Towards Renewal

Summary

The Canadian Military Colleges Review is an opportunity to respond to the issues identified in Recommendations 28 and 29 of the Arbour Report while implementing changes and innovation that preserve the CMCs and enhance their capacity to produce leaders for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

The RMCAA strongly believes that officer and naval cadet education at the CMCs should be continued and that the CMCs require systematic renewal to modernize the training offered and make needed cultural changes. In developing propositions for renewal of the CMCs, the RMCAA Steering Committee (the SteerCo), in collaboration with RMCAA’s consultants, has considered numerous streams of data and evidence.

The Royal Military Colleges of Canada Alumni Association’s (RMCAA) proposals maintain the fundamental structure of the Cadet Wing operating in an academic degree granting setting. The proposals identify substantial reforms to modernize the training approach, support needed cultural change, and recognize fundamental changes that have occurred in Canadian society over the past fifty years.

---

The Canadian Military Colleges Review Board (CMCRB) is mandated to use an evidence-based approach to fulfill its mandate. It has been directed to “…consult broadly with subject-matter experts across a range of domains, both in Canada and abroad….” These two elements of the CMCRB mandate have informed the response of the RMCAA to the Arbour Report.

For the RMCAA to credibly advance its position that the CMCs can be improved and are a valuable tool to cultivate future leaders of the CAF its response must be evidence based, draw upon subject matter expertise, and consider practices in Canada and other jurisdictions.

In developing propositions for renewal of the CMCs, the SteerCo, in collaboration with RMCAA’s consultants, has considered numerous streams of data and evidence:

• A scan of previous reports and work on CMC operations and the Arbour Report;
• A survey of ex-cadets (e-mail survey, focus groups and one-on one interviews) to get a better understanding of the experiences of ex-cadets;
• One-on-one interviews of individuals with expertise in education or the operation of other military academies;
• Benchmarking the CMCs against military academies in the other ‘Five Eyes’ countries (Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States);
• Looking at the best practices of academic and private-sector learning institutions; and,
• Integrating submissions from individual ex-cadets (more than two hundred) and classes (4).

The SteerCo held a series of five formal meetings during which the research findings were discussed and debated to produce a series of broad recommendations for renewal. These are outlined below.

The RMCAA’s goal is to accurately and fairly represent a wide range of alumni experiences and opinions and collaborate with the CMC Review Board as they form their recommendations. However, we recognize that not every alum will agree with our propositions and findings in their entirety.

Proposition 1: Purpose of the CMCs

Recenter focus of CMCs on original purpose (to develop future CAF leaders) and modernize four pillars to better reflect evolving CAF leadership doctrine:

• Add foundational pillar of Character and Professionalism. Explicitly embed leading and acting with strength of character, professionalism and Charter values into the overall framework of the CMC program that cuts across the four original pillars.
• Refresh positioning of military pillar. Modernize “Military” Pillar to focus on adaptive leadership skills and ability to lead in different contexts vs. strictly command and control.
• Broaden fitness pillar to be “health, physical and mental fitness.” Expand “Physical Fitness” pillar from solely focusing on physical fitness to encompassing mental and emotional health/well-being.

Proposition 2: Program Structure

Maintain CMCs as degree-granting institutions with hallmark ROTP program and explore adding a one-year program for other officer streams:

• Retain CMCs as undergrad degree granting institutions. Underscore criticality of institutions able to deliver military-oriented programs and research as a valuable asset in a rapidly evolving defence and security environment.
• Maintain the four/five year program structure at the CMCs as the hallmark ROTP experience. Recognize the benefits that a four/five year¹ runway provides for most officer and naval cadets to build in-depth skills, experience and deepen peer relationships.
• Consider adding prerequisite military program for ROTPs/ officers who attended civilian universities. Evolve CMCs to become true CAF leadership centers of excellence and form a cornerstone of the officer training curriculum. Potential to introduce a more diverse student population as role model for junior cadets.

Proposition 3: Cadet Wing

Reorient Cadet Wing’s purpose, scope & structure to ensure it is an effective mechanism for peer leadership, while limiting possibility of misuse of power:

• Refresh the Cadet Wing’s foundation and modus operandi to better embed principles of adaptive leadership. Shift leadership principles, training and feedback towards a more modern vision of leadership, incl. emphasis on equity, diversity and inclusion; better understand and classify types of Cadet Wing leadership roles.
• Maintain overall Cadet Wing structure but increase rotations to provide wider breadth of experiences. Increase frequency of position rotations to ensure balanced exposure to a variety of leadership roles and situations; review 200+ leadership roles to ensure relevancy (i.e. reduce admin roles).
• Add leadership capability assessments from junior leadership roles as criteria for more senior appointments. Add leadership capability as criteria to select officer and naval cadets who proved themselves in Jr roles.
• Shift sanctioning authority to instructors with active coaching to senior cadets on process/outcomes. Remove authority to impart sanctions for infractions from Cadet Wing and shift to training staff instructors, to minimize possible misuse of power.
• Apply a “rehabilitation not retribution” lens to individualized performance correction and support. Transition role of Senior Cadet Wing leader from disciplinarian to one of coach and supporter for junior peers (e.g. academic tutoring, peer-led PT sessions).
• Formalize better feedback mechanisms for cadet leaders to enable them to adapt and adjust leadership style. Incorporate 360-degree feedback, including instructor and peer evaluations, to expand development for leadership style and capability.

