Changing the Status Quo: The Canadian Forces Would be Better Postured to Meet the Current and Future Strategic Requirements by Replacing the Conventional Land Forces (Army) With Lightly Equipped Special Operating Forces (SOF)

摘要

The Canadian government's historical fiscal and strategic Defense choices and current fiscal projections for the near term, the present-day and future threats to Canadian sovereignty, and the current Defense posture pose a unique challenge for the Canadian Forces (CF). This paper argues that the CF would be better postured to meet current and future strategic requirements while still meeting Canadian foreign policy objectives by replacing the conventional land forces (Army) with lightly equipped Special Operating Forces (SOF). Specifically, infantry, armored, engineer and artillery units located in each of the mechanized brigade groups would be re-roled as twelve SOF battalions, four PSYOP battalions, four Civil Affairs battalions and four independent UAV batteries. Savings realized in overall strength for the Army in terms of number of personnel (represented by Person-Years (PYs)), should be reallocated in four areas: augmentation for the Army Schools in order to teach a SOF training curriculum; creation of four attack helicopter squadrons; creation of a strategic airlift squadron; and to crew four Landing Platform Helicopter Carriers. Money earned by selling Canada's armored and mechanized vehicles, in tandem with the projected vehicle overhead, infrastructure and maintenance savings, and the savings from large caliber ammunition such as Artillery and 25mm ammunition should be used to offset the purchase and maintenance costs for the Air Force and Navy. By converting the Army Regular Forces units into SOF, Canada would have a readily deployable force that was expeditionary in nature, viable as a future warfighting force, viable as a future force for military operations other than war and better organized and equipped to fight the Global War on Terror. All this could be accomplished without compromising the defense of Canada.