Canada’s Reserve Force - DPR - 2013-14

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Canada’s Reserve Force

The Reserve Force is composed of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members who are enrolled for other than continuous full-time military service. The Reserves play three key roles in the CF:

Operational – trained and ready to respond; Canadian Armed Forces presence and community connection; and Citizenship, leadership and commitment to the country.

The Reserve Force is based on a long standing “citizen soldier” model and serves both as a strategic and operational resource for the CAF by providing depth and breadth to CAF capabilities, a vital link to communities and to Canadians. While Regular Force members are enrolled for a specified term of service, members of the Reserve force are enrolled for an indefinite period of service and as such volunteer to keep themselves ready for duty if and when necessary.

The Reserve Force is comprised of four sub-components: the Primary Reserve, the Canadian Rangers, the Cadet Organization, Administration and Training Service (COATS) and the Supplementary Reserve. The Reserve Force represents a rich heritage and tradition of service to Canada with its presence in local communities throughout the country. A sustainable Reserve Force, trained and equipped to meet the needs and operational challenges of the DND and CAF, is a critical enabler to CAF strategic and operational success.

Budget 2012 announced that the Reserve Force strength will be maintained at 27,000 which, in conjunction with the 68,000 Regular Force personnel, will provide a balance across the four Canada First Defence Strategy pillars upon which military capabilities are built—personnel, equipment, readiness and infrastructure. Ongoing efforts within National Defence and the CAF will optimize Reserve Force resources and the force structures necessary to ensure that the critical link to communities across Canada is retained and will continue to evolve while facing the full range of defence and security challenges facing Canada now and into the future.

Primary Reserve

The Primary Reserve (P Res) is a force that consists of predominately part-time professional CAF members, located throughout Canada, ready with reasonable notice to conduct or contribute to domestic and international operations to safeguard the defence and security of Canada. This force is fully integrated into the CAF Chain of Command.

The Primary Reserve is also a diverse military community and management of the P Res is primarily in the hands of Force Generators (Navy, Army, Air Force, Health Services, Judge Advocate General and Special Operations Forces) and some others are self-managed (Primary Reserve Lists). Specific tasks, roles and missions flow from the Force Generators and employment and training models as well as integration vary. However, common to all is the contribution to the Defence Mission and the delivery of Canadian Armed Forces capabilities.

The Primary Reserve contributes to the overall CAF capability to deliver strategic effects in the defence of Canadian interests both at home and abroad. It consists of professional, well-trained and predominantly part-time CAF members who contribute to the defence and security of Canada by maintaining directed levels of readiness.

Informed by experience gained in multiple domestic and expeditionary operations, the Reserve Force has proven to be a critical component of the CAF. The ongoing development of the roles, missions, and operational tasks within each of the services has ensured that the Reserves are trained, developed, and equipped to work seamlessly alongside the Regular Force in providing the capabilities necessary to achieve success at home and abroad.

Primary Reservists are recruited through CAF recruiting centres manned by Regular and Reserve personnel. Attraction is accomplished through a combination of national advertising and unit initiative.

Primary Reservists have an obligation to train annually. Part-time training is normally conducted as individual training to meet trade or general specifications or to maintain skills (such as annual weapon qualification or first aid certification), while the two week annual training is normally utilized as an opportunity for collective training. Courses must be structured to accommodate demands of a civilian career/school and family. Courses are modularized in two week blocks whenever possible and distributed learning is used when feasible. That does not usually extend to courses as basic training or initial trades training. Because Reserve personnel do not perform the variety of tasks expected of a member of the Regular Force they are not trained to the same breadth. That said, many of the occupational specifications are now the same for both and skills are now trained to the same standard and integrated / common training has a positive impact on employment on operations, component transfers and a more integrated CAF. The P Res sub-component consists of the following elements:

  • The Naval Reserve;
  • The Canadian Army (CA) Reserve;
  • The Air Reserve;
  • Military Personnel Command (MILPERSCOM) Primary Reserve List (PRL), which includes the CAF Health Services Reserve and the National Defence Headquarters (PRL);
  • The Canadian Special Operations Forces Command Reserve; and
  • The Legal Reserve.

