Europe

[Czech_pivo]

Anybody else here feels like Canada and Denmark should just hold an unplanned joint naval exercise around Greenland right now?

And, I would immediately withdraw from OP CARIBE. After all, we now know that stopping drugs was just an excuse.

Something that we could suggest to the Danes/Greenlanders, is setting up their version of the Canadian Rangers. Would further instill proud in their country, be a new revenue source for their people and would be another way of saying, look, we are taking defense seriously, we just armed X% of our population. Just a thought.

 

[Czech_pivo]

That hurts me to hear that.....

I hesitate doing anything with the Brits right now. Keep the French between us and them. I see them as no better than the US right now. I don't trust them.

 

[Czech_pivo]

Maybe the Spanish/Italians who are more hesitate to make such commitment will replace our troops in Latvia and those troops, along with others(?) transition over to Ukraine.

I'd like to know what forces Blair expects us to commit given our current situation. Unless we are about to OIC reserve units to active status and form a brigade off that

 

[daftandbarmy]

Something that we could suggest to the Danes/Greenlanders, is setting up their version of the Canadian Rangers. Would further instill proud in their country, be a new revenue source for their people and would be another way of saying, look, we are taking defense seriously, we just armed X% of our population. Just a thought.

The Danish Military is 'Sirius' about Greenland's sovereignty...

Sirius Dog Sled Patrol - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Czech_pivo]

The Danish Military is 'Sirius' about Greenland's sovereignty...

View attachment 91743

Sirius Dog Sled Patrol - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I've watched videos about them before. Incredible abilities but at the end of the day the size is a 14 man unit. They need to scale up to 1,000+.

 

[brihard]

Poland’s Prime Minister has announced plans to put all adult men through military training sufficient to build a capable reserve force.

Poland's Tusk plans large-scale military training for all adult males to boost reserves

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk says his government is working on a plan to prepare large-scale military training for every adult male in response to the changing security situation in Europe.

apnews.com

 

[MilEME09]

I’d argue anyone can be trained quickly. Now depth of knowledge may be shallower, but the basical schoolhouse stuff can get done quickly.

It’s ‘easier’ to train many CSS trades, as most of the technical trades don’t require BN or BDE level ex’s to validate.

The issue is solely on desire to train. The CA can make about just anything happen if it sets it’s mind to it.

You can't teach experience, I can't train a new tech the difference in the sound of all three gas regulator settings of a C6, that comes with time and experience. Somethings you can't learn at the schools.

 

[KevinB]

You can't teach experience, I can't train a new tech the difference in the sound of all three gas regulator settings of a C6, that comes with time and experience. Somethings you can't learn at the schools.

100% on Experience, that goes for every thing in life. But there are ways to make things easier, and experience doesn’t mean anything if it’s not relevant or correct. Garbage in, equals a lot of garbage out.

First a rant on the idiocy of the ‘mono blocks’. Honestly the 3 setting gas plug is stupid. They should have gone for a non split ring version of the multi adjustable regulator. Then teach soldiers that faster is better and there is an optimal RoF, that way you don’t have to take the barrel off and disassemble the gas block to change the setting (which sucks under contact)
Put a Magneto Speed on the barrel and get the RoF in one burst, it’s more accurate and doesn’t require someone to have been around the gun for years to know the RoF difference. It’s not an expensive item and could be issued with every gun.
The removal of the adjustment on the M249/C9 and Mk46 is the same sort of dumb. Teach troops Adverse isn’t to be used until the gun has fouling related stoppages - because now those guns run too fast stock (and flog themselves to death with a suppressor in no time at all).

Those changes that the CAF and US Mil and others introduced where all caused by poor understanding of the system - by the users, but also by some allegedly very experienced technicians - who didn’t understand employment of the weapons in a combat environment.

 

[QV]

Man - I only recall normal and adverse and I'd go to adverse when the gun starts having stoppages. But I was just the no-hook #2 C9 gunner who did what he was told. A lot of science and tech behind that stuff the average soldier doesn't know.

