Government hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

I have long said that you could fund the CAF to 4 percent of GDP, but we would still lag behind in NATO and be much the same where we are.

It's never the money, it's politics. It's procedures. It's the pork-barreling in our defence spending that makes us a paper tiger in NATO.

My only hope in all of this for the CAF and the GoC, whatever the political stripe that may be, is that it will rouse them out of the "Peace Dividend" slumber. The world has been unstable since 1945. We have used geography, proximity, and association as a Defence Policy ever since. ICBMs don't care how close to the U.S. or how far from Russia/China we are.

Don't give us a dime more, but let us spend money on defence like it matters. The fact we follow the same rules for purchasing a fighter aircraft as we do for buying office furniture for a Service Canada office is disgraceful. Don't treat defense procurement as a stimulus package for Canadian Industry. There I said it.

We spend so much money, time, and effort trying to get that money to stay in Canada; be it by awarding contracts to companies with no capability to produce items without first "retooling" and"developing the production lines", or by hamstringing perfectly competent and competitive bidders by forcing the project to be made in St. Margaret de Poutain de Champignon, QC because the ruling government either lost the seat in the election, or won it with promises.

We spend so much money and staff hours jumping through TBS regulations that are great for other departments, but are terrible for defence procurement. Some items you have to sole source, because there are technologies and capabilities no one else makes. By doing the bid process, you get companies clamoring for a project they can't deliver on, but because they tick the bright boxes on the score sheet....

I truly and honestly belief we need to split from PSPC and legislate that its not beholden to TBS, only to the PBO/PCO. The guiding principles of this new Defence Procurement department should be "Off the shelf, from somewhere else" if there isn't an industry in Canada.

BOOTFORGEN has demonstrated how well we do when we are able to actually get what we need, instead of lining the pockets of a Canadian company that got lucky.

That, but with tanks, fighters, ships, weapons systems....

 

[dimsum]

If a senior leader at my Company talked like that BGen did given the current state of the CAF....they'd be shown the door.

Yes, but the military isn’t (and shouldn’t be) structured like a private company.

 

[daftandbarmy]

If a senior leader at my Company talked like that BGen did given the current state of the CAF....they'd be shown the door.

Well, the key point is that anyone who talks like that wouldn't even make it into the senior ranks in your company, and most others.

In the CAF 'Happy Talk' vs. 'Hard Talk' seems to have become a pre-requisite


Whether you’re the leader of a company or a country, the problem with Happy Talk is that you can’t get out of a crisis until you admit you’re in one. Once you admit it, you can fix it. If you try to sugarcoat it, you can’t explain why people need to take the tough steps and make sacrifices. Trying to make people feel better by under-selling the problem or over-selling personal assurances never works. It just makes the team feel worse. Leaders only make people feel better by clearly stating the problem, providing a credible plan for winning, and getting the team’s buy-in for that plan.

Happy Talk versus Hard Talk

On Friday President Trump declared a national emergency. The market shot up 10% in a relief rally. Why would people be relieved that there…

medium.com

 

[TacticalTea]

Yes, but the military isn’t (and shouldn’t be) structured like a private company.

Why not.

Why not, you... (American Psycho reference)*

More specifically, why should we foster a culture where Generals encourage others to lie? Isn't that a great recipe for operational disaster? Aren't we setting ourselves on the path to tyranny when we readily accept the lie?

I don't think we can get away with glaring organizational issues by just saying "welp, tis ain't no private business!" and carrying merrily along.

(*:not meant personally, I just think it's a funny reference)

 

[dimsum]

Why not.

Why not, you... (American Psycho reference)*

More specifically, why should we foster a culture where Generals encourage others to lie? Isn't that a great recipe for operational disaster? Aren't we setting ourselves on the path to tyranny when we readily accept the lie?

I don't think we can get away with glaring organizational issues by just saying "welp, tis ain't not private business!" and carrying merrily along.

(*:not meant personally, I just think it's a funny reference)

I’m not saying that Generals should encourage others to lie. What I’m saying is that the military shouldn’t be structured like a private company, where profit (and shareholder happiness) is priority #1.

Private companies would do “just in time” logistics because it saves money. We want stores in case things go south.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Why not.

Why not, you... (American Psycho reference)*

More specifically, why should we foster a culture where Generals encourage others to lie? Isn't that a great recipe for operational disaster? Aren't we setting ourselves on the path to tyranny when we readily accept the lie?

I don't think we can get away with glaring organizational issues by just saying "welp, tis ain't no private business!" and carrying merrily along.

(*:not meant personally, I just think it's a funny reference)

At least Bill Blair seems to be leading by example through calling out the big problem of the moment...

Canada’s military facing ‘death spiral’ on recruitment, minister says - National | Globalnews.ca

The federal government is “constrained” on more defence spending given the “current fiscal environment,” Defence Minister Bill Blair says.

globalnews.ca

And the CDS too....

