Army Reserve Restructuring

[FJAG]

. . . drinking club with a slight camping problem

Brilliant.

 

[quadrapiper]

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.


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.

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.


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.

One other note re: age of completion... 16-18 is when cadets are getting the bulk of their experience in leadership/staff/instructional roles. 12-15 is spent specifically under training, developing into leadership roles starting around 14. Both of these phases have value, and regardless of the training content, curtailing either time under training or time leading/delivering training will significantly weaken both the output (a hopefully more rounded/mature/CAF aware/good citizen 19 year old, whatever they go on to do) and the progam's internal quality: 16-18 year old cadets are the key instructor and leadership cadre for the juniors, if everything's going well, and the CIC and other adults are instructing/guiding/mentoring the senior cadets and dealing with the admin, planning, etc. world. YMMV per corps/squadron depending on demographics, fluky retention, etc.

 

[Halifax Tar]

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.

My daughter is now a Pathfinder and started in Sparkes. No firearms training has been taught, yet, by them.

 

[Seyek]

My daughter is now a Pathfinder and started in Sparkes. No firearms training has been taught, yet, by them.

Like any group, it's entirely dependent on the group's leadership and I don't know how it works for Sparkes. I did a quick check and shooting sports are still on the website (though only for scouts and up for firearms, cubs can do bows/slingshots/crossbows). I did beavers through scouts/junior scouter thing since we didn't have a venturer program but never did firearms. Did do potato cannons though which is apparently banned. From what I remember being out on the occasional weekend where there were also cadets it was more beneficial in terms of outdoor skills and general resilience. We were all camped out in improvised shelters on the regular, responsible for our own meal plans for weekend canoe trips, plenty of hiking which was great prep for rucking.

Even taught drill, tactics, and weapons handling if you consider capgun muskets at 1812 reenactments to be weapons handling.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Like any group, it's entirely dependent on the group's leadership and I don't know how it works for Sparkes. I did a quick check and shooting sports are still on the website (though only for scouts and up for firearms, cubs can do bows/slingshots/crossbows). I did beavers through scouts/junior scouter thing since we didn't have a venturer program but never did firearms. Did do potato cannons though which is apparently banned. From what I remember being out on the occasional weekend where there were also cadets it was more beneficial in terms of outdoor skills and general resilience. We were all camped out in improvised shelters on the regular, responsible for our own meal plans for weekend canoe trips, plenty of hiking which was great prep for rucking.

Even taught drill, tactics, and weapons handling if you consider capgun muskets at 1812 reenactments to be weapons handling.

This is a super dumb tangent we have gotten onto, but Scouts have almost no mandatory programming- it is largely up to the Scouts themselves (with adult guidance) to select the activities that interest them. Shooting sports are a permitted activity in the program, if a particular group chooses it. To say that Scouts Canada, in 2026, is paramilitary because of that is to stretch the word completely out of context.

 

[GR66]

One other note re: age of completion... 16-18 is when cadets are getting the bulk of their experience in leadership/staff/instructional roles. 12-15 is spent specifically under training, developing into leadership roles starting around 14. Both of these phases have value, and regardless of the training content, curtailing either time under training or time leading/delivering training will significantly weaken both the output (a hopefully more rounded/mature/CAF aware/good citizen 19 year old, whatever they go on to do) and the progam's internal quality: 16-18 year old cadets are the key instructor and leadership cadre for the juniors, if everything's going well, and the CIC and other adults are instructing/guiding/mentoring the senior cadets and dealing with the admin, planning, etc. world. YMMV per corps/squadron depending on demographics, fluky retention, etc.

I see no need to change the Cadet program. I think it's useful for general civic development in our youth as well as being military "adjacent" as a window into the CAF for those who might become interested. Diverting 16-18 year old cadets out of the program and into the Reserves would a) deprive both the older cadets of leadership opportunities and b) deprive younger cadets of youth mentors/role models. As previously noted you would also likely lose a significant portion due to parents not wanting to sign off on their children joining the military.

That's why I suggested a type of "Junior Reserve" program that could run in parallel with Cadets. Those 16-18 year old cadets (with parental approval) could join the program and take part in some elements of Reserve training/exercises with their parent unit in addition to their Cadet activities. You wouldn't need to automatically stream every cadet into this program. When the Junior Reservists are at Cadets talking about the cool stuff they are doing with their parent unit they will act as excellent recruiters for both their older peers that are not already part of the program or those younger cadets that might be interested when they are older.

Even if the majority of the Junior Reservists never end up joining the Reserves or Reg Force when they age out of Cadets it will at least add to the overall pool of the population that are familiar with and friendly to the CAF which is good politically (as well as providing a potential base of personnel with at least minimal military training should mobilization ever be required).