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When I worked at the (now defunct because there are no submarines in the Pacific ocean apparently) west coast acoustic data analysis centre we very nearly ebayed a "portable" reel-to-reel tape machine because the two we had crapped out and needed one to deploy with. Aurora airplanes were still using huge 10" tape reels to record sonar data, and we did post-mission analysis. If I recall correctly, we weren't allowed to get it because of security concerns processing secret poo poo on somebody's old garbage. They finally use slightly, but not much, more modern media. But those reel-to-reels were a nightmare. Ask about shredding miles of magnetic tape when our degausser went down...I'm sure I'll get cancer because of it. Oh man, now I'm remembering all the stupid types of obsolete magnetic media we had in that place. The minesweepers used this stupid disc that stored slightly more than a 3.5" floppy, cost $100 a piece, and they had thousands of them...
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May 19, 2015 14:55
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So the Navy is hosed, the Sea Kings are hosed, and the Auroras are hosed? Good luck with that Arctic Sovereignty policy, Harper. 
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May 19, 2015 14:57
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Canadian ARMED Forces: we're hosed.
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May 19, 2015 17:16
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Nah the Auroras are now much better, good even (Block III modernization). The reel-to-reels were on the way out finally when I left. The dumbest thing the RCN has done lately is the "one navy" concept, with operations based on the east coast and "training" on the west. That meant a bunch of stuff, but the upshot was basically all the control of the serious poo poo moved east as if it was 1983. Lots of justifications but really it was nothing more than the east coast officer mafia getting what they wanted.
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May 19, 2015 17:45
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See also: Tanks, new guns for the artillery. Regimental Mafias are a motherfucker.
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May 19, 2015 20:28
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compressioncut posted:Nah the Auroras are now much better, good even (Block III modernization). The reel-to-reels were on the way out finally when I left. Yeah I never understood that. After years of denying that the west coast was the training navy and the east coast was the real operational navy they went and made it official. 
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May 19, 2015 23:56
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Which is stupid since many Tech/operator courses are still mostly done on the east coast.
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May 22, 2015 02:21
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I've got as many hours in a "Harvard" (sim) as I do in a real Grob - about 20 in each. Might be in a real airplane by Monday  But, only about 10 Harvards are available any one day so, probably not - that's what happens when you try to turn just as many trips a day with a tiny fraction of the number of airplanes you used to have. Wears 'em out. I think I'm going to be here a while.
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Jun 2, 2015 20:16
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compressioncut posted:Nah the Auroras are now much better, good even (Block III modernization). The reel-to-reels were on the way out finally when I left.
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Jun 9, 2015 18:06
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Go post that opinion in the Canpoli thread and watch the reactions
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Jun 9, 2015 18:49
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Do it just to watch Cultural Imperial's head explode.
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Jun 9, 2015 20:28
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I support that. I saw it written once that Canada's defense strategy hinges on three key facts: 1. An attack against Canada is an attack against the USA; 2. The American retaliation would be objectively gargantuan in both scope and vigour, and even if our entire GDP were dedicated to defense spending, our contribution would be insignificant compared to their fiery wrath; and 3. Canada could not withstand an attack from the US, should they decide to do that. That doesn't relieve us of the need to have a military to protect our sovereignty and patrol our territory to discourage foreign ("Russian") incursions before they become habitual, but I don't think you need a carrier group to do that. Even if we could get the planes for free and grow the pilots in cloning vats, the expenditures for the ships alone would still be absurd. When our recruits don't have uniforms, our infanteers are shouting "bang" and throwing rocks on the grenade range, our guns are rusted in place and we're literally raiding museums to keep our tanks operational, we've a long way to go before we can even begin to think about considering the debate over buying a single, used carrier from Hungary.
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Jun 9, 2015 21:22
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I don't know why it's news our military is hosed. It's been hosed for a long time. Afghanistan turbo-hosed it.
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Jun 9, 2015 22:37
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I thought Afghanistan was generally considered (by the public) to have provided a much-needed shot in the arm for the army.
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Jun 9, 2015 23:41
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PRwise absolutely. Budgetwise it poo poo in the milk quite gloriously.
