Staffing PRes Summer IT (From: Cutting the CF/DND HQ bloat)

[Sadukar09]

Certainly hope this move may get more training for the reserves...

 

[PPCLI Guy]

Certainly hope this move may get more training for the reserves...

Huh?

 

[Tow Tripod]

Sadukar09,
Come out to Wainwright. Their is still lots of tasks for the PRes summer training period. Bring a positive attitude and a great work ethic and you could be employed until 17/08/12.

 

[aesop081]

Certainly hope this move may get more training for the reserves...

Has nothing to do with reserve training.

 

[Sadukar09]

Sadukar09,
Come out to Wainwright. Their is still lots of tasks for the PRes summer training period. Bring a positive attitude and a great work ethic and you could be employed until 17/08/12.

I have to bring it up with my CoC. Doubt it would happen, but I totally would. Waiting 2 years to be trained as a Pte. is a bit annoying. I had hoped to earn my cap badge this summer. Not happening until next year.

Huh?

Has nothing to do with reserve training.

I'm saying maybe it will free up funds for use in other areas, preferably training.
What I hear from my CoC is the budget cuts affected a lot of summer courses. We have many pers on PAT platoon for way too long. Not helping the fact is that next year standards are changing.

 

[daftandbarmy]

I would agree CDN Aviator. This is what the US did to flesh out units that had been hollowed out under Clinton. The best move Gen Shinseki ever made as Army Chief of Staff.
We did what Canada probably cannot do without some additional legislative authority. Much of our Army's combat support units were moved into the reserve force.Reserve/NG units can be Federalized to meet the needs of the Army. Reservists/Guardsmen have their jobs protected by law.We can call up entire reserve units as needed. If Canada could do that it would ease the pressure on the regular force.

I agree. Trying to get a couple of trucks and drivers for a weekend exercise without causing a scene can be too difficult at times.

It should be easier in Canada as we are all 'federal'. Unfortunately it won't happen as there is little political will to incur the extra costs associated with changing our legislation to make the CF reserves more like the US model.

 

[Haggis]

Waiting 2 years to be trained as a Pte. is a bit annoying. I had hoped to earn my cap badge this summer. Not happening until next year.
I'm saying maybe it will free up funds for use in other areas, preferably training.
What I hear from my CoC is the budget cuts affected a lot of summer courses. We have many pers on PAT platoon for way too long. Not helping the fact is that next year standards are changing.

Courses are being cut due to lack of staff, not resources or money.  If Reserve NCMs don't want to go to Meaford and teach, then Reserve soldiers are not going to get trained. 

 

[PPCLI Guy]

Bingo.

 

[ArmyRick]

Interesting. In the case of my unit, there are no NCOs left in my Coy. All are tasked out this summer to Meaford, Borden, gagetown or Pet.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Courses are being cut due to lack of staff, not resources or money.  If Reserve NCMs don't want to go can't take a summer off of their civvie work to go to Meaford and teach, then Reserve soldiers are not going to get trained.

TFTFY

Reservists aren't Regular Force that can just throw their ruck into the truck and fuck off to a training base for three months. Even though we go through the same bullshit, year after year, the training system still tries to lump all the blame on lack and back of Reservist Instructors.

 

[OldSolduer]

TFTFY

Reservists aren't Regular Force that can just throw their ruck into the truck and frig off to a training base for three months. Even though we go through the same bullshit, year after year, the training system still tries to lump all the blame on lack and back of Reservist Instructors.

And I concur. Several of my soldiers are police officers and can't get time off work.

In addition, our NCOs were on Arctic Ram, Bison Warrior plus other "fastballs".

 

[Haggis]

Reservists aren't Regular Force that can just throw their ruck into the truck and frig off to a training base for three months.

Really???  :

Even though we go through the same bullshit, year after year, the training system still tries to lump all the blame on lack and back of Reservist Instructors.

The blame is well placed when those same Reservist Instructors would take a 3 month task in Borden, Kingston, Ottawa or Petawawa but not Meaford.

And I concur. Several of my soldiers are police officers and can't get time off work.

In addition, our NCOs were on Arctic Ram, Bison Warrior plus other "fastballs".

Noted, Jim, and in this case, I'd agree with you in LFWA.  Howerver, the poster I responded to originally is in LFCA where courses are being cancelled or amalgamated/shrunk weekly due to a shortage of instructors, both officer and NCM.  LFCA has no shortage of "fastballs" and 2CMBG has already been tapped to backfill for some Arty serials, but they have their priorities, too.

