Encouraging Signs for the Canadian Military

As I write this, the budget has not yet been released. Rumours abound (on the front pages of national newspapers) that the military will receive about $12 billion more dollars. I will wait and see. However, I notice that it is already being said that this will be over 5 years and $9 billion has already been announced. So $600 million a year for the next 5 years in new spending.

Funny, it doesn't sound like a lot when you say it like that. Perhaps because it isn't.

More on that tomorrow.

Today I would like to talk about encouraging changes to the way the military does business that I have noticed "on the coal face". To be honest, defence needs more money, but if I was the Prime Minister, I would not give one cent until they sorted their act out. There are signs that this is happening.

Anyone who knows me is aware that I am no fan of the senior leadership in the military. I see them as a bunch of old ladies who I would not follow out of a burning building. Why to I feel this way? Over the last ten years of my military service I have seen absolutely no leadership from any of them. A great quote that you often see in the military: Lead, Follow, or get out of the way". Our Generals have forgotten this and simply act as a block, getting in the way.

For years those of us in the military have know about the problems. We spent countless hours in the Mess discussing them and telling everyone who would listen what they were and how to fix them. None of it is rocket science, and I my ego is not so big that I think I have some unique insight into the problems. However, the problems are not that unique. If a lowly guy like me can clearly see the problems and solutions, then a senior officer with many years more experience should surely see it as well. Or he could steal my idea. We are not an organization big on credit, more on getting the job done. Yet nothing gets done.

Perhaps it is not their fault. Maybe General X wanted to do something but knew it would not be supported or the political masters would nix it, or something like that. Too bad. You get paid the big bucks to face and overcome these types of problems. If you cannot do your job you should have the decency to quit. Or did you think being a general was all backrubs and fancy umbrella drinks?

There is one event that I felt clearly demonstrated this lack of focus in the Canadian Forces. This was the Chief of Defence Staff's message. One (or even several) time(s) a year the CDS would put out a message to be read by every member of the CF. This would usually touch on such topics as the state of the military, where were we going, updates on various projects, etc. I was always struck by the dichotomy between what I was facing and what he thought was important. The CDS would always talk about what the CF was doing to stop harassment/racism, or some new personnel software which would make our lives easier, or some new pay raise.

Think about that. The focus of the guy in charge of the defence of our country was not on the defence of our country, but on the cause du jour. Instead of talking about what he was doing to make the military stronger so that it would be best able to face the tasks set by our citizens, he was making sure all soldiers would have their sex change operation paid for. * That always profoundly disturbed and disgusted me, and was probably a big factor in my retirement.

So, as you can see, I don't have a lot of time for some of our past senior officers.

However, that is changing. Over the past 6 weeks, profound changes have been going on. I can see this even from my position in lower middle management. Our Area Commander, BGen Beare, has cancelled a major Reserve exercise in his area because it does not meet with the focus of the Army. As well, he has completely changed our training focus. Whether or not you agree with his decisions, at least the man has a vision and the will to pursue it. This is a far cry from the wishy-washy types we used to be saddled with.

It all starts at the top and works its way down. I do not know the new CDS, General Rick Hillier, but he seems like a no nonsense guy who sets goals and works to meet them. Most people in the military are focused on results. They do not care so much on what the goal is they just want their leaders to have one and to lead them to that goal.

We may have found some leaders.

And good luck to our former CDS, Gen Ray Henault. You should fit right in with those gum flapping, do nothing, mushheads in Europe.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

* A good story about the CDS before Henault, Gen Baril. He was fond of taking about the soldier who had a sex change operation as some sort of proof of what a progressive organization the CF was. On one occasion, so the story goes, some officer challenged him on this. The CDS then launched into one of his legendary rants defending the decision (He used to have a video camera follow him around on occasion, getting footage for archives, etc. When this question came up it was standard operating procedure for the camera operator to focus the camera at the ground, to prevent the rant from being taped). Unfortunately, the officer asking the question happened to be a psychiatrist and promptly refuted every one of his points.