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Sorry, couldn‘t find a URL, so had to post the article. We need the populace to start taking note, and hold that thought till next election.
Held in Reserve
There‘s a limit to relying on militia to fill out underfunded forces
Calgary Herald
Monday, April 01, 2002
This year, Canada will send a company of reserve soldiers to Bosnia. Though reserves are often used to supplement regular forces, this is the largest number of part-time soldiers deployed as a unit in decades -- 136 men and women from all over western Canada. For the militia, it is a milestone in professional recognition and a validation of the ongoing reserve revitalization project.
In wishing them well, however, we cannot ignore that governmental neglect of the army which obliges it to use reservists to maintain its operational tempo. When even Liberal-dominated Senate and Commons defence committees call for more military spending, something is wrong.
Clearly, manning and equipment are out of balance with what is asked of the army. With half its 1989 strength, the army is busier now than it has been since the end of the Cold War. As of today, Canada has 2,900 soldiers deployed in 13 countries.
Hence the growing role of the reserves. Of the army‘s permanent establishment of 19,126, 2,800 positions within Canada are occupied by reservists on contract, nearly one-sixth of the total. A further 270 reservists augment army operations overseas.
So, as tired, frustrated soldiers quietly bail out of the army at the end of their hitch, Ottawa has been topping up the regular force with reservists (at 85 cents on the dollar). Meanwhile, Prime Minister Jean Chretien asserts that only an opportunistic arms lobby wants more defence spending.
Denial doesn‘t alter the facts. The Senate is surely excluded from Chretien‘s general calumny, but no merchant of death could have presented a more ambitious rebuilding plan for the Forces than did Canada‘s upper house. In its March 1 report on Canadian military preparedness, the Senate recommended doubling the army to 43,500, in part to deal with the high turnover of personnel and increased instances of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Army reserves should be increased from 15,000 to 18,500, the Senate states, at a cost of $142 million over three years. This would, incidentally, allow the militia to field a battalion-sized unit (750 soldiers).
It is a reasonable prescription for military balance, for about half the cost of what this country‘s NATO partners spend as a percentage of gross domestic product.
More important, it would deal fairly with the troops. While it is absolutely desirable for reservists to train and serve with regular forces, there is a limit to what should be expected of either. More regular soldiers are needed.
And yet the $142 million needed to let Ottawa keep on robbing the reserves is not even in the budget.
We don‘t hold our breath. Ottawa likes the free ride. Let‘s hope the militia likes Bosnia.
© Copyright 2002 Calgary Herald
Held in Reserve
There‘s a limit to relying on militia to fill out underfunded forces
Calgary Herald
Monday, April 01, 2002
This year, Canada will send a company of reserve soldiers to Bosnia. Though reserves are often used to supplement regular forces, this is the largest number of part-time soldiers deployed as a unit in decades -- 136 men and women from all over western Canada. For the militia, it is a milestone in professional recognition and a validation of the ongoing reserve revitalization project.
In wishing them well, however, we cannot ignore that governmental neglect of the army which obliges it to use reservists to maintain its operational tempo. When even Liberal-dominated Senate and Commons defence committees call for more military spending, something is wrong.
Clearly, manning and equipment are out of balance with what is asked of the army. With half its 1989 strength, the army is busier now than it has been since the end of the Cold War. As of today, Canada has 2,900 soldiers deployed in 13 countries.
Hence the growing role of the reserves. Of the army‘s permanent establishment of 19,126, 2,800 positions within Canada are occupied by reservists on contract, nearly one-sixth of the total. A further 270 reservists augment army operations overseas.
So, as tired, frustrated soldiers quietly bail out of the army at the end of their hitch, Ottawa has been topping up the regular force with reservists (at 85 cents on the dollar). Meanwhile, Prime Minister Jean Chretien asserts that only an opportunistic arms lobby wants more defence spending.
Denial doesn‘t alter the facts. The Senate is surely excluded from Chretien‘s general calumny, but no merchant of death could have presented a more ambitious rebuilding plan for the Forces than did Canada‘s upper house. In its March 1 report on Canadian military preparedness, the Senate recommended doubling the army to 43,500, in part to deal with the high turnover of personnel and increased instances of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Army reserves should be increased from 15,000 to 18,500, the Senate states, at a cost of $142 million over three years. This would, incidentally, allow the militia to field a battalion-sized unit (750 soldiers).
It is a reasonable prescription for military balance, for about half the cost of what this country‘s NATO partners spend as a percentage of gross domestic product.
More important, it would deal fairly with the troops. While it is absolutely desirable for reservists to train and serve with regular forces, there is a limit to what should be expected of either. More regular soldiers are needed.
And yet the $142 million needed to let Ottawa keep on robbing the reserves is not even in the budget.
We don‘t hold our breath. Ottawa likes the free ride. Let‘s hope the militia likes Bosnia.
© Copyright 2002 Calgary Herald
