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CAF with 2% GDP

More GOFOs, more bureaucracy, special projects like repainting  our vehicles to ww2 patterns and plenty of commemoration ceremonies.  Troop levels, ammo and training would remain the same though in order to pay for all of that.
 
Much like now except all the furniture at NDHQ and the fact that NDHQ would be basically every empty space between Bank St and the Canal.  There is a whole cohort of retired military contractors with a life style to maintain out there! 
 
CDS would be upgraded to Admiral of the Fleet / Field Marshal / Marshal of the RCAF and the rest of the GOFOs would advance to conform.
 
The snowbirds would have a new aircraft and everyone in the RCAF would be issued a leather jacket.

Each MOC in the CF would have their own HQ.

Other than that, not much would be different.
 
Reserve armour would have actual wheeled armour, reserve artillery would have real guns again and full battery of 6 with 2 CP's again. Support units would actually have working towtrucks and field kitchens.

Naval reserve units could open up in the Arctic, Prince Rupert and likely a Northern East coast large town that does not have one. Regular Navy could have 2 support ships and 1 Mistral class or similar.

Infantry can have a mortar platoon with 81 and 60mm's, heavy weapons platoons with .50cals, grenade launchers and a anti-armour platoon with Carl G, and atgm's

Regular artillery can get one Self-propelled gun battery to work with the tanks and we could have a real AD battery armed with real weapons. Plus several functioning UAV troops. War stocks can be built up.

Air force can issue 2 flying jackets to each pilot, 5 star instead of 4 star hotels, self heating box lunches and 2 more F35's
 
better than nothing but not exactly that useful. Better to give them to the MP's for convoy escort. A modern VBL would be best. Small, protected not as top heavy. In larger units have a light troop with open top G-wagons with a GPMG and armoured troop with the VBLish vehicle, 6 vehicles per troop. Get them to deploy with the Reserve arty units to learn the OP trade and provide security to the OP's as well. So your friendly arty unit is going to the range, send 2 cars to accompany the OP's. The OP can learn some recce skills and the Armoured can learn some Op skills. If they are near an airbase like Coldlake, they can even work with FOO's.
 
Colin P said:
better than nothing but not exactly that useful. Better to give them to the MP's for convoy escort. A modern VBL would be best. Small, protected not as top heavy. In larger units have a light troop with open top G-wagons with a GPMG and armoured troop with the VBLish vehicle, 6 vehicles per troop. Get them to deploy with the Reserve arty units to learn the OP trade and provide security to the OP's as well. So your friendly arty unit is going to the range, send 2 cars to accompany the OP's. The OP can learn some recce skills and the Armoured can learn some Op skills. If they are near an airbase like Coldlake, they can even work with FOO's.

The MPs already had them and handed them back as unsuitable for the task.
 
To double defence spending would take at least 10 years to achieve if we want it to be meaningful.

Quick estimate:

Take Reg F Trained Strength to 80K (from 60K); paid strength to 95K (from 68K).  Those 20K (trained) would add 5K to the RCN - JSS, the two cheap Mistral carriers from France, and increasing the CSC fleet to 20 hulls would absorb 5K sailors quickly (including support); 4K to the RCAF - 2K for UAV sqns (4x 500), 1K for deployable support, 500 for two more Chinook Sqns in Edmonton and Gagetown; 500 for more Maritime Helicopters; 8K Army - 5K for a full CMBG in Gagetown (bring back the Black Watch!), 2K for Reserve support (heavy on Sup Techs and maintainers to keep equipment operating), 1K for Div troops - signals etc; 2K for a cyber capability (rather than the current ad hoc); 1K for CANSOF (I'd tell you why, but then I'd have to kill you).  (All those numbers include "purple" enablers, so the new CMBG, for example, would have to pay for the positions for the Fd Amb)

Take Res F strength and double it - probably more like a 20 year proposition for that.

Those two actions would consume about 20% of the increase.  Remaining increase would go to acquisition and O&M.

The Army (in my model) no longer has managed readiness.  All four CMBGs would be equipped and ready.  Similarly, ships would spend more days at sea, and YFR would increase.  Some of that readiness spending would translate into increased civilians to support maintenance.
 
Eye In The Sky said:
500 pers for ea UAV sqn?

Estimates may be on the high side - so maybe 400 each for five instead? ;)

Besides, stick a sqn in Goose Bay (for example) and you'll need lots of additional pers to keep a base running for the sqn.
 
Copy.  I wonder what the hiking, snowshoeing, fishing and camping is like there.  Hmmmmmm......
 
dapaterson said:
Estimates may be on the high side - so maybe 400 each for five instead? ;)

Besides, stick a sqn in Goose Bay (for example) and you'll need lots of additional pers to keep a base running for the sqn.

Shhhh....someone in the Good Idea Fairy club will think we aren't being sarcastic!  ::)

400 pers for a UAV sqn isn't ridiculous, depending on what capability you want.  If you're looking at UAVs with 24h+ endurance time, you'd need multiple crews of Pilots, Sensor Operators, IAs, etc. just for one plane, plus extra crews to allow for leave, career courses, training of new crews, postings, etc.
 
ringo said:
What would CAF be like with a budget of 2% GDP?

New Amb's, potentially a replacement for the MSVS or start modifying some LAV III's to fill the role. . . Oh how one can dare to dream ;)


(Don't misinterpret me as not liking the Bison, however if the budget was 2% then they could probably afford to start replacing some kit. )
 
Change from pips and crowns to 1990s type officer ranks.  Executive curl removed from navy officer ranks. 

As a taxpayer I would want to see where the money will be spent before agreeing to it.  We waste too much now of what we are given.  Example there should be NO money spent on stupid stuff like DEU changes and boots the troops hate and wont wear.  That is the start of IMO a very long list of wasted dollars.
 
Colin P said:
Reserve armour would have actual wheeled armour, reserve artillery would have real guns again and full battery of 6 with 2 CP's again. Support units would actually have working towtrucks and field kitchens.

Naval reserve units could open up in the Arctic, Prince Rupert and likely a Northern East coast large town that does not have one. Regular Navy could have 2 support ships and 1 Mistral class or similar.

Infantry can have a mortar platoon with 81 and 60mm's, heavy weapons platoons with .50cals, grenade launchers and a anti-armour platoon with Carl G, and atgm's

Regular artillery can get one Self-propelled gun battery to work with the tanks and we could have a real AD battery armed with real weapons. Plus several functioning UAV troops. War stocks can be built up.

Air force can issue 2 flying jackets to each pilot, 5 star instead of 4 star hotels, self heating box lunches and 2 more F35's

If we are living in this dream world, we should have an independent air defence regiment at the Div leve (C-RAM, radar, SHORAD) and a MANPAD battery in each CMBG. We could then augment the GS regiment to have an actual CB radar, halo, MLRS, and a battery of SP howitzers for teh divisional "reinforcing" battery. 1 x AD Battery, in any sort of real world, wouldnt allow for any real rotation of personnel or capability.
 
Schindler's Lift said:
The MPs already had them and handed them back as unsuitable for the task.
I don't remember being consulted about this, I would have taken them! Woukd be a sight better than training for convoy escorts using MilCOTS with a C9 out of the back window.

As far as the original question goes: probably not nearly as much from our wish list as we would think.
 
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