New Canadian Commando Regiment

[Trip_Wire]

See Website.:

Good news! It was to bad that the Canadian Para Regiment was stood down. Perhaps this will help.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/n...=2d56682f-a303-438e-b019-82121772f738&k=77497

 

[Invicta]

It's good to see the Canadian Armed Forces finally getting some resources after all the years of cuts and neglect. Canadians are a good bunch to have around in a tight spot. Are there any further plans to epxand the Candian military or is this a one off. If memory serves the new government advocated rebuilding the forces in the recent federal elections.

 

[old_bloke]

Will they be going out to the Lebanon or to Somalia to help?

 

[wotan]

They're still going on about adding 25,000 troops over five years - 15,000 Reg F and 10,000 Reservists (all this info is in the public domain e.g. all our daily papers, and doesn't affect OPSEC).

CSOR is a good concept, but all our battalions are understrength now and we are hitting the wall as some 30%+ of all NCMs are able to retire this year and next.

But, at least the light is on at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully, it ain't a train.

As for heading off to Lebanon - not likely, but not impossible. Most likely scenario would be a few token observer officers.

 

[Taff_Telic]

I have only but good things to say about the Canadian army . Top Notch .
Shame they have a pinko government , hopefully it will be sorted soon .

 

[CutLunchCommando]

Oh Yeaaarrss and yeeeaaarrrs ago when I was a cadet I took part in the Wilderness Leadership UKLF cadet exchange at Petawawa (I won't say I did the course cos the Canadian kids were much harder worked that we were, theye were at it all summer and did far more than the potted version we got).

We did a canoing trip up river (or lake as it really is at that point) and the staff organised a smoker for us the night before we were to paddle back. They got us a couple of slabs of soft drinks and a slab of beer. The chief instructor put them in the river, wedged behind some rock to stop them floating off, and left them there to cool till the grub was ready. When we went back the beer had gone. Petawawa had the previous incarnation of the Airbourne their at the time and the theory was that theyd sneaked in and nicked the beer and left us with the awful root-beer.

That said I had a great time on that exchange......

 

[Invicta]

They're still going on about adding 25,000 troops over five years - 15,000 Reg F and 10,000 Reservists (all this info is in the public domain e.g. all our daily papers, and doesn't affect OPSEC).

Were are they going to put the 25,000 extra personnel? Will they fill vacancies in existing units or will further new Units be forming up? Does this mean new equipment as well?

 

[wotan]

Invicta,

I don't think that anyone has thought far enough along the road to figure out what to do with these troops if we get them. Our training system can't handle the influx and we don't have the accommodation or other facilities (mess halls, med staff, etc) to provide the needed services to these troops. Things are so bad that at one of our bigger training centres, soldiers aren't quartered in barracks, but the CF is paying a college to quarter them in university dormitories. Not bad for the troopies as they are well paid and have lots of spare time to chase the university fluff. But, bad for the service as the troops are doing bugger all and are awaiting up to three years for basic trades training. And these are just our normal intake of recruits and doesn't factor in these mysterious 25,000 folks allegedly waiting to sign up.

It is to weep, but when the offr and NCO corps were sounding the alarms back in the 90s, we were told to STFU. Now there is a problem, and guess who is expected to sort it out - hint, the answer is not "the politicians".

 

[GhostRecon]

Good luck on getting 25,000 new soldiers

The recruiting in Canada is a joke to say the very least and their standards are way to picky.

 

[cdn_spr]

Good luck on getting 25,000 new soldiers

The recruiting in Canada is a joke to say the very least and their standards are way to picky.

I don't know your exact situation but I can tell you the whole recruiting process has been overhauled. When I first looked into 'transferring' from the british army to the canadian, I was told to expect upwards of 2 years wait (at least!!) until I could be signed on. Within a month of an ombudsmans report on the forces, I'd now be able to sign on within a couple of months! and the only thing holding me back is my years notice I have to give to the british army.

 

[chocolate_frog]

I was chatting to so Canadians not long ago, they are taking overseas soldiers aswell I believe and have some pretty good incentives.

Good bunch of blokes (even the Francophiles). Shame the governments of the time cut them back so much, but hopefully they will spring back if allowed too.

 

[GhostRecon]

I don't know your exact situation but I can tell you the whole recruiting process has been overhauled. When I first looked into 'transferring' from the british army to the canadian, I was told to expect upwards of 2 years wait (at least!!) until I could be signed on. Within a month of an ombudsmans report on the forces, I'd now be able to sign on within a couple of months! and the only thing holding me back is my years notice I have to give to the british army.

Who ever is telling you that you can join in 2 months is full of crap.

Expect lenghtly delays due to them loosing paperwork or the even more fun one where they just leave it sitting on a desk collecting dust or where they don't bother to call you to tell you not to show up for your scheduled test because they don't have you paperwork.

For a canadian to join it takes atleast 6 months.

I have to hand it to them they sure do put on a good show and sound very convincing but nothing has changed as far as recruiting goes and try their best to not hire people.

 

[RCSignals]

Invicta,

I don't think that anyone has thought far enough along the road to figure out what to do with these troops if we get them. Our training system can't handle the influx and we don't have the accommodation or other facilities (mess halls, med staff, etc) to provide the needed services to these troops. Things are so bad that at one of our bigger training centres, soldiers aren't quartered in barracks, but the CF is paying a college to quarter them in university dormitories. Not bad for the troopies as they are well paid and have lots of spare time to chase the university fluff. But, bad for the service as the troops are doing bugger all and are awaiting up to three years for basic trades training. And these are just our normal intake of recruits and doesn't factor in these mysterious 25,000 folks allegedly waiting to sign up.

