The Royal Canadian Air Force “continues to be exceptionally effective” as it participates in missions around the world, the Department of National Defence says in response to a report that claims Canada’s air personnel are young and inexperienced after years of spending cuts, low recruitment rates, and retirements.
In a statement to CTV’s Canada AM this week, the DND says that the Canadian Armed Forces recruited about 4,500 Regular Force personnel in 2014, and remains “one of the most highly trained and respected militaries in the world.”
The Air Force, meanwhile, “continues to be exceptionally effective, having supported multiple missions throughout the year, including the fight against (ISIS) in Iraq, training events alongside NATO Allies in Eastern Europe, as well as our ongoing commitments to NORAD.”
The statement follows concerns that cutbacks and downsizing that began in the last years of the Brian Mulroney government and continued under the Liberals have altered the demographics of the military.
There are fewer personnel who would be considered senior leaders with between 15 and 20 years of experience, says David Perry, an analyst at the Conference of Defence Associations Institute. As older personnel retire, that leaves a smaller pool to choose from when trying to fill management or senior leadership roles.
“You’re not going to have as many senior leaders with the kind of experience that you’d normally like,” Perry told Canada AM on Tuesday.
“You’re going to be promoting people a little faster than you would otherwise want to.”
Concerns about the Air Force were sparked by a newspaper report based on the Air Force’s business plan for the next year, which indicated that nearly 49 per cent of personnel has less than 10 years’ experience.
“We have recently seen the retirement of an aging but very experienced cohort, and now remain a force made up of a larger population of young, relatively inexperienced personnel,” the business plan states.
Meanwhile, a DND report tabled in the House of Commons last year found a shortfall of nearly 900 regular force members and 4,500 reservists across the entire Canadian Forces.
Perry notes that it’s not just cutbacks that have impacted Air Force personnel figures. The Air Force, unlike other branches of the Armed Forces, has had historic retention problems, largely because “pilots have more options in the civilian economy than someone who drives a tank.”
A personnel shortage likely won’t affect operations or current missions around the world, Perry said. However, with the effort that goes into maintaining those missions, fewer personnel with more experience are left behind to take care of other aspects of operations, including training and procurement.
