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This chapter describes the organization and structure of the Canadian Forces (CF) at the time of the Somalia mission in 1992-93. In addition, it defines and explains a number of terms and concepts that appear throughout the report. The goal is to give readers an overview of the complexity of the organization as a context for understanding the environment in which decisions were taken before, during and after the deployment to Somalia. In particular we want to highlight the complexity inherent in an organizational structure based on the amalgamation of defence department and military staff at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa.
Second, we want to draw a distinction between organization for function and organization for process. Understanding how an organization is structured does not always help in understanding how it actually works -- how decisions are made, how information flows, how the work of the organization is actually accomplished. In this chapter we concentrate mainly on structure, leaving for later chapters our analysis of how this structure affected the issues and incidents that are the substance of our mandate.
Before July 1964, the head of each of the three armed services in Canada -- the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force -- had direct access to the minister of National Defence and provided service-related advice to government. In July 1964, Parliament amended the National Defence Act to integrate the three services under a newly created position, the chief of the defence staff (CDS). The CDS became the senior serving officer of the three services and solely responsible for the "control and administration" of them.1 In April 1967, Parliament passed the Canadian Forces Reorganization Act, abolishing the three services and creating a new single service, the Canadian Armed Forces, with common uniform and rank designations for sea, land, and air members.
The Department of National Defence, a department of government, and the CF the "armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada", are separate entities.2 Until 1972 each had entirely separate staff. In the early 1970s, a management review, ordered by the minister to investigate defence and CF organization at the centre, recommended amalgamation of the staffs of the Department of National Defence (DND) and CF Headquarters into a new organization with a single staff -- National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ).3 The department, headed by the minister, and the forces, headed by the chief of the defence staff, were to remain separate entities, served by the integrated staff. However, the deputy minister (on behalf of the minister) and the CDS presided over the integrated NDHQ staff as a diarchy. This arrangement often confuses attempts to separate and define departmental and CF issues.
Since 1972, although DND and the CF have undergone several organizational and structural modifications, the essentially collegial nature of the structure has remained unchanged. Air Command was created in 1975, bringing command and control of air resources together under a single commander. The Land Force Area Commands were approved in 1990, dividing the Canadian land mass into four regions to simplify control of the army's domestic activities and support. The creation of Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT), an operational-level maritime headquarters on the east coast, was approved in 1992, providing a second regional headquarters, balancing Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC), and allowing Maritime Command HQ to concentrate on strategic issues. NDHQ itself has been restructured several times. In addition, at NDHQ, a CF joint staff system was adopted in 1992, and the joint force headquarters system was put in place in 1994.
Civil control of the CF is rooted in the parliamentary system. The Governor General of Canada, as the Sovereign's representative, is the Commander in Chief of the CF. Cabinet is responsible to Parliament for formulating and implementing government policy, including defence and military policy. The minister of National Defence, under the National Defence Act (NDA), presides over DND and is responsible for the "management and direction" of the CF and all matters related to national defence. The minister is assisted by two senior advisers, the deputy minister and the chief of the defence staff. The deputy minister is appointed by the Governor in Council (that is, the Cabinet) under the NDA but draws power and authority from other statutes, such as the Interpretation Act and the Financial Administration Act. The CDS draws authority from the NDA, section 18, which charges the CDS with the "control and administration of the CF", but "subject to the regulations and under the direction of the Minister". All orders and instructions of the government to the CF are issued through the CDS, unless the Governor in Council directs otherwise.4
Through the National Defence Act Parliament has set out the basic law governing command in the CF. However, command is exercised under the law in large measure through traditional methods derived from the customs of the service. Officers and non-commissioned members of the CF are, of course, expected to exercise command prudently and to maintain "good order and discipline" fairly. To understand the structure of the CF we need to appreciate the legal basis for command, the special responsibilities and duties of the CDS and subordinate officers and the traditional methods for exercising command in peace and war.
Primary authority rests with the Governor in Council to implement and amplify the NDA by regulations for the "organization, training, discipline, efficiency, administration and good government of the Canadian Forces."5 Under section 12(2) of the NDA, the minister has the power to regulate the same matters but subject to any regulation made by the Governor in Council and Treasury Board. The minister has the power to make regulations governing who commands what and whom, but the "exercise" of command is then in the hands of the designated commanders subject to law.
