Y
Yard Ape
Guest
Yes, ATOF is broken! A three year cycle was chosen to fit our 3 x brigade structure, but three years does not work. One brigade is supposed to be in high readiness for a year, one brigade is supposed to be in a collective training state for a year, and a third brigade is supposed to be in â Å“reconstitution.â ?
â Å“Reconstitutionâ ? is the first problem of ATOF. Reconstitution is supposed to be a rest. It is supposed to be that one year that soldiers know they will be home & able to see the family. However, the reconstitution brigade becomes â Å“the Army's Bit<hâ ? to fill individual (and even whole sub-unit) tasks across the country. This is also the year that the brigade is to focus on sending its soldiers on career courses in Gagetown or Borden. However, in one year there is not enough time to send all the people on all the courses they require, and you cannot send someone on a course when they are running another course in house or across Canada on a task. Some are already referring to the reconstitution phase as the support phase, because there is more supporting than reconstituting. This leaves the question, when do soldiers get the chance to rest? Where is the time to ensure everyone gets the required career courses? Reconstitution needs 4 phases: Support, Reconstitution, Collective Training, High Readiness.
The management of readiness already seems to have fallen apart. Op Athena was the catalyst, but other deficiencies in our Army were the cause. Each brigade has 4 x manoeuvre units (2 x Mech Infantry, 1 x Light Infantry, 1 x Armoured). This means that each brigade can provide the HQs required to sustain 2 x concurrent BG deployments overseas for a full year. However, because the units themselves are not identical and there are only 1, 2, or 3 of some assets, a single brigade may not actually be able to sustain the 2 x concurrent BG deployments overseas for a full year. There is also only one Bde HQ and it does not have enough depth to go out the door for a full year. The result of these shortfalls has been that 2 CMBG & 5 CMBG both deployed units during 2 CMBG's year of high readiness and 1 CMBG is now deploying a unit during 5 CMBG's year of high readiness (stand-by for 2 CMBG to follow with a unit in a year that is supposed to be reconstitution).
What is the solution?
With these changes, we could support 2 x concurrent BG deployments overseas for a full year (picture Op PALLADIUM before downsizing and Op ATHENA on its original scale) indefinitely. The two BG and Bde HQ could be deployed in the same theatre of separate theatres. During UNPROFOR we had 2 x BG and a full CER deployed in the same theatre. Could this be sustainable now?
â Å“Reconstitutionâ ? is the first problem of ATOF. Reconstitution is supposed to be a rest. It is supposed to be that one year that soldiers know they will be home & able to see the family. However, the reconstitution brigade becomes â Å“the Army's Bit<hâ ? to fill individual (and even whole sub-unit) tasks across the country. This is also the year that the brigade is to focus on sending its soldiers on career courses in Gagetown or Borden. However, in one year there is not enough time to send all the people on all the courses they require, and you cannot send someone on a course when they are running another course in house or across Canada on a task. Some are already referring to the reconstitution phase as the support phase, because there is more supporting than reconstituting. This leaves the question, when do soldiers get the chance to rest? Where is the time to ensure everyone gets the required career courses? Reconstitution needs 4 phases: Support, Reconstitution, Collective Training, High Readiness.
The management of readiness already seems to have fallen apart. Op Athena was the catalyst, but other deficiencies in our Army were the cause. Each brigade has 4 x manoeuvre units (2 x Mech Infantry, 1 x Light Infantry, 1 x Armoured). This means that each brigade can provide the HQs required to sustain 2 x concurrent BG deployments overseas for a full year. However, because the units themselves are not identical and there are only 1, 2, or 3 of some assets, a single brigade may not actually be able to sustain the 2 x concurrent BG deployments overseas for a full year. There is also only one Bde HQ and it does not have enough depth to go out the door for a full year. The result of these shortfalls has been that 2 CMBG & 5 CMBG both deployed units during 2 CMBG's year of high readiness and 1 CMBG is now deploying a unit during 5 CMBG's year of high readiness (stand-by for 2 CMBG to follow with a unit in a year that is supposed to be reconstitution).
What is the solution?
- 1. ATOF must become a four year cycle and we will require a fourth brigade to do this.
2. The Army must
- a. develop a system to rapidly generate a Bde HQ (either by embedding personel in each existing Bde, in LFCHQ, or in coordination with JOG; or
b. set a policy that a Bde HQ may be deployed for a full year to support rotating BGs.
3. Increase non-infantry establishments so that they are no longer a limiting factor. This may include creating more of the politically â Å“coolâ ? sub-units (like Recce Sqn)
4. A contingency readiness plan must exist to replace ATOF the moment Canada is involved in a full Bde deployment (Bde HQ + 3 or 4 Manoeuvre units). - a. develop a system to rapidly generate a Bde HQ (either by embedding personel in each existing Bde, in LFCHQ, or in coordination with JOG; or
With these changes, we could support 2 x concurrent BG deployments overseas for a full year (picture Op PALLADIUM before downsizing and Op ATHENA on its original scale) indefinitely. The two BG and Bde HQ could be deployed in the same theatre of separate theatres. During UNPROFOR we had 2 x BG and a full CER deployed in the same theatre. Could this be sustainable now?