That's an excellent question. Again, this challenge is not unique to Canada; it's a challenge for all the NATO countries that have been involved in Afghanistan.
Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, health care professionals, join the military not just to provide day-to-day health care, because they can do that in the civilian sector and chances are they'd make more money and have better control over their lives. They do so because of the unique service they provide in the Canadian Forces, the operational exposure, the unique exposure they get. Afghanistan was, to be very blunt about it, a tremendous attraction tool. People looked to that and said, “You know what? I think I can serve Canada. I can do something unique. I can get some unique experience. This is a chance of a lifetime”. They feel they can make a difference above and beyond everyday practice.
The challenge is, and this is where General Devlin also has an issue with simply the army, how to train to excite. How do we maintain that unique excitement, that unique military culture of esprit, that sense of adventure, if you like? We have to be innovative about training our people, in the context of the future, in a much more interesting simulation to reflect what they may see in combat. As time goes along, we have to be much more interoperable with our allies to make sure that we train together to minimize costs and to increase synergy.
At the end of the day you have to excite. They're working side by side in an office, in a clinic in Canada, and the guy in uniform looks to the guy in the next office and says, “That guy's wearing civilian clothes and I'm wearing a uniform. He makes more than I do, doesn't have to do any duties, and there's no unlimited liability. What is it that makes my job so exciting that I want to be here?” That's what you have to consider. It means fostering the military esprit, the operational medicine, and giving them that opportunity to do so.