Subsection 18(1) of the NDA states that the Governor in Council may appoint a CDS "who shall, subject to the regulations and under the direction of the Minister, be charged with the control and administration of the Canadian Forces." Furthermore, "command" of and in the CF is confirmed as a military activity that flows through commissioned and non-commissioned officers under section 18(2):
Unless the Governor in Council otherwise directs, all orders and instructions to the Canadian Forces that are required to give direction to the decisions and to carry out the directions of the Government of Canada or the Minister shall be issued by or through the Chief of the Defence Staff.
Although the CDS is subject to the minister's direction in exercising general powers, the responsibilities of the CDS are not delegated from the minister. Moreover, the CDS has responsibility exclusive of the minister of National Defence in three areas: powers in respect of which the CDS is not subject to the direction of the minister, for example, in the promotion of members below the rank of general;6 in all matters related to "aid of the civil power";7 and in the conduct of military operations.
The CDS may assign some command and administrative responsibilities to subordinate officers, who may in turn assign or allocate duties and responsibilities to officers and members of the CF under their command.8 Such assignments or allocations are not to be confused with a delegation that in law cannot be further delegated, for example, a CO's jurisdiction to conduct summary trials may be delegated to certain subordinate officers under QR&O 108.10. The assignment of command is limited by regulation or custom of the service (NDA, section 49). Specifically, commanding officers at every level are always "responsible for the whole of the organization" they command and cannot delegate "matters of general organization and policy; important matters requiring the commanding officer's personal attention and decision; and the general control and supervision of the various duties that the commanding officer has allocated to others."9
In the next chapter we explore in detail the principles and construction of the chain of command -- the chain of authority and accountability that extends from the office of the CDS to the smallest element of the CF and back to the office of the CDS. The chain is formed when the CDS assigns a portion of the CDS's authority to carefully selected subordinate commanders immediately below the CDS and directly accountable to the CDS. Each of these commanders in turn, and following established custom, assigns a portion of their entrusted authority to subordinates directly accountable to them. Thus the chain of command is formed. It is also a hierarchy of individual commanders who take decisions within their linked functional formations and units. The chain of command, therefore, is a military instrument joining a superior officer -- meaning "any officer or non-commissioned member who, in relation to any other officer or non-commissioned member, is by [the NDA], or by regulation or custom of the service, authorized to give a lawful command to that other officer or non-commissioned member"10 -- to other officers and non-commissioned members of the CF. No other person, including ministers and public servants, is part of the chain of command, nor does any other person have any command authority in the CF.
Image: Ranks and Insignia
In 1992 DND employed about 32,000 civilians at NDHQ and in the commands (but not in operational units). The majority of civilians work on bases and stations throughout Canada, in research, technical or administrative positions. They are an important part of the "Defence Team"11 and contribute their services in the management, scientific and professional, administrative, foreign service, and technical categories, in more than 50 different occupational groups and sub-groups. DND maintains its own civilian career management system, focusing on matching employees' developmental needs with departmental needs. The defence staff is roughly 30 per cent civilian.
NDHQ, in Ottawa, combines DND's corporate headquarters and CF strategic headquarters. It is directed collegially by the deputy minister and the chief of the defence staff. By virtue of its leadership diarchy, its functional organization, and its trans-functional processes, NDHQ operates through a series of committees.12
NDHQ takes government policy, funding allocations, current operational considerations, and other issues to provide
NDHQ has always been organized on functional rather than process lines. The operation of NDHQ is co-ordinated by the vice chief of the defence staff, on behalf of the deputy minister and the chief of the defence staff, through six major functional groups: operations, policy and communications, personnel, materiel, finance, and defence information services; and by two special groups, the Chief of Review Services, and the Judge Advocate General. The VCDS is the de facto chief of staff of NDHQ. The VCDS is also the senior resource manager for the department and the co-ordinating authority for inter-group activities. The VCDS acts for the CDS in the absence of the CDS.
