Navy short of crew

From the new Chief of Maritime Staff:

Navy needs more sailors
Admiral in Halifax in bid to get out recruiting message

Chief of Maritime Staff Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden speaks with the Chronicle Herald’s editorial board on Tuesday. The admiral says the navy is below his desired staffing levels by 10 to 13 per cent. (ERIC WYNNE / Staff)

The Canadian navy is operating with significantly fewer service men and women than it needs on its East Coast ships, says the country’s top sailor.

"On this coast, I would say . . . I’m probably operating somewhere between 10, 13 per cent below the numbers that I want in sea-going billets," said Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden.

"People (are) Job 1," said the admiral during a meeting Tuesday with this newspaper’s editorial board.

"There’s no doubt that we have fallen short of recruiting the numbers that we need to recruit, period. To some degree, it’s one of the reasons why I wanted to come here."

That short-staffing places stress not only on the sailors, but also their families, he said.

"So where the pressures upon our sailors come, what we are doing are short-notice assignments; we call it attach postings of sailors from ship to ship so that we can continue to perform the mission that we’re required to do.

"It’s that pressure of the instability that is very, very tough upon people. It’s not just an increase in the amount of sea time; it’s the lack of stability of being part of an organization. . . . Unit cohesion is an extremely important principle to us.

"I’m not sure who coined the phrase first, but I think it’s absolutely true that you recruit an individual, you retain a family."

Vice-Admiral McFadden said even the most motivated, committed personnel can be affected by pressures from home due to moving from ship to ship.

"This is the most significant problem I see."

So the admiral’s trip to Halifax and meeting media outlets is to get the word out about careers in the navy. There are 2,463 East Coast naval positions, but only 2,200 or so are filled.

The need for enhanced recruiting will be more noticeable by 2014 when Ottawa’s defence strategy calls for the rolling out of six to eight Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships, he said [good blinking luck on meeting that date]. Too many Canadians suffer from a lack of knowledge about the "world-class" careers they can have in the navy, said the admiral.

"I need more young Canadians, predominantly young Canadians fit and healthy. . . . I need technologically savvy young men and women."

He said many Canadians are unaware of the careers offered by the navy and many don’t believe it is a world-class organization. Maritimers, however, are more knowledgeable about job opportunities in the service, he said.

Vice-Admiral McFadden was appointed to head the navy in June, so he said he’s still working on recruitment efforts.

"I’ve been in the job for five days, and so I’m a little early in telling people my plans of how to do it."