Oldgateboatdriver
Army.ca Veteran
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Infanteer said:For some reason, there is a Reserve "shadow" organization that seems to mirror the chain of command from top to bottom. Is this necessary?
It certainly used to be.
There was a time just post unification (approx. 68 to 74) where the reserves (all three) were almost wiped out and turned into mere "re-entry" columns for a nuclear devastated Canada. It was also a dark time for the Reg Force which had to deal with "fixed" budgets and increasing manpower costs that wiped out equipment (69 to 78). It was very easy under those circumstances to cut and steal from the reserves budgets. Thus the need developed for a system whereby reservists at all level could smack their Reg Force counterparts on the side of the head and say "Hellloooooo! I am heeeeere!!!".
Is there still a need with today's total force? I am not in a position to comment intelligently on that subject but I do know from friends still in that there is still a fight to be had, at least in the Navy, between the truly part time reservists and their issues on one hand and the long employment reservists on the other.
If such issues still exist, then the need continues today for such job.
P.s.: IIRC, the first Chief of Reserve and Cadet post was developed for General Richard Rohmer (Air force) and that led to the air reserve getting the Kiowa's. Not necessarily the best of deals - but at least the air reserve got to fly something when they were otherwise about to lose their last aircrafts.