Five assistant deputy ministers -- Policy and Communications, Personnel, Materiel, Finance, and Defence Information Services -- are accountable to the DM and the CDS for the effective and efficient execution of the responsibilities assigned to their respective groups.16 The deputy chief of the defence staff is accountable to the CDS for the efficient and effective performance of the operations of the CF.17 The Chief of Review Services reports to both the CDS and the DM and is responsible for providing independent and objective assessments of the effectiveness, efficiency and economy of the CF and DND, as these qualities relate to performance of operations, programs or activities. The Judge Advocate General superintends the CF military justice system and is the senior legal adviser in DND and the CF providing services and advice in all legal matters. The Director General Public Affairs, whose office came under scrutiny during our Inquiry, is responsible for both external and internal communications and public affairs and reports to the DM and the CDS through the assistant deputy minister (Policy and Communications).18
Image: NDHQ Organization Before and During the Somalia Deployment
The CF consists of three components: the Regular Force, the Reserve Force, and the Special Force. The Regular Force comprises officers and non-commissioned members who are enrolled for continuing full-time military service. The Reserve Force consists of officers and non-commissioned members who are enrolled for other than continuing full-time service when not on active service. The Special Force can be constituted by the Governor in Council in an emergency or if considered desirable in consequence of any action undertaken by Canada under the United Nations Charter, the North Atlantic Treaty or any similar instrument for collective defence.19 The Special Force does not exist at present.
All members of the CF are assigned, for purposes of administration and discipline, to serve in a unit or other element of the CF called a ship, squadron, battalion, regiment, station, or any other appropriate designation in accordance with the customs and traditions of the service.20 The minister is the only authority who can create "units or other elements" of the CF. When a unit or other element is established, the CF is notified by the CDS through the promulgation of a Canadian Forces Organization Order (CFOO). The CFOO details such things as role, command and control arrangements, and administrative and disciplinary arrangements.21
A formation is defined in the Queen's Regulations and Orders as an element consisting of two or more units grouped under a single commander that has been designated a formation by or on behalf of the minister.22 The role of a formation is assigned at the time of its creation. Units and other elements, such as formations, are usually assigned to 'commands' on the basis of a common grouping of like resources, e.g., army units and elements are assigned to Land Force Command.
The major commands of the CF are Maritime Command, Land Force Command (previously called Force Mobile Command), Air Command, and Communication Command. The commanders of these commands report to the CDS and are responsible for the day-to-day leadership and management of the forces assigned to them, their peacetime training requirements, and their operational readiness. The commands function as force-generators, meaning they must ensure their troops are assembled and properly equipped, trained and tested, so that they are operationally ready for the tasks that may be assigned to them by the CDS.23 Maritime, Land, Air, and Communications commands, having produced the forces, do not usually continue to command their troops once they have been deployed for an operational task -- instead, the troops are placed under the command of the CDS and controlled from NDHQ.
The main command, control and information centre for military operations is the National Defence Operations Centre (NDOC). It serves the CDS by tracking operations in progress, maintaining information received, compiling reports and returns from units, briefing senior officers and officials, and maintaining operational communications with units and formations in Canada and abroad. It is thus the information exchange facility between the CDS and staff at NDHQ and units and formations deployed in the field. The NDOC operates under the direction of the deputy chief of the defence staff, the principal staff officer for operations in NDHQ, on behalf of the CDS. The NDOC is made up of a joint staff, specially trained in operational planning and control of deployed forces.24 The Canadian Joint Task Force Headquarters in Somalia passed information to NDHQ through the NDOC.
Image: Major Commands in the CF
The role of Land Force Command (LFC) in 1992-93 was to provide general-purpose, combat-ready land forces to meet Canada's defence commitments. The Commander LFC, a lieutenant-general, was accountable to the CDS for the operational readiness of the command and for all aspects of training, discipline, and administration of units, formations, and other elements under command. Immediately subordinate to LFC were four geographic regions commanded by major-generals. Land Force Central Area was one of the regions and contained most of the land forces deployed to Somalia.25
Area commanders are major-generals and are responsible to the Commander LFC for the operational readiness of their troops and for all aspects of training, administration, and discipline of units and formations under their command. The role of Land Force Central Area (LFCA) in 1992-93 was to generate general-purpose, combat-ready land forces for LFC in accordance with assigned tasks,26 from assigned resources in Ontario.27 LFCA HQ in Toronto was the superior headquarters of the Special Service Force.
