Re: Canadian Forces Recruitment

by Rekert Wed 06 Mar 2019, 7:05 pm

Special forces looks at recruiting off the street amid shifting demands

OTTAWA — The Canadian Forces are considering whether to start recruiting its elite special-forces soldiers straight off the street rather than forcing them to follow the traditional route of first spending several years in the military.

March 6, 2019

Canadian Forces Recruitment - Page 2 Cpt139534144

OTTAWA — The Canadian Forces are considering whether to start recruiting its elite special-forces soldiers straight off the street rather than forcing them to follow the traditional route of first spending several years in the military.

The idea, which is still being debated, comes as Canada's special forces — and the military as a whole — are looking at radical new ways to attract and retain people with the skills and experience needed to fight tomorrow's wars.

That includes not just computer experts, for example, but also those with different ethnic and cultural backgrounds and language skills, as the special forces aims to operate more effectively in different parts of the world.

"This is not about achieving set quotas or anything else," Maj.-Gen. Peter Dawe, commander of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, told The Canadian Press in an exclusive interview.

"From a hard-operational perspective, do we have the right mix of people with the right sort of background, education, language, ethnicity, gender ... that will allow us to do what our government expects us to do and will expect us to do in the future?"

Canada has about 2,000 special-forces members whose units include Joint Task Force 2, the Canadian Special Forces Regiment, a special helicopter detachment and a unit that specializes in responding to biological, chemical and nuclear incidents.

Those ranks are being expanded as the government's defence policy calls for an additional 600 members amid a realization of the growing importance of special forces to modern militaries.

At the same time, Canada currently has about 120 special forces soldiers in Iraq and smaller teams working with counterparts in several other countries, including Belize, Jamaica, Niger and Malaysia.

More diverse special forces would make it easier to make connections in different parts of world, understand the environment, interact with powerbrokers and figure out a way to respond to changing circumstances, Dawe said.

At the same time, he said expectations within society are changing as young people look at different opportunities available to them, which requires the Forces to make it as attractive as possible to join.

Anyone who wants to join the special forces is required to have had at least two years in uniform already, though they are also often required to have attained other qualifications that require more time.

Except some "really hard-charging, high-achieving individuals like varsity athletes and super-talented folks out there on civilian street" are interested in the special forces but don't want to spend several years in the regular military before applying, Dawe said.

"So one of the things we would like to look at is whether there is scope to accelerate that, because there is a qualitative dimension that we might not be exploiting or tapping into as well as we could."

There is precedent for such a move, Dawe said, pointing to Australia and the U.S. as examples where "accelerated" recruiting has been successful.

At the same time, "inculcating future members of the Canadian Armed Forces, doing that properly, making sure they understand what they are joining and why are joining it, is important," he said, noting recruits would still have to go through training.

"You have to make sure you strike a good, healthy balance there in terms of making it as efficient as possible without discarding those important enculturation gateways that have served us so well historically," Dawe said.

The move toward new ways of recruiting comes as special forces are undergoing a different type of shift from its primary task of fighting terrorists to face new threats, including the nebulous new type of conflict known as hybrid warfare.

Hybrid warfare is a strategy that uses propaganda, misinformation and cyberattacks to complement conventional military forces or non-conventional forces such as insurgents and proxies. Russia's intervention in Ukraine is widely seen as a prime example.

While Canada and its allies have struggled to address this new threat, Dawe argues his forces are part of the solution as they put more emphasis when recruiting and buying equipment on collecting information — particularly in "murky" environments.

