Divining the right role, capabilities, structure, and Regimental System for Canada's Army Reserves

[daftandbarmy]

We already are integrated: we have some excellent support from our embedded Reg F/ full time staff.

 

[McG]

Financially what might make the most sense would be to make all reserve regiments into out lying companies of  a reg force affiliated regiment. For example right now we have 4 RCR based in London, and if all the infantry units in 31 brigade were made into out lying companies of 4 RCR it would eliminate a lot of unnecessary upper echelon clag. You wouldn't have all these reserve Lt. Colonels and RSM's running around pretending that they're commanding an infantry battalion when in actuality at best they're commanding a heavy company. It would also eliminate all these expensive orders of regimental dress from the clothing budget and put everyone in DEUs.

With all the excitement over military heritage announcements, you are more likely to see 4 RCR return to being The Oxford Rifles and the Canadian Fusiliers (City of London Regiment).

I assume that you are aware 4 RCR is a reserve "battalion" and not a regular force unit.  Your proposal is not a return to 10/90, but for aggregation of micro-units to create actual healthy battalions.

The idea of aggregating smaller than sub-unit sized PRes battalions to create actual battalion (-) size units has been discussed a number of times under a number of different models.  Some have suggested doing away with reserve regimental identities (and the emotional organizational barriers they introduce), others have suggested amalgamation of regiments (as has been previously done in Canada and to a greater extent in the UK), and still others have proposed allowing sub-units (companies & squadrons) to retain distinct regimental identities within regimentally neutral battalions.  Fewer but bigger reserve battalions would be the substance of such a reform while regimental identities and what to do with them is the window dressing ... but it is a very emotional window dressing, prone to fighting & resisting change that it does not like.

 

[Dissident]

We already are integrated: we have some excellent support from our embedded Reg F/ full time staff.

Totally agree. I've seen what an experienced reg force member can bring to a reserve organization.

What I am referring to is: our reserve coy is part of of a reg force Regiment. Culture clash abound.

 

[Container]

We already are integrated: we have some excellent support from our embedded Reg F/ full time staff.

An excellent point. My limited experience with this has already demonstrated its usefulness. The consistency is nice- as is the breadth of experience along with the knowledge/connections

 

[daftandbarmy]

Totally agree. I've seen what an experienced reg force member can bring to a reserve organization.

What I am referring to is: our reserve coy is part of of a reg force Regiment. Culture clash abound.

Many... many years ago we supported 2 Cdo with an airborne platoon from the Royal Westminster Regiment.

I can honestly say that it was not a complete failure, but you could see it from where we were. Basically, the Reg F unit is so busy it just ignores you until it's too late, then they give you shit because you're not doing what you're supposed to. Even during joint exercises we were largely forgotten about in a variety of ways. No mystery there as if they only saw us for a couple of days once a year then it's hard to fully integrate on a variety of levels.

Out of sight, out of mind. If the reserve unit can not be co-located with the Reg F unit on a regular basis, then it's unlikely to work out well.

 

[myself.only]

Financially what might make the most sense would be to make all reserve regiments into out lying companies of  a reg force affiliated regiment.

Well, we could re-badge some RegF bns to affect the same change.... return QOR and the Black Watch to the ORBAT for example.

 

[myself.only]

Out of sight, out of mind. If the reserve unit can not be co-located with the Reg F unit on a regular basis, then it's unlikely to work out well.

And I would think that co-location of reserve units would undermine some of the PRes' capability when dispersed to maintain a footprint across Canada and provide local responses in emergencies.

 

[GR66]

Do all "Reserve" units have to be the same?  Perhaps some units, co-located with Reg Force units (or geographically close enough to facilitate cooperative training, admin, support and supply, etc.) could be directly affiliated with their parent unit and organized in such a way as to provide trained augmentees (or even sub-units) in direct support of their parent unit. 

Other units could be organized, equipped and trained instead to fill other specific roles required by the reserves.  This could include specific support roles such as mortars, traffic control, security/aid to civil powers, mud recce, signals support, etc.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Do all "Reserve" units have to be the same?  Perhaps some units, co-located with Reg Force units (or geographically close enough to facilitate cooperative training, admin, support and supply, etc.) could be directly affiliated with their parent unit and organized in such a way as to provide trained augmentees (or even sub-units) in direct support of their parent unit. 

Other units could be organized, equipped and trained instead to fill other specific roles required by the reserves.  This could include specific support roles such as mortars, traffic control, security/aid to civil powers, mud recce, signals support, etc.

But all the Regs would have to work weekends too, just like reservists do ;D

 

[MilEME09]

But all the Regs would have to work weekends too, just like reservists do ;D

Yeah good luck having that one fly, I've seen our reg force staff out twice in four years, nice that they did come out, but I doubt many are willing to give up their weekends regularly.  Reg force staff are great for Pres units, however I also think some units rely on them too much leading to them being over worked, and over stretched for their role within that unit.

 

[OldSolduer]

Yeah good luck having that one fly, I've seen our reg force staff out twice in four years, nice that they did come out, but I doubt many are willing to give up their weekends regularly.  Reg force staff are great for Pres units, however I also think some units rely on them too much leading to them being over worked, and over stretched for their role within that unit.

Good assessment on the over use and dependence on Reg Force RSS staff.

If we, the PRes, want to be seen as near equals, then we have to do the lions share of the work ourselves.

 

[MilEME09]

Good assessment on the over use and dependence on Reg Force RSS staff.

If we, the PRes, want to be seen as near equals, then we have to do the lions share of the work ourselves.

Agree'd, In my unit at least we have plenty of people willing to step up, part of the issue brought up though is why will an RSS staff member take X weeks to train some one who might be gone in a few months?. I have also seen people get turned down because units say they don't have the funds for class B, or officers think they have enough people.