 

[daftandbarmy]

The removal of the adjustment on the M249/C9 and Mk46 is the same sort of dumb. Teach troops Adverse isn’t to be used until the gun has fouling related stoppages - because now those guns run too fast stock (and flog themselves to death with a suppressor in no time at all).

As I recall, 'Adverse' refers to the poor drills of the gun crew that has to use that particular setting, meaning they might have lost their wonderful magic wire brush somewhere

 

[brihard]

100% on Experience, that goes for every thing in life. But there are ways to make things easier, and experience doesn’t mean anything if it’s not relevant or correct. Garbage in, equals a lot of garbage out.

First a rant on the idiocy of the ‘mono blocks’. Honestly the 3 setting gas plug is stupid. They should have gone for a non split ring version of the multi adjustable regulator. Then teach soldiers that faster is better and there is an optimal RoF, that way you don’t have to take the barrel off and disassemble the gas block to change the setting (which sucks under contact)
Put a Magneto Speed on the barrel and get the RoF in one burst, it’s more accurate and doesn’t require someone to have been around the gun for years to know the RoF difference. It’s not an expensive item and could be issued with every gun.
The removal of the adjustment on the M249/C9 and Mk46 is the same sort of dumb. Teach troops Adverse isn’t to be used until the gun has fouling related stoppages - because now those guns run too fast stock (and flog themselves to death with a suppressor in no time at all).

Those changes that the CAF and US Mil and others introduced where all caused by poor understanding of the system - by the users, but also by some allegedly very experienced technicians - who didn’t understand employment of the weapons in a combat environment.

One of the best “do it live” hours of white space training I ever delivered- we had something fall through last minute, my platoon was gonna be without an hour of training on a parade night. So I went to CQ, pulled two C9s, put them both on a table in the classroom. One I left assembled, the other I detail stripped. Spent the lesson going into absolute granule detail on every tiny step of what’s happening with the gun during the firing cycle, what can go wrong and cause different stoppages, and what mechanically was happening with the gun. It bridged the troops from knowing the step by step drills to understanding what’s actually going on inside all the parts of the gun, round, and link, and why different things happen and why different things work to remedy.

I had nothing prepped for it, it was pure experience-based. We need that level of understanding for all the kit in use.

 

[KevinB]

As I recall, 'Adverse' refers to the poor drills of the gun crew that has to use that particular setting, meaning they might have lost their wonderful magic wire brush somewhere

Many troops thought Adverse meant Awesome - as the gun cycled a lot faster. They didn’t understand that the additional carrier velocity was making a lot more recoil energy that the gun had to absorb, thus everything was taking a beating and wearing out faster.

Then the fact that blanks burn hotter and quicker resulted in a lot of barrels butting their throats cut and eroded — instead of issuing a blank only barrel for MG’s - which would have been the long term economical solution.

 

[OldSolduer]

One of the best “do it live” hours of white space training I ever delivered- we had something fall through last minute, my platoon was gonna be without an hour of training on a parade night. So I went to CQ, pulled two C9s, put them both on a table in the classroom. One I left assembled, the other I detail stripped. Spent the lesson going into absolute granule detail on every tiny step of what’s happening with the gun during the firing cycle, what can go wrong and cause different stoppages, and what mechanically was happening with the gun. It bridged the troops from knowing the step by step drills to understanding what’s actually going on inside all the parts of the gun, round, and link, and why different things happen and why different things work to remedy.

I had nothing prepped for it, it was pure experience-based. We need that level of understanding for all the kit in use.

I don't know if this is done anymore but we used to teach the backward and forward actions of the C7, FNC1, SMG, Pistol and IIRC the MGs as well.

 

[FJAG]

Maybe the Spanish/Italians who are more hesitate to make such commitment will replace our troops in Latvia and those troops, along with others(?) transition over to Ukraine.

Spain and Italy are already in Latvia. I'm not sure how much further they stepped up on the brigade formation or are willing to commit more. There is a big difference between a trip wire force and a viable fighting force of considerable mass.

 

[Czech_pivo]

Spain and Italy are already in Latvia. I'm not sure how much further they stepped up on the brigade formation or are willing to commit more. There is a big difference between a trip wire force and a viable fighting force of considerable mass.

