jdobbin Posted November 12, 2007 Report Posted November 12, 2007 http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/071111/...orces_expansion The Defence Department's latest performance report says the 2006 pledge to increase the number of regular reserve soldiers, sailors and aircrew has been revised because of costs and the high attrition rate of serving members.The initial plan was to boost the size of the Canadian Forces to 75,000 regular members and 35,000 reservists. The increase was to happen in two stages, with the first target of 70,000 active and 30,000 part-time members over five years, and the remainder to follow at some undetermined point. But the report says the government has not allotted enough money to meet even the short-term target and will have to extend its self-imposed deadline by a year. "Following a detailed analysis of the resources required to fund all Defence initiatives announced under Budget 2006, sustain the operational commitments in Afghanistan, prepare for Olympics 2010 and support (Canadian Forces) transformation, the expansion was re-profiled to 68,000 regular force and 26,000 primary reserve paid strength by fiscal 2011-2012," says the report tabled in Parliament last week. The document also warns that if more members than expected choose to leave the military over the next five years, the situation will worsen. Recruiting would then have to be stepped up dramatically or some units may be under strength. Defence Minister Peter MacKay's office did not answer repeated requests for comment Friday. A spokeswoman for the Defence Department said officials would not be able to comment on the report for a few days. The Conservatives have said they are the party that rebuilt Canada's defences but the Liberal head of Senate security and defence committee said Friday that claim is turning out to be a sham. The level of attrition is running faster than replacement unless something is done to push up recruiting to even higher numbers. Quote
ScottSA Posted November 12, 2007 Report Posted November 12, 2007 http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/071111/...orces_expansionThe level of attrition is running faster than replacement unless something is done to push up recruiting to even higher numbers. That's not what the article says at all. You're claiming the numbers are actually dropping. Quote
jdobbin Posted November 12, 2007 Author Report Posted November 12, 2007 That's not what the article says at all. You're claiming the numbers are actually dropping. I was referring to this part of the article. The report shows the Canadian Forces are exceeding recruitment targets but trained members are going out the door just as fast.The accountability document also noted that most of the new recruits are being funnelled into infantry and armoured units, which leaves other branches scrambling to fill vacancies. Quote
Topaz Posted November 12, 2007 Report Posted November 12, 2007 I was referring to this part of the article. A friend of mine, said her son's friends, seven to be exact, join the military but NOT to fight but to get a paid education. The guys didn't think they would have to go to war because they weren't signing up for that! I wondering does the gov't give people who sign up, 30 days grace to change their minds or is it 2 years max?? Quote
M.Dancer Posted November 12, 2007 Report Posted November 12, 2007 A friend of mine, said her son's friends, seven to be exact, join the military but NOT to fight but to get a paid education. The guys didn't think they would have to go to war because they weren't signing up for that! I wondering does the gov't give people who sign up, 30 days grace to change their minds or is it 2 years max?? If they didn't clue in within 30 minutes they are idiots. And yes, you can get out pretty quick while you are still in basic. Quote RIGHT of SOME, LEFT of OTHERS If it is a choice between them and us, I choose us
Smallc Posted November 12, 2007 Report Posted November 12, 2007 (edited) A friend of mine, said her son's friends, seven to be exact, join the military but NOT to fight but to get a paid education. The guys didn't think they would have to go to war because they weren't signing up for that! I wondering does the gov't give people who sign up, 30 days grace to change their minds or is it 2 years max?? When they are put through training, they are told and shown everything. They can turn back at any time during training. Edited November 12, 2007 by Smallc Quote
weaponeer Posted November 12, 2007 Report Posted November 12, 2007 A friend of mine, said her son's friends, seven to be exact, join the military but NOT to fight but to get a paid education. The guys didn't think they would have to go to war because they weren't signing up for that! I wondering does the gov't give people who sign up, 30 days grace to change their minds or is it 2 years max?? You can leave basic trainig anytime. That is the point of it, to show peopel what they are getting into. I do not know why someone would join for a paid education, you would have to be very stupid. Joining not to fight, or go in harms way, that would be like joining the fire department just to get yourself a Dalmatian dog, brain dead!! After basic training you go to your specific occupation training, pilot, infantry, mechanic etc.. After that is completed you will have obligatory service. The time varies according to your rank, occupation etc... These a tough times for our military. We are recovering for 13 years of Lib rule, not to mention some of the worst military leadership (the 1990's) we have ever had. We are in combat and proud to say holding our own. We neglected our military and it needs to be rebuilt, and this will take years. Some of the issues we have are at a personel level. One problem is that fewer people are willing to move around anymore, as is required by military service. For example if you are posted to Trenton ON for a few years, your spouse get a good job in the area, then the Air Force says you are going to move to Moosejaw SK, this causes problems, and many choose to release and to not move. Many are fed up with outdated equipment. The #1 reason people leave is low job satisfaction. We have an Air Force that hardly flies, a Navy that sends one ship per coast to sea at a time, the Army has little to no $$ for trainig here in Canada, the Militia, almost no $$. The $$ is being spent on training & equipment for Afghanistan which is great, we need it, but we need considerably more $$ to sustain the CF. The budget needs to get to the $30 - 40 Billion mark before we see improvement. The best model in the world for what our CF should be is Australia. Like Canada, they have a small population, large coast line and a lot of territory to protect. They have come up with new ideas, including dropping non-military services and missions. Our biggest obstacle is our procurment process, it is killing the CF. We are more interested in what Canadian company will get the contract, how much will Quebec get etc... Our buy Canadian policy is outdated as canada has no defence industry. If we were smart we would single source our equipment, buy what we need from who we need, and if canadian companies could not provide it, too bad. We could purchase off the shelf, already designed and tested navy ships from the Americans at considerably lower cost (especially with our dollar theses days), as well as aircraft and other items. We made a great purchase of surplus tanks from the Dutch for example. This coukld be a great time to buy another few C17's, soem additional helos, and we need to start the project to replace the CF18 as their days are numbered. There is lots to do, and the CF need more $$ to do it. We need to be competative in the job market with good salaries, good equipment and new ideas to retain those we have.. Quote
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