Canadian Army's low retention and new CF ads

The problem:

Keeping soldiers now tougher task
Army has almost double the attrition of Forces average

OTTAWA, Apr 17 (CP) - Keeping soldiers in the military is proving to be a difficult task as the country settles in for three more years of fighting in Afghanistan — one that is demanding more and more attention from top commanders, newly released documents reveal.

Briefing materials prepared for Defence Minister Peter MacKay show army attrition — the number of people choosing to retire or not renew their contracts — has reached 13 per cent, almost double the average for all three branches of the military.

A presentation given last fall by the army chief, Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, shows the overall size of the land force declined by 1,846 soldiers between May 2005 and May 2007, despite the success in recruiting fresh troops. ...

Many veterans will tell you their experience in the war-torn country is so rewarding that they would happily return. It’s the time spent in home bases back in Canada that seems the most taxing, especially for those serving with comrades or commanders who’ve never seen combat. ... (link)

The solution:

Latest Canadian Forces ads omit Afghan mission

OTTAWA, Apr 17 (Globe and Mail) - One thing is missing from the Canadian Forces' latest generation of TV recruitment ads unveiled this week: any mention of Afghanistan or overseas combat.

It's an odd omission given that Canada is engaged in its biggest military operation since the Korean War in Afghanistan, a mission that has revitalized the Forces and driven a lot of its new equipment spending.

Instead, the two new TV ads - Hard Landing and Drug Bust - paint a job in the Forces as an exclusively domestic career: rescuing survivors of a downed airplane in the Canadian North and catching drug smugglers off the East Coast.

"These ads will be seen on television throughout the spring - including in the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs," the Department of National Defence announced this week.

Peter Donolo, a partner with the polling firm the Strategic Counsel, said the minority Conservative government is likely trying to play down the controversial Afghanistan mission in case it is defeated and must go to the polls, while playing up two issues it has long championed to political acclaim: Arctic sovereignty and border security. ...

More than 12,000 Canadian troops - regular force and reservists - have been through Afghanistan in six-month rotations of roughly 2,500 each since the latest deployment to the Afghan province of Kandahar began two years ago. ... (link)

See the ads on Youtube: Hard Landing and Drug Bust.