Informing the Army’s Future Structure

[FJAG]

Which mean maybe it is more practical to plan for units that don't need to have that sort of thing.
Maybe BC isn't a good place for a PRes Arty unit - and maybe just Infantry (Light/Mountain) and Engineers (Light/Mountain) are practical in that area.

It's still necessary; it just needs to be the right type.

Have more Armoured and Artillery units in the Prairie's...

By all means but the Prairies are not good performers for the mass that you need. That mass is around Vancouver (which is also a weak producer of soldiers for its size) SW Ontario and SW Quebec. You can't make the population move to where the ranges are so you need to get very serious with training simulators of various types that will work locally and you need to get very serious air moving people to the ranges of operational areas where they will consolidate their training.

The symmetry aspect of the MO is pretty unproductive. BC has the population and terrain to be able to a pretty legit reserve mountain infantry brigade. Sure they won't be 10th Mountain or the Alpini, but you'd have an actual useful formation.

BC's primary problem is the underperformance of their establishment. The very old figures that I have show that 39 CBG generates about 1,500 folks. That's far short of a brigade, even a stripped down light brigade of some 3-3,500 folks. You would think that with a population of 5.5 million with just short of 3 million in Vancouver and Victoria. The Maritimes, with a total population of roughly 2.5 million generate some 3,000 collectively in 36 and 37 CBGs

With only 11 units its hard to tell with they are close to filling their allocated paid ceilings or are unable to fill what they have.

I'm not against them being trained as mountain troops but I look at both coast to need something in the nature of anti-access/area denial forces that can operate along the length of the coast. In fact I would consider it a prime component of a joint command that fuses ARes with NavRes and 4 CRPG. Components that could be generated with current strength would include:

a) an ARes coastal surveillance regiment of both CRPG and ARes armoured subunits (including SUAS)

b) an ARes air defence battery for CFB Victoria (devolved from 5 BC Arty Regt)

c) a NavRes coastal patrol vessel squadron (think Combat Boat 90N)

d) a NavRes coastal mine laying/clearance squadron (think Kingston MCDV class)

d) an ARes light infantry battalion trained to operate both amphibiously with CB 90Ns as well as in rugged coastal terrain.

e) an ARes anti-ship missile battery (think NMESIS, devolved from 15 Fd Regt)

f) a hybrid joint headquarters with long range comms, EW, cyber, MI capabilities

I see something similar, only larger for the east coast.

Assuming that the leadership can lose a few pounds first, of course

Fire the leadership. If all they can do is generate the wimpy force that they have from that large a population then a new team is needed.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

The big challenge in Vancouver/Lowermainland is the cost of living, our classic recruiting base, either can't afford to live here, once they graduate most have to move. The others are working like dogs to keep their head above water. Likely they don't have the energy to commit to another profession. Plus 3 of the major demographics all look down on the military as a low status occupation or for the people incapable of succeeding in business. Or their parents have experienced war (Indo-Pak, Iran-Iraq) and don't want their kids having to go to war as well.