Canadian Forces equipment

[Jon Skagfeld]

I have just arived back from a liasion visit with a Reserve Army Infantry Battalion.

During the visit, I was made aware that certain Reserve Army assets were commandeered in order to support overseas operations.

Specifically, this unit, from 32 Brigade were ordered to give up (1) Iltis, (1) LSVW and (1) MLVW as well as several radio sets of the new TCCCS variety.

Trying to not confuse non-military persons reading this, suffice it to say that Reserve Army assets are being dragooned into Regular Force deployments.

These assets, from only one of the many Reserve units in 32 Brigade, are to be used in support of Roto 13 (Bosnia) and Op Apollo (Afghanistan).

This siphoning of Reserve Force assets clearly identifies a major problem with our current Liberal govenment's attitude toward the Canadian Forces in general. (Am I beating a dead horse here?)

In order to support an overseas commitement, Reserve Force units must surrender their training assets to taskings for which such assets the Regular Force should have on hand, as a matter of military preparedeness.

So, the Reserve Army loses training assets. How the Hell are unit Commanding Officers supposed to conduct training for preparing for defence or war, if they have assets which are less than the authorized scale of issue?

As a still serving commissioned officer, I suppose I'm not supposed to say this sort of thing...but, Goddammit this Liberal attitude towards our military is shameful, repugnant, economically disastrous and not good for a soldier's health.

Rant ends, out.

[Mark W. Tonner]

Jon;

It is a sad state of affairs, but think back to the first Gulf War in 1991, the unit you were serving with at that time also had to give up vehicles and equipment to support the Regular Force commitment and it was sometime after the whole thing was over that these assets were returned, mind you broken, but returned.

Cheers

[Jon Skagfeld]

Yes, you're quite right about the fact that the assets were returned, but broken, vandalized, mis-used...and it was with Reserve budget money that repairs/replacements were effected, not Regular Force money which used the equipment.

In the meantime, trying not to belabour the point, the Reserves were/are without the assets required to assist in bring them up to a reasonably prepared standard.

Gotta go, "Battle of the Bulge" is on History Channel. Have to dig out the words to "Die Panzerlied".

[Jon Skagfeld]

...commercial break.

Just caught Colonel Hessler's (Robert Shaw) black garbed troopers singing "Die Panzerlied".

Meanwhile, German werewolves dressed as American MPs parachute into the Ardennes area while Hessler leads his panzer formation to battle, in M48 Patton tanks with Balkenkreuz markings.

"Ob's sturmt oder schneit,
Ob die Sonne uns lacht,
Der Tag gluhend hejss
Oder eiskalt die Nacht..."