Army Reserve Restructuring

[MilEME09]

Gawd forbid the paysheets disappear

Was chatting with a Brit, their platoon warrant does roll call at opening parade. Then goes onto a computer marks off who was there into the system and it automatically pays them. Seems like a pretty simple system, and they have quarter days! Gotta attend a single meet for an hour? Quarter days pay

 

[daftandbarmy]

Was chatting with a Brit, their platoon warrant does roll call at opening parade. Then goes onto a computer marks off who was there into the system and it automatically pays them. Seems like a pretty simple system, and they have quarter days! Gotta attend a single meet for an hour? Quarter days pay

There are organizations who have regularly managed (for decades) part-time/ casual workforces of thousands of people, on a daily basis, using swipe cards etc.

The fact that we can't make that work, this far into the Information Age, doesn't give me hope for our ability to exploit other emerging technology like drones and AI.

 

[FJAG]

The issue for many of them is that when they swore in, they joined a particular regiment the same way anyone else would. When Brigade decided to consolidate them all in one location they essentially forced them to essentially switch units. The individual members are theoretically still in their units role, but the individual units have very limited control over them.

From their perspective this would be similar to telling an infantry soldier from a reserve unit that they now belong to a different infantry regiment. Something that is not possible without the soldiers consent in the current CAF.

What leads you to that conclusion? The last time I looked reservists were being enrolled in the primary reserve not the Baker Street Rifles. One can't be transferred a reservist to the regular force "component" without consent but to another unit . . . it could happen. Then again they could just stop showing up or taking a release like they do now . . . so why do it?

The issue with combat service support trades is a tough one because of the career profile and promotion opportunities is limited by the army reserve establishment. For the ARE the career chain stops at MCpl for the old RMS trade within any given unit, albeit the unit can rig the system up to WO if one misuses the Trg WO ATR position. And, of course there's that old - put them on Class B to take the place of that RegF Sgt that doesn't get posted in any more.

So please read what I was writing. My point was and remains that consolidation is largely unnecessary since the work can be done dispersed at multiple reserve units.

That's a problem in and of itself. We routinely post CSS pers between units to make sure everyone has enough clerks and Techs. We need to get more ruthless about making workable units.

It's a very challenging problem seeing as there are both situations where you have multiple units in a tight urban area and ones where you dispersed units and subunits and an administrative system that is not online friendly and needs lots of short, face-to-face interactions.

IMHO, the only real working solution is to have a much more computer-friendly admin system but with any job that needs full-time attention, which admin does, handled by full-timers. I think it's not hard to train on a part-time basis, but it's hard to administer a unit that way. I think admin needs running like a help desk where you have one easily trackable "user file" with full-timers working both at units and at online/phone line regional help desks. First though, one needs to simplify admin and finance.

Tough problem.

 

[markppcli]

Well the reserves relying on physical pay sheets in 2025 is probably increasing the amount of paper work being done. A QR code scan for the CAF Pay and Benefits app would be a much quicker system.

 

[dapaterson]

Well the reserves relying on physical pay sheets in 2025 is probably increasing the amount of paper work being done. A QR code scan for the CAF Pay and Benefits app would be a much quicker system.

That was being worked on pre pandemic. However, the very limited number of pers proficient in maintaining the pay systems have "keep it from collapsing completely" as a pri 1 task, and insufficient capacity to move to any pri 2 tasks.

The Military Pay Solution project is nearing Definition phase, and will be a COTS solution. Nobody wants the pay systems replacement more than DGCB, DMPAP and DPPD.

 

[Kirkhill]

What leads you to that conclusion? The last time I looked reservists were being enrolled in the primary reserve not the Baker Street Rifles. One can't be transferred a reservist to the regular force "component" without consent but to another unit . . . it could happen. Then again they could just stop showing up or taking a release like they do now . . . so why do it?

The issue with combat service support trades is a tough one because of the career profile and promotion opportunities is limited by the army reserve establishment. For the ARE the career chain stops at MCpl for the old RMS trade within any given unit, albeit the unit can rig the system up to WO if one misuses the Trg WO ATR position. And, of course there's that old - put them on Class B to take the place of that RegF Sgt that doesn't get posted in any more.


It's a very challenging problem seeing as there are both situations where you have multiple units in a tight urban area and ones where you dispersed units and subunits and an administrative system that is not online friendly and needs lots of short, face-to-face interactions.

IMHO, the only real working solution is to have a much more computer-friendly admin system but with any job that needs full-time attention, which admin does, handled by full-timers. I think it's not hard to train on a part-time basis, but it's hard to administer a unit that way. I think admin needs running like a help desk where you have one easily trackable "user file" with full-timers working both at units and at online/phone line regional help desks. First though, one needs to simplify admin and finance.

Tough problem.

See below.

There are organizations who have regularly managed (for decades) part-time/ casual workforces of thousands of people, on a daily basis, using swipe cards etc.

The fact that we can't make that work, this far into the Information Age, doesn't give me hope for our ability to exploit other emerging technology like drones and AI.

Communicate with Starbucks and MacDonalds. Might start by asking some of those soldiers of yours that have worked for them.