Defence chief ‘very concerned’ about readiness against growing threats - National | Globalnews.ca

Gen. Wayne Eyre spoke with Global News amid commemorations for the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa about the military's readiness and emerging threats.

globalnews.ca

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

I’m not saying that Generals should encourage others to lie. What I’m saying is that the military shouldn’t be structured like a private company, where profit (and shareholder happiness) is priority #1.

Private companies would do “just in time” logistics because it saves money. We want stores in case things go south.

We do "Just in time" logistics and our VOR rate is WAY better than the CAFs. The CAF needs a wholesale teardown and redesign. I would personally cut the Reg Force down by about 20,000+ people and mothball all of the antiquated equipment for a start.

 

[rmc_wannabe]

"You cannot change what you fail to acknowledge; and what you fail to acknowledge will only get worse until you do." - Rule #1 of the RSM's 3; taught to me some 17 years ago.

There are far too many people within CAF, Government, and private industry that need this stapled to their forehead.

You can preach positivity, "they aren't problems, they're opportunities...", or "come to me with your solutions".... any multitude of managerial drivel preached on any MBA or JCSP. Until you are ready to acknowledge how bad things are, you are grossly ignorant of what the potential solutions should be.

I mean every word of it when I tell my soldiers that "things are awful, but we still have a job to do. We need to support our people , with what we have available, and hope for the best. This will pass; it may pass like a kidney stone, but it will pass. Hang in there."

 

[Cloud Cover]

This fellow concludes that with 2% funding, the CAF could just barely equip to meet its on paper force requirements, but the military would not be able to recruit, train, retain a force of 100,000 fit for fighting duty, (and probably never will be able to IMO).

 

[dimsum]

We do "Just in time" logistics and our VOR rate is WAY better than the CAFs. The CAF needs a wholesale teardown and redesign. I would personally cut the Reg Force down by about 20,000+ people and mothball all of the antiquated equipment for a start.

Yes, when supplies flow. What if it doesn’t?

To be fair, I think JIT works for a business. But the last few years have shown that maybe JIT doesn’t work for stuff like 155mm, and other military needs.

 

[Halifax Tar]

If it came to conflict, the NAVRes to my understanding i in a better position compared to the ARes. I don't know how many ships we could crew out but I imagine a few

NAVRES is designed to produce individual augmentation. The NRDs are not themselves mobile or deployable. They are essentially little RCN attractions and recruiting stations all over the country.

2 days ago, I was told by a Bgen that stating obvious problems was showing bad attitude, we need to have a positive mind set…. The issues is more then money.

That BGen is part of the problem.

Yes, when supplies flow. What if it doesn’t?

To be fair, I think JIT works for a business. But the last few years have shown that maybe JIT doesn’t work for stuff like 155mm, and other military needs.

JIT doesn't work for us. Again we need warehouses strategically located and filled to the brim with stock, for just in case. That's bad business but its good military logistics.

 

[ArmyRick]

I’m not saying that Generals should encourage others to lie. What I’m saying is that the military shouldn’t be structured like a private company, where profit (and shareholder happiness) is priority #1.

Private companies would do “just in time” logistics because it saves money. We want stores in case things go south.

Unless your a business that sucks off the teat of this generous government, here is the key rule in Business.

Your effective or your done. No ifs, ands or buts.

You treat employees like shit, it will cost you
You don't manage funds properly, you go bankrupt
You don't acknowledge real problems or root causes, you go down.

 

[markppcli]

We do "Just in time" logistics and our VOR rate is WAY better than the CAFs. The CAF needs a wholesale teardown and redesign. I would personally cut the Reg Force down by about 20,000+ people and mothball all of the antiquated equipment for a start.

I’d love to know where you think we have 20,000 surplus bodies. The Navy and Air Force can barely function at present manning, and the Army has maybe 15000 in the Field Force.

 

[KevinB]

I’d love to know where you think we have 20,000 surplus bodies. The Navy and Air Force can barely function at present manning, and the Army has maybe 15000 in the Field Force.

I suspect he’s wiling to cut across the board to make a leaner and meaner force.

Maybe the Army could get by with 1 CMBG, 1 CLBG, and 1 CSSB? As well as parsing the other services as well.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

Yes, but the military isn’t (and shouldn’t be) structured like a private company.

Never said it would operate like one. The CAF seems to take all the wrong lessons from Organizational Behaviors, Business Schools, etc though.

Yes, when supplies flow. What if it doesn’t?

To be fair, I think JIT works for a business. But the last few years have shown that maybe JIT doesn’t work for stuff like 155mm, and other military needs.

Ammunition wouldn't be JIT in my business, that would be like saying fuel or parts for cars should be delivered JIT. Ammunition is a consumable and should be treated as such.

One of the problems with the CAF is what they allocate their funds towards:

The CAF is too large for its funding envelope and it has too many layers of superfluous bureaucracy. To be frank, they need to make deep cuts to their management structure, divest excess infrastructure and antiquated equipment which is becoming increasingly expensive to operate and reinvest in leaner and meaner Military.

NAVRES is designed to produce individual augmentation. The NRDs are not themselves mobile or deployable. They are essentially little RCN attractions and recruiting stations all over the country.



