The Torch: Army wants more reservists to go full time/Retaining JTF 2 members

In order to meet the demands of Afstan (and some training is being outsourced):

Canada's mission in Afghanistan has put the Canadian army under so much strain that it is relying increasingly on reservists to sign on as full-time soldiers, the head of the army told a parliamentary committee on Monday.

Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, commander of the Canadian army, told the House of Commons defence committee that to complete the mission in Kandahar, which is slated to run until February 2009, the army will have to draw on reservists...

Leslie said the army is trying to persuade about 1,500 of them to sign on for two to three years of full-time duty. About 300 reservists are currently serving in Kandahar. By February 2008, he said he expects that number to double.

Leslie said he hopes the strain that is being put on the army because of Afghanistan will ease as more recruits become fully trained and join units in the regular force. But he said it takes about 18 months to train a new soldier for combat duty...

According to the Canadian Press, Leslie also told the defence committee that the Canadian Forces is relying on civilian help to prepare recruits for war.

That means civilians are training recruits, including in such areas as learning to drive armoured vehicles. Junior officers and non-commissioned officers, who do most of the training of the army, are in short supply and therefore training has had to be outsourced...

Incentives for JTF 2:

Some of Canada's most elite and best-trained soldiers have abandoned the secretive Joint Task Force 2 unit for the promise of fat paycheques offered by private security firms working in Iraq and other hotspots, a top commander has confirmed.

In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, private contractors were dangling the promise of $1,000-a-day deals to poach JTF2 soldiers, said Col. David Barr, head of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command.

"We were a targeted source for that type of employment," Barr told the Senate defence committee yesterday.

He would not disclose how many soldiers he has lost to lucrative private trade "but it was enough that it was certainly catching the interest...

...Barr cited the loss of top troops as a key reason for the "significant allowance package" endorsed by Ottawa for JTF2 soldiers earlier this year.

The "Special Operations Assaulter Allowance" can boost salary by $15,000 for those with less than two year's service to $39,576 for those with 14 years or more of service. Pay hikes of up to $16,356 were awarded to support personnel...

Barr said there's no problem finding recruits although just 20 per cent of the carefully screened candidates make it through the initial course. Those who do then face a year of training before they're considered able to be deployed.

In his first ever appearance before a parliamentary committee, Barr confirmed that in addition to operations in Afghanistan, special forces units have been put on alert here in Canada several times to "be there at the right time at the right place with the right capability in case something goes wrong."..