It really is. One of the things in talking about this—and he also references it—is that it's not necessarily a cost change. It's more of a process change. I think that's accurate. If you're going to have the two departments—if it's not going to go the way the general just suggested, despite the fact that maybe it should go that way—we ought to ensure that when forces members are leaving, when they are releasing from one department to the next, that everything we can possibly prepare in advance is done. We ought to ensure that the transition is as smooth and soft as possible, because we know in working with this population that it doesn't take much for them to stop doing things that are going to be beneficial for their well-being, to shut down, and to isolate themselves from everything, including their own well-being.
We see it and hear it far too much. We're an organization that looks at and identifies gaps and tries to fill them. One of the biggest gaps we see continuously is the release gap, the time between departments, where they lose their identity. Their identity is in constant struggle, and they just feel that they have to retell their story too many times to too many people who simply do not care enough to give them the service support and the process support that they require to help them deal with all the questions they're receiving at home from their families, like “what's next for you and us and our life?”
It's serious, and all I can say in short is: adopt the DND ombudsman's recommendations. They do represent low-hanging fruit, but I think it's a very important basis from which to start.