'Les Forces canadiennes, une «armée fantôme»'

I wrote this at the end of a post a few days ago:

...while the Army certainly looks like being unable to continue the mission at the current tempo (more here), one could always refocus the military mission on, say, the Air Force (more here)...

That the Army is really tapped out is not news, but this story in Le Devoir puts flesh on the bones, as it were (via National Newswatch, with following Google translation):

The situation is "critical", "high risk" and "disturbing," according to the head of the Army

Ottawa - The pace of the mission in Afghanistan is too demanding for the officers and soldiers coaches of the land force, which prevents the Canadian military to train new recruits joining every year. All trainers are busy with experience in Afghanistan, so there is now a "shadow army" in Canada so there are holes in the military structure.

The report, Strategic Operations and Resource Plan 2008-09, reports the problems within the Army, the largest body of the Canadian Forces, with over 20 000 permanent military. Document over 60 pages was submitted a few months ago the Chief of Staff of the Canadian Forces, General Walt Natynczyk.

The facts are clear: Afghanistan absorbs best officers, who are deployed in Kandahar, and the best trainers for training before sending troops. The shortage is exacerbated by the large number of retirements among senior officers.

Result: lack of qualified personnel for training soldiers in Canada reduces the competence of the army as to the tasks that are not related to Afghanistan (for example, the defense of Canadian territory).

General Leslie uses the terms "ghost army" [hollow army] to describe the situation. The phenomenon of phantom army, which refers to the difference between necessary force and the force available, and the decrease in the number of coaches, officials and leaders of experience, has an important impact on our ability to generate and keep our troops ready for all eventualities. Therefore, we must classify it in the high risk "can be read at the beginning of the document.

General Andrew Leslie sounds the alarm and says it is impossible to combine the expansion of Canadian Forces mission in Afghanistan. The operations in this country in war are too heavy to bear in order to continue to recruit heavily.

"The Army does not have the structure nor the personnel to perform both the training of soldiers in the light of experience gained in Afghanistan and ensure the development of the Canadian Forces. Clearly, the "ghost army" is the most problematic issue of the land force, "one reads.

The Army has about 20 000 soldiers of the permanent force, plus several thousand reservists. However, 2100 soldiers of the land forces are deployed in Afghanistan every six months or a year in 4200. And there are all in training for deployment. The Army generates 80% of troops in Afghanistan, while the Navy provides 4% and the Air Force, 6%.

Five to ten years of problems

More than 7700 recruits have committed in the army in 2008-09. The increase was constant for three years. Generally, most new soldiers are choosing the Army, but the figures are not made public. All recruits have to undergo basic training, followed by specialization (gunner, gunner, driver, etc.)..

In its report, the boss of the Army states that "at least" seven years before a recruit can have enough leadership and experience to turn to teach other soldiers. "He [we] will take 5 to 10 years before being able to rebuild our driving force," wrote General Leslie.

Meanwhile, the ground force is greater reliance on private firms to train its soldiers (most of which make the work of former military) and to perform various tasks, especially in the field of civil engineering. Several Navy and Air Force also provide for temporary positions in the Army in Afghanistan, after a rigorous training.

But above all, the army is awaiting the end of the mission in Kandahar in 2011. The current pace of operations, caused primarily by operations in Afghanistan, is impossible to maintain for the land force since the phenomenon of" ghost army ", says Andrew Leslie.

The Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, recalled this week in New York, before the audience of the UN, as the date for the withdrawal of Canadian troops in July 2011, is firm [see Update here]...