The role of the Special Service Force (SSF), a brigade-sized formation with its headquarters at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in 1992-93, was to provide general-purpose, combat-ready land forces in accordance with assigned tasks.28 The Commander SSF, a brigadier-general, was responsible to the Commander LFCA for the operational readiness of the SSF and for all aspects of training, administration, and discipline for units under command. The SSF HQ was the superior headquarters to the Canadian Airborne Regiment before its departure for Somalia.
The senior Canadian military formation created and deployed for Operation Deliverance was Canadian Joint Force Somalia (CJFS), commanded by a colonel. The role of CJFS headquarters was to assist the commander of the CJFS in his duties.29 The headquarters as of December 15, 1992 was onboard the ship HMCS Preserver, which was situated near Mogadishu. On January 8, 1993, the headquarters moved to the United States embassy compound in Mogadishu.30
When given its assignment for Operation Deliverance, the CAR was strengthened by the addition of other units and combat capabilities,31 making it a battle group (CARBG). Upon deployment to Somalia, the superior headquarters of the CAR became the Canadian Joint Force Somalia Headquarters (CJFS HQ). The mission of the CARBG was not yet established when it arrived in Somalia.
Image: Land Force Command Organization
The basic fighting component in the army is the unit. A unit is a self-contained organization led by a commanding officer. Army units have a command and control element, a combat service support element, and several operational elements. Units are characterized by type as combat arms (armour, artillery, and infantry), combat support arms (field engineers, signals, intelligence, and tactical aviation), or combat service support (transport, maintenance, supply, medical, dental, and military police). Combat arms units fight in contact with the enemy; combat support arms units provide direct and indirect support to combat arms units; combat service support units serve a useful and necessary purpose, but their fighting capability is limited to self-defence.
In the Canadian army order of battle, the major infantry unit is called a battalion. It is led by a commanding officer, normally a lieutenant-colonel, and consists of a number of sub-units called companies. By the fall of 1992, the Canadian Airborne Regiment was a battalion-sized infantry unit. Its companies were called commandos and were led by officers with the rank of major. Companies or commandos usually consist of three platoons, each led by a lieutenant. A platoon usually consists of three sections, each led by a sergeant.
In armour (tank), engineer and signal units, battalion-sized units are called regiments, companies are called squadrons, and platoons are called troops. In artillery units, battalion-sized units are referred to by number (for example, Second Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery), companies are called batteries, and platoons are called troops.
In operations for a particular mission and in training, units of one type and sub-units of other types are often brought together; for example an infantry battalion might be grouped with an armour squadron. This temporary organization, larger than a battalion, is called a battle group. In preparation for the deployment to Somalia, the CAR was augmented with additional troops and became the Canadian Airborne Regiment Battle Group. It included, in addition to the three airborne commandos, the service commando and the headquarters commando integral to the CAR, an armour squadron and a field engineer squadron.
When orders are issued, the appropriate legal authority is vested in the recipient to carry out those orders. Responsibility is not delegated. Each commander in the chain of command is responsible for ensuring that orders are carried out satisfactorily. The chain of command is hierarchical. Commanders at each level respond to orders and direction received from their immediate superior commander and, in turn, issue orders and direction to their immediate subordinates.
The chain of command in place before deployment of the CARBG to Somalia began with the Chief of the Defence Staff and ran to the Commander Land Force Command, to the Commander Land Force Central Area, to the Commander Special Service Force, to the Commanding Officer of the Canadian Airborne Regiment Battle Group. The chain of command in place during the deployment to Somalia was different from the previous chain of command. It began with the Chief of the Defence Staff and ran to the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff, to the Commander Canadian Joint Task Force Somalia, to the Commanding Officer of the CARBG.
