Reconstitution

[markppcli]

FWIW, I agree with you.

There's a need to look at a developing, and properly articulating, a more compelling 'value proposition' than just letting people wear purple hair...

CAFs really expensive recruitment video using professional actors and showing people biking

864 views

Meanwhile random dude with Helmet Cam:

6+ million views

So I’m not a fan of his page, but one of the more popular and frankly positive CAF YouTube personalities just made a long post that he’ll no longer be producing CAF related content. He’s apparently had nothing but negative responses to it from within the CAF despite a mail box of 300 plus saying how much his content helped them choose the CAF. I don’t know how true the last bit is, but good god CAF. If we have members producing pro CAF content let’s promote that, and use it. Not try and harass a guy. We need this stuff, on social media and our official stuff is objectively bad and not resonating. This guy should have been getting COs coins, commendations, and positive feedback notes.

 

[daftandbarmy]

In my napkin force, I've been toying with what could be realistic for BC.

In short I'm looking at all of BC as being able to form something in the neighbourhood of Light Composite Regiment (vice a brigade) consisting of a light reconnaissance battalion (30/70), a light mountain infantry battalion (+) (20/80), a Cdn Ranger group (10/90), a light artillery regiment (-) (30/70), an engineer company (30/70) and a service battalion (-) (30/70). The primary role would be defence of Canada coastal ops. It's main purpose would be coastal patrol and strike, building a mountain capability and a secondary amphibious and airmobile capability.

On the artillery side, I would see a regiment (-) including one light 105mm battery (10/90), a UCAV battery (10/90) and a tactical battery (70/30 skilled in mountain warfare and naval gunfire FOOing - JTACs would be attached from outside). I see the HQ and tactical bty working out of Victoria and the gun bty out of Vancouver. The UCAV battery could be anywhere but probably Vancouver. (I see something similar on the Atlantic side but with a greater amphibious and airmobile but no mountain focus).

My figures right now indicate that 39 Bde can average about 1,500 A/Res folks. That's too small for a brigade in and of itself. The mountains and sea somewhat define its role. Assuming a trend to redistributing regf personnel into regf/ARes hybrid structures we would be adding about 300 to 400 in addition to existing full time staff and the part-timers. That gives a total force of just shy of 2,000 regf/ARes (but not counting Rangers) which, in short does not provide enough personnel for the three manoeuvre units needed for a brigade (as an example, the infantry brigade structures I'm contemplating in Quebec has three light battalions, a recce battalion, a Cdn Ranger Group, and a service battalion (no artillery or engineers - that's a div resource) and runs at roughly 3,100-3,300 regf/ARes each (not counting Rangers).

There are almost 3 million people living in the Lower Mainland, and 800,000+ on Vancouver Island.

If we can't recruit and man a full RegF brigade out of that concentrated population base, we might as well fold up shop.

The fact that we continually under recruit currently for the ARes units there should cause heads to roll, quite frankly.

 

[ueo]

So I’m not a fan of his page, but one of the more popular and frankly positive CAF YouTube personalities just made a long post that he’ll no longer be producing CAF related content. He’s apparently had nothing but negative responses to it from within the CAF despite a mail box of 300 plus saying how much his content helped them choose the CAF. I don’t know how true the last bit is, but good god CAF. If we have members producing pro CAF content let’s promote that, and use it. Not try and harass a guy. We need this stuff, on social media and our official stuff is objectively bad and not resonating. This guy should have been getting COs coins, commendations, and positive feedback notes.

Sorta like an earlier campaign with a young preppie officer debarking from a 707. Think the tag line was No Life Like it or something. Didn't appreciably increase either recruiting orr retention. Just made us appear all soft and mushy .

 

[BrianWL]

universal service. or offer up educational, housing and financial incentives in a big way. people won't join up because its the right thing to do any more. or so it appears......

 

[markppcli]

There are almost 3 million people living in the Lower Mainland, and 800,000+ on Vancouver Island.

If we can't recruit and man a full RegF brigade out of that concentrated population base, we might as well fold up shop.

The fact that we continually under recruit currently for the ARes units there should cause heads to roll, quite frankly.

Under recruit NCMs, reserve infantry officer is over by 27 percent last time I looked.

 

[FSTO]

Sorta like an earlier campaign with a young preppie officer debarking from a 707. Think the tag line was No Life Like it or something. Didn't appreciably increase either recruiting orr retention. Just made us appear all soft and mushy .

It was a bunch of guys deplaning a 707 with brief cases in their hands. Yep, really bad.

Here is a poster from around the time I joined in 1989, it was a great time to be in the Navy!! LOL!



Notice that the working rig at sea was still the greens!

 

[Furniture]

So I’m not a fan of his page, but one of the more popular and frankly positive CAF YouTube personalities just made a long post that he’ll no longer be producing CAF related content. He’s apparently had nothing but negative responses to it from within the CAF despite a mail box of 300 plus saying how much his content helped them choose the CAF. I don’t know how true the last bit is, but good god CAF. If we have members producing pro CAF content let’s promote that, and use it. Not try and harass a guy. We need this stuff, on social media and our official stuff is objectively bad and not resonating. This guy should have been getting COs coins, commendations, and positive feedback notes.

I haven't watched many of the CAF member video on YouTube, but my impression is that they make videos because they love what they do, and want other people to see the positives and negatives of the CAF in a real way.