However, when I see NCMs stating quite forcefully that "I want a tasking this summer anywhere but Meaford" then I know where the problem lies.

Mods:  perhaps it's time to split this off as a new topic?

 

[Fishbone Jones]

We don't fill the 'jammies' unless our students are taken care of.

You must be thinking of someone else. :

The majority of our 'trainers' have already given up most weekends and holidays this year to fill those positions for courses.

We're also filling those 'fastballs', in many cases, over and above our (unit) weight. Over 50% of the returns from the last cancelled ex, in 31, came from us.

I get sick and tired of people sitting in their high perches demanding we do more than our share and shitting on us when we run out of people for them to push around.

 

[McG]

Mods:  perhaps it's time to split this off as a new topic?

Done.  While potentially there was a link to the idea of resourcing PRes Summer training through the reduction of HQs (by reallocating full time PRes from sp to Reg F back to supporting the PRes), the link was tenuous.  A separate discussion is warranted.

 

[HollywoodCowboy]

Last time I instructed in Meaford was 98, sounds like nothing has changed.
I recall when I got my civi career going and could not go away for summer anymore, I would get the guilt trip and then I was out of the "circle" in the unit.
So maybe part of the problem is those Res Senior NCO's that have career's and families can't make it out and do a summer tasking like they used too in the "old" days like myself.

What is the solution?
Does the military restructure the training so reg and res recruits train together like the USMC does?
Could that be a possible cost saving measure as well?

 

[X Royal]

Although I agree it's not the best option as far as training goes, but weekend courses for reserves from Sep. through May can be options for both students & instructors that can not get extended time off through the summer.

 

[Dkeh]

However, when I see NCMs stating quite forcefully that "I want a tasking this summer anywhere but Meaford" then I know where the problem lies.

It isn't just instructors. Even on a weekend EX, people will not go if the locations is Meaford. But, like Recceguy said, most of us have civvy jobs we can't just leave for the entire summer.

Look at the average age of a MCpl - approximately 23-24 would be a fair estimate, I would say. At that age, people have either rent to pay, mortgages, insurance, etc. Many people do not want to (or can't afford to) sacrifice a good job for a summer of employment. Not to mention the Army can be a very uncertain place- book the summer off work, and then the position you were to fill suddenly closes. Great.

I personally have lost 3 civvy jobs due to military trg, and I was always upfront about why I would be gone for a month (In the case of the G8), couldn't work weekends (in the case of courses), or whatever else. Many (not all) employers do not want someone who is in the reserves and goes away for varying periods of time. All of which contributes to a lack of instructors on summer courses.

Is the solution to use Reg.F instructors on reservist BMQL / DP1 / QL3 courses? Possibly. On my DP1 Infantry, our sister platoon had Reg.F instructors, who had their plans for the summer yanked out from underneath them. Needless to say, they were less than happy, and were over the top during trg.

 

[Haggis]

One solution, in LFCA anyway, is to decentralize Regional Summer Training (RST) back to the brigades to run for thier own soldiers in their own geographical areas rather than shoe-horning everyone into Meaford. 

Another solution - which I know is being entetrtained (not entirely successfully) in LFCA - is split taskings.  (If you're only available for 2 or 3 weeks and the course is six weeks, split the task between two instructors.)

There are many ways to skin a cat.  We just have to get the cat out of Meaford.

How about some comments from those in LFAA, SQFT and LFWA.  Do similar challenges exist and how were they overcome?

 

[dangerboy]

LFWA is in the same boat, at the school we don't have enough permanent instructors to man all the course that are tasked to us during the summer.  We need addidtional instructors (either reserve or reg force), we are desperatly short WO qualified instructors.  There are I think 3 courses that we have had to submitt under rank/under qualified waivers as the course 2ICs are Sgts without their WO course.  How to get the instructors to come here is the ultimate question, which we have not come up with an answer to.

 

[chrisf]

We've been running several BMQ/SQ serials over the summer locally for the last five years... we've encountered a number of problems. The end product troops however are on par with the troops trained at the area training centres.

If I have one major beef with the locally run platoons, it's the decision to go with either mixed Class A and Class B instructors (Usually what's been done has been either the section IC or 2IC for each section has been class B, with the other and swing instructors being Class A)

Typically, starting the course, there's a substantial list of available class A instructors. Unfortunately, of that list, maybe half are only available evenings or weekends, several more are available one or two days a week, and several more become unavailable for whatever reasons...

There have also been Class B staff poached by the area training centres during the course as well...

End result sees the course being run by less than a full staff, somtimes as little as 50%.