The Canadian Forces: A dog or pony show, because there isn't the budget for both.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > The Canadian Forces: A dog or pony show, because there isn't the budget for both.

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

My Spirit Otter posted:

well i learned a bitch of a lesson today. seeking help for depression will never hamper your career, unless you wanna go air crew then lol

It can somewhat hamper your career. I'm coming up on four years of MCpl acting-lacking, and haven't been able to do the in-person portion of PLQ because they won't let me hold a rifle anymore. As a result it's practically impossible for me to get promoted to Sgt unless I rack up enough exercises to PLAR the course or magically stop being depressed.

# ¿ Mar 7, 2023 14:34

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 06:32

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

They didn't bother taking away anyone's phones when I did it in 2007, but then again the smartest device anyone had was a Blackberry. Wonder what year that changed.

# ¿ Mar 21, 2023 15:31

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

Obviously when they announce changes to the housing allowance, "We're saving the government $30 million a year!" is what the troops wanted to hear.

I am no longer accusing our GOFOs of being oblivious, this has to be malicious.

t. posted to Ottawa and still not getting poo poo.

# ¿ Mar 22, 2023 12:27

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

I'm not allowed to publicly advocate for Canadian soldiers forming a union, so just pretend that I did.

# ¿ May 4, 2023 19:05

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

Beards, long hair, colored sunglasses, ball caps; the chair force is looking pretty hippy these days and I couldn't be happier.

# ¿ Jun 22, 2023 16:50

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

SRQ posted:

Outside of PT what's the point then? Why is basic structured in a way it teaches nothing. I certainly feel I improved as a person, but that always hit me as odd.

Basic training is all about breaking you down so you accept the word of command, which was important on the battlefield of yesteryear where Peasant Bloggings just had to point his spear in the right direction without making GBS threads his pants.
The problem is that we no longer have "grunts", and most NCMs fill roles analogous to those of officers; you're expected to think for yourself, which is the opposite of what BMQ/BMOQ drills into you.

Select quotes from Duty With Honour posted:

"In the Canadian Forces, all non-commissioned members(NCMs) [...] share leadership responsibilities and are required to master complex skills and gain extensive knowledge of the theory of conflict."

"This requirement is operative today and can be captured and explained by the concept of the �strategic corporal.� In effect, decisions and actions taken by leading seamen/corporals and above and their subordinates can, and often do, have consequences up to and including the strategic and political level as the changing nature of operations expands the roles and responsibilities of NCMs. These realities will raise issues surrounding responsibility, expertise, identity and ethos."

"The old paradigm that emphasized the decision-making role of the officer and the applied, technical role of the NCM has shifted. The profession will therefore not only continue to rely on NCMs to take on difficult challenges, but will in fact expect much more of them. Authority will be increasingly delegated and an even greater degree of responsibility assigned to NCMs"

"NCMs will exercise more responsibility and must increasingly engender the trust needed for superiors to allow them to make an indispensable contribution to mission accomplishment"

"Well-developed critical and creative reasoning, systems thinking and the application of sound judgement will be required. There will also be a greater need for the application of generalist knowledge, as well as a greater demand for technical competence, both theoretical and applied. These trends strongly suggest the need for a growing convergence in the professional development of officers and NCMs"

You'll notice that our supposed goals as an organization have loving nothing to do with how we treat and train recruits.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2023 19:27

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

SRQ posted:

The injury platoon having thrice weekly inspections failure of which can result in the whole platoon losing their leave passes is one such baffling idea. Why would they want to put that amount of stress and mental pressure on a bunch of people some of which have concussions?

From my experience group punishments are about making everyone else in the platoon "other" the fuckup. On my basic people were literally beaten (physically, at night) until they agreed to quit the course, for the good of the course. If they didn't quit and cost us more punishment, violence would continue. Less than half the people we started with completed BMQ.

For the record I don't condone this approach, group punishments are bullshit.

acumen posted:

we did most of our leadership development during SQ

SQ story: Once when doing C9 drills the MCpl running the class told the private on the weapon that he had missed a step, and would be assigned pushups. We knew he hadn't missed said step; we literally watched him doing it, and someone spoke up in his defense. The MCpl asked the rest of us whether the private had performed the action, and we agreed that he had. The MCpl then assigned all of us pushups, insisting that you should never, ever question higher authority no matter who is factually correct.

The only thing I learned from that was that the CF is full of cunts who will abuse any position of power over others, and later I would learn that these rigid, hierarchical power dynamics were core to sexual abusers in the ranks getting away with their crimes.

No, I haven't carried lingering resentment for over fifteen years, why do you ask?

