Which way is the army heading??

[jarko]

Is our army becoming better, staying the same or going downhill ??? Please provide examples.

 

[greydak]

I heard we have the best pay?

 

[MJP]

Is our army becoming better, staying the same or going downhill ??? Please provide examples.

I poached this from the old rules that used to be given to everyone that joined this fine community when it was a mailing list way back when.  Written by Mr O'Leary they are quite relevant and should be a mandatory read.  You can find them here http://army.ca/listserv/therules.php

"Specific inquiries will generate specific answers, general questions may be ignored because the answer to a ten word question may theoretically require a book, and were not here waiting to write you a book explaining What is military training like?"

This topic can and will give you wide and varied answers and it all pretty much depends on the experience of the poster and their general mentality.  These sorts of topic usually disintergrate into sniping of some form or another and no serious discussion takes place.  I think it would be better if you coached your question to be more specific instead of a wide ranging question you have now.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

put simply the army is going to shit.  Do a search for why.

 

[canuck101]

CFL the guy had a question it may have been not as specific as you wanted but just saying

put simply the army is going to crap.  Do a search for why. is not giving any help either. It would only take a second or two to direct him to a topic to research.

jarko i think was just asking if the army is in decline or not simple as that.  If you are not allowed to ask a stupid question how are you going to learn, you learn from mistakes.  I also found the help that MJP gave with the link was cool but went on saying

These sorts of topic usually disintergrate into sniping of some form or another and no serious discussion takes place.  I think it would be better if you coached your question to be more specific instead of a wide ranging question you have now.

seems a little harsh but i am new to this forum myself. I only spent one year in the reserves which i know is not much but i am a military brat and have lived all over Canada moving base to base with my parents so i know a little maybe not enough to be a expert on many topics.  He will learn from experience his profile shows he may want to join the army so cut him some slack.  It is not like this forum is going to die from one question.

This may piss off some people but there are other military forums out there.  I find this forum very good in it's wide range of topics and the people that post topics and answer them. 

go ahead and tell me that i am total wrong.  Remember forum means a place or medium for meeting,discussion or debate nothing more and nothing less.

I personally think that the leaderships in the army is the main problem.  We only have a few generals that stand up for their troops. I found that most generals are just bureaucrats. Generals should be able to tell the politicans that we need to keep more troops at home so we can train new one.  I shouldn't take six months to a year for people wanting to join.

well that is my rant for today

cheers

 

[MJP]

These sorts of topic usually disintergrate into sniping of some form or another and no serious discussion takes place.  I think it would be better if you coached your question to be more specific instead of a wide ranging question you have now.

seems a little harsh but i am new to this forum myself.

It was never meant to be harsh...just a friendly suggestion

 

[canuck101]

That is cool i did not mean to be so harsh myself i reacted to the non- answer to his question that all. It's all good

 

[skura]

It must be on some kind of uphill track, look at all the websites out there about our army now (especially this one) and all the attention thier getting, but yes, we're still not "up to standards"...the way I look at it; we're the turtle in the turtoise and the hare race...we don't go anywhere fast, but atleast we're moving...

I mean if we weren't the government would have found something new to steal money from...lol

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Ya were moving...backwards.

 

[skura]

How so...I mean it's no secrect, but still...

I mean you kinda made a point, but you didn't back it up...explain...

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Lack of personal..not enough people to fulfill all the requirements of the military, courses, tours, new laser range facilities
Lack of equipment..said laser range facility has taken equipment from all units making them that much weaker
Lack of direction..are peace making or keeping or both.  Are we domestic or international
Lack of money..I've been to the range once or twice every year for the past 3 years
TOW going to one company
Pioneer and Mortars disbanded and picked up by the Engineers and Arty with no increase in manpower.

 

[skura]

But personel has got to be going up...look at all of us...

Even if that's the case, yes, we are still undeveloped (I wrote my history exam essay on our military...I thought it was interesting how we had a strong army in WWI (even though we had help from Britian) and an even stronger military in WWII and now we're in the shitter again, it's like we're waiting for WWIII to beef up our military again)

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Being short staffed prior a major war has always been our way.  That said we need at least 20,000 more people for a total of around 80,000 to accomplish everything.  100,000 would be nice.

 

[skura]

You mean 19,999...cause as soon as I'm done college I'm in

::EDIT:: Of course by then there should be a lot more soldiers, I still have to finish highschool (grade 11 next year)...so I have plenty of time to learn all I need before I enlist...I have some questions in other posts if anyone can help me out (and I'm trying not to drag this thread off topic...so hopefully I can finish it snappy)

What's the annual amount of new recruits/people retiring to/from the Canadian Army?  It's be a lot easier to estimate a year as to when we may have 100,000 soldiers if you had those figures...

 

[winchable]

as soon as I'm done college I'm in

Why wait?

 

[skura]

I want to get a degree in something before I enlist...I know there's schooling in the army but I want to make sure I have a college diploma before I do anything...also this way if things dont work out for me in the army (and I pray that they do work out) I have something to fall back on...that, and my mom doesn't want me to leave (even when I'm in my very earily 20's...lol)

::EDIT:: Actually my dad's happy that my life finally has some direction...but he still wouldn't want me to leave until I have a college diploma....

 

[Infanteer]

I personally think that the leaderships in the army is the main problem.   We only have a few generals that stand up for their troops. I found that most generals are just bureaucrats. Generals should be able to tell the politicans that we need to keep more troops at home so we can train new one.   I shouldn't take six months to a year for people wanting to join

What would you base this evaluation upon.   The idea that corrupt generals are destroying the military seems to be a common one; but it is seriously ignorant one as well.   Why do people assume that every officer turns into a self-serving bureaucrat once they are promoted to Major?  This just seems to be a cop out to me, placing blame an a mysterious group of people who we can never seem to point out.

I would venture that the source of many of our problems is not found in a group of individuals (ie Generals, Fat People, etc) but rather on systemic causes.  I am willing to bet that the way we structure our Military leads to organizational problems which encourage inefficency and waste.  This is why it takes six months to a year for people to get into the military.

As well, Generals don't "tell" politicians anything.   A healthy civil-military relationship within a democracy doesn't allow this; Generals, like privates, are soldiers who serve the people of their state and the elected officials who represent them.   They take their orders as all other soldiers do from their civilian leaders and should be free to perform their military duties in accordance with those directives.

 

[Infanteer]

Skura, have you looked into joining the reserves while you attend college?

 

[skura]

Actually I haven't, I didn't know you could do that...

What goes on at the reserves...like what would someone like myself who would then have a job and be going to school do/learn on the reserve?

 

[D-n-A]

Theres a lot of students in the reserve(high school, college, university).

What you do in the reserves depends on the unit and trade you go into, and the qualifications you have. Without BMQ(basic training) you can't do a whole lot.

Also, the reserves can pay for some of your post secondary aswell.