I see, from a public site so it might not be accurate, that Italy has a coy deployed in Latvia and Spain has a coy as well. If each of them steps up and offers another coy each and then possibly some supporting troops, HQ, Air, etc, would should cover off what we'd move over to Ukraine.

 

[MilEME09]

One of the best “do it live” hours of white space training I ever delivered- we had something fall through last minute, my platoon was gonna be without an hour of training on a parade night. So I went to CQ, pulled two C9s, put them both on a table in the classroom. One I left assembled, the other I detail stripped. Spent the lesson going into absolute granule detail on every tiny step of what’s happening with the gun during the firing cycle, what can go wrong and cause different stoppages, and what mechanically was happening with the gun. It bridged the troops from knowing the step by step drills to understanding what’s actually going on inside all the parts of the gun, round, and link, and why different things happen and why different things work to remedy.

I had nothing prepped for it, it was pure experience-based. We need that level of understanding for all the kit in use.

I do this with my techs doing theory of op, but i bring in my personal laptop and fire up the projector, I use the "game" (use the term losely) world of guns disassembler. Full 3d models, with parts names, can do X ray, cut away, slow down to 50x slow mo during theory of op to show how everything interacts.

 

[Kirkhill]

The first Afghan Rotos like Bosnia where 100% Regular.

I'm sorry I don't see the manpower issue - you have a Battle Group in Latvia - thus you have 2.5 Bde's at least at home.
As far as the Canadian Taxpayer tends think -- the Regular Army is only worth it's shilling when it is deployed.

Make Latvia a 3 year posting or akin to 4 CMBG in Germany - it should not be an albatross around the neck of the CA to do other issues.

Latvia with a Bde HQ and Btl Group is not a significant portion of the CA, to roll over and ignore other commitments.

MacKenzie in Yugoslavia was possible because 4 CMBG was in Germany. There is nothing to prevent Canada building up 4 CMBG in Latvia and deploying forward elements to a place like Ukraine.

 

[KevinB]

I don't know if this is done anymore but we used to teach the backward and forward actions of the C7, FNC1, SMG, Pistol and IIRC the MGs as well.

There is a big difference in teaching what happens, and explaining why it happens and what can happen that isn’t supposed to…

 

[daftandbarmy]

One of the best “do it live” hours of white space training I ever delivered- we had something fall through last minute, my platoon was gonna be without an hour of training on a parade night. So I went to CQ, pulled two C9s, put them both on a table in the classroom. One I left assembled, the other I detail stripped. Spent the lesson going into absolute granule detail on every tiny step of what’s happening with the gun during the firing cycle, what can go wrong and cause different stoppages, and what mechanically was happening with the gun. It bridged the troops from knowing the step by step drills to understanding what’s actually going on inside all the parts of the gun, round, and link, and why different things happen and why different things work to remedy.

I had nothing prepped for it, it was pure experience-based. We need that level of understanding for all the kit in use.

And I bet that most of those troops still consider that lesson as one of the best experiences of their careers.

 

[FJAG]

I see, from a public site so it might not be accurate, that Italy has a coy deployed in Latvia and Spain has a coy as well. If each of them steps up and offers another coy each and then possibly some supporting troops, HQ, Air, etc, would should cover off what we'd move over to Ukraine.

That's the point though - "if." They've both had fairly robust combat teams in Latvia's multinational eFP battle group which is led by Canada.

However, when NATO decided to create a multinational brigade group, we took the lead for the bde HQ and added some components (such as tanks and a more persistent gun battery). However, in order to create a brigade, Denmark and Sweden stepped up to add a joint surge mech battalion and we added a flyover surge light battalion as the brigade's third manoeuvre unit. Italy and Spain maintained their current commitments. They didn't offer any new commitments (Possibly there was some slight adjustment to the current commitments)

I think we are stuck with Latvia as is.

We do, however, have around 300+ folks on Op UNIFER committed until 2026 training Ukrainians in the UK. In the event of a ceasefire that commitment could conceivably be converted to be the core of a force in Ukraine. Just guessing here.