A Canadian Army Reserve soldier from 36 Canadian Brigade Group participates in Exercise STRIDENT TRACER at the 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown training area in New Brunswick on August 22, 2017. Photo: Corporal Peter Ford, Tactics School, Combat Training Centre Gagetown. ©2017 DND/MDN Canada.
By Steven Fouchard, Army Public Affairs
Ottawa, Ontario — Have you ever considered challenging yourself and becoming an integral part of the Army’s mission by serving part-time as a Reservist? Saturday, September 29, 2018 is a perfect time to learn more: most Army Reserve units, sub-units and detachments across Canada will be opening their doors to the public.
This the second nation-wide Army Reserve Open House and Job Fair, following a successful inaugural event in 2017.
The 2018 edition will once again be very much in keeping with the Army Reserve’s role in engaging Canadians on the local level – it is comprised of 123 units located in 117 communities. More than 90 per cent of Canadians live no more than a 45-minute drive from an armoury.
Interactive displays and activities will give visitors an idea of the full range of career and learning opportunities available in the Army Reserve and serving Reservists will be on hand to share their knowledge and experience.
While Infantry or Armour may be among the first things to come to mind when most people think of military service, visitors to the open armoury events will be surprised by the sheer variety of opportunities available: communications, logistics, engineering, military policing, and medical roles are just some of the trades making up the Army Reserve mosaic.
Canadians living in remote or coastal communities may want to consider joining the Canadian Rangers, a sub-component of the Army Reserve. Rangers provide a military presence in remote and northern areas of the country by conducting patrols and assisting in search and rescue operations, among many other tasks.
The Canadian Army is meanwhile continuing to implement Strengthening the Army Reserve (StAR). It is an ongoing campaign to continue to build a stronger Army Reserve through a more efficient recruiting process, the assignment of more mission tasks to Reservists, improved training, and better access to equipment – all designed to facilitate growth and integrate the Army Reserve more closely with the Regular Force.
Looking to further your education? Through StAR, the Army Reserve is expanding its Civil-Military Leadership Pilot Initiative (CMLPI). A partnership between the Canadian Army and universities, CMLPI provides opportunities for Reservists to gain credit for their military training with civilian universities.
The StAR initiative is also improving Army Reserve recruitment overall: an expedited process allows individuals to join much more quickly. In many cases, they will be enrolled after a few visits to their local unit, as opposed to taking up to a year as had been the case previously.
Recruits are still required to meet the CA’s stringent standards but the steps are now better synchronized to speed up the process.
“As always, the contributions of our citizen soldiers are vital to operations, whether abroad or at home, as we are seeing now with the wildfires in British Columbia,” said Brigadier-General Rob Roy MacKenzie, the CA’s Director General Reserve. “The Army Reserve working side-by-side with the Regular Force creates cohesion that is vital to operations at home and abroad. Serving Canada in the Reserves is a great way to learn new skills that you can carry over to your daily life and your career or studies.”
See Related Links to find the Army Reserve unit nearest you.
