Pusser
Army.ca Veteran
- Reaction score
- 32
- Points
- 530
Schindler's lift said:Its an unfortunate reality that for many of the positions the rank of General is expected, if not required, in order for CAF officers to function among our Allies. Can a Col effectively fill the position in Israel? Most likely but he/she won't be viewed the same or receive the same level of cooperation, support and respect from others as he/she would as at least a BGen. I remember having a Col as a Defence Attache at an Embassy for a while and he was virtually ineffective in his job. Once he was promoted to BGen the doors opened for him and he was able to effectively do his job because he was seen as being more credible by the Host Country's military and the other Defence Attaches who expected the position to be filled by a General.
This is very true, but is not limited to generals. The CF has a tendency to expect more of its officers at lower ranks (e.g. We employ captains to do what other armies would use a major for). This has led to problems on international missions where very bright, experience and capable Canadian captains are virtually ignored because they're "only" captains. Mind you in most of allies' armies, promotion to major is automatic.