In international operations, the role of the P Res is to augment, sustain and support deployed forces and up to 20% of deployed forces during recent international operations have been P Res personnel. With respect to domestic operations, the P Res provides the personnel for coastal, air, and arctic operations and the Territorial Battalion Groups. Reserve units are located in Canadian communities across Canada, and as residents of those communities, P Res members work with local first responders when called up in the event of an emergency. Their involvement contributes to reducing the effect of the crisis and assisting in a return to normalcy. P Res domestic operations response has included Disaster Relief Assistance, Search and Rescue, Security and Sovereignty Operations, Support to law-enforcement and Support to major events. There will continue to be significant opportunities for P Res to serve in current and future operations.

The Primary Reserve is established at 27,000 and the average paid strength over the past year was 22,467. There are, on average, 6,500 P Res members employed full-time at any given time during the year. This includes: 4,500 P Res members performing on-going duty and training in direct support to the control and administration of the Reserve Force at units, schools and headquarters across the country; and on average 2,000 P Res members attending or delivering training courses, or providing short-term support to individual units throughout the year. Approximately 400 P Res members support international and domestic operations annually. Over the past three years, the balance of employment positions has shift to favour part-time service and full-time positions have been decreased and aligned to support the priorities of Reserve Force Generation, Support to operations, Reserve Professional Development and Support to the Institution.

Progress has been steady to improve care of Reserve ill and injured members and their families as well as access to a wide range of DND/CAF and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) programs and services. Work continues on the integration of Reserve Force considerations and/or consolidation into policies and programs across the CAF as well as the implementation of the Primary Reserve Employment Capacity Study (PRECS) recommendations to improve and update internal management policies and directives that govern the Primary Reserve and confirmation of the Missions, Roles and Tasks of the Primary Reserve elements through the Comprehensive Review. Key recommendations of PRECS included getting to a full-time P Res baseline establishment of 4,500 which has been achieved, developing strategic guidance for the P Res which was promulgated last year, reviewing human resources and other administration policies which is ongoing, and improving the tracking, management and calculation of P Res funding to increase predictability. Some progress is being made on the review of Reserve funding; however, this work is still in the early stages and will follow on from the missions, roles and tasks confirmation.

Reserve contributions to operations and connections with Canadians are critical to the nation and to the environments and communities in which they serve. We must ensure that we attract, develop, support and retain a ready, capable, motivated and relevant P Res force as both a strategic and operational resource for Canada and the CAF well into the future. The Reserves will provide continued support to deployed operations and have demonstrated leadership and professionalism by making important contributions to CAF capability and response when called upon for operations and exercises at home and around the world.

Primary Reserve elements

The Naval Reserve

The Naval Reserve continues to generate trained individuals for employment at sea and ashore in a wide range of missions. New organization constructs were developed and are in the process of being implemented to enable the Naval Reserve to evolve from supporting specific capabilities to a general purpose force. This will better enable it to provide personnel augmentation to Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) operational capabilities and supplement the Regular Force component of the RCN, thereby improving its ability to support the RCN’s maritime readiness sustainment and force element production. As part of this process, it will emphasize a more traditional model of part-time reserve service, thereby becoming more closely aligned with CAF direction on employment of the Primary Reserve. The Naval Reserve, through its 24 nationally distributed Naval Reserve Divisions, provided RCN representation at numerous CAF appreciation events and conducted multiple attractions and local leadership engagement activities, supporting the CAF and RCN’s strategic communications, recruitment and outreach efforts. The total Naval Reserve strength, as at 31 March 2014, was 3042.

The Army Reserve

Canada's Army Reserve is organized into 123 units, located in 117 cities and communities across the country. The role of the Army Reserve is to provide the framework to mobilize, augment and sustain the Canadian Armed Forces and serve as a link between the military and civilian communities as guided by the key Connect with Canadians initiative.

After a period of very high operational tempo, the Army Reserve focused its efforts on reconstitution and expanding to meet its funded strength target of 19,471 part-time soldiers. It continues to provide augmentation to the Regular Force for domestic and international operations and to backfill Regular Force personnel shortfalls within the land forces and the CAF at all levels of responsibility. These demands were balanced against the needs of the Army Reserve for its own leadership and management of personnel.

