National Defence committee  I'm sorry, who is your question directed to?

National Defence committee  I'll answer very quickly, then, sir. I've touched on the first two points in the brief. The third point in the brief concerned the mindset of the Canadian Armed Forces recruiting group. There was, however, a fourth point. Even people going the regular officer training plan route are required to select their military occupation much too early.

National Defence committee  May I comment on that?

National Defence committee  The vast majority already come from civilian universities. If you look at the officer corps alone, more than three-quarters come through the direct entry route, which means people were recruited after they had already gotten their bachelor's degree. Less than 25% come from the regular officer training plan, which includes undergraduates at the military colleges and ROTP undergraduates in civilian universities.

National Defence committee  If you'd like me to start, the problem, as I already indicated in my opening remarks, is that at the moment it's not the intake into the reserves, where the recruiting has been somewhat simplified in recent years after it was rather turgid for a long time. It is what happens if somebody then wishes to move from the reserve force into the regular force.

National Defence committee  Good afternoon. As noted in my brief and its appendix, which have been circulated, my various exposures to recruiting and retention issues stem from my time as principal, RMC, and from my time as a member and chair of the defence science advisory board of Canada, which is now called the “defence advisory board”, as well as my four years as president of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute and some involvement with the reserve army as well.