The problem, of course, is promising soldiers that they can have families and otherwise 'normal' lives.
For a time there as a subbie I felt that we should all be better off if we were warrior monks. That could have worked but then they were shoving teachers and nurses at us in the officers' mess and well ...
We'd do far batter to hire people for 6 to 8 years, ride them like rented mules, then pay them off and place them onto a reserve list for reactivation as required.
I joined under a nine-year short service commission. Then Hellyer made it so that we all made captain automatically so long as we didn't piss in our Corn Flakes and even before that magic moment came we were all converted to indefinite engagements unless we absolutely insisted to stay SSCs. And - ta da - we were lifers.
Turning the CAF into a uniformed arm of the public service, if that is the idea, is a huge mistake.
Yup. That's what happened. I was there to watch it happening all around me. We could all feel it happening. There were even a lot of folks who were in favour of it happening.
I actually think that it's not that hard to deliver on "normal" lives if there were two terms of service for people entering the RegF.
It starts with the 30/70 concept so that you can form hybrid brigades in places places like Toronto, London, Montreal, Quebec City, even Ottawa (amongst others).
Restricted terms of service would allow a recruit to select a geographic area of service for their career. It would provide the opportunity to rise as high as colonel or CWO 9possibly higher in some places) without ever leaving the region. Postings would be confined to within the brigade's area. They would be required to attend exercises or operational tours outside their regions, but members would have the option to decline career courses or promotion offers outside the specified geographic area. Think of the restricted terms of service like a long-term Class B contract where the individual can be moved around to other jobs in the region and where he has to go on exercises and on operations outside of the region when ordered to. Nonetheless it provides tremendous family advantages.
Unrestricted terms of service would be like we have now. It would have certain perks like enhanced career course and promotion opportunities.
During the course of their career, individuals could apply to change from one terms of service to the other, if positions are available and the service approves.
That's the outline sketch.
