Army Reserve Restructuring

[Remius]

There is defiantly a political current in our education system.

And certainly an activist agenda that has embedded itself in it.

 

[Eaglelord17]

A few problems:

1. Cadets offers a chance to be military adjacent, without being military for kids whose parents wouldn't allow them to sign-up for the reserves. You'd likely sour quite a few if at 16, two years before being able to make their own choices, you cut them loose and said "too bad, sign-up when you're old enough".

2. Cadets corps exist in places without a convenient reserve unit. You'd sour those kids against the military by cutting them loose years before they can join.

3. Most of the programs that draw people into the Cadets programme are only available when you're 16+. Things like international exchanges, power pilot, etc...

1) I think the amount you lose to choosing to carry on with Cadets is greater than the amount you would lose by cutting loose at 16.

2) If it isn’t a military program how would it sour them? At the end of the day we need to decide if we want a military themed daycare or if we want to actually use this program to help create troops. If it is the former I see no reason to carry on with it. If it is the latter then we should be aiming them towards the military whenever possible.

3) I don’t see a ton of value in those programs for the country if they aren’t going on to actually serve. One Reservist is more valuable than a 18 year old cadet with para wings who decides to never carry on into military service.

 

[daftandbarmy]

1) I think the amount you lose to choosing to carry on with Cadets is greater than the amount you would lose by cutting loose at 16.

2) If it isn’t a military program how would it sour them? At the end of the day we need to decide if we want a military themed daycare or if we want to actually use this program to help create troops. If it is the former I see no reason to carry on with it. If it is the latter then we should be aiming them towards the military whenever possible.

3) I don’t see a ton of value in those programs for the country if they aren’t going on to actually serve. One Reservist is more valuable than a 18 year old cadet with para wings who decides to never carry on into military service.

The US, and other countries, has no equivalent cadet program to ours and yet they seem to do OK with recruiting.

Just sayin'

 

[FJAG]

The US, and other countries, has no equivalent cadet program to ours and yet they seem to do OK with recruiting.

Just sayin'

The UK does. They do okay. They have some 38,000 army cadets, 13,000 sea cadets and 34,000 air cadets.

The US runs the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program in high schools with over 3,200 JROTC units of which over 30% join the military. The estimate is that there are more than 500,000 students enrolled in the various services of the JROTC.

I agree they aren't equivalent to ours. They appear better from what I can tell.

 

[Kirkhill]

1) I think the amount you lose to choosing to carry on with Cadets is greater than the amount you would lose by cutting loose at 16.

2) If it isn’t a military program how would it sour them? At the end of the day we need to decide if we want a military themed daycare or if we want to actually use this program to help create troops. If it is the former I see no reason to carry on with it. If it is the latter then we should be aiming them towards the military whenever possible.

3) I don’t see a ton of value in those programs for the country if they aren’t going on to actually serve. One Reservist is more valuable than a 18 year old cadet with para wings who decides to never carry on into military service.

Actually, if you think about it, the Baden-Powell's Scouts and Guides were training soldiers. They still teach firearms safety and shooting.

Their original uniform was expressly military in cut. As was the Boys' Brigade.

 

[Furniture]

1) I think the amount you lose to choosing to carry on with Cadets is greater than the amount you would lose by cutting loose at 16.

2) If it isn’t a military program how would it sour them? At the end of the day we need to decide if we want a military themed daycare or if we want to actually use this program to help create troops. If it is the former I see no reason to carry on with it. If it is the latter then we should be aiming them towards the military whenever possible.

3) I don’t see a ton of value in those programs for the country if they aren’t going on to actually serve. One Reservist is more valuable than a 18 year old cadet with para wings who decides to never carry on into military service.

You're losing sight of the fact Cadets doesn't primarily exist to put people in the P Res... If people switch over, it's because they wanted to join the type of unit available in the local area and they had their parents permission. Don't break a functional youth organization because the reserves can't fix themselves.

1) I think the amount you lose to choosing to carry on with Cadets is greater than the amount you would lose by cutting loose at 16.

How many people is an infantry reserve unit losing because someone wants to sail small boats or fly a glider? There are more types of cadets than just army cadets... Also, each army cadet corps is affiliated with a local reserve unit, so cadets get exposure to what the unit does. People sticking in cadets likely aren't interested in the local unit if they are staying in an unpaid youth organization over the reserves.

2) If it isn’t a military program how would it sour them? At the end of the day we need to decide if we want a military themed daycare or if we want to actually use this program to help create troops. If it is the former I see no reason to carry on with it. If it is the latter then we should be aiming them towards the military whenever possible.

I'm guessing you weren't a cadet, and haven't spoken to many former cadets. Many of us do go on to join the CAF, even if not in the "element" that we were cadets. Cadets doesn't exist to fix the reserves, and encouraging recruitment is way down on the priority list for the organization.

3) I don’t see a ton of value in those programs for the country if they aren’t going on to actually serve. One Reservist is more valuable than a 18 year old cadet with para wings who decides to never carry on into military service.

One cadet with para wings in the real world speaking positively about their experience in the cadet programme is worth 100x more than another disgruntled former P Res Pte who joined at 16 to become a ninja sniper, found out their vision category didn't qualify for the trade they wanted. then booted out of their P Res unit because the non-combat arms jobs were already full.

Cadets are the wrong tool to use to generate 16 year old recruits, who can't partake in the adult things being done around them... Make the reserves feel more useful and welcoming to 16 year old kids, and they will likely pick it over a military adjacent youth organization.

 

[Remius]

Actually, if you think about it, the Baden-Powell's Scouts and Guides were training soldiers. They still teach firearms safety and

Absolutely. And Baden Powell based scouting on his use of cadets during the Boer War.