Image: Land Force Central Area Organization 1992-1993
Image: Special Service Force Organization 1992-1993
Image: Canadian Joint Force Somalia Organization 1
Image: Canadian Joint Force Somalia Organization 2
The terms command and control, although closely related and often used together, are not synonymous. These terms are important because they clearly identify the limits of authority when command or control is delegated. Command is the authority vested in an individual member of the armed forces to direct, co-ordinate, and control military forces. The CDS exercises command over the CF Subordinate commanders exercise command, under the authority of the CDS, over their units or elements. Command is further defined in the CF Joint Doctrine Manual in three levels: full, operational, and tactical command.32
Control is the authority exercised by a commander over part of the activities of subordinate organizations or other organizations not normally under command. Control is defined more specifically as operational, tactical, administrative, or technical.33
It is interesting to note, for example, that in Somalia the U.S. Commander of UNITAF had operational control over the Canadian troops, but the Canadian commander of the CJFS retained full and operational command of those troops.
Commanders have authority to issue legal orders to subordinates. They have two principal responsibilities. Their primary responsibility is to achieve the assigned mission. Commanders have the authority to direct the operations of a formation, and they alone are accountable for the outcome. Second, commanders must ensure the adequate welfare of the troops and that their troops do not face needless hardship and sacrifice.35 Although commanders are always responsible and accountable for every aspect of the units and elements under their command, they usually restrict their involvement to important issues affecting their troops and leave routine issues to be resolved by subordinate commanders or staff.
A commander is responsible and accountable for knowing and understanding the situation being faced, identifying and considering the options available, developing a plan, informing subordinates, assigning missions, tasks and resources to subordinates, and motivating, directing, and leading troops.36 Commanders exist at all levels and are joined by degrees of authority; hence the term chain of command. In the Canadian Airborne Regiment, the commanding officer, the officers commanding the commandos (and equivalents), the platoon commanders, and the section commanders were all commanders in their own right and empowered to receive and to issue orders.
The foremost principle of command is the concept of unity of command; a single commander is vested with the authority to plan and direct operations.37 The term 'commander' is applied to an individual placed in charge of a battle group or formation. The term 'commanding officer' is used to identify a person placed in command of a unit or other element whose organization expressly calls for a commanding officer. The term 'officer commanding' is used to identify a person placed in command of a sub-unit. To avoid ambiguity, the term 'commander', when used in any other sense, is combined with the level of command, for example, 'platoon commander'.
| Rank | Appointment |
| Lieutenant-General | Commander Land Force Command |
| Major-General | Area Commander |
| Brigadier-General | Brigade Commander |
| Colonel | Area Chief of Staff |
| Lieutenant-Colonel | Battalion Commander |
| Major | Company Commander |
| Captain | Platoon Commander |
| Lieutenant | Platoon Commander |
| Chief Warrant Officer | Regimental Sergeant-Major |
| Master Warrant Officer | Company Sergeant-Major |
| Warrant Officer | Platoon Second-in-command |
| Sergeant | Section Commander |
| Corporal38 | Fully trained soldier |
| Private | Trained soldier |
Members of the CF submit to the Code of Service Discipline as set out in the National Defence Act. That code allows formal trials, by military tribunals, of members of the CF and certain civilians and punishment of those convicted of service or criminal offences. We discuss our findings on the subject of discipline in Chapter 18 (Volume 2).
Order and obedience among members of the CF are accomplished through training and discipline, especially self-discipline. Violations of routines, procedures or orders, if infrequent and considered to be minor in nature, rarely merit use of the powers of punishment under the QR&O and are handled by the appropriate non-commissioned officer or warrant officer. In such cases, corrective action normally takes the form of additional supervised training for the violator. Serious breaches of good order and discipline, on the other hand, can lead to charges and punishments under the Code of Service Discipline.
Each unit consists of a combination of officers, warrant officers and other noncommissioned members, grouped in accordance with a prescribed organizational structure. They work together to carry out their mission in accordance with the orders and directions of their commanding officer.
