BGen J Vance At RMCC & Queen’s University Last Week
BGen Vance stood up Task Force 5-09, the Canadian Headquarters that commanded and coordinated Canadian and Coalition civil-military operations in Kandahar Province from Feb to Nov 2009.
RRMC Cadets & Staff Updated on Afghanistan By 15696 Brigadier General Jonathan Vance (RRMC 1986)
Presentation focused on his experience with planning and conducting operations in Afghanistan.
By: 24633 Catie Keyser
The enthusiasm of the cadets during this Wednesday morning PMT was unconventionally high, as they were eager to hear the words and wisdom of Brigadier General Vance, who commanded Joint Task Force Afghanistan starting in February of 2009 and would be giving a presentation to the cadets of third and fourth year.
Not often are the cadets given the opportunity to listen and learn from such a remarkable individual who has had so many experiences in a vast variety of command positions, but also is able to relate quite closely to the cadets, as a graduate from Royal Roads in 1986.
His presentation revolved around an update on Afghanistan, from which he described the growth of the situation, and reflected on the challenges, as well as the gains in the province of Kandahar. From the words of one cadet, “It was nice to hear a solid update on the situation overseas from a commanding authority.”
When commenting on the H9-5-09 tour, he stated that the main challenges encountered dwelt with synchronizing civilian and military efforts, in hopes of achieving both rapid and tangible effects in the Human Terrain. He also stressed that the military’s resources were always constrained, and the weak Afghan government did not add to the situation. He further went to say that in order to have lasting effects and make COIN (counter insurgency) work, the military must do things the right way, in the right order, with the right people.
When asked what he sees in the future for Afghanistan after the Canadian Forces pull out in 2011, he stated that there will still be things to accomplish in the country. The life expectancy of an Afghan citizen is 46 years, and as their country has been in a time of conflict for 33 years. As a result, conflict is the only reality they know and it will continue to take time for stabilization. He also stated that the actions of the CF will change after 2011, as the focus will become more of distant supervision.
Brigadier General Vance believes that the future for the CF will still continue to have a focus on the Middle East as he believes it will always be a hotspot. A greater focus on Canada was also stressed; the CF can never fail at home. The members of the Canadian Forces must look after Canada. If more natural disasters occur such as the Manitoba floods, he told the listeners, that the Canadian Forces will be front and center to look after the Canadian population.
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Mission will be accomplished
AFGHANISTAN: Brigadier-general says victory will be unlike any other in Canadian military history
Brig-Gen. Jonathan Vance was at Queen’s University Wednesday afternoon READ THE COMPLETE STORY