RESERVE FORCES INTELLIGENCE
Your source of information about Allied military reserves
Reserves around the World
The Canadian Reserve
Vote
| Rating
| 1 votes
by César Pintado
1/26/2010
This is an extraction of an uncopyrighted work, The reserve policies of nations: a comparative analysis, by Richard Weitz and published by the Strategic Studies Institute. You can read the full text in http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/.
The Canadian Forces (CF) consist of two components: the Regular Force and
the Reserve Force. The Canadian Reserve Force itself has four main components: the Primary Reserve (P Res), the Supplementary Reserve (Sup Res), the Cadet Instructor Cadre (CIC), and the Canadian Rangers.
Canadian reservists serve on a voluntary basis for an indefinite period. Although most combat and service support occupations exist in both the Regular and Reserve forces, the Canadian Department of Defence recently created reserve specific classifications in order to take better advantage of reservists’ civilian professional qualifications and experience.
The government considers the P Res the preferred reserve component for most operations. It has contributed approximately 10 percent of the Canadian forces involved in recent foreign military operations. Its members have responsibility for certain active-duty tasks not assigned to the Regular Forces. The P Res is further split into Service components.122 The Army Reserve, called the Militia, is by far the largest of the P Res components. With 15,500 soldiers, the Militia serves several vital functions. Most importantly, it provides the Regular Army with the resources needed to augment the active-duty forces in an emergency and helps “connect” the Army with Canadian civilians. The Naval Reserve, commanded by the Chief of Maritime Staff, provides the crew for 10 of the Navy’s 12 maritime coastal patrol vessels and performs coastal operations not assigned to the active-duty Navy. Such operations include port security, mine countermeasures, and intelligence functions relating to the Navy’s control of shipping. In 2005-06, the total strength of the Naval Reserves stood at 4,000. The government intends to increase that number to 5,130 by 2015.
Unlike the previous two P Res components, the Air Reserve is fully integrated into the active-duty Air Force. There is no specific unit-level breakdown for the 2,600 strong Air Reserves. This integration is crucial because the regular Air Force has found it difficult to cope with the high operational demands of recent years. The Air Reserve provides more than a third of Air Force personnel assigned to “incremental” tasks. It also supplies 10 percent of Air Force personnel deployed on overseas operations. The Air Force has a formal policy of facilitating transfers between its Reserve and Regular components. In recent years, it has adopted measures to harmonize career policies that previously restricted movement between them.
The remaining components of the P Res force are the Communication Reserve, the Health Services Reserve, and the Legal Reserve. The formation of the Communication Reserve Information Protection Team (CRIPT) has strengthened the role of reservists in this area. CRIPT aims to enhance Reserve support for the Canadian Forces Information Operations Group by providing information-protection services. The Health Services Reserve trains its 1,200 personnel to support and sustain CF Health Services Group Elements in operations. Its members also provide health services support to their assigned Canadian Brigade group and contribute to the Health Services Primary Reserve List. Members on the List engage in a variety of roles ranging from supporting clinics in Canada to deploying overseas. Finally, the Legal Reserve consists of qualified part-time lawyers serving in the military. Their careers closely resemble those of their regular counterparts.
The second of the four components of the Reserve Forces is the Supplementary Reserve, which serves as a list of some 40,000 former CF members whom the government can easily recall to active duty. Members of the Sup Res can volunteer for limited duration full-time service in support of a specific operation. In this case, the member would be assigned to either the Regular Forces or the P Res, in effect upgrading his or her Reserve role. Sup Res forces are required to train and perform their duties only when they are activated.
A third component of the Reserve forces is the Cadet Instructor Cadre (CIC). It supervises and trains the federally-sponsored Cadet program for teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18. This program seeks to develop “good citizenship and leadership, promoting physical fitness, and stimulating the interest of youth in the sea, land and air activities of the Canadian Forces.” In effect, CIC officers have responsibility for helping recruit and train the future generation of Canada’s military forces.
The Canadian Rangers represent the final reserve component. Their main
responsibility is to provide a military presence in Canada’s sparsely settled and isolated northern and coastal areas. Their role is important in regions that cannot be covered by other CF elements due to financial or logistical limitations. They also serve as first responders in remote regions stricken by natural disasters. The Rangers currently have approximately 4,000 members organized into over 100 patrol units. The government aimed to have 4,800 Rangers by March 2008.
