Informing the Army’s Future Structure

[Colin Parkinson]

So, my experience (which with $2 gets a coffee at Tim's):

Admin will suck up the equivalent of 1/2 to 1 day per week. There's a lot of things that CO can't delegate, or there are things where, even if delegated, the CO still has to review or at least maintain SA on. Assuming the average of those, that's 39 days a year. I'll include the monthly (in not more frequent) brigade meetings for an evening in that tally.

There's the infamous one weekend a month - call it 2.5 days for eight months of the year. That's another 20 days - some of which will be in unit, some will be Bde inflicted PD.

There are ceremonial and representational activities. Even at a half day a month, that's another 5-6 days a year.

And there are the pop-ups, the things that are not scheduled, not planned, like the MP investigations requiring a reply, the queries from much higher HQs about what Bloggins did; the summary proceedings etc etc that are easily a day every month, another 10-12 days a year.

That's easily 75+ days a year. If a CO commands a geographically dispersed unit, with subunits more than 150km away, add in travel days.

Hell even as a Cadet CO with 30 kids I am doing something related to the program on average 3 days a week.

 

[FJAG]

Flew in an A 330-200 the other day. Impressive plane. It reinforced my view that Canada now does have the capability for a viable fly-over reinforcement of its forces in Europe or anywhere it holds prepositioned equipment and supplies and conditions are pre-active hostilities.

IMHO, buying those (even configured as MRTT) is one of the best decisions the RCAF made. Each aircraft can hold around 300 pax, depending on configuration) which effectively means you can lift a battalion of troops on two aircraft. We could conceivably reinforce a forward deployed armoured/mech brigade in one lift.

 

[Fabius]

I am curious what people think of this concept that I saw this month.

1. Remove the Light Bns from each of the 3 CMBGs.

2. Form a new Light Infantry Regiment (LIR) with the 3 Light Bns (No Cap Badge changes)

3. This LIR would have a LIR HQ and the 3 Bns. The HQ is more of a force generation HQ. Initially the LIR would not be intended to fight as a Regiment or Bde, however there would be scope to expand it into a full light Bde slowly over 10 years plus.

4. The 3 CMBGs would all now have two mech infantry Bns and their Armoured Regiment ( Medium or Heavy Cav I guess depending on the Bde)

 

[FJAG]

I am curious what people think of this concept that I saw this month.

1. Remove the Light Bns from each of the 3 CMBGs.

I'm all for the concept but would want to see it taken to its logical conclusion as a bde even if that means folding a company in each of the bns to form a bde hq and CSS element. Fill the third companies and the rest of the CSS with ARes personnel. Better yet, thin out the herd in Ottawa.n
I'm generally against administrative force generating structures. They aim too low.

 

[Fabius]

At first glance I thought it was good, and it has potential. However I too think it should aim at the Bde level.
That’s were I start wondering about the overall theme of keeping all 3 CMBGs and their respective Engr, Arty, Svc Bn, HQ and Sigs and Fd Amb units as Mechanized units.

All while the new LIR has no associated light CS and CSS elements. That problem has already raised its head with regards to the GRTF structure and its Managed Readiness Plan in relation to those CS and CSS elements.

 

[KevinB]

At first glance I thought it was good, and it has potential. However I too think it should aim at the Bde level.

Agreed, but I think it’s a win at this point to at least separate the LIB’s.
Right now they just have BN tasks, so while I’d prefer a Light Bde, I’d say this is a start and most importantly not the same status quote that has existed for 30 years.

That’s were I start wondering about the overall theme of keeping all 3 CMBGs and their respective Engr, Arty, Svc Bn, HQ and Sigs and Fd Amb units as Mechanized units.

I see it as the start of a Mechanized/Armoured Div. Something that the CA really hasn’t ever had and only cosplayed at in the 89’s and 90’s.

All while the new LIR has no associated light CS and CSS elements. That problem has already raised its head with regards to the GRTF structure and its Managed Readiness Plan in relation to those CS and CSS elements.

Crawl, walk, run.

I think just getting the CA to understand that the symmetrical C “M” BG’s were not good is a win.

 

[Fabius]

I think just getting the CA to understand that the symmetrical C “M” BG’s were not good is a win.

That is very true. That sets the stage for everything. It’s a hard slog to destroy the hold symmetry has on the CA.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Agreed, but I think it’s a win at this point to at least separate the LIB’s.
Right now they just have BN tasks, so while I’d prefer a Light Bde, I’d say this is a start and most importantly not the same status quote that has existed for 30 years.

There also seems to be a paradigm that if you start as a 'light' unit you will always be a light unit.

Other countries' militaries regularly rotate their units through light and other roles, like mech.

 

[Fabius]

The other item that’s interesting in this developing structure is that the 3 CMBGs are grouped as a single war fighting division with intentions to create the fires, protection and sustainment Bdes along with the Div HQ to make it a war fighting Div.
Interestingly the reserves don’t seem to have any formal role above individual augmentation in this Div.
The reserves are all held in a separate “continental Div” that doesn’t seem to have a war fighting role but rather is an administrative Div.

 

[dapaterson]

The other item that’s interesting in this developing structure is that the 3 CMBGs are grouped as a single war fighting division with intentions to create the fires, protection and sustainment Bdes along with the Div HQ to make it a war fighting Div.
Interestingly the reserves don’t seem to have any formal role above individual augmentation in this Div.
The reserves are all held in a separate “continental Div” that doesn’t seem to have a war fighting role but rather is an administrative Div.

They appear to be CMBs, not CMBGs. Putting a stake through the heart of the "mini division" will be a win in and of itself.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Interestingly the reserves don’t seem to have any formal role above individual augmentation in this Div.
The reserves are all held in a separate “continental Div” that doesn’t seem to have a war fighting role but rather is an administrative Div.

Given the current terms of service, structure, scale of weapons and equipment issue, and leadership approach for the PRes that's about all you could reasonably expect at this point IMHO.

The more we sustain a 'two army' approach to the CAF the less integration - and the more waste and inefficiency - we will continue to sustain.