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Jun 10, 2015 00:01
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We originally went over totally unprepared. Several incidents quickly brought that piss poor preparation into full focus, mainly the deaths of 3 men in the Iltis that hit the mine. While being in a G-Wagen wouldn't have helped, people started to realize that we were using a mishmash of badly worn 80's and not-so-good 90's kit (specifically, the 105mm LG1s that couldn't do poo poo, 30 year old Leopard C2s with no Air conditioning) and insufficient heavy-lift capability (No Chinooks, heaviest lifting fixed wing was Hercs). Which is why we saw such HUGE purchases for the land forces (M777s, Leopard 2 from Germany and the Netherlands, CC-17s, new Chinooks, G-Wagens). These were purchases that were desperately needed, and the Afghanistan campaign came right in a transitional period, where the army was going through modernization. New CADPAT uniforms hadn't arrived to all troops yet, which is why (much publicized) OP APOLLO Roto-0 troops went in Woodland-Pattern CADPAT. Training also hadn't changed. I joined right when poo poo was starting to go down, and there were attempts to introduce more urban-style training (House-clearing, checkpoints and roadblocks, and for the artillery in particular convoy protection for which the training was a loving joke) but it all felt very haphazard and half-assed. flakeloaf is right in that Afghanistan reminded people that Canada does have a military, but those purchases happened so quickly in response to operational needs that it has literally hosed the post-war budget possibly beyond repair.
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Jun 10, 2015 12:13
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Going to the Aviation Museum and seeing jet fighters that used to operate off RCN carriers seriously bums me out. They were beautiful, once...  Also, anyone who thinks the military should be cut more is a goddamn moron. I can only speak for my tiny corner of the artillery world, but gently caress.    All those… capabilities… will be lost in time, like tears… in… rain. Time… to release… Mederlock posted:Go post that opinion in the Canpoli thread and watch the reactions I poked my head in if only to say that what you see on TV in those glitzy commercials is totally divorced from reality. If people want Canada to be a peacekeeping country, we'll need money for that too. Frosted Flake fucked around with this message at 20:13 on Jun 10, 2015 |
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Jun 10, 2015 19:44
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Gunners in Airborne berets and a number 1 with such bad gunner's ear he doesn't even bother with hearing protection. Different times, man.
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Jun 10, 2015 20:19
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Ask me about being posted to the US and participating in one-off exercises that involve more aircraft than our whole air force probably has airworthy at any given time 
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Jun 11, 2015 02:33
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A few years prior to going down to Fort Bragg, NC most of my company did an inboard/outboard jump out of a herc in Petawawa and it was sort of a big deal because that didn't happen too much in Canada since the old Airborne days. Then in 2011 we jumped with the 82nd Airborne Division. I think they've gone back there ever since.
acumen fucked around with this message at 03:29 on Jun 11, 2015 |
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Jun 11, 2015 03:27
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acumen posted:Airborne Division. I don't think there would be a man, woman or child alive in Somalia if we had an Airborne Division.  In all seriousness, I would love to see more Brigade level training, assets and capabilities. I always loved working with tanks and aviation, it felt like we really were a "combined arms team" or whatever the jargon is these days. What does a division drop look like? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G7odvFQwKA e: I just found out that the 82nd has more Triple 7's than the entire CF and they drop them by parachute. Goddamn. 
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Jun 11, 2015 13:09
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The 82nd probably has more effective combat power than the entire goddamn Canadian Forces. Land power, at least. It's not reasonable to compare the American Military to the Canadian Military in any way, shape or form. One is the most powerful fighting force in the history of the world...the other is not, to put it kindly.
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Jun 11, 2015 13:26
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MA-Horus posted:It's not reasonable to compare the American Military to the Canadian Military in any way, shape or form. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsPIzRsUtlE  When I heard they were converting the Areas to Divisions I thought they were actually going to do that, until I realized that they were just changing the signs and even that took about 6 months. CF.txt
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Jun 11, 2015 13:31
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Frosted Flake posted:CAF.txt Imagine how much we'd save if we didn't go through perfunctory rebranding every twenty minutes. Have you met anyone period who gives a tinker's drat about pips & crowns?
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Jun 11, 2015 13:33
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MA-Horus posted:The 82nd probably has more effective combat power than the entire goddamn Canadian Forces. Land power, at least. First point - yeah, they do. By 82nd Airborne Division they mean the whole division is jump capable - the cooks, vehicle techs, supply, everyone. I do think it's reasonable to compare us and I've had enough terrible experiences with American units (including SF) to even say we're at least on par if not better than them person to person. They're on average in much better shape though - they loving love PT.
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Jun 11, 2015 13:48
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Of course on a person-by-person level one can compare...I meant on a full military level.
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Jun 11, 2015 14:08
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flakeloaf posted:Have you met an honorary colonel or member of the regimental senate? Unfortunately, yes. I'm just glad they haven't brought back Summer DEUs or peaked caps.