I also see a lot of CAF members, and in particular bitter ex-CAF members, bash anything that doesn't exactly reflect their experience or perception of the CAF. I experienced it first hand one day(years ago) working at an airshow, a Fort Garry Horse MCpl was not at all subtly mocking me in front of his troops, as I was telling someone else about my experience in Afghanistan. Apparently an air force Cpl can't have had a positive experience in the field in Afghanistan, and I was likely making the whole thing up.

My point after the ramble above is that, as you pointed out, we can often be our own worst enemy when it comes to people promoting the CAF and realistic views of what it's like to serve.

 

[FSTO]

C’mon CFRG, keep in contact with your contacts!

https://x.com/sailorshinde/status/1720439106637865395?s=46&t=2YOOnHysFxMPbhww7fXPfQ

 

[Navy_Pete]

I haven't watched many of the CAF member video on YouTube, but my impression is that they make videos because they love what they do, and want other people to see the positives and negatives of the CAF in a real way.

I also see a lot of CAF members, and in particular bitter ex-CAF members, bash anything that doesn't exactly reflect their experience or perception of the CAF. I experienced it first hand one day(years ago) working at an airshow, a Fort Garry Horse MCpl was not at all subtly mocking me in front of his troops, as I was telling someone else about my experience in Afghanistan. Apparently an air force Cpl can't have had a positive experience in the field in Afghanistan, and I was likely making the whole thing up.

My point after the ramble above is that, as you pointed out, we can often be our own worst enemy when it comes to people promoting the CAF and realistic views of what it's like to serve.

My last 3 consecutive GOFO town hall addresses have started out with them bashing the middle leadership (MS-PO1, Lt(N) & LCdrs) for being too negative.

If the institution is consistently producing tired and worn out people after 10-15 years, maybe they should stop framing it as a leadership failure in the middle instead of a long term, unsustainable mess. If people tell you for a decade that things are unsustainable and it will get worse, shouldn't be surprised when things get worse and people aren't putting on a happy place face.

Toxic positivity seems to be the new trend.

edit: typo

 

[WLSC]

Under recruit NCMs, reserve infantry officer is over by 27 percent last time I looked.

Years after tears after years…

 

[WLSC]

CAFs really expensive recruitment video using professional actors and showing people biking

864 views

Meanwhile random dude with Helmet Cam:

6+ million views

From what I heard, that’s the best rthe CAF could do. Anything else was turn down because aggressive recruiting adds are to manly, to agressive and not enough inclusive by the political masters.

 

[daftandbarmy]

My last 3 consecutive GOFO town hall addresses have started out with them bashing the middle leadership (MS-PO1, Lt(N) & LCdrs) for being too negative.

 

[TacticalTea]

From what I heard, that’s the best rthe CAF could do. Anything else was turn down because aggressive recruiting adds are to manly, to agressive and not enough inclusive by the political masters.

Our job is to kill people ride bicycles and hold seminars on people's feelings

 

[Furniture]

My last 3 consecutive GOFO town hall addresses have started out with them bashing the middle leadership (MS-PO1, Lt(N) & LCdrs) for being too negative.

If the institution is consistently producing tired and worn out people after 10-15 years, maybe they should stop framing it as a leadership failure in the middle instead of a long term, unsustainable mess. If people tell you for a decade that things are unsustainable and it will get worse, shouldn't be surprised when things get worse and people aren't putting on a happy place face.

Toxic positivity seems to be the new trend.

edit: typo

It's one thing to push for improvements inside the CAF, it's another thing entirely to go on social media and bash people who are trying to give an impression of how the CAF is.

There are a lot of problems in the CAF, but they don't get fixed if we drive away people before they even have a chance to get in and see how things are for themselves.

 

[daftandbarmy]

I haven't watched many of the CAF member video on YouTube, but my impression is that they make videos because they love what they do, and want other people to see the positives and negatives of the CAF in a real way.

That is literally the key strength of any good social media plan: people who are so passionate about their work that they show their peers what they're up to in an authentic fashion. Right now.

The CAF can't seem to get their heads around that though, and it's kinda painful to watch.

 

[WLSC]

Our job is to kill people ride bicycles and hold seminars on people's feelings

Sad, immensely sad but true

 

[Winds]

That is literally the key strength of any good social media plan: people who are so passionate about their work that they show their peers what they're up to in an authentic fashion. Right now.

The CAF can't seem to get their heads around that though, and it's kinda painful to watch.

Bureaucracy prefers centralized control though. If there's to be good social media content about the CAF, then ADM(PA) will want credit. If they weren't involved, then it only serves to make them look bad for not thinking of it themselves or managing to capitalize on it... easier to just make it disappear.

 

[Navy_Pete]

It's one thing to push for improvements inside the CAF, it's another thing entirely to go on social media and bash people who are trying to give an impression of how the CAF is.

There are a lot of problems in the CAF, but they don't get fixed if we drive away people before they even have a chance to get in and see how things are for themselves.

Fair point, and the institution also does self goals like hunt for the 'Smoking in the Wardoom' guy and some of the meme creators.

However, we've repeatedly seen things only getting lip service from internal pushes until it hits the newspaper, and the concerns about lead in the potable water on AOPs comes to mind. That got more real resolution in about 3 weeks after the article came out then in the previous 18 months.

 

[Weinie]

Bureaucracy prefers centralized control though. If there's to be good social media content about the CAF, then ADM(PA) will want credit. If they weren't involved, then it only serves to make them look bad for not thinking of it themselves or managing to capitalize on it... easier to just make it disappear.

The problem is not ADM(PA). Think higher.

 

[dapaterson]

The problem is not ADM(PA). Think higher.

Track changes and looking at the dates of those changes on PA products explains why all members of the PA branch are permanently banned from ever being liver donors.