Canada boosting military might as it seeks 400,000 volunteer soldiers, quadrupling size of force
The plan would add 400,000 volunteers to the army reserves. ZUMAPRESS.com
Canada is moving quickly to figure out how to train, equip, and enlist up to 400,000 volunteer soldiers under an ambitious new plan that would more than quadruple the size of its military.
According to a Department of Defence directive obtained by the Ottawa Citizen, the entry standards for these volunteers would be relatively relaxed. The nine-page unclassified document notes that “the entry criteria… should be less restrictive than the Reserve Force for age limits as well as physical and fitness requirements.”
Training for reservists would be minimal—a single week covering “basic skills” such as shooting, truck driving, and operating drones. The government is initially hoping public servants will step forward, but reactions among workers have been less than enthusiastic.
“Non-pensionable military service? So where’s the incentive?” wrote one Canadian government employee on Reddit.
“Volunteer to spend non-pensionable time in the armed forces? Have the people in charge fully lost the plot at this point?” another asked.
“I would not trust 98% of our colleagues with a rifle,” commented a third.
The plans could strain Canada’s already modestly sized military. New recruits may have to make do with hand-me-down equipment and uniforms, according to documents obtained by the CBC.
“This is possibly the tallest order the Canadian Armed Forces has received since the end of the Cold War,” said Christian Leuprecht, a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada.
In an unprecedented move, the department has also created a senior position focused entirely on military expansion. Work began in June to grow the supplementary reserve—which currently includes 4,384 inactive or retired members willing to return if called—to 300,000. Meanwhile, the primary reserve, now 23,561 part-time personnel, would rise to 100,000, in addition to about 70,000 full-time regular forces.
Officials cited natural disaster response and “high-intensity large-scale combat operations” as key reasons for the expansion. Defence Chief General Jennie Carignan emphasized that the plan is not intended as a response to any hypothetical threat from the United States, where President Trump currently leads.
“That’s not part of it,” she said. “We’re working closely with the United States on integrated air missile defense.”
Canada also plans to take inspiration from Finland, which maintains a reserve force of nearly 900,000 citizens thanks to mandatory conscription.
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