It is to weep, but when the offr and NCO corps were sounding the alarms back in the 90s, we were told to STFU. Now there is a problem, and guess who is expected to sort it out - hint, the answer is not "the politicians".

This is what I like about you Wotan. You speak truth.

Back in the '70s and '80s the offr and NCO corps were sounding the alarms, and Disney North came up with a myriad of '5 year plans' which generally sounded good but at the end of each 5 year plan the big result was just another 5 year plan.
The '90s realised great 'Social experimentation' for the CF
The alarm sounding really began as far back as the mid 60's especially the advent and aftermath of 'Unification'

 

[TIGER-MONKEY]

Funnily enough I know several Canadians who really do believe that Canada should scrap all its armed forces and use the money for important stuff instead.

These people are not a strange breed Canada has plenty of them who truely think this would be a good idea.

 

[GhostRecon]

We have the same military budget as Isreal and Canada can barely sustain 2,000 deployed troops also the Canadian Army still manages to have equiptment shortages too.

I have no idea where the money goes because its not like they are crusing around in F22 raptors, M1 abrams and apaches or even blackhawks or chinooks and I had to pay for my own haircuts, food, and place to sleep when I was in there.

You think that its absurd that people think the army should be scrapped but its proably equaly absurd to think that throwing money at the problem is gonna somehow fix it when it will be the same people incharge who have run the army into the ground over the years.

 

[wotan]

GhostRecon, you are absolutely right. Throwing money at the problems of the CF will not resolve them, in fact, if we (the CF) don't show the public that we use the money we are given wisely, it could make things worse. While we have a plan (I don't really agree with the CDS' Transformation concept) and money is becoming aval and getting recruits isn't a problem, what we lack are two things - time and will. We lack the time needed to rebuild our training establishments, to flesh out a mass training program and to amend our establishments to accept these new troops and have a valid purpose for them. We also lack the will (mainly political) to make these needed changes happen now. Not in two to 20 years, but now. This country set up the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in just under a year (from time of concept to graduation of first courses) and in the course of the war graduated over 130,000 aircrew and over 80,000 groundcrew. That is nearly a quarter-million personnel in a relatively short time. How? Will.

Currently, we are talking about 25,000 personnel, 1/10th of the BCATP and we are utterly lost and seemingly adrift. The CDS has directed that as of 1 Oct 06, 30% of all applicants be enrolled within a week of first applying and by 1 Jan 07 that 50% of all applicants be enrolled within a week of first applying. Great. I don't think we can make those targets, but even if we did, what the Hell do we do with those folks?

RCSignals, thanks for the compliment, I do appreciate it. You are quite correct, the alarm bells have been ringing for decades, but I fear that the pigeons are coming home to roost. I wouldn't mind if it only affected politicos, I just don't want to see it end up hurting our troops, especially those abroad. Cheers.

 

[RCSignals]

You are absolutely correct Wotan.
The will is needed to reopen many of the Bases that were closed, such as Chilliwack (where millions had just been spent building new training facilities just before closure.)
They need to move units back to local areas, instead of concentrating them in 'super bases'
Units need to get back to Depot training of recruits.
(For years Cbt arms units especially had to re-train new basic soldiers coming to them from Cornwallis anyway)
It was accomplished successfully that way in the past, with much larger numbers. It can work, but as you say, the will must be there, not just words and white papers.

 

[GhostRecon]

The army needs a swift kick in the arse to get it in gear.

The pressure needs to be cranked up because the army has been sitting around way too long and if the CF is as good as it claims then it will succeed.

Drop the whole image campaign because its a waste of time and money, the public will eventualy figure out that war kills people and the sole purpose of the military is to wage war so most of them will get over it and the rest who don't get over it and think the CF should be baking pies (Jack Layton) who gives a crap what they think because they are idiots.

 

[cdn_spr]

Who ever is telling you that you can join in 2 months is full of crap.

Expect lenghtly delays due to them loosing paperwork or the even more fun one where they just leave it sitting on a desk collecting dust or where they don't bother to call you to tell you not to show up for your scheduled test because they don't have you paperwork.

For a canadian to join it takes atleast 6 months.

I have to hand it to them they sure do put on a good show and sound very convincing but nothing has changed as far as recruiting goes and try their best to not hire people.

Fair one, I've heard all the horror stories and will expect SOME delays, however I've seen nothing in the CFRC I'm dealing with to suggest that they'll lose paperwork or forget things. CFRC's do seem to vary quite widely in the quality of service they provide.

All I know is that the only thing holding me back at the moment is my release from the British Army. From how it was explained to me I would be sworn in and posted straight from the CFRC to a field unit, and thus would avoid lengthy delays waiting for course openings, etc. None of this is set in stone of course, but I see no reason, as yet, to dispute it.

But back to the main points, I think the image campaign is important, for if the Army doesn't try it's best to present itself in a good light, the press will do the job for them and chances are they won't show the forces in such a good light (Chistie Blatchford aside).

However, I agree the CF needs to get it's arrse in gear. Not in the field army from what I've seen (was in AFG when OP Archer ROTO 0 was there), but the whole recruiting and initial training process from CFRC through training establishments to field army. As previously stated, it's all well and good getting up to 50% of applicants enrolled within 3 months (or whatever the time frame stated was), but how long will it take those 50% to reach units????

 

[GhostRecon]

Stick a fork in them they are done.

The CF is lowering the fitness standard in october.

I can't wait till they fill the ranks with a bunch of jabba the huts. I guess the CF plans to cripple the enemy by destroying their toilets.

I wonder who's brilliant idea this was.