Domestically, the Army Reserve continued to develop and refine the force employment concepts of Territorial Battalion Groups (TBGs), Domestic Response Companies (DRC) and Arctic Response Company Groups (ARCG). These nascent capabilities represent the force employment framework through which the Army Reserve will leverage existing unit structures and capacities and eventually take the land forces lead in domestic operations, with support from the Regular Force as required.

Internationally, the role of the Army Reserve has expanded to provide 20 per cent of required land force personnel to expeditionary operations through individual and formed capability augmentation.

The Air Reserve

The Air Reserve is employed in total force establishments throughout Canada, working side-by-side with members of the Regular Force and other departmental employees. Air Reservists receive the same training as their Regular Force counterparts and Air Reservists maintain their occupational skills through a combination of specialized training opportunities and routine support of daily Air Force operations. The close integration of the Air Reserve into total force establishments provides a surge capacity to ensure that the RCAF is able to deliver strategic effects for the CAF particularly during periods of high operational tempo, in support of the Canada First Defence Strategy.

The rationalization of the Primary Reserve continued through 2013-14, along with the transition to a predominantly part-time force. Recruiting and retention marketing strategies, along with an aggressive Campaign Plan, were initiated to stem the high rate of attrition in the Air Reserve and endeavour to achieve a total Air Reserve strength of approximately 2300 personnel.

The Health Services Reserve

The Health Services Reserve, with a total strength of 1454 as of 31 March 2014; (average paid strength of 1060), is organized into two functional groups: Primary Reserve units known as Reserve Field Ambulances, and 1 Canadian Field Hospital Detachment Ottawa. Core tasks assigned to the Field Ambulances include force generating trained personnel to support, augment and sustain CAF Health Services Group's domestic and expeditionary commitments, to provide health services support to their affiliated Canadian Brigade Groups (CBGs) and to conduct community outreach activities. The members of 1 Canadian Field Hospital Detachment Ottawa include specialist clinicians, who provide depth and breadth to the Health Services Group on international operations and in military clinics within Canada.

Priorities for the Health Services Reserve in fiscal year (FY) 2013-14 included:

  • Reserve Field Force Review: Review of Reserve Field Ambulance capabilities, including establishments and equipment, is ongoing. This ensures that an appropriate field structure is in place to meet current and future tasking requirements. The intent is to harmonize with the Regular Force review to ensure interoperability and compatibility for training. Rationalization of the Reserve Field Ambulances with the supported CBGs is also ongoing;
  • Develop a Health Services Reserve career management program. Development of a comprehensive program of career management and merit boards to ensure viable succession for Health Services Reserve units is ongoing. This program will be tied to career progression and training plans to allow members to gain the professional development opportunities and experience needed to be employed in various jobs over their entire career;
  • Enhancing the clinical capability of the Reserve Field Ambulances and 1 Canadian Field Hospital Detachment Ottawa through targeted recruiting and a harmonized recruiting and training plan. This allows the Health Services Reserve to continue augmenting and sustaining the CAF Health Services Group in meeting its tasking and operational commitments to the CFDS and relevant six core missions, as well as providing a robust health services support capability to their affiliated CBGs. The Health Services Reserve will continue to participate in the Health Services Annual Military Occupation Review (AMOR) to ensure synchronization with the overall recruiting strategy of Health Services Group;
  • Reserve Casualty Support Initiative - Field Ambulance Medical Link Teams (FAMLT). This initiative continues to provide coordination, support and unit liaison to facilitate the medical follow-up process for all personnel returning from deployed operations or injured on domestic tasks. FAMLT members conducted annual health care entitlement briefings to all Primary Reserve units (Army, Navy, and Air) within the Reserve Field Ambulance areas of responsibility. In accordance with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Surgeon General emphasis on mental health, they also commenced delivery of additional briefings on mental health specific to the Primary Reserve;
  • Post Afghanistan Operational Readiness training opportunities. There continues to be opportunities to develop collective training that will increase the domestic operational response capabilities of the Reserve Field Ambulances as well as training to meet Canada First Defence Strategy imperatives;
  • Primary Reserve Operational Readiness care. The trial to conduct Periodic Health Assessments (PHAs) to Class A members of the Primary Reserves is ongoing, in order to provide a more robust data trail on the personnel and resource requirements for national implementation. Providing PHAs to the Primary Reserves would ensure their members are ready to meet domestic and international operational commitments on short notice. Development of an on-line PHA and Recruit Medical process is also ongoing, with the intent of potentially accessing the civilian healthcare community to conduct the PHAs and Recruit Medicals. Assessment of a Reserve medical questionnaire is ongoing. The questionnaire was developed with the intention of filling the existing gap in knowledge of the level of medical fitness of P Res members. The questionnaire would be used as an interim measure until a way ahead to provide PHAs to all P Res members can be developed. The questionnaire has been distributed to selected units on trial basis; and
  • Implementation of Performance Measurement Framework. The Health Services Reserve continues to focus on quantifying Reserve activities, with integration into the broader Health Services Group framework. The collection and assessment of data is geared toward converting Health Services Reserve potential and capacity into operational capabilities.