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Jun 11, 2015 15:24
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So nobody whose opinion ought to matter when talk turns to spending public money on today's living soldier, then. e: Historians serve a useful purpose and all that, and I really have no emotional stake in what rank insignia look like. I just think "Old people did it so therefore it must be good" is a stupid line of thinking and shouldn't be enough to justify yet another rewrite of a perfectly serviceable dress instruction. flakeloaf fucked around with this message at 15:40 on Jun 11, 2015 |
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Jun 11, 2015 15:37
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With our soldiers down to 60 rounds a year for target practice, I really doubt we're going to be able to claim that our soldiers are better 1-1 compared to Americans for much longer, if that's even been a real thing for the last decade
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Jun 11, 2015 15:46
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flakeloaf posted:So nobody whose opinion ought to matter when talk turns to spending public money on today's living soldier, then. I like your optimism! Seriously, I'm just waiting for khakis and caps to come back. Once I saw the red collar tabs, I started to think they weren't going to stop there. E:  ...well those 60 rounds would matter more of the troops had a real Battle Rifle. Why, when I was in West Germany, we only needed 80 rounds for our FALs to keep Ivan on his side of the Fulda Gap... We need a :mwosay: like 
Frosted Flake fucked around with this message at 16:08 on Jun 11, 2015 |
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Jun 11, 2015 15:59
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Frosted Flake posted:I like your optimism! There is something immensely satisfying about holding and firing the old C1 rifle. You get the sense a motherfucker is not getting up after you slap him down with 1 round (or the buttstock). I could finally understand why the old dinosaurs like to go on about it, but holy poo poo Is it ever designed for a different era. Barrakketh fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Jun 11, 2015 |
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Jun 11, 2015 16:18
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FAL? Pfft I had old WO's going on about the loving Sterling. "We didn't need grenades to clear a room. Just toss that piece of poo poo in with a room full of Ivans and the seer will break from hitting the floor."
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Jun 11, 2015 16:21
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Got to play with the sterling as well on my small arms. What a horrible horrible horrible horrible weapon.
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Jun 11, 2015 16:25
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C1's are loving incredible.
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Jun 11, 2015 17:11
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Barrakketh posted:There is something immensely satisfying about holding and firing the old C1 rifle. You get the sense a motherfucker is not getting up after you slap him down with 1 round (or the buttstock). I could finally understand why the old dinosaurs like to go on about it, but holy poo poo Is it ever designed for a different era. You even notice the difference as soon as you get one in your hands, let alone fire one. The quality of manufacture was just that much better. Easy to understand why the crusty older folk thought the C7 was a toy when they first were issued out. Yeah, small arms was a sweet course.
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Jun 13, 2015 05:32
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Writing range order by hand suck. Especially when you only have a relative understanding of what is required.
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Jun 14, 2015 19:26
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Dantes posted:Writing range order by hand suck. Especially when you only have a relative understanding of what is required. Ugh, the number of dinosaurs in the CF who still cling to this idea of "Welp, back to basics, WHAT IF THE POWER GOES OUT HUH?" as if this is something people ought to focus their attention on is staggering. Go to an Int shop with a crusty broken ex-infantry WO who gets all upset that in 2015 we use computers. Yeah, what if the power goes out in a HQ for a modern mechanized military? Well, there is certainly going to be bigger problems than having to sigh and pull out the markers for the map.
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Jun 15, 2015 03:43
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Melian Dialogue posted:Ugh, the number of dinosaurs in the CF who still cling to this idea of "Welp, back to basics, WHAT IF THE POWER GOES OUT HUH?" as if this is something people ought to focus their attention on is staggering. Go to an Int shop with a crusty broken ex-infantry WO who gets all upset that in 2015 we use computers. Yeah, what if the power goes out in a HQ for a modern mechanized military? Well, there is certainly going to be bigger problems than having to sigh and pull out the markers for the map. Uuuuuughghguhgighhgh yes WHEN THE RUSSIANS ROLL THROUGH THE GAP THESE MAPS WONT FLOCARK THEMSELVES
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Jun 15, 2015 06:52
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In the air defence world I met one super old WO whose training, when he entered, entailed being able to write legibly backwards with both hands so he could update the giant backlit wall map from behind showing soviet bomber positions from underground C2 locations. Fortunately he took the road less traveled and was a mostly* chill guy who talked about fun stuff he did in germany (like deny the base commander who forgot his ID entrance to his own workplace ) and constructively teach/harass 2Lts. *some air defence exercises with him were pretty onerous and could last hours improbable event that wouldn't statistically happen until after the heat death of the universe if it can happen it will happen!.
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Jun 15, 2015 13:09
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"But if the power goes out the radios go out too, so how are we going to get messages to the tanks?" Two weeks later, the bicycles arrived. The following morning, all of the bars of soap and washcloths had vanished from the bathrooms.
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Jun 15, 2015 13:31
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