Posted by Michael Dorosh from Canada on April 18, 2021 at 02:56:09:
In Reply to: Women and the stae of the MOLITIA posted by Andyboy on April 18, 2021 at 02:10:40:
Even during the war, how much "training" was done by the Active units before going into action? Read "A Backwards Glance" by Frank Holm. His exercises (he was an infantry signaller) consisted mostly of pub crawls. The Canadian Army got fixated on Battle Drill and didn't bother to learn proper company/battalion/brigade tactics. They did a lot of "hardening training" like speed-marching and visiting slaughter houses but most of the training they did do was garbage - the only ones who could teach them anything valuable were the Germans. And they did - and the Canadians learned - the hard way. There's no substitute for experience.
Get some legislation in place giving reservists protection when they leave their jobs for a year to go on operations. Or have Reservists go on two month concentrations with the Regular Force. How many civvie employees will want to lose their employees every year for two months? Not going to happen in your lifetime.
I've seen our infantry practicing Pepperpotting out in Suffield or Wainwright over open ground with no artillery support, air support, or tank support. What exactly is that preparing them for? And how are you going to train them properly without spending a trillion dollars on new equipment? Don't blame them because they are not up to Regular Force standards. Blame your liberal government who won't provide money for decent equipment. I am in a mechanized infantry regiment that hasn't had IFVs or APCs for almost a decade. You can go pepperpot every weekend for all the good it will do you.
So, you identify what you see as the problems. What do you propose for a solution?
Oh, and as for courses being shortened - three years ago my QL3 was two weeks - now it is a 10 week "Total Force" course - that would be great if I was a high school student with summers off. Or unemployed. I'm not about to become a burden to society for 42 weeks just so I can learn as fast as a Regular Force soldier.