Legal Reserve

In fiscal year 2013-14, the Office of the Judge Advocate General achieved a primary reserve list (PRL) fill rate of 90%, with JAG reserve legal officers occupying 57 out of 63 positions. During the reporting period, reserve JAG officers provided legal support to CAF units as well as to domestic and international operations. Of the 57 occupied positions, 52 JAG PRL legal officers were employed on Class A and short term Class B while 5 Legal Officers were employed on full time class B.

In addition to the 63 legal officer reserve positions, the Office of the JAG also has 2 full time Class B RMS clerks who provide administrative support to the JAG PRL.

Supplementary Reserve

The Supplementary Reserve (Supp Res) is a sub-component of the Reserve Force comprised of CAF members who have previously served in the Regular Force or another sub-component of the Reserve Force, as well as persons without previous military experience who have special skills or expertise and for which there is a military requirement. Its purpose is to provide a cadre of personnel who may choose to return to service voluntarily or, under specific conditions, may be placed on active service to augment the Regular or Reserve Force. This sub-component provides the CAF with additional capacity where and when needed as part of the CFDS.

The Supplementary Reserve consisted of 15,077 members as of March 31st, 2014. The Director Reserve Support Management's requests for the reduction of the Supplementary Reserve period of service from 10 years to 5 years and the elimination of the Supplementary Reserve Retirement Age 65 are still being reviewed.

Canadian Rangers

The Canadian Rangers are a sub-component of the Reserve Force under the command of the Canadian Army, which provides a CAF presence in those sparsely settled northern, coastal and isolated areas of Canada which cannot conveniently or economically be covered by other elements of the CAF. The Canada First Defence Strategy will maintain this critical capability as a key aspect of the Government’s commitment to northern sovereignty. The mission of the Canadian Rangers is to provide lightly-equipped and self-sufficient mobile forces in support of CAF sovereignty and domestic operations in Canada. Their main tasks are to conduct and provide support to sovereignty operations, conduct and provide assistance to CAF Domestic operations and to maintain a CAF presence in the local community. The organization achieved a key milestone this past training year by reaching the goal of 5000 serving Canadian Rangers set by the Government of Canada.

Canadian Rangers also support the Junior Canadian Rangers program; a program sponsored by the DND for youths ages 12 to 18 in remote and isolated communities.

Canadian Rangers have unique annual training requirements; clothing and equipment entitlements and rank structure and are organized into community based patrols commanded by one of five national Canadian Ranger Patrol Groups.

Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Services

The Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Services (COATS) is composed of Cadet Instructor Cadre (CIC) officers, General Service Officers and Non-Commissioned Members whose primary duty is the supervision, administration and training of cadets 12 to 18 years of age. In addition to the CIC officers, COATS includes two other classifications, the COATS General Service Officer and the COATS General Service Non-Commissioned Member which permit personnel from other sub-components of the Reserve Force to augment the existing staff and work with the cadet program.