Proposition 4: Training Staff

Increase quality and bolster effectiveness of Training Wing staff by attracting, selecting, training, and incentivizing those with a strong record of leadership and mentorship:

• Improve staff to officer and naval cadet ratio by expanding sources of instructors including reservist and peer academy secondees. Use added capacity for increased after-hours supervision and mentorship (e.g. better load management between administrative vs. mentorship duties, shifts while officer and naval cadets are in classes versus after hours, creating more interaction opportunities and mentorship time).
• Raise quality of instructors by having more stringent selection criteria and aligning incentives to attract talent. Increase desirability of instructor positions by aligning promotion board, pay, performance reviews, and incentives with the position. Elevate selection criteria to ensure high quality instructors (e.g. minimum # of years of experience post-grad).
• Expand leadership training and coaching for instructors that extend beyond direct military experience. Consider offering instructors a part-time Master’s in Leadership degree at Queen’s University that runs concurrent with their CMC Instructor posting. Provide training on how to lead, coach and influence younger, less mature cadets who might need more support through complex issues.

Proposition 5: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

Strengthen accountability, initiatives and support to attract, select, include and retain diverse officer and naval cadets, staff and instructors at the CMCs:

• Develop and externally share explicit CMC leadership commitments and cohesive strategy to improve EDI. Build comprehensive equity, diversity and inclusion strategy that includes visible leadership commitments/goals, accountability for key performance indicators and enablement plans for the senior CMC leaders.
• Expand recruitment pool through a more targeted value proposition and presence in diverse communities. Develop more targeted recruitment practices aimed at more diverse population (e.g. physical presence in diverse communities, refreshed value proposition).
• Improve retention of diverse officer and naval cadets through more individualized and targeted interventions. Refresh retention interventions to target root causes (e.g. racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia) and adopt broader best practices. Formalize exit interview process to form basis of root cause analysis.
• Develop robust measurement systems and drive accountability across instructors/squadrons. Establish measurement system that has defined EDI goals and metrics that are transparent and able to be segmented.

Proposition 6: Grievances and Mental Health

Ensure CAF framework and policies related to grievance management and mental health supports consider CMCs’ unique context (including vulnerable and minority populations):

• Educate and deter harmful behaviours by developing and rolling out more holistic prevention program. Build cohesive education and deterrence program that includes a Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) approach, greater supervision and enhanced training (e.g. unconscious bias training); create specific program for 1st years, recognizing they live away from home for the first time and require more support.
• Develop investigative policy consistent with CAF’s revised grievance management framework, but ensure policies consider CMCs unique context and demographics. Recognize need to maximize accessibility and security for CMCs specific demographics (i.e. minor/vulnerable populations), which means creating CMC-specific resources (e.g. dedicated ombudspersons and sexual assault support coordinator for CMCs).
• Strengthen support resources and mental health programs. Review and strengthen existing mental health support resources/programs, including reducing stigma associated with use, providing more transparency/anonymity around available resources and enhancing peer-support programs.

Proposition 7: Quality of Life

Review all elements of a healthy student life to enable officer and naval cadets to thrive in their academic experience:

• Review academic offering to better balance overall needs of CAF, future officer and naval cadets and CMCs’ ability to deliver. Recommend that the CMC Review Board conduct a thorough analysis leading to a potential reset of the CMCs degree offerings to balance future CAF needs and enhance ability to attract diverse talent.
• Invest in major physical infrastructure upgrades. Prioritize infrastructure investments aimed at increasing officer and naval cadet security (e.g. better lighting, functional locks on all doors). Invest in core facilities to ensure comparability with civilian universities and in select areas, create top-tier infrastructure to attract top talent.
• Develop campus alcohol/substance use policy and interventions to enhance student health and well-being. Reset alcohol/substance use policy and programs to support broader safety and health initiatives (e.g., mess monitors to prevent overconsumption, Safe Serve certifications etc.).
• Review and adjust broader CMC rituals, policies and procedures to enhance officer and naval cadets’ physical and mental well-being. Conduct holistic review of all formal and informal rituals, policies and procedures with lens of improving the overall well-being and security of officer and naval cadets (e.g. policies around locking doors, off-campus passes, special requests for changes).

The CMC renewal presents a pivotal opportunity to try and ensure the future existence of the CMCs, address key issues identified in the Arbour Report, and implement innovative changes to enhance the CMCs capacity to produce effective leaders for the CAF. The proposals put forward by the RMCAA maintain the fundamental structure of the Cadet Wing while modernizing training approaches and recognizing societal changes. These proposals emphasize the importance of character, adaptive leadership, and overall well-being, aiming to create a more inclusive, supportive, and effective learning environment at the Canadian Military Colleges.

Sent on behalf of CMC Renewal Team – [email protected]