst those who lack the qualifications to join the CAF We’re now seeing things start to change. On top of that, dealing with natural disasters could largely become the specialty of our own version of the Home Guard and free our military to concentrate more on dealing with international issues. Mind you, getting all of this approved in Parliament is another thing entirely. A Home Guard is something we should have had in place decades ago.

I like the sentiment of your post - I am a bit cynical however.

 

[Brad Sallows]

The thing I like about the concept (as for the reality we will have to wait and see) is that it brings greater awareness of the military to the average Canadian. For too long, the military has been something both our politicians and the general public have, at best, tolerated. With Russia, China and now Trump all posing threats to Canada, this presents a great opportunity for a large number of Canadians to express their patriotism, especially amongst those who lack the qualifications to join the CAF We’re now seeing things start to change. On top of that, dealing with natural disasters could largely become the specialty of our own version of the Home Guard and free our military to concentrate more on dealing with international issues. Mind you, getting all of this approved in Parliament is another thing entirely. A Home Guard is something we should have had in place decades ago.

So in addition to our economic woes, we are beset with recurrent fits of muscular nationalism.

A "home guard" ought only to be an expedient adopted when invasion looks like it really threatens.

 

[Remius]

So in addition to our economic woes, we are beset with recurrent fits of muscular nationalism.

A "home guard" ought only to be an expedient adopted when invasion looks like it really threatens.

According to Trump, Maple Maga and others, Canada has been freeloading on defence and screwing the US into protecting our shores from a pile of invasions and other stuff.

Canada should do everything it can to take care of itself now that the US is no longer a reliable ally that needs nothing from us. Right?

 

[Brad Sallows]

According to Trump, Maple Maga and others, Canada has been freeloading on defence and screwing the US into protecting our shores from a pile of invasions and other stuff.

Canada should do everything it can to take care of itself now that the US is no longer a reliable ally that needs nothing from us. Right?

It's not a "nothing or all" binary. Sure, we've taken the US for granted. Sure, plenty of people who discuss Canadian defence policy freely deploy the "US will not allow a foreign aggressor to attack Canada" premise, usually before they launch into proposals for more plowshares.

There is no direct line from "pick up more of the (inter-)national share of security" to "gotta have a Home Guard (or conscription, or nukes, etc)".

The assumption the US is no longer a reliable ally just because the administration is almost neolithically protectionist is absurd. So is the assumption that spending a bunch of money on defence is going to sway Trump or Putin. I think the people who are using the latter as an excuse for incontinent federal spending are insufficiently critical.

I can get behind growing to a one-division regular army with a reserve frame for a three-division corps. Much of the rest is downright Churchillian in its impracticality and unsuitability to any useful national aims.

 

[quadrapiper]

My concern is how is it administered? will they be attached to the local reserve CBG? or administered more nationally? I've already read they wont get kit, so thats not an issue, but what kind of TOS will they have, 5 days a year is all they train, what if they miss those 5 days? lot of questions to answer

5 days suggests a multi-intake recurring evolution; both all at once and two weekends, one of them long, run repeatedly over the year.