The COATS mandate is to ensure the safety and welfare of cadets while developing in them the attributes of leadership and citizenship, promoting physical fitness and stimulating their interest in the sea, land and air activities of the CAF. CIC Officers are not subject to Universality of Service and have a unique training and career progression structure. They are not employed in any capacity beyond the Cadet Program and may serve until age 65.

Employer Support for the Reserve Force

Members of the Reserve Force have the challenge of balancing not only the demands of their military service and families, but civilian careers or studies. For over 30 years, we have enjoyed the tremendous support of our partners in the Canadian Forces Liaison Council to ensure that Reserve personnel are available for military service without penalty to their civilian career or educational pursuits. Employer support is an important force enabler for the CAF and was critically important during the past decade as the number of Reservists on operations increased dramatically.

As the integration of Reservists evolved and the number of Reservists on domestic and international operations increased, employer support has also changed from merely employer awareness in the early years, to employer support ramping up for Bosnia and Afghanistan to where we are now with employer engagement and our stakeholders have expanded beyond employers to include academic institutions as a great majority of Reservists are students.

Through that transition we developed employer support tools beyond programs and information to include job protection legislation for Reservists and will soon have an employer compensation plan to help employers of deployed Reservists.

The Canadian Forces Liaison Council

The mandate of the Canadian Forces Liaison Council (CFLC) is to enhance the availability of Reservists for their military duties by obtaining the support and co-operation of organization leaders in Canada. For over 30 years, DND, through the CFLC has delivered a range of employer support programs that promote and encourage support to Reservists who seek leave from their education programs or primary employment for operations or training. By increasing the pool of trained and available Reservists for operations, CFLC’s programs directly contribute to the operational readiness of the CAF, while fostering a culture of national support to the CAF as a whole. The CFLC National Council is comprised of 11 provincial and territorial chairs that meet semi-annually to co-ordinate and guide strategic programming of the organization in accordance with departmental objectives and initiatives.

The CFLC is a group of more than two hundred Canada-wide senior civilian business executives and educational leaders who volunteer their time and efforts to promote the primary Reserve Force by highlighting the benefits of Reserve Force training and experience to the civilian workplace. Supported by a full-time military Secretariat and a national network of Reserve officers, CFLC assists individual Reservists as well as Reserve units in matters related to employer support.

As a force enabler, the Council has encouraged civilian employers and educational institutions to grant Reservists military leave on a voluntary basis, without penalty, to participate in their military activities, duties and training. To achieve its mandate, CFLC facilitates visits of civilian employers and educators to bases and training establishments, in addition to organising targeted outreach with civic, business and industrial leaders across Canada. These longstanding programs have been refined over time, and are designed to provide participants a clear understanding of the requirements of Reservists, while also highlighting the many tangible benefits employers receive from their Reservist-employees. The CFLC also serves the entirety of the Reserve Force through a national network of liaison officers who directly support the Environmental Commands. This is done through reserve unit visits, providing employer support training to key unit personnel, and directly supporting individual Reservists on a case-by-case basis, through advice and guidance on employer support issues.

CFLC’s operational activities focussed on two key defence tasks – Providing Force Elements and Program Governance – and contributing directly to the achievement of two of the Vice Chief of Defence Staff’s strategic objectives – Generating and Sustaining Forces and Contributing to Canadian Government, Society and the International Community.

The Council executed its five core programs. Key to the implementation of the Mandate’s objective, two of the programs, the ExecuTrek and the Outreach program, focused on generating awareness and educating employers, academic leaders and other organizations as to the value of Reserve service. Two other programs, the Reservist’s Assistance program, the Reserve Unit Support program, supported Reservists in their discussions with employers when there were challenges regarding a Reservists request for military leave for operations or training. Finally, the Awards and Recognition program was executed to recognize Canada’s organizations that have been highly supportive of their Reservists. All of these programs have been implemented with the intent of significantly improving employer and educator support for Reservists. In this manner, the Council continues to play an important role in the ongoing availability of Reservists for domestic and international operations.

Primary Reserve Expenditures

Primary Reserve Full Cost Estimate

The costs are divided into four categories: direct, indirect, attributed and capital costs. This method of reporting is intended to provide greater clarity on the makeup of the total costs of the Primary Reserve.

