Ivan Beaudry is a 15-year CAF veteran who served on six overseas missions including Bosnia, the Golan Heights and Afghanistan. The combat signaller attached to the 3rd Battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment (Van Doos) received the Sacrifice Medal because of injuries sustained in Afghanistan when Taliban fighters ambushed his convoy. Beaudry who suffered PTSD and cognitive and auditory focus from a blast, was medically released in 2013. Is the appointment of Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan as chief of the defence staff (CDS) enough to turn around the Canadian military? Carignan was promoted to the rank of general and took command of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Thursday.Let’s hope Carignan was appointed because she’ll be able to do what her predecessor Gen. Wayne Eyre could not: Secure the necessities needed to keep the Canadian military a viable asset in today’s world of new alliances and military commitments across the globe..There has been much focus on how soldiers can freely mix and match men/women’s clothing, grow facial hair, and prioritize personal appearance. Although this attempt to boost recruitment was somewhat backtracked, the military will accept you as you are and how you want to be. Unfortunately, this Department of National Defence (DND) decision to showcase comfort caused a divide between those who adhered to standards and uniformity throughout their careers with today’s variant soldiers who feel it's not a necessity in modern times. Was this change enough for DND to implement as a first step and then evaluate? No. Additional programs and initiatives were created to recognize the uniqueness of indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+ and other yin and yang spectrum of ‘I am who I am’ persons. We can now call in to question the idea of what a soldier in uniform represents. What is a soldier in uniform? Well, in the minds of many Canadians, including myself, it is to heed the call when needed and forego your own individuality as you ward off the enemy in combat to defend and protect Canadian interests. This job of being a soldier, requires someone to be dedicated to our country’s freedom over one’s own, and not to second guess the order because it conflicts with personal beliefs and rights.It additionally requires a set standard of training and work ethic that in extreme heat or cold, while it is wet and dirty, soldiers possess the ability to successfully complete the task.However, the more uniqueness is made an issue, the more the ideal of what a solider in uniform represents is subjective to interpretation. When our military leaderships allow the lower ranks to become empowered when it comes to personal choice over training to be prepared for domestic/international emergencies or war, we are telling fellow Canadian citizens that it is within their right to do so. How does personal empowerment within our military, help our allies while we are concentrated on maintaining this image that we are now ‘hip and modern’ in today’s workplace, versus being willing to supply the necessary equipment and soldiers needed to respect the terms of agreements in our alliance?When do these radical ideas stop? When do we admit that we as an institution, the CAF has lost its way and is broken? We resorted to measures to expedite access to citizenship in return for serving in the CAF. The Navy now offers the Naval Experience Program (NEP) allowing for a one-year exposure to all things Navy. The aptitude test and medical limitations for initial entry requirements has been removed or deferred depending on the military occupation chosen. These changes send the message that we are doing everything but rebuilding our military in a world that is changing faster than it ever has. I don’t want to rely on someone being the soldier they want to be. I want to feel safe and protected by the soldier needed to do the task at hand without any reservation. As a former non-commissioned member and military officer, I agree recruitment is at its all time low. However, senior DND officers advising Eyre to implement these policy changes to try and bolster dwindling ranks, are far removed from the needs of today’s entry level soldiers. Do they not realize young soldiers join the military because they want to serve? Let’s stop grasping for straws or other far-fetched ideas and concentrate on providing our soldiers with cutting edge equipment and additional opportunities to serve abroad, to be proud and to represent Canada on the world stage. Gen. Rick Hillier, former CDS, knew Canadians wanted to serve and fight the war on terror in Afghanistan after what happened on 9/11. Eyre, who wanted to make the military more appealing to the workforce of today, our institution and all Canadian citizens, failed.The public remains unmotivated to join. Only 4,533 applicants joined the regular or reserve forces in 2023 when these changes were brought forward. What should our new CDS do in my opinion? Stop concentrating on public image and trying to appeal to segments of the population who would never want to join the military to begin with.This hurts our image. Our allies have noticed and made fun of us. Not only does this hurt our credibility abroad, but by concentrating on doing everything under the sun, but not spending the money necessary to improve our military, we are essentially snubbing them as well.Where do we start? Let’s go to the beginning when we first departed for basic training and were taught one of the most fundamental principles of what being a soldier is. Basic training is all about taking away individuality and teaching someone to become a contributing team player. By breaking societal barriers, we teach someone at the lowest possible base point that together we can achieve more than we could do individually, while in the field defending or attacking the enemy.Race, religion, sexual orientation, afffirmation, appearance, none of these things matter. What matters is being the soldier that our country needs you to be.Regardless of your occupation, you must always be a soldier first which means meeting the Common Military Task Fitness Evaluation standards, as well as being employable and deployable for general operational duties. The military does not need citizens who do not desire to follow the above-mentioned requirements. Let’s encourage diversity, individuality, and accommodation outside of the uniform.Let’s abolish the current Reconstitution Directive that focuses on all the wrong elements needed in a military force. The military will never be a first-rate career choice for Canadians. The attraction and retention of top-tiered talent seems to be for those who value financial opportunities over patriotic pride in the form of military service. The military will always be a stressful environment that follows hardship in respect to domestic and operational postings. It is not a for profit organization. There will always be costs associated to maintaining an active force, where equipment will be worn out or antiquated, and where a stable vision forward is necessary to ensure that newer technologies are acquired and implemented in a timely manner. I believe, as a veteran, the reason why the military is having trouble within its organization is because there is too much government interference telling it what to change.The military budget should be untouchable within the government budget. These funds should be mandated as “untouchable and unchangeable” and reach our international commitment with our NATO allies of 2% of our GDP at a minimum.The military needs to be able to secure contracts for equipment, vehicles, weapon systems without political interference. MPs are not adept in the areas of defence or procurement. The military determines what is needed and thus should not have to wait for governmental approval. Having interim or new governments continually changing the plans, equates to our soldiers experiencing unnecessary delays.The military is not a political pony show where the public is shown one image of it and internally it is a different story. In the 2024 budget, the military has been instructed to save the federal government close to $1 billion. Financial cuts are being implemented to achieve this mandate. What annoys soldiers across the board is how our government is telling the public that the investments we are making today in the military is helping us to succeed in the years to come. It is in fact doing the opposite. This creates a toxic atmosphere within the ranks, leading to increased burnouts and more soldiers to release. Congratulations to Carignan on being the first female CDS. Take a bow, smile, wave, do a photo-op … but that’s it. Time to get to work. The military is in dire need of maintenance. Ivan Beaudry is a 15-year CAF veteran who served on six overseas missions including Bosnia, the Golan Heights and Afghanistan. The combat signaller with the 3rd Battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment (Van Doos) received the Sacrifice Medal because of injuries sustained in Afghanistan when Taliban fighters ambushed his convoy. Beaudry who suffered PTSD and cognitive and auditory focus from a blast, was medically released in 2013.