# ¿ Jul 14, 2023 14:31

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

SRQ posted:

There's been what I think could be legitimate cruelty and things that I think go far beyond the norms of boot camp, and into targeted harassment. The people this is being done to are not going to speak up for themselves out of fear.

Should I speak up, to who, and how? Consider also I'm already VRing so I have a unique opportunity (?) to speak up without fear of normal consequence.

I wish there was something you could productively do, but targeted harassment is the norm of boot camp. Abuse is the norm of boot camp. This is the way of things.

You can submit a disclosure of wrongdoing, you can contact the ombudsman, you can call the MPs, e-mail the press, there are many avenues through which you can report these happenings, but that will never stop this behavior. It will be covered up at every level of the establishment. The instructors who went too far will never see negative consequences; if anything the most expeditious way to remove them from the school might be promotion. The system resists all attempts at change.

Again, I wish there was another way, but it'll impact your mental health in the long run if you put a lot of energy into this only to see it come to naught. Save yourself the agony. I speak from experience.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2023 02:32

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

The hats were a major disappointment, because they were designed so incompetently it's almost impressive. I've worn all manner of ballcaps my entire life, and the RCAF ones are the first I would ever describe as uncomfortable to wear. The beret persists.

# ¿ Aug 24, 2023 15:20

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

My Spirit Otter posted:

the beret persists not due to comfort, but price.

berets are free

If the caps were comfortable I'd pay $100 apiece to never wear a beret again.
Alas, they are not.

# ¿ Aug 24, 2023 18:56

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

My Spirit Otter posted:

must be nice to be rich

Gotta have something to show for being in this long (besides misery and injuries).

I have no idea how anyone without spec, field or officer pay even survives.

# ¿ Aug 24, 2023 19:11

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

My squadron OR is apparently out of correction tape until 2024. You know, the common office supply that costs 10 cents a metre. Can be bought at the Dollarama three blocks away. Impossible to officially procure until the new year.

And I'm supposed to roleplay that this organization could fight a war. Will the next generation be expected to buy their own bullets from Cabela's?

/vent

Gainsboro fucked around with this message at 18:48 on Nov 1, 2023

# ¿ Nov 1, 2023 18:16

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

Kazinsal posted:

You know, every time I think "gently caress I'm underpaid and my employer is falling apart, I should look at one of the CF jobs in my field" I always come to this thread and am reminded that I probably shouldn't.

Still contemplating it though.

If you have any kind of uni degree, any field, the commissioned officer route is the way to go. The pay gap is absurd.

If you join a tech trade and are good at your job (or huff your boss's farts every day), you might make Sgt in 10 years, for 96k annual gross (on 2024's pay scale).

If you join a tech trade and your career stalls out for reasons beyond your control, you might only make 85k as a Cpl.

If you join as an officer and are objectively bad at your job, you will be a Captain with a high pay incentive in 10 years, for a whopping 120k annual.

If you join as an officer and are even halfway competent, you will be the one-eyed man leading the kingdom of the blind, likely making LCol in 10 years for 150k a year.

My Spirit Otter posted:

i mean, im grossly overpaid for the amount i work

My stance is that we're overpaid for the work that we do, but underpaid for the poo poo we put up with.

# ¿ Nov 2, 2023 15:49

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

Kazinsal posted:

Would emailing my local CFRC be the best way to get a definitive answer about that?

Ideally, yes.
Realistically, probably not. Our recruiting offices aren't staffed by professional recruiters; they're staffed by tradesmen not useful enough to be employed in their actual trades. If they don't immediately know the answer to your inquiry, they're liable to just tell you what you want to hear. Rather than, you know, the truth.

It feels dirty to say but the best place to ask is probably Reddit. The CF subreddit has an ongoing recruiting Q&A thread, and folks are generally invested enough to point you in the right direction.

# ¿ Nov 3, 2023 01:59

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

mom and dad fight a lot posted:

Another Air Force Officer can't do guns properly

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/air-force-major-faces-smuggling-prohobited-firearms-charges-1.7028925

Note to self: don't send contraband through CMTT.

I wouldn't accuse someone trafficking forty five thousand rounds of ammo across the border of any less than armed insurrection. There's just no practical purpose for that many bullets. I wouldn't be surprised if that's more than any non-depot base has on hand at any given time.

# ¿ Nov 20, 2023 19:18

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 06:32

Gainsboro: Feb 28, 2023; Twenty Year Lurker

Jobbo_Fett posted:

Id have believed you if this eas Manitoba. Maritimes Moneys go to the Irvings

I wouldn't put human-hybrid experimentation past the Irvings. What better reason to own millions of acres of land?

# ¿ Jan 30, 2024 23:53

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > The Canadian Forces: A dog or pony show, because there isn't the budget for both.