Canada said it will take inspiration from Finland, whose reserve force boasts close to 900,000 citizens thanks to mandatory conscription. The country is working closely with the United States on integrated air missile defense. Canada is racing to figure out how to clothe, equip, and train as many as 400,000 volunteer soldiers to join the army reserves under an ambitious new mobilization plan that would more than quadruple the size of its military. The primary reserve, 23,561 part-time armed forces members, would jump to 100,000. That would be on top of an estimated 70,000-strong force of full-time regulars. Motivations cited for the move include natural disaster response and “high-intensity large-scale combat operations.” However, the plans face criticism. “Where’s the incentive?” slammed one in a Reddit sub for Canadian government employees. “Would I not trust 98% of our colleagues with a rifle,” said another. According to Defense Chief General Jennie Carignan, the plan is not in response to a hypothetical invasion from the US. Work began in June, and the supplementary reserve – currently made up of 4,384 inactive or retired Canadian Forces members – would be boosted to 300,000. Reservists would get just one-week training on “basic skills,” learning how to shoot guns, drive trucks, and operate drones. The government is counting on its public servants to be first in line to volunteer, but this initiative has not been well-received. Entry standards, including age limits and physical requirements, would be less restrictive. “This is possibly the tallest order that the Canadian Armed Forces has received since the end of the Cold War,” said Christian Leuprecht, a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada. There are also concerns that new recruits might have to make do with hand-me-down uniforms.