That BGen is part of the problem.

I think @daftandbarmy hit the nail on the head with their comment on "Happy Talk vs Hard Talk".

Current CAF Culture is a large part of the problem and if I had to assess the Leadership style and current institutional trends, it would probably straddle between Avoider/Accommodator on the chart below:

This isn't to say there aren't strong individual leaders as there most certainly are. I don't believe the institution cultivates a strong leadership culture and it certainly doesn't value getting things done.

Sad fall from grace for an organization that used to pride itself on its ability to develop leaders.

JIT doesn't work for us. Again we need warehouses strategically located and filled to the brim with stock, for just in case. That's bad business but its good military lologistics.

I agree with this, the problem is the CAF does neither JIT or Stockpiling, and if it does, it does it poorly. The truth is no business that wants to be successful does purely JIT logistics.

We are selective on what we use JIT for. We use it for Locomotives because it makes no sense to have more Locomotives running than you actually need to run your operation. These are $million+ dollar assets and having a bunch sit idle burning fuel as an added expense line is bad business.

We do keep a small Reserve for emergencies but we keep 95% of them constantly moving. As such, we have a robust maintenance and inspection cycle to keep them operational with information that is fed in real-time to our fleet management team.

One of my Locomotives broke last week. It was lifted within 12 hours and sent to the Shops for repair within 6 hours and I had a replacement 2 days later that traveled halfway across the Country to get to me.

Car parts are something that we do keep a large stock of. Bearings, hoses, valves, knuckles, etc will break from wear and tear frequently and we generally have them repaired within a day to keep product moving to customers. This is easy to maintain because we use common & standardized parts for all our cars that are interchangeable, no matter the car or commodity being transported.

 

[ueo]

Yes, but the military isn’t (and shouldn’t be) structured like a private company.

Umm yeah, however basic leadership principles apply in both.

 

[OldSolduer]

Sarcasm is my middle name.....

It used to be Danger but….

 

[markppcli]

I suspect he’s wiling to cut across the board to make a leaner and meaner force.

Maybe the Army could get by with 1 CMBG, 1 CLBG, and 1 CSSB? As well as parsing the other services as well.

The Canadian Army is something around 44000, with 20000 reservists. How you eliminate 20000 full time positions from that and keep three Bdes would be an interesting numbers game.

 

[TacticalTea]

it certainly doesn't value getting things done.

That's what gets you in trouble in the CAF.

 

[KevinB]

The Canadian Army is something around 44000, with 20000 reservists. How you eliminate 20000 full time positions from that and keep three Bdes would be an interesting numbers game.

I don’t think he’s talking just about the Army.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

I’d love to know where you think we have 20,000 surplus bodies. The Navy and Air Force can barely function at present manning, and the Army has maybe 15000 in the Field Force.

See below

I suspect he’s wiling to cut across the board to make a leaner and meaner force.

Maybe the Army could get by with 1 CMBG, 1 CLBG, and 1 CSSB? As well as parsing the other services as well.

Bingo @KevinB

I would do a wholesale amalgamation of Formations, HQs, Fleets, Wings across the board.

I would make equipment divestments. I would close bases and I would ruthlessly cut various headquarters in Ottawa and elsewhere.

The Navy would immediately lose 3 Halifax Class Frigates, 6 Kingston Class Patrol Vessels to cannibalization with parts, $$$, and personnel reallocated to the current fleet to keep it running until procurement catches up.

All Victoria Class Submarines would be centralized on one coast. Multiple HQs would be closed and personnel reallocated to the fighting force.

The Army would immediately lose a Brigade and the equipment, PYs, etc would be transferred to the other two brigades.

2 CMBG would be my first choice but I would re-role portions of it in to a rapid reaction Regiment and keep that based in Petawawa. I would probably give it to CANSOF to manage and simply expand CSOR. They can carry the lineage of the Royal Canadian Dragoons as I Iike the idea of Parachute Dragoons . There are enough high quality candidates currently employed sweeping lines to achieve this.

We would keep an Infantry Battalion in Petawawa and a Battalion in Gagetown for some representation and for DOMOPS availability. Rest of 2CMBG gets merged with 5 CMBG and the Brigade HQ can remain in Québec.

All of the Tanks can go out West, there is a nice disused building in Wainwright that is brand spanking new, and currently the largest ball hockey rink in the CAF, which can become the new home of the Lord Strathcona's Horse.

CCSB = Gone
CADTC = Moved to Gagetown and amalgamated with CTC
CMTC = Gone
5th Cdn Div = Gone
4th Cdn Div = Gone
Various Reserve HQs/Formations = Amalgamated/Gone

Many Officers would find themselves out of work and would be given severance/buy out packages.

The Air Force would see some base closures, some amalgamation of units as well. I know there are many efficiencies to be found.

Tbh, I consider the Air Force the most operationally capable and expeditionary focused element we've got, next to CANSOF at the moment. The Navy and Army are morbidly obese.

the list above is not exhaustive.... I don't have enough time today to draw a mind map