Force 2025
Situation
Force 2025 (F2025) is the Canadian Army (CA)’s initiative to review all its components to optimize and modernize its structures to meet current and projected operational requirements as well as support SSE initiatives.
Recognizing that the CA’s effectiveness is adversely affected by a shortfall of 8000 people, an extensive analysis was carried out in December 2021. As a result, a new structure was adopted and is now being implemented.
This new, ‘One Army’ structure will see the integration of the Primary Reserves, Canadian Rangers, civilians, and the Regular Force into a single, integrated team.
Increased integration enhances command and control relationships and training opportunities, and clarifies assigned tasks and integration points, ensuring the CA is prepared to carry out assigned tasks and support concurrent operations.
The One Army model also supports digital transformation initiatives. It is sufficiently agile to respond to modern threats such cyber and space and enable the CA to address capability gaps in areas such as Ground-Based Air Defence, long-range heavy indirect fire support, Counter Improvised Explosive Device (CIED), and Chemical Biological Radioactive Nuclear (CBRN) expertise.
F2025 also includes initiatives to refine attraction, recruiting, and retention. In line with Canadian Armed Forces Reconstitution efforts, the CA is implementing policies to enable the operational capability of Reserve personnel, while ensuring that administration is streamlined, and the continued development and integration of Reserve Mission Tasks to build capacity and depth.
F2025 has six key components:
- Changes to the training model - Reinforcing training centres with instructors from units to reduce pressure on individual units to design, plan and carry out training;
- Staffing realignment - Prioritizing the staffing levels of units, including reallocation of vacant positions for both Regular Force and Reserve units;
- Modernization of structure - While units will see a decrease in total positions, the force generation output is expected to remain largely unchanged through tailored Reserve Mission Tasks and reciprocal integration of Regular Force soldiers into Reserve units;
- Realignment of responsibilities and authorities - Pushing these functions to newly-created entities or to existing structures where they may be more suitable. Analysis to seek efficiencies is ongoing;
- Ready Force Levels - Integration of Regular and Reserve components through tailored and tiered Readiness structures that will identify tasks to a unit based on personnel and equipment allocation; and
- Maintaining a strategic Reserve Force that can be mobilized quickly.
Action
- A F2025 Warning Order was issued in March 2022, and the proposed final structure plan is being tested in war games before it is approved;
- In line with the current international context, the CA is exploring the concept of a global response task force that would provide forces offering a wide range of options to the federal government for emerging crises around the world and at home;;
- The CA is improving coordination with Canadian Joint Operations Command and Canadian Special Operations Forces Command to better align force generation with force employment and ensure proper force design;;
- The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps will be modernized and centralized in a single formation based in Alberta. Additional trials will be conducted to inform tasks, mission tasks and structures in order to reduce national procurement and increase its integration into a digitally networked CA;
- The CA is Experimenting with Second and Third Line logistics through the reorganization of Combat Service Support between 2 Service Battalion and 4th Canadian Division Support Group in support of Ex MAPLE RESOVE. What we learn will be adjusted and applied.
