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Canada moves to 2% GDP end of FY25/26 - PMMC

Rucksack? Are you kidding me? Lol. I returned all that stuff as soon as I could when I got back from my Army tour. But the criticism is valid. This is the main area where we can really put the boots to a problem (pun intended) as its obvious and likely some low hanging fruit. With due respect to @Halifax Tar I have seen some immediate supply issues resolved very quickly recently, though I'm still short of issue one pair of my sea boots.
DId'nt the system use those boots to ah BOOT YOU.
 
Rucksack? Are you kidding me? Lol. I returned all that stuff as soon as I could when I got back from my Army tour. But the criticism is valid. This is the main area where we can really put the boots to a problem (pun intended) as its obvious and likely some low hanging fruit. With due respect to @Halifax Tar I have seen some immediate supply issues resolved very quickly recently, though I'm still short of issue one pair of my sea boots.

You see micro, I see macro.
 
Looks like the Pentagon wants to see a detailed military plan for spending 3.5% to go with the political posturing from Canada.


The US should be transparent and identify how much of its 3.6% GDP does NOT go towards NATO. Take PACOM, SOUTHCOM, AFRICOM, CENTCOM and supporting programs expenditures away and look at only NORTHCOM. EUCOM and supporting expenditures and the US doesn’t put even 2% towards NATO…
 
The US should be transparent and identify how much of its 3.6% GDP does NOT go towards NATO. Take PACOM, SOUTHCOM, AFRICOM, CENTCOM and supporting programs expenditures away and look at only NORTHCOM. EUCOM and supporting expenditures and the US doesn’t put even 2% towards NATO…
But you have to admit with the CBO documents we are a lot more transparent about Defense dollars than Canada.

To me the reaction from down here is more due to years of Canadian promises, that have not materialized.
 
But you have to admit with the CBO documents we are a lot more transparent about Defense dollars than Canada.

To me the reaction from down here is more due to years of Canadian promises, that have not materialized.
Yes, which is why we can see the overt nature of the US’ NATO contribution fallacy. Almost uniquely, most NATO nations budget contributes completely towards the Alliance’s raison d’etre.
 
To me the reaction from down here is more due to years of Canadian promises, that have not materialized.

But we just it 2%...

I Know Right Tonight Show GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
 
And this isn't the only case. I know another one is coming for a whole different scale of issue. One I'm involved in.

I'm sure on some spreadsheet we've hit 2% but I'm not seeing a difference....


The messaging was lost in this one. The NCR return is specifically aimed at getting folks who are not entitled to kit to return it.

Not every CAF member needs a rucksack or sleeping bags etc.

I initially agreed with this but in hindsight, no, that's bullshit. Clearly, not literally everyone needs it, but basic load carriage and sleeping gear should be available to most/all members if for nothing else than dom ops, or being tasked out last minute for something where you may not be staying in proper accommodations. These are such cheap and durable items it's easy to ensure everyone has it available.

I've also experienced nothing but stock shortages for 20 years. I did my basic in 2005 with my pockets stuffed full of magazines, canteen, odds and sods, bayonet part of the time (partway through course, after the bayonet scabbard ate through a couple cargo pockets I was permitted to leave my bayonet in the barracks box). Other members on that course were likewise missing load carriage kit (webbing or tac vest), rucksacks, sleeping bags, boots even though they did some issues shortly after.

We were running courses with temp issue sleeping gear and load carriage ten years ago consistently, it's only gotten worse. While members holding kit they shouldn't is doubtless part of the problem, it's one that we've had a decade to address. We've disposed of enough old equipment that half the time the solution has been members buying surplus rucksacks for themselves or more senior members loaning out theirs, which is fine for one off situations but not as a matter of routine. This is some of the lowest hanging fruit, and we've consistently dropped the ball on it both from an equipment management standpoint (why is kit not being collected upon transfer out of field units if that's what we're doing, it's not like we haven't had shortages forever) and never buying/retaining enough. During COVID we had most of two courses worth of DP1 candidates given 13 broken 82 pattern rucks to share, we cannibalized like 5 working ones and a sixth that was kinda dangerous due to metal pokey bits but a staff member taped it up and rolled with it. Probably half? the troops didn't have sleeping kit, for the nights the temps dropped they slept in rain or ICE gear. Interesting intro to the infantry but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a sleeping bag for the garrison portion.

Either just buy a bunch for right now until we sort out the permanent solution, or make some funding available for members or units to make some purchases to patch things over.
 
I initially agreed with this but in hindsight, no, that's bullshit. Clearly, not literally everyone needs it, but basic load carriage and sleeping gear should be available to most/all members if for nothing else than dom ops, or being tasked out last minute for something where you may not be staying in proper accommodations. These are such cheap and durable items it's easy to ensure everyone has it available.
I'm not one to make excuses for senior leadership failures as much of this is due simply to the fact that the CAF has been under resourced for decades now and folks were making the best choices they could with the money they had. And yet while folks were having to make do in Afghanistan and troops back home had little to work with while headquarters above brigade level expanded at an alarming rate. And no, these folks did not need field gear because only a tiny fraction of them ever went near the field.

Equipment shortages and unserviceability are what makes the CAF a Potemkin village.

“There is one thing worse for an army than not having a desired warfighting capability, and that is pretending that you have one.” *
* [Colonel (Retd) Harry Fullerton, “The British Army is in serious trouble. How did this happen and what can be done about it?” National Security News, January 22, 2025. ]

🍻
 
One point seems lost on some people that we are seeing the largest surge in recruitment in decades, suddenly recovery of kit from those who aren't entitled is more urgent. We are also in the transition phase to new personal kit, which makes it more difficult to get what we need until deliveries ramp up.

Some have commented not seeing the budget, This fiscal year, my tool budget is tripled, I finally can order tool boxes for my troops coming off DP1, order gauges to actually do our trade, and spare parts to keep the brigade going. This is something I have not seen in the reserves in all my 17 years.
 
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