"We just have to make sure we're not bringing a hammer or even a scalpel to the party," he said. "You have to bring a whole bunch of ability to illuminate the threat, figure out what it is and what you're going to do about it."

https://www.baytoday.ca/national-news/special-forces-looks-at-recruiting-off-the-street-amid-shifting-demands-1308747

by Dragonforce Mon 13 May 2019, 1:57 pm

Program aims to increase diversity in the military - May 13, 2019

by Gridlock Thu 23 May 2019, 7:29 pm

Canadian Forces look to Hollywood to attract recruits

Published Thursday, May 23, 2019

Canadian Forces Recruitment - Page 2 Image

https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/canadian-forces-look-to-hollywood-to-attract-recruits-1.4434393

by **Victor** Tue 28 May 2019, 7:11 pm

The future won’t wait for you. Get a head start with full and part-time job opportunities with paid education and great benefits. Train for your true calling with the Canadian Armed Forces. Visit http://forces.ca/en/

Attention - Meet our Members

Canadian Armed Forces
Premiered May 27, 2019

by Thunder Thu 30 May 2019, 2:47 pm

Train for your true calling.

Canadian Armed Forces
Published on May 30, 2019

by Firestrike Sat 28 Sep 2019, 9:21 am

Canadian Forces Recruitment - Page 2 33b63ec5-e09d-4f85-a118-723b82c5af83

South Alberta Light Horse Regiment hosting job fair Saturday

Sep 27, 2019

https://chatnewstoday.ca/2019/09/27/south-alberta-light-horse-regiment-hosting-job-fair-saturday/

by Lucifer Sun 29 Sep 2019, 9:16 am

CAF searches for recruits at job fair

CTV News Calgary Staff, CTV News Calgary
Published Saturday, September 28, 2019

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/caf-searches-for-recruits-at-job-fair-1.4615580

by Sandman Wed 22 Jan 2020, 8:21 am

Military must nearly double annual female recruitment to reach target: study

Lee Berthiaume
The Canadian Press

Published Wednesday, January 22, 2020

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/military-must-nearly-double-annual-female-recruitment-to-reach-target-study-1.4778063

by Caliber Tue 11 Feb 2020, 4:27 pm

Canadian military off-target in its strategies to recruit more women

Marni Soupcoff

February 11, 2020

Canadian Forces Recruitment - Page 2 Female_soldier_jordan

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/marni-soupcoff-canadian-military-off-target-in-its-strategies-to-recruit-more-women

by **Luxray** Fri 14 Feb 2020, 7:56 pm

Canadian Forces nixes post about military "bling” but moves ahead with other initiatives to recruit women

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN / February 14, 2020

Canadian Forces Recruitment - Page 2 Afp_1oz35p

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/canadian-forces-nixes-post-about-military-bling-but-moves-ahead-with-other-initiatives-to-recruit-women

by Logan Wed 19 Feb 2020, 10:23 am

Canada nearly lost UN mission over gender imbalance

Feb 19, 2020

by **Alpha** Wed 08 Jul 2020, 8:58 am

How Canada's Armed Forces is trying to recruit more women

Jul 7, 2020

by Tazzer Thu 01 Oct 2020, 8:44 pm

A Career That Makes a Difference

Oct 1, 2020

Discover a fulfilling career with work-life balance in the Canadian Armed Forces. Learn about full-time and part-time options at Forces.ca. #WomeninCAF #CAF

by **Rockarm** Tue 22 Dec 2020, 3:59 pm

Canadian Forces adapts to address backlog created by COVID-19 pandemic

Last Updated Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Matthew Sadler, pictured in front of Calgary's Mewata Armoury, had his dream of joining the military temporarily delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/canadian-forces-adapts-to-address-backlog-created-by-covid-19-pandemic-1.5241449

by **Stargunner** Sun 14 Feb 2021, 9:09 pm

Canadian military short thousands of troops as COVID-19 impedes training efforts

Published Sunday, February 14, 2021

https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/politics/canadian-military-short-thousands-of-troops-as-covid-19-impedes-training-efforts-1.5308731?fbclid=IwAR0S66Ms_NLBN_zFkby0eWvDaMQjYr7pHHyiEpNswJY4g3FBLJ27tFUlSGc

by Sponsored content