Besides distinguishing among the four components, Canadian authorities categorize military reserve service according to three broad classes. A reservist’s class of service determines the individual’s rate of pay and whether his other employment is full- or part time. Reservists may participate in more than one class of service at various times throughout their military careers. Class “A” service is similar to casual or part time work. It requires a commitment of at least 4 evenings and 1 weekend per month between September and May each year. Reservists in this class are paid a full-day rate for periods of more than 6 working hours. If they work less than that, they are paid a half-day rate. Training cannot exceed more than 12 consecutive days for Class A reservists. Their benefit package is comprehensive, but not as generous as those provided to the CF. Class “B” reservists sign an agreement to train and work for a time period of anywhere between 14 and 365 consecutive days. They are paid at normal Reserve rates. Their benefit package is similar to that of Class A reserves if they serve less than 180 days, while those with more than 180 days service receive additional benefits. Class “C” reservists are those who work in the Regular Forces for a period greater than 90 days. These reservists are governed by Regular Force terms of service and hence receive Regular Force pay and benefits. Class C service is only offered to reservists on specific operations.
Reservists normally serve on a part-time basis, though they can volunteer for limited-duration fulltime employment in the CF. Canada’s Privy Council last issued a mandatory call-up of the Reserve Forces in 1939 following the onset of World War II. The Vice Chief of the Defence Staff’s Force Structure Guidance, published in 2000, further outlines how the Reserve Force will expand in the event of full-scale mobilization.
The reservists also contribute to meeting Canadian defense needs in cases short of major wars. According to a 1994 Defence White Paper, “the Reserves are a national institution and provide a vital link between the Canadian Forces and local communities. Their primary role will be the augmentation, sustainment, and support of deployed forces.” In recent years, the Department of Defence has enhanced the role of reservists in managing domestic emergencies. The government has repeatedly mobilized reservists for these purposes. In 1998, for instance, reservists helped localities recover from a devastating ice storm and assisted the authorities with the Swiss Air Flight 111 recovery operation. Canada also placed thousands of reservists on-call to manage anticipated disruptions from the Y-2K computer date rollover during the millennial transition. The Canadian Rangers regularly assist remote communities to recover from disasters such as plane crashes and avalanches.
The 9/11 attacks and other terrorist incidents in North America have led the government to enhance the role of the reserve components in averting and responding to terrorist attacks on Canadian territory. In accordance with a recommendation of a 1987 White Paper, Canada adopted a “Total Force” principle to govern the integration of its active and reserve components. Under this policy, Canada’s reservists formally became an “integral part of Canada’s defence structure on an equal footing with the Regular Forces.” As part of the Total Force concept, members of the P Res are required to meet the same standards as those of the Regular Force. Reservists selected for service on operations undertake mission-specific pre-deployment training. This training occurs in conjunction with that of any Regular Force personnel taking part in that mission, thus promoting active-reserve integration.
Several factors prompted the decision to adopt the Total Force policy. First, supporters of the concept wanted to save money by substituting less expensive reserve forces for more costly active-duty troops. Second, they thought improved active-reserve integration would enhance the military effectiveness of Canada’s defense forces. In the 1970s and 1980s, many reservists lacked specific wartime tasks and suffered from inadequate equipment and training.
Finally, Canadian officials suspected they had failed to exploit the full potential of their reserve components. While most NATO countries had more soldiers in their reserve components than on active duty, the Defence White Paper lamented that Canada’s Regular Force was four times larger than its Reserve Force. Canadian Reserve Forces have various multinational training opportunities with other NATO members. The Canadian Directorate of Reserves has the authority to sponsor up to six Primary Reservists to participate in the two exercises that NATO conducts in most years. The International Junior Officer Leadership Development Seminar (IJOLDS), open to any reserve junior officer with a rank higher than Second Lieutenant, allows officers to “come together for the purposes of sharing the
common cultural values of reservists, building teamwork within international forces and expanding the personal and professional horizons of participants.” Canadian reservists also can participate in the U.S. Reserve Components National Security Course (USRCNSC), which is open to senior primary reserve officers with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel or above. Within Canada, the military organizes three different Reserve training courses. First, the Advanced
Logistics Officers Course (ALOC), open to P Res officers with certain qualifications (rank of major or lieutenant commander, 1-month availability, etc.), is offered twice a year. It “enhances the skills of personnel and enable[s] them to be employed in command and staff appointments by broadening their professional knowledge in the theory and practical application of logistics, resource management, and leadership.” Second, the National Security Studies Seminar (NSSS) gives six senior reserve officers an opportunity to discuss theories and processes concerning national and international affairs. Finally, the Lester B. Pearson Canadian International Peacekeeping Training Center helps improve the performance of Canadian reservists when they deploy on humanitarian missions and post-conflict stability operations. The Department of Defence tries to give all reservists who deploy to an operational theater at least 1 month of pre-deployment training.
