Reconstitution

[rmc_wannabe]

Optics.

You can't be discriminatory if the selection process includes someone in a marginalized group, right?

It's like the PAO telling Photo Techs to focus on getting shots that highlight our diversity; mainly by hounding one of the 3 females at an event, or searching for the elusive Sikh or Muslim soldier to plaster all over promotional items.

I would hate to be tasked with sitting on a board soley because I provide some form of credibility to a process deemed biased. You're no longer there on your own merits.

 

[Kirkhill]

Considered in the context of that discussion, civilianizing skills/trades/professions necessary to support overseas operations have the potential to run up against all sorts of occupational health and safety concerns and terms of employment intervention. I suppose there will always be people available as contractors, mercenaries, legionnaires, etc. for the pointy end of the stick stuff that probably pays relatively well. I would imagine less so for the person you need to fix the truck.

As well, it's one thing with contractors where the government or agency that hires them enjoys a fair degree of distance or detachment; not so much when the people are employees. Would the Government of Canada be willing to be constantly beholden to contractors? That would seem to imply that contract managers, compliance audits, etc. would have to be deployed as well.

Afghan forces will be gutted without U.S. contractors to fix planes

The loss of U.S. contractors could trigger a game-changing shift in the military balance between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

www.nbcnews.com

All that high tech gear that the US left to the Taliban wasn't being maintained by ANA/ANG/ANP technicians.

And KBR will find people for anything.

KBR Is looking for drivers to go Iraq then Afghanistan

KBR NEEDS YOU!!! Recently KBR was awarded the LOGCAP V contract along with three other government contractors. So for all of you drivers out there...

www.thetruckersreport.com

Iraq convoy was sent out despite threat

Unarmored trucks carrying needed supplies were ambushed, leaving six drivers dead. Records illuminate the fateful decision.

www.latimes.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/s471j

 

[Brad Sallows]

The problem is the lie that one person can speak for a group without personal bias. All the people on any kind of board should be there because their decision making chops suit the decision to be made or recommended. No "junior" memberships.

 

[Halifax Tar]

I know of a couple of retired Canucks who cut their teeth fighting in a number of bush wars in Africa in the 90s.

One of them is the Father of one of my mates I grew up with. Spent time in Rwanda and when the opportunity to go private came up, he jumped at the chance. Besides they were paying waaaayyy more than his meagre CAF WO's salary back then.

His son was in the Reserves with me and he took a year off school to go work with his father in Africa to "see if he really wanted to do soldiering full time". Came home with a bucket full of money, paid for his schooling, bought a car with cash.

Serves in the Reg Force now

The money isn't as good now as it was then, the market is oversaturated.

There is a you tuber out there who is/was a PM Contractor. Good channel, I especially liked his videos on how to get a job in that world. He holds punches about people and their military experience. And according to him, unless you're a top end operator don't expect much.

I will see if I can find his channel again.

I know that my trade is leaving multiple Sgt/PO2 and MCpl/MS billets open for that reason. We are also not filling at least one WO/PO 1 and one MWO/CPO 2 billet, not because the people aren't ready at that level, but we need them at their current rank.

The best thing that could have happened to me was spending 8 years as a Sgt. My promotion to WO was the first time I actually felt confident I was ready for my new rank/position.

For me it was the 7 or 8 years I spent at LS. I needed some maturing. Like a fine wine

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Just sat through yet another brief on this shit recently. Honestly it's just the same old crap.

• There are big challenges you're facing and you're going to have to sacrifice more than ever.
• The chain of command is listening. They're coming up with plans to fix everything. We can't tell you what those plans are, but they're listening to you.
• You're mentoring tomorrows leaders. They're looking to you to lead them and mentor them.
• "Show what right looks like"
• This is a process
• yadda yadda - make sure you do the newest training about respect, everyone read Trusted to Serve.

I'm not sure where I read it but I recall seeing something about new selection boards for promotion will have 1x board member who is a member of the LGBTQT2S+ community or something that seemed to indicate be a minority (can't recall the phrase). Sure, that's cool. We took away saying he and she on PERs to use gender neutral language. It was explained that this was to essentially avoid someone seeing someone was a female and treating them unfairly. Okay, so for the new PACE system are we going to specifically identify that someone is LGBTQT2S+ or a minority at the selection boards? I don't really see how having a 1x sitting board member from these communities will effect change unless members have an intersectionality score.

I asked the question about the “Defence advisory group member” on selection boards; “if there is non identifying info on the mbr other than their name, rank trade and scoring info, what bias is being avoided exactly”.

There was no answer given.

 

[Weinie]

There is a you tuber out there who is/was a PM Contractor. Good channel, I especially liked his videos on how to get a job in that world. He holds punches about people and their military experience. And according to him, unless you're a top end operator don't expect much.

I will see if I can find his channel again.



For me it was the 7 or 8 years I spent at LS. I needed some maturing. Like a fine wine

I was accelerated promoted to Cpl. Went OCTP and then spent ten years as a Captain. Then spent 12 years as a Major, before getting promoted. My crime: I didn't have a degree and I wasn't bilingue.

