While driving, the other morning I was listening to Edmonton radio station, 630 CHED. They announced they would be speaking to a Major about the recruiting issues the CAF is facing. So, I waited and when the Major came on they introduced him as retiring in six weeks and he chuckled. He was out stumping for young people to sign up for the Canadian military and the interviewer immediately said, "You are a gay man in the armed forces. That must have been tough."
There was a pause, clearly the major had been off guard regarding the question.
He recovered with, "Actually, no, my career has been very rewarding, a long time ago there were a few bumps, but that was a long time ago."
And therein lies one of the many crisis in recruiting.
The Canadian military has three fundamental problems with recruiting.
The Federal Government and the media have essentially turned bases in Canada into woke environments with rainbow crosswalks and safe spaces. They have destroyed the careers of soldiers. I won't list the generals, but there were many innocent casualties as a result of the feds firing high-ranking people without due process. They walked in and took equipment from every branch. When I left the 1st Regiment, they were 18 Howitzers strong. When they changed armament from 109 to M777 the regiment was reduced to twelve M777, and the feds came along and plucked four for Ukraine with no intention of replacement.
To say that the wokism hasn't contributed to this disaster would be unfair.
Unfair to the truth that is.
If you haven't been a soldier, it's hard to wrap your mind around the conditioning and training. You are broken down and built back up. A soldier is not an individual but a member of a unit that runs like a machine. You are committed to this unit and expected to lay down your life if necessary. You aren't allowed to be an activist; you are not allowed to be political, and you are not allowed to criticize your leadership. On the battlefield, a leader is tasked with tough decisions, and as an NCO, you need those soldiers to support the section or detachment; everyone lives to count on it. One individual is poison.
Instead, the armed forces have been gutted and strangled by progressive nonsense that has little or anything to do with national defense. Activism has no place in a military unit. The recruiting problem is because the pay sucks, the equipment sucks, and the morale sucks.
It doesn't look any better for the immediate future.
Why would anyone want to sign up for that?
There was a pause, clearly the major had been off guard regarding the question.
He recovered with, "Actually, no, my career has been very rewarding, a long time ago there were a few bumps, but that was a long time ago."
And therein lies one of the many crisis in recruiting.
The Canadian military has three fundamental problems with recruiting.
- No Money
- No Equipment
- No People
The Federal Government and the media have essentially turned bases in Canada into woke environments with rainbow crosswalks and safe spaces. They have destroyed the careers of soldiers. I won't list the generals, but there were many innocent casualties as a result of the feds firing high-ranking people without due process. They walked in and took equipment from every branch. When I left the 1st Regiment, they were 18 Howitzers strong. When they changed armament from 109 to M777 the regiment was reduced to twelve M777, and the feds came along and plucked four for Ukraine with no intention of replacement.
To say that the wokism hasn't contributed to this disaster would be unfair.
Unfair to the truth that is.
If you haven't been a soldier, it's hard to wrap your mind around the conditioning and training. You are broken down and built back up. A soldier is not an individual but a member of a unit that runs like a machine. You are committed to this unit and expected to lay down your life if necessary. You aren't allowed to be an activist; you are not allowed to be political, and you are not allowed to criticize your leadership. On the battlefield, a leader is tasked with tough decisions, and as an NCO, you need those soldiers to support the section or detachment; everyone lives to count on it. One individual is poison.
Instead, the armed forces have been gutted and strangled by progressive nonsense that has little or anything to do with national defense. Activism has no place in a military unit. The recruiting problem is because the pay sucks, the equipment sucks, and the morale sucks.
It doesn't look any better for the immediate future.
Why would anyone want to sign up for that?
