Unless I'm mistaken, war time and operational surges is the whole point of the US Merchant Marine and the Military Sealift command and even what's left of the National Defence Reserve Fleet and the Ready Reserve Force.
Unless I'm mistaken, war time and operational surges is the whole point of the US Merchant Marine and the Military Sealift command and even what's left of the National Defence Reserve Fleet and the Ready Reserve Force.
Canada may not be planning much for the future but the US hasn't been sleeping on this issue. There's a comparable air arm in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet which uses commercial airliners.
You might want to reread my post and tell me where you found the "So you're saying ..." bit.
You might want to reread my post and tell me where you found the "So you're saying ..." bit.
Last time that I looked, I'm the cynic on this forum who is constantly yapping about how Canada isn't doing enough and needs to get its head out of its ass. Let me look ... oh yeah. Here it is, in my little book "Unsustainable At Any Price" is where I suggest that a RORO capability might be something to steer the navy reserve to - maybe as part of a federal funding model with some of our ocean going ferry fleets. Pipe dreams of course.
Spoiler alert - don't get the book now - I'm rewriting a second edition to be out soon.
Anyways. Back to tanks.
FTFY.
Sort of a Reverse Shilo/BATUS. Now purchase a battery of Archers to support that tank Regiment (interim purchase of course)My vote is to put 44 tanks (three 14-tank squadrons) into Latvia and do a three year posting for a regimental headquarters, a full squadron and enough maintainers.
Another regimental headquarters and three tank squadrons go to Edmonton together with all remaining tanks (and I mean all! - except the RCEME reference tank). This regiment has a flyover task to round out the regiment with two squadrons and the rest of the regimental headquarters. They do level 1 to 4 in Canada and conduct at least two level 5-7 exercises in Latvia annually for three to 4 weeks at a pop. You can fly the whole shebang over in one CC330-Huskey for those folks still concerned about logistics. There's probably enough space to add a flyover rifle company to make a really good Battle group.
Easy-peasy. We supply a full tank regiment to NATO for three years. Logistics are simplified. No messy MRP or six month rotations to worry about. No burn out. Every three years you do another posting cycle for volunteers who want it.
Hell - add in a couple of two week level 3 and 4 summer exercises and you can have the KOCR and the SALH (maybe even the SaskDs) get involved as well.
I don't see the problem here. We have the tanks. We have eager people. We have a viable mission. This isn't rocket science. Move a little funding into tank maintenance and Bob's your uncle. And don't start with every regiment needs a turn. Sometimes you just have to tell people to FO. Throw them a bone and make a flyover recce/cavalry task as well.
You were talking about how hard it would be to get tanks to theatre. I merely pointed out that we already did it. The tanks are there now. And we've done it before. I sailed on TRIDENT JUNCTURE. I am a little proud of our strat movers - they've helped me a couple of times with the movement of BGs. That nobody was trying to destroy us does not take away from the fact that we can move equipment across oceans.
The flow of equipment for the expanded eFP is part of STDE as is the RIP of the eFP BG. There are other components as well. The Light Battalion piece won't be until later in the year - not under the STDE umbrella.
Toyota Hilux with various armaments, removed from in front of Legions,
mounted in the back.
