TOWARDS AN EFFECTIVE SUPPLEMENTARY RESERVE

AFAC POSITION PAPER 02/2006

Background

· On retirement from the Canadian Forces, many members are given the opportunity to transfer to the Supplementary Reserve (Supp Res), thus indicating their willingness to consider further service if their skills and experience can be effectively employed. Few are ever contacted, despite an apparent need and the availability of valuable expertise, much of it still current. For those who are engaged, they become Primary Reservists for the length of time they are needed.

· The Supp Res must clearly be structured so as to respond to the needs of the CF. A well-manned, well-equipped and utilized Primary Reserve may well fill most needs, but a viable Supp Res can be a potential resource for unexpected contingencies.

· The state of the Supp Res, which replaced the somewhat cumbersome combination of the Supplementary Holding List and the Supplementary Ready Reserve, has become something of an embarrassment. The Supp Res, in its current form, is of extremely limited value. DND has not kept the list up to date and has made little effort to ensure the availability or operational currency of those with skill sets in demand. Those on the list have come to perceive their involvement with disappointment, after having made the effort to respond positively to an appeal to join.

· Many members of the AFAC belong or have belonged to the Supp Res. Their stories are consistent – they were never contacted to do anything, have little understanding of how the Supp Res is managed, and don’t expect to be asked to do anything. Many regret that their participation was not valued and that they were unable to make a contribution after their military service ended. In many cases, this lack of connectivity has resulted in retirees’ expectations being unrealistically high.

· The regulations concerning the Supp Res are not well understood. For example, according to DAOD 5002-4, Supp Res members are responsible for advising DPGP (Director General Personnel Generation Policy) of changes to personal circumstances, including change of address, employment and medical information, which may affect retention in the Supp Res. No instruction is provided, however, on how to do this. Rather, the DAOD is focused on internal management and administration of Supp Res members when called to service.

· A member who elects to be on the Supp Res will be on the list for 10 years following the date of release or until they reach 65. Just prior to the end of the 10-year period, DMHRR (Directorate of Military Human Resource Requirements) tries to send out letters to advise members that they will be removed from the list unless they can show that they have kept up their qualifications. If they do so, continuation is for five years at a time.

· In the past few years, the Supp Res list has been honed down to about 32,000 names. During a recent check, about 275 of these were being considered to fill positions where they were needed. This is a difficult process, however, with some real impediments:

o A recent CANFORGEN (181/05) clearly spells out that everyone, including Reservists from the Supplementary list must be deployable to be employable, that is, they must meet the full medical standard.

o There is no protection of civilian jobs for the period of Reserve service. This is not new but continues to be an issue for some.

o Maintaining qualifications may prove difficult for some without the benefit of refresher training

o Meeting the physical fitness standards may not be realistic.

AFAC Position

· It is recognized that older, retired, former CF members are not capable of fulfilling some military tasks normally done by younger, more fit personnel. That’s one of the reasons they retired in the first place. Additionally, it may not be convenient or practical for many to return to military service – because of other obligations, lack of currency of pertinent skills, etc.

· Having said this, the Supp Res contains a vast pool of experience and expertise that can be applied to good advantage to alleviate pressure on the Regular Force. Except for very unique circumstances, it may not be practical to train or re-qualify individuals to what might be considered ‘full military status’. Rather, Supp Res personnel can be more effectively employed in support positions or as replacement personnel where manning is short.

· The Supp Res member can fill staff positions, leaving the operational tasks for the full-time personnel. They can fulfil the more routine roles or perform the more-contained, or simpler, tasks to alleviate pressure from those directly engaged operationally. They can liberate an operational CF member for deployment.

· There should be no obligation to meet the standard CF medical, physical fitness or bilingualism requirements. As long as the Supp Reservist can meet the requirements of the specific job for which they are re-engaged, they can and should be employable for that purpose.

· One of the additional impediments, in the interests of treating everyone equally, might be a perceived requirement to pay Supp Reservists the same as other Reservists. Given their restricted employment and limited qualifications, this should be addressed so as to remunerate Supp Res personnel fairly, but without an expectation of equity.

· Overall, Supp Reservists should be considered a special category of reservist, perhaps with a unique designation, especially considering that many are already beyond CRA.

· Administration of the Supp Res cadre is clearly a challenge, perhaps because it has been allowed to grow out of control. If more frequent contact was made with those listed, a more accurate inventory of their qualifications and availability could be made. Those who joined the Supp Res for sentimental reasons only, or simply because it was easy to do, but have no real interest in ever serving, could be weeded out. Additionally, if a requirement for their skills is considered minimal, they should not artificially be kept on the list. This would increase confidence in the availability of the remaining core list of people.

· Overall, there should be real opportunities for Supp Res personnel to fulfill useful roles to relieve pressure during manning shortages, allowing front-line personnel to focus on their primary role of conducting and supporting operations. The Supp Res should, however, be managed more aggressively to reduce it to those who really are available and have skills which might be needed.

Messages

· Those who have retired from military service have skill sets and represent a vast pool of experience which can, from time to time, be employed to reduce pressure on other CF members focused on operations.

· Supplementary Reserve personnel are not the same as other Regular and Reserve members and should not be treated as such. They can contribute without meeting all the medical and physical standards as long as they have the qualifications to perform the work for which they are needed. Perhaps they should be designated differently from Primary Reservists to avoid any confusion.

· The Supp Res list needs to be managed more actively to thin it down to those who might at some point be able to make a meaningful and valued contribution – and are serious about making themselves available. These core members should be contacted regularly whereas others should be taken off the list.

· The Supp Res represents a ‘target rich’ source of military expertise which should not be ignored. They can perform support roles, fill staff positions, conduct training, etc, when others are not available. They can be employed without obligation, within well-defined terms of reference, and with the knowledge that they will perform their role professionally and competently in support of the CF.

· The Air Force Association of Canada encourages DND to take a more aggressive role in managing the Supplementary Reserve to meet CF requirements, and develop the necessary policies to enable them to serve when required, within specific guidelines and restrictions appropriate to their circumstances.

Developed by: Aviation Affairs Committee

Point of Contact:
Primary — Don McLeod
Secondary — George Macdonald