TRAINING TO FIGHT AND WIN:
TRAINING IN THE CANADIAN ARMY
by
Brigadier-General Ernest B. Beno, OMM, CD (Ret'd)

“It is the present writer's impression, however, that the Canadian Army also suffered from possessing a proportion of regimental officers whose attitude towards training was casual and haphazard rather than urgent and scientific: like the traditional amateur actor, they were cheerfully confident that it would 'be all right on the night' without their having to extend themselves too much.” 1
- Colonel C.P. Stacey
Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War

PART 1
TRAINING AND LEADERSHIP
BACKGROUND

Canadian Army units and formations exist to conduct military operations in support of government objectives, as directed by the Chief of Defence Staff. While operations are the reason for the existence of military forces, the main activity of army brigades and units during peacetime is, and should be, training. Training prepares units and formations to conduct operations. Their training, therefore, should focus primarily on two corresponding overall objectives:

achieving a multi-purpose combat capability; followed by,

training for specific missions.

Within the Canadian Army the focal point for training development and delivery has been the brigade or brigade group. This organization is wellstructured and organized to conduct, oversee and evaluate training. Brigades must maintain high levels of readiness in order to react to short notice taskings while remaining flexible enough to take on any assigned missions. Brigade commanders have the right to expect commanding officers (COs) to produce well-trained units, trained to meet the specific-to-brigade standards set by the brigade commander, and trained for a variety of contingencies. Although much of the training in the Canadian Army has been and is focused at brigade level, it should be set within a broader doctrine of divisions and corps, and the goals, objectives, standards and very philosophy set at levels higher than brigades.

The current national fiscal situation (probably no different than most previous generations) puts pressure on the Army to train effectively with fewer resources. Inattention to training raises the possibility that readiness standards might erode to a level where unit standards would be lower than is professionally acceptable. In practical terms, this climate obliges us to more clearly define the desired levels of training and then balance the resources such that the optimum training needs are being met. Commanders at all levels, including the commander of the Army, must identify and make clear distinctions between:

the desirable.

the achievable; and

the affordable;

Commanders have to analyze our requirements and prioritize their training much more clearly than in the past, and then focus on the best way to achieve the desired requirement in the most important functions, with the minimum expenditure of resources. In other words, commanders at all levels must ensure that they train smarter. This does not mean that they have to train longer, harder, or expend more ammunition or fuel, for these are no longer options. What it means is that they should find the training which produces the maximum desired effect with the minimum expenditure of resources, and at the same time aggressively seek out and eliminate the least effective training activities. An Army that is properly trained and led is better prepared to respond to situations requiring the employment of armed force. Such situations will arise and the Army, as the force of last resort, must respond and should respond effectively. It can only do so through sound leadership and quality training.

Aim

The aim of this booklet is to pass on my “lessons learned” on training in the Canadian Army.

My intent is to stimulate thought,' discussion and positive action on training, particularly collective training, in the Canadian Army. My ultimate objective is to help produce sound army units which reflect the following characteristics:

sound leadership;

good command and control;

cohesion;

standardized ways of doing things;

sound discipline and a disciplined way of doing things; and

the use of good battle procedure whether the task at hand is operational or administrative in nature.

This booklet will outline some principles of training in the Canadian Army to assist unit and formation commanders and their staffs in this most important of military activities. Included are specific proposals for the design, conduct, evaluation and support of training. Leadership, the other ingredient . for success, can be developed through training, and of course sound leadership enhances training. It is not the principal subject of this booklet, but is closely related to this discussion.

LEADERSHIP

This booklet is not about leadership, but it is abundantly clear that the effectiveness of units is dependent upon good leadership. The quality of training is magnified greatly by good leadership and no matter how good the training plan, training process or training activities happen to be, without sound leadership the effectiveness of the unit in fulfilling its operational mission will be significantly reduced. Leadership in its entirety: (selection, training, development, evaluation, research, and doctrine) needs to be re-thought in the Canadian Forces and particularly in the Army. We've got some of the right courses but I don't believe that we place enough emphasis on this core matter - from training section commanders through to developing generals. We don't even have an “owner” or “patron” for leadership, but there are several “management” gurus and much money spent on promulgating management materials.

In our training at all levels. section to division, especially in a resource constrained army, the emphasis in training should always be on developing leaders. We need to create operationally effective units to meet specific tasks and we must train in operations of war to develop and maintain our capability in current doctrine - but it is through the development of sound leaders that we will be ready to meet the tasks of today and prepare for the unknowns of the future. So even as we train operationally and train to do the job, in the back of our minds we must realize that developing leaders is of greater importance in the long term. We typically do not have the resources to train to a capability or level we would like. Nonetheless, by emphasizing thinking leaders, intellectual agility and robustness, a common sense approach to operational matters, and ethical conduct, we will at least ensure that we can effectively and professionally employ all of the resources we do have and any that might come to hand in emergencies or war. Perhaps large armies can do things differently and rely on a “forces in being” philosophy, but history has shown that the Canadian Army should capitalize on training its people and especially on developing its leaders. With good leaders trained for war we can make a difference with whatever technology comes to hand.

As Brigadier Stanley Todd put it: “Training leaders takes time and effort, but even in the absence of material much can be done to raise professional competence and to stimulate intellectual curiosity.”

Although this booklet concerns the subject of training, it has in mind these basic philosophies on leadership. It considers sound leadership as fundamental to conducting good training and it emphasizes the exercise and development of sound leaders through good training. Sound leadership is as essential and good training are absolutely interrelated in achieving an operationally effective army.

Part 2 - Training Purpose