 

[x_para76]

Totally agree. I've seen what an experienced reg force member can bring to a reserve organization.

What I am referring to is: our reserve coy is part of of a reg force Regiment. Culture clash abound.

I agree with you about the experience a reg force senior nco or officer can bring to a reserve unit... providing that they have a good idea and are actually happy to be there. During my service with the reserves I would say that about 50% of the reg force staff that we got were incredible and a real asset. The other 50% were pissed off and unmotivated and spent more time figuring out ways to get out of the posting than they did doing their job. In some cases I couldn't blame them but nevertheless it does no favours to the unit that they're supposed to be supporting.

 

[GR66]

If you're going to formally affiliate some Reserve units with a parent Reg Force unit then I think you'd probably want to change the way those units relate to each other.  I agree that trying to do it with the existing RSS staff set-up probably wouldn't work.  Maybe we need a new "class" of reservist for these units...more of a part-time Reg Force member rather than Reservists that work full time and Reg force members just working with a Reserve unit.  That way unit admin could be run directly through the parent unit instead of trying to have two parallel systems trying to work together.

 

[McG]

Maybe we need a new "class" of reservist for these units...more of a part-time Reg Force member rather than Reservists that work full time and Reg force members just working with a Reserve unit.

A what? ???

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

What we need to do with the Reserves is reform them so that they can force generate actual capabilities for the CF because right now, other then able bodied people they don't offer a whole lot (Organizationally, speaking not talking about people here because their are many great soldiers who are Reservists!)

My personal opinion, the Reserves should focus on providing the CF with key enablers that he reg force cannot take on.  We already do this to an extent but I think this need to be further expanded.  For instance, we have no mortars in the regular infantry right now but why not have each Division be responsible for force generating mortar platoons for deployment on operations.  This is something that would be well within the capabilities of the Reserves to accomplish.

As well, we need to consolidate the amount of reserve units we actually have and link the Reserve Bde Gps to force generation with lets say three Res Bde Gps linked to one of the CMBG's with the responsibility of force generating a battalion sized force for use by the CMBG Comd yearly. 

 

[Journeyman]

Reserves .....they don't offer a whole lot (Organizationally speaking, not talking about people here because there are many great soldiers who are Reservists!)

Now, are you talking about 'people here,' as in, "in this instance," or people here, as in, Reservists posting on army.ca?

......'cause if it's the latter, I can point out one....maybe two....who don't offer a whole lot!  >

 

[MilEME09]

What we need to do with the Reserves is reform them so that they can force generate actual capabilities for the CF because right now, other then able bodied people they don't offer a whole lot (Organizationally, speaking not talking about people here because their are many great soldiers who are Reservists!)

My personal opinion, the Reserves should focus on providing the CF with key enablers that he reg force cannot take on.  We already do this to an extent but I think this need to be further expanded.  For instance, we have no mortars in the regular infantry right now but why not have each Division be responsible for force generating mortar platoons for deployment on operations.  This is something that would be well within the capabilities of the Reserves to accomplish.

As well, we need to consolidate the amount of reserve units we actually have and link the Reserve Bde Gps to force generation with lets say three Res Bde Gps linked to one of the CMBG's with the responsibility of force generating a battalion sized force for use by the CMBG Comd yearly.

Just so I am on the right page your saying Reserve units/brigades should be able to provide a Platoon to Company sized element to augment the reg force when needed? In which case training and qualifications need to be equal to what the Reg force has in my opinion. This way when said reserve group arrives to augment the reg force we don't have a "well you don't have this qual so you cant do this" situation because a say reserve infinteer doesn't get trained on Qualification X

 

[PMedMoe]

Just so I am on the right page your saying Reserve units/brigades should be able to provide a Platoon to Company sized element to augment the reg force when needed? In which case training and qualifications need to be equal to what the Reg force has in my opinion. This way when said reserve group arrives to augment the reg force we don't have a "well you don't have this qual so you cant do this" situation because a say reserve infinteer doesn't get trained on Qualification X

I've been saying that about the Army Reserve for years....  And not "equal" but the same training.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

Just so I am on the right page your saying Reserve units/brigades should be able to provide a Platoon to Company sized element to augment the reg force when needed? In which case training and qualifications need to be equal to what the Reg force has in my opinion. This way when said reserve group arrives to augment the reg force we don't have a "well you don't have this qual so you cant do this" situation because a say reserve infinteer doesn't get trained on Qualification X

That is exactly what I am saying... basically each Division should be able to force generate a Bn (+) sized reserve force to support the Reg Force CMBG they are aligned too.  The focus of this force should be on force generating enablers for the Reg Force i.e. Mortars, Anit-Armour, Vehicle Crews, CIMIC/Psy Ops, HUMINT etc... this way we can cover capability gaps that presently exist within the Reg Force that we don't have right now and provide the Reserves with a valuable raison d'etre! 

Edit:  I am also in favor of sub-dividing the Reserves into different classifications of Reservists, i.e. Active and Supplementary (I know we have a supp res but I used this for lack of a better word).  Active Reserve are essentially full-time soldiers but they are do not move around like Reg Force members and are employed in key areas where we have capability shortfalls.  For instance, employing Reservists in our Influence Activities Task Force.  Some of these people have valuable skills and we should be able to use their skills to maximum effect.  Their career progression could be within that organization as well.  We would be able to stand-up entire Reserve units that are full-time and based in a specific geographic location, they would do the same training everyone else does but would focus on their field of expertise and progress accordingly within their stream.

The Supplementary Reserve would be your traditional part-time soldiers who we could turn to for disaster-relief, aide to civil power, etc and further augmentation of the Reg Force with personnel when required.