Despite the long history of collaboration between the Canadian and U.S. militaries, it was not until 1999 that the two defense communities began to discuss reserve-specific issues on a regular basis. In that year, the two countries initiated annual summits of reserve officers. Their progress was most visible in addressing issues relating to information sharing as well as individual and unit exchanges. For example, the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (USACAPOC) helped Canadians develop their own capabilities in this area. Furthermore, the Canadian Land Force Reserve Restructure (LFRR) project has benefited from lessons and insights shared at these meetings. Personnel and unit exchanges have also been carried out under the forum’s umbrella. Canada and the United States currently trade instructors for military education courses. They also exchange students in the Joint Reserve Command and Staff College and the Command and General Staff Officers Course. Finally, both reserve communities have expressed interest in creating a Reserve Officer Exchange Program similar to those which already exist between the United States and Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, and between Canada and the United Kingdom.
Unfortunately, the events of 9/11, though highlighting the need for enhanced bilateral collaboration on homeland security issues, diverted attention from these initiatives. The military reserve leaders of both countries have instead focused attention on the large number of Canadian and U.S. reservists serving on active missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere. On a more positive note, these joint operations have enhanced mutual understanding and dialogue between the American and Canadian reserve communities regarding various operational issues.
The “Total Force” policy has not achieved all its goals. The most comprehensive analysis of Canada’s reserve components was the 2000 Fraser Report, formally entitled, In Service of the Nation: Canada’s Citizen Soldiers for the 21st Century. In the report, John A. Fraser, the Chairman of a special committee charged with assessing the state of the country’s reserve components and policies, highlighted continued problems in the training of Army reservists. In particular, the committee found that, although the Army leadership had tried to create “reserve-friendly” training packages, part-time soldiers could rarely achieve the same standards as full-time professionals. The Fraser Report offered a series of recommendations regarding how to deal with the training and other problems affecting the reserves. These included shortening and simplifying the enrollment process, granting local reserve units more leeway to design recruiting campaigns and schedule training sessions optimized to their regions’ needs, and creating alternative terms of service to attract more volunteers. Since the publication of the Fraser Report, the Defence Department has undertaken several projects to overcome the substantial personnel shortfalls that persist within all elements of the Primary Reserve component.
First, the CF Pension Modernization Project modified military pensions to reflect the increased demands placed on reservists under the Total Force concept. Starting in 2006, Primary Reservists can participate in a new pension arrangement that is based on their full-time or part-time military employment rather than whether they belong to the Regular or Reserve forces. Second, the Reserve Force Employment Project is re-examining the use of reservists in military missions given the continuing changes in the operational demands on the Regular forces. Third, the Reinstatement in Civil Employment Project has resulted in draft legislation to protect a reservist’s employment during compulsory call-ups, which occur more often under the Total Force concept.
Canadian law lacks specific provisions that protect the civilian jobs of reservists—a practice at variance with that found in most of the other countries profiled. The government relies instead on a voluntary program that encourages civilian employers and other institutions to support reservists by providing either paid or unpaid leave for Reserve Force Members who need to undertake required training or military duties. Perhaps the most important enhancement program is the LFRR project. Since its implementation in October 2000, the initiative has sought to increase the strength of the Land Reserve and sustain it at this higher level.
The LFRR Strategic Plan has two phases. Phase One, completed in FY 2003, “stabilized” the Army Reserve’s organization and structure. The second phase, now nearly complete, seeks to increase the size of the force to 18,500 part-time soldiers from the Phase One total of 15,500. Phase Two also seeks to give reservists a better quality of life by improving their benefits, administration, training, and support. On April 15, 2005, the Canadian government released a major International Policy Statement (ISP) that discussed how Canadian foreign and defense policy would change to address the main challenges of the post-Cold War world. In the area of defence, the document stated that the government would allocate 13 billion Canadian dollars for the country’s armed forces during the next 5 years. The government plans to use the additional funds to increase the size of Canada’s reserve forces by 3,000 people (and the regular forces by 5,000 personnel). The ISP will also allow the government to complete implementation of Phase II of the Land Force Reserve Restructure Program (including the Medical and Communications Reserves) and the raising of the force’s authorized endstate to 18,500 personnel.
In addition, the ISP will allow the government to create additional specialized units in
the reserve force. For example, the Land Forces (army) plans to build on the mix of military and civilian skills resident in the Reserves (e.g., chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response, information operations and civil military cooperation), as well as their presence nationwide, to improve military support to civilian authorities responding to domestic emergencies. The armed forces plan to establish similar specialized capabilities and additional responsibilities in the maritime and air force reserve units. Finally, the government plans to augment the Canadian Rangers to enhance Canadian sovereignty and security in the north.
Vote
| Rating
| 1 votes
Sections
Participate
Free Suscription
Recent Articles
Contact: editor@reserveintelligence.com