From the Director: Strengthening the RCAF Reserve

Magazine Article / March 11, 2021 / Project number: RCAF-Excelsior-Winter-2021-01

The Canadian Armed Forces has placed an increased emphasis on strengthening its Primary Reserve since the Chief of the Defence Staff (General Jonathan Vance at the time) issued direction in 2015. Within the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), we recognized the need to expand our intake methods to increase our strength and assure a sustainable Reserve component, and we are seeing an ever increasing intake of new recruits in the RCAF Reserve along with continued component transfers from the Regular Force. While new recruits are vital to the rejuvenation and reinvigoration of our air force, the traditional model to bring over members from the Regular Force is equally important to retain crucial knowledge and experience. Both of these intake streams are essential to the continued success of the RCAF Reserve.

While strengthening the Reserve Force is viewed by many as growing in size, this is only a part of the equation. Strengthening is not only about increasing the numbers of serving reservists, it is also about increasing capacity, developing new roles and providing a reliable, sustainable contribution to the CAF. The CAF has been challenged to develop new roles for the Reserve Force that will provide a reliable full-time output from a part-time force.

Within the RCAF Reserve we have been developing the idea of capability augmentation, whereby we provide a reliable, sustainable contribution to the RCAF mission beyond the simple addition of personnel. The new Air Operations Support Technician occupation is a perfect example of the capability augmentation concept. When fully implemented, these aviators will provide a meaningful contribution to the delivery of air power by providing Force Protection capacity and by supporting local air maintenance and Search and Rescue activities. This is not an augmentation to the existing personnel establishment, but a defined operational output in support of local operations.

In addition, we are also challenging existing CAF Human Resource Management principles to leverage skill sets available from the civilian sector in the emerging areas of Space, Cyber, and Modelling and Simulation. The RCAF Aerospace Warfare Center plays a key role in this innovation through its Air & Space Integration Programme, or ASIP, and offers numerous opportunities to contribute. At this time, the programme is offering positions to reservists [see the ad on page 6], and moving forward could be expanded to include all members of the Defence Team. The exploration of these types of innovative concepts is an essential activity that will help evolve the RCAF Reserve and foster the RCAF’s reputation as a forward-looking, innovative organization.

Colonel Shawn Marley, Director RCAF Reserve