 

[dapaterson]

Don't be modest, I'm certain there were many other crimes along the way

 

[Halifax Tar]

I was accelerated promoted to Cpl. Went OCTP and then spent ten years as a Captain. Then spent 12 years as a Major, before getting promoted. My crime: I didn't have a degree and I wasn't bilingue.

Sounds like you are an excellent vintage

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

I asked the question about the “Defence advisory group member” on selection boards; “if there is non identifying info on the mbr other than their name, rank trade and scoring info, what bias is being avoided exactly”.

There was no answer given.

When they pull garbage like this, I personally hope the CAF continues to struggle for it.

Reap what you sow

 

[Weinie]

Don't be modest, I'm certain there were many other crimes along the way

"Sheepish" I didn't brush my teeth as much as the Canadian Dental Association says that I should.

 

[KevinB]

When they pull garbage like this, I personally hope the CAF continues to struggle for it.

Reap what you sow

I doubt there will be a correction to the force, until there is an active war and Canadians are dying again.
Which is sad and unnecessary, but...

 

[Weinie]

I doubt there will be a correction to the force, until there is an active war and Canadians are dying again.
Which is sad and unnecessary, but...

You are 100% correct Kev.

Canadians (and North Americans/Europeans) rarely get involved, in anything, unless they are actively impacted.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

I doubt there will be a correction to the force, until there is an active war and Canadians are dying again.
Which is sad and unnecessary, but...

Agree 100%. They are stuck on this trajectory for the foreseeable future.

I think the CAF needs a catastrophic failure at this point to come to its senses.

 

[Navy_Pete]

I asked the question about the “Defence advisory group member” on selection boards; “if there is non identifying info on the mbr other than their name, rank trade and scoring info, what bias is being avoided exactly”.

There was no answer given.

I just came back from promotion boards and even without a non-affiliated member the scoring of the files was pretty comparable across the board.

With the PARs in PACE, there is just a wall of scoring criteria and a tweet at the end to summarize the year's performance. There was no SCRIT for the trades doing the pilot, but think it will be really hard to have guidelines on how to score things based on the narrative. Things like second language, range of experience, deployements and instructor/leadership positions will really take the front seat in differentiating files.

edit to clarify: there was no scrit available ahead of time for people writing PARs; no idea what they did for the promotion boards that had PERs/PAR for this recent year.

 

[Weinie]

Agree 100%. They are stuck on this trajectory for the foreseeable future.

I think the CAF needs a catastrophic failure at this point to come to its senses.

It won't come to it's senses. Should a catastrophic failure happen in the CAF, it will be a cacophony of finger-pointing amongst fed departments, political parties, and pundits, which the ravenous media will seize on. (especially during the Inquiry) Until the next "SQUIRREL"

 

[KevinB]

It won't come to it's senses. Should a catastrophic failure happen in the CAF, it will be a cacophony of finger-pointing amongst fed departments, political parties, and pundits, which the ravenous media will seize on. (especially during the Inquiry) Until the next "SQUIRREL"

Depends on the level of catastrophe.

 

[Kirkhill]

The Ukranians had a catastrophic failure in 2013. They lived with that for 8 years. They had another on February 24th. That has motivated them. They are outperforming everyone's expectations.

The Russians are in the midst of a catastrophic failure. It remains to be seen the effect of that failure.

One thing that is being demonstrated is that "one volunteer is worth a thousand conscripts". A volunteer in this case being someone whose heart is in the cause - not just there for the paycheck.

 

[Weinie]

Depends on the level of catastrophe.

You seriously underestimate the level of woke/aggrieved/waiting to be offended people in Canada. Sigh.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Depends on the level of catastrophe.

Wait.... this stuff doesn't classify as a catastrophe? I must have missed something.

It's time CAF cedes more control to civilian authorities on sexual offences: Arbour

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has been 'unwilling' and 'unable' to embrace action on military sexual harassment and assault and it's time the body cedes more control to civilian authorities, former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour says.

www.ctvnews.ca

 

[mariomike]

I stayed a year over first opportunity (age+service+80) (our pension doesn't max out). Spare time was a little limited since we had previously bought a century farm for our horses, and did nothing but work on that for the first year.

Sometimes it's an opportunity to do something you enjoy, or want to do just for the heck of it. I had two post-retirement gigs. The first was driving for a shuttle service to Pearson airport. The money was 'ok' (tips could be good) but it was fairly mindless. I could pick my own days and enjoy driving so it was a decent fit. The other was an investigator for a government agency. The money was much better and I got to exercise some things I used to do but I didn't have to care about all the internal BS - just pick up my files and do my thing.

I wonder if certain occupations - like the CAF, police and emergency services - overlook the psychological impact of retirement.

If members miss the sense of identity, meaning and purpose that came with the job. Isn't that at least one of the reasons they joined?

I didn't really like some of the guys back then. But, now, at the luncheons, I love every one of them. Especially those no longer with us.

Life can be funny that way.

Perhaps retired CAF members feel the same way?

I didn't have to care about all the internal BS - just pick up my files and do my thing.

Fortunately, I was just a plebe. They didn't expect much, and that's what they got. Tones go off. Doors go up. Wheels rolling. Simple as that.