Multi Role Boats (and other small boats thread).

[Kirkhill]

Aye. There's a plan.

Wait until there's a threat and then we'll figure out what to do about it and conjure a response.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Aye. There's a plan.

Wait until there's a threat and then we'll figure out what to do about it and conjure a response.

Aye! There is, and its not what you mention.

I don't know how you do things in the Army, but in the Navy, we have a whole bunch of contingency plans for all sorts of things, the are called (or used to be called) MAOP's (Maritime Operations Plans). And there is one for Harbour Defense, and there is one for Coastal Defense. I know because before my retirement, I had worked, with many others, on their updating, and served for a term as the assigned Coastal Defense Sector Commander for a given sector.

So, no, the plan is NOT to wait for a threat to occur and then "figure out" what to do, or "conjure up" a response. It's all been done and can be activated if and when needed.

 

[YZT580]

Aye! There is, and its not what you mention.

I don't know how you do things in the Army, but in the Navy, we have a whole bunch of contingency plans for all sorts of things, the are called (or used to be called) MAOP's (Maritime Operations Plans). And there is one for Harbour Defense, and there is one for Coastal Defense. I know because before my retirement, I had worked, with many others, on their updating, and served for a term as the assigned Coastal Defense Sector Commander for a given sector.

So, no, the plan is NOT to wait for a threat to occur and then "figure out" what to do, or "conjure up" a response. It's all been done and can be activated if and when needed.

not suggesting anything but having spent years involved in government contingency planning I discovered that whenever there was a crisis someone would dial up the page labelled emergency procedures and discover that it called for the used of an ALDIS lamp or a red flare pistol in the event of a comm. failure. In other words the book hadn't been updated or probably even opened in a decade or more. So someone would be tasked with revising and re-writing which would be done, the new documents would become part of that year's training programme and that was it until the next crisis. All of the above written to say we were very good at writing plans but not very good at ensuring they are updated and that all those people who had a task in that book were continuously involved in familiarization and sometimes, rehearsal.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

The plan I am talking about were revised and updated roughly every ten years, and had been so since WWII, when I worked on them. Seeing as some of the work of the MCDV's and now the AOPV/ORCA I can observe incorporate training that I can see derive from those plans, I can only assume that it's been updated once or twice since my retirement. It's not perfect but it's a lot more current than what you seem to imply.

 

[FJAG]

There are many plans but usually they are short of resources and are never trained on to see if they work and to have people prepared to implement them. When things go sideways the CAF reaction is generally to ignore the plans as outdated and then to cobble together an ad hoc solution.

Here's a simple example - during the Cold War rail moves were a routine part of both military and railroad planning in Germany. The equipment was there and the plans were exercised frequently. Things operated smoothly and rapidly. In Canada none of that occurred. Equipment had to be gathered together or procured; rail companies gave military movements low priority for equipment and time slots; ramp and spur facilities were very limited; personnel were inexperienced in rail loading and unloading. Planning a move had to be done a much longer time in advance and loading generally took many days rather than a few hours.

I don't know, but I suspect that the plans for harbour, infrastructure and coastal defence are very limited, never practiced; virtually without proper resources; and with people unaware they exist much less trained in how to effect them. I could be wrong; but the CAF's attention is too much focused on getting by day-to-day rather than on preparing for future contingencies.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

One reason why I want harbour defense and patrol delegated to the local Naval Reserve unit. They will get to know the area, the resources available, go on exercises with local authorities, etc. Those local exercises are excellent at identifying gaps, when we did them with the airport for a major plane crash scenario, we discovered most peoples radio's could not talk with each other. Everyone's protocols conflicted and left gaps as to who would/could do what. With each exercise, things went a bit better, then one agency would change their radios and the comms issue would start again, then a key figure would leave and we would have to work at getting people to work together again. Even keeping a basic, multi-agency response viable, is a lot of work and needs regular practice. Having some group take ownership of the challenge is very important.