A legion of our own

OTTAWA—The recent NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, proved the genesis for a number of promises by the Trudeau Liberals to make significant increases to Canada’s military participation in the alliance. In a whirlwind photo-op pit stop to the forward-deployed Canadian contingent in Latvia, Trudeau reannounced Canada’s plans to increase the size of that force to a full brigade. While the other NATO allies that contribute to this multinational force in Latvia would also be increasing their contingents, for Canada, this would mean expanding from 800 to 2,200 troops deployed on a rotating, but continuous, basis. Trudeau also reaffirmed that Canada would keep endeavouring to raise defence spending to meet the NATO goal of two per cent of GDP. At present, Canada spends about 1.3 per cent of GDP on defence. Caught up in the NATO Summit spirit of pledging continued support for embattled Ukraine in its war against Russia, Trudeau also reiterated that the Royal Canadian Air Force would be participating in the NATO program to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16 fighter jets. Somehow, this particular statement was simply parroted by Trudeau’s attendant media posse without anyone pointing out that our RCAF fighter pilots fly CF-18s, not F-16s. Before Canadian pilots could train Ukrainians, they would first need to learn to fly F-16s themselves. If that is the case, then why not simply cut out the middleman—i.e. Canada—and teach the Ukrainian pilots directly? The last time I looked, the Air Force was so woefully short of trained pilots that Canada was unable to participate in recent joint NATO international exercises. It is the chronic personnel shortage across the entire Canadian Armed Forces that will pose an almost insurmountable challenge for the Army to staff and maintain such a significant increase to the battle group in Latvia. Yes, the money spent to outfit this force with capabilities such as low-level air defence, armed drones, and anti-tank weapon systems will help push defence spending towards that arbitrary figure of two per cent of GDP. However, the question begs as to where our under-strength Army units are going to find and train the prerequisite number of personnel to keep that many soldiers forward deployed in Latvia. The current tour length for troops based in Latvia is six months to one year. These postings are considered operational, so no spouses or dependants accompany the member. That length of separation is a challenge for most couples and families, and given the size of the Army and the scale of the commitment, our soldiers will soon be in a constant cycle of preparing for Latvia, deploying to Latvia, and returning from Latvia. There is an answer to this problem that might be considered extreme, but it is not without some successful precedents. By this I mean the creation of a Canadian foreign legion. Based on the formula for the French and Spanish foreign legions, recruits would sign contracts for a three-year tour of duty. At the successful completion of that contract, they would be granted full citizenship. This legion would be like the Spanish legion in that recruits would need to be 18 years of age and not be older than 29 on the day they enlist. All recruits would be single and enrolled on a priority basis based upon physical fitness and mental aptitude, with previous military service being a bonus. Should a member of the Canadian legion become injured or wounded prior to the end of the three-year commitment, they would follow in the French example and automatically be granted full citizenship. The French call it “français par le sang versé,” or “French through spilled blood.” Recruits could be trained by Canadian officers and non-commissioned officers at bases in Canada, but they would know in advance that their three years of service would be spent on overseas missions such as the brigade in Latvia or future United Nations peacekeeping operations. The question of retention for legionnaires is a simple matter of withholding the bulk of their pay package. For instance, if the base pay rate was $60,000, then $40,000 would be held in trust until the contract is complete. At the end of the three-year contract, the legionnaire would be released as a full citizen with a starting nest egg of $120,000. Both the French and Spanish foreign legions have evolved into highly respected military formations, which have earned their respective countries glory and respect on global battlefields. The original rationale for France and Spain to create such legions was to avoid conscripting their own citizens to police the remnants of their far-flung empires. In Canada’s case, it would be a means of bringing in a high level of immigrant to solve a personnel shortage within our military that has reached a critical tipping point. It would be a win-win for Canada. Scott Taylor is the editor and publisher of Esprit de Corps magazine. The Hill Times