The Torch: CF personnel expansion to take some time

Things have been seriously delayed; money a major problem (see end of post):

Included in the Conservative government's $5.3 billion plan to rebuild the military was an election pledge to significantly boost the number of regular and reserve forces by 2011. But the department's report for 2006-07 [actually I think it's this 2007-2008 report] says the promise is now impossible to meet.

Already stretched thin with the mission in Afghanistan, with preparations to boost defences for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and with the overall transformation of the Forces, the recruiting goals have fallen by the wayside.

The Tories promised in their 2006 budget to recruit an extra 13,000 full-time soldiers and 10,000 reservists within five years, resulting in a total of 75,000 regular forces and 35,000 part-time soldiers.

But the military has since lowered those targets, and estimated yesterday that it will take at least another year to meet the goals. At the current rate of recruitment, the forces can be expanded to only 68,000 regular forces and 26,000 reservists by 2011-12, the report said.

The problem is the number of people leaving the forces, mainly because of retirement [emphasis added].

"Although external recruiting targets for fiscal 2006-07 were exceeded, attrition exceeded projections and CF strength consequently did not increase as expected," the report said [I couldn't find that quote, but see "Critical military occupations" here].

While 37 of 83 military occupations grew in numbers over the last year, 40 lost more people than they recruited. Most of the overall growth in troop numbers came from the infantry and armoured occupations – those who are doing the fighting in Kandahar.

Despite the gloomy predictions, Lt. Gen. Andrew Leslie told an Ottawa conference yesterday that any further demands on the military after the current 2009 deadline for the Afghan mission can still be met.