Direct expenditures include funds specifically budgeted for the Primary Reserve such as pay, travel and goods and services which are locally procured.

Indirect expenditures reflect the Primary Reserve share of departmental resources, which are controlled centrally. Included are ammunition, equipment operating costs, clothing and the cost of maintaining facilities such as armouries.

Attributed expenditures are departmental overhead costs, which are allocated, for reporting purposes, to all activities including the Primary Reserves. In reality, these costs do not vary directly as a function of activity and would largely be incurred whether the Primary Reserve existed or not.

Capital expenditures are shown for the year in which payments have been made, and do not reflect an amortization of cost over the life of the asset. The capital expenditures can vary significantly from one year to the next, depending on priorities established within the capital equipment plan and the cash flow requirements of individual projects.

Financial Resources
(thousands)

Type of Expenditure
Actual
Spending
2011-12
Actual
Spending
2012-13
Planned
Spending
2013-14
Actual
Spending
2013-14

Reserve Pay1

676,551

616,228

587,901

548,576

Regular Support Staff 160,844 167,592 146,776 169,908
Reserve Operating2 97,909 91,856 69,131 75,387
Subtotal Direct 935,304 875,676 803,808 793,871
Ammunition 17,387 18,856 21,651 16,949
Equipment Usage 74,462 62,128 61,680 60,428
Clothing3 27,477 27,288 27,602 27,379
Facility Operating 65,949 65,196 59,981 58,030
Subtotal Indirect 185,275 173,468 170,914 162,786
Base Support 244,962 245,379 252,361 250,303
Training4 7,643 6,330 7,321 6,422
Subtotal Attributed 252,605 251,709 259,682 256,725
Subtotal Primary Reserve Operating 1,373,184 1,300,853 1,234,404 1,213,382
Dedicated Capital5 19,035 18,236 47,964 48,880
Shared Capital6 20,235 26,919 70,683 30,938
Subtotal Capital 39,270 45,155 118,647 79,818
Total Primary Reserve Costs 1,412,454 1,346,008 1,353,051 1,293,200

Source: Assistant Deputy Minister (Finance and Corporate Services) Group

* Due to rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown.

Notes:

  1. Direct pay and operating amounts do not reflect forecasted/planned spending involving members of the Canadian Rangers and the Cadet Instructors Cadre sub-components. They do however include the cost of employing Primary Reservists in positions that would normally be occupied by the Regular Force. Reserve Pay does not include the ONE TIME cost of PIL (severance pay termination), with that included the total reserve pay is $600,502 with a 2% variance. Pay is otherwise short due to change in policy of annuitants, vacancies, and recruiting.
  2. The significant variance in the Reserve Operating fund can be attributed to unexpected disaster relief and previously non-funded training operations such as; COUGAR SALVO and KOOTNEY KASTOR.
  3. Reduced recruiting has resulted in a lower expenditure on clothing.
  4. Changes to FULL costing methodology in the CFM have lowered training costs, as well, total training days significantly less forecasted due to reduced recruiting.
  5. The decrease in Dedicated Capital actual expenditures is mainly attributable to lower than planned spending for several large capital projects, specifically; HMCS Carleton, HMCS Hunter, and the Seismic retrofit Seaforth armoury were all drastically below forecasted spending.
  6. The decrease in Shared Capital actual 2012-13 expenditures is mainly attributable to lower than planned spending on; Medium Support Vehicle System (MSVS), LCSS LE, and CMTC + OPFOR facility all spent less than 50% of the amount forecasted.
Human Resources
Planned
2013-14
Actual
2013-14

Difference

Actual minus planned

Primary Reserve paid strength (all classes)1 27,000 22,467 (4,533)
Cadet Organisation, Administration &
Training Service (COATS)
8,000 7,823 (177)
Canadian Rangers 5,000 5,042 42

Sources : Vice Chief of the Defence Staff; Chief Military Personnel and Canadian Army

Note:

  1. Primary Reserve paid strength reporting, planning and allocations are based on monthly reports provided by Assistant Deputy Minister (Finance and Corporate Services) Group / Directorate of Strategic Finance and Costing and Assistant Deputy Minister (Information Management) / Director of Human Resources Information Management.

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