The chain of command converts orders into work as orders and instructions flow downward. The normal medium for the transfer of orders from one level to another in a unit is the orders group. This is the formal relationship for transferring orders and information and usually takes the form of a meeting of the commanding officer with direct subordinates and liaison personnel from organizations affected by the CO's orders. Orders are usually issued in a prescribed pattern, beginning with the situation, followed by a statement of the mission, the method of execution, and the necessary administrative and logistics support; orders conclude with directions for command and control of the operation. At battalion level, commanding officers normally issue their orders orally and may distribute written notes for confirmation and verification. At company level, officers commanding normally issue their orders orally. At platoon and section level, orders are almost always oral.
A unit of the CF, by its very structure, also possesses less formal mechanisms for passing information; for example, there is a customary pairing structure in units whereby at each level of command, commissioned officers are advised by non-commissioned members. A commanding officer with the rank of lieutenant-colonel would normally have a chief warrant officer (CWO) as the regimental sergeant-major. Sub-unit company officers commanding (majors), would have master warrant officers as company sergeants-major, and platoon commanders (captains or lieutenants) would have warrant officers as platoon seconds-in-command. This pairing provides a balance of experience and mutual respect at each level that allows for frank and confidential discussion of the full range of issues affecting a unit or sub-unit.
The personnel in each unit are also segregated socially into three groups: officers, warrant officers and sergeants, and corporals and privates. This gives each group an opportunity to share ideas and experiences with peers, while respecting the inherent differences of authority between ranks. It also gives individuals an opportunity to relax away from the observation of their superiors. While a unit is living in a non-operational setting on a CF base, this segregation is formalized into the officers' mess, the warrant officers' and sergeants' mess, and the junior ranks' club. During long periods of field training or, in operations, if the unit remains in one location, similar institutions can be created in temporary facilities, if circumstances and resources permit.
Authority in any unit or other element of the CF centres unequivocally on the commanding officer. COs have the legal power to place subordinates in harm's way and to punish those who fail to carry out assigned tasks. The CO's experience, uniqueness, demeanour, conduct, and confidence all contribute to leadership style. The CO's authority to issue legal orders is unquestioned. These conditions may contribute to what is called the loneliness of command.
On the other hand, the RSM, combining broad experience and easy access to the CO, has relatively little authority but considerable power. In keeping with the function of ensuring that the soldiers are well looked after and that the unit is well disciplined and in good order, the RSM is free to visit all parts of the unit lines. The RSM can resolve minor issues as they are found or refer more serious concerns to an officer commanding or to the CO, if the RSM believes it might affect the unit as a whole. The RSM is held in high regard by all officers in the unit and is a role model for non-commissioned members.
Chief warrant officer is the highest rank that can be achieved by a noncommissioned member. Appointment of a CWO to be the regimental sergeant major is considered the most prestigious appointment attainable by a non-commissioned member within the regimental family. Since relatively few RSMs are appointed (only one in a unit at any time), those who reach this position are treated with the highest respect. In a unit, the CO and the RSM together form an imposing team, possessing both authority and power. They are usually treated with a certain degree of circumspection by all, both inside and outside the regiment. Their attitudes, priorities, likes, and dislikes are often emulated by other members of the regiment, and in this sense they set the tone for how the unit operates.
The term 'command' in the context of 'command and staff' is the authority vested in a member of the CF to direct, co-ordinate, and control military forces.39 Orders and the appropriate delegated authority to act on those orders flow down through officers and non-commissioned officers in the chain of command. Command represents the executive authority to give direction.
Staff activities are the management activities associated with the executive authority of the commander.
The term 'staff' applies both to personnel who assist in planning and preparing the orders that commanders wish to issue, and to those who assist commanders in monitoring and controlling the actions taken by subordinate units in executing those orders. Staff officers have no authority independent of the commander and must not interfere in the relationship between a commander and a subordinate commander. Staff must not reject requests or proposals from a subordinate commander without the commander's direction. Nevertheless, staff serve two masters. Although their final loyalty is unreservedly to the commander, staff must work tirelessly to support subordinate commanders and troops in the field.
Staff officers at all levels work (directly or indirectly) for line officers. As a rule, staff size increases as the complexity of operations and the level of organization increases. For example, a battalion may have only a few staff officers, while a brigade may have many.
There are three types of staff: general staff, special staff, and personal staff. General staff assist the commander in meeting the operational responsibilities of command. They assist by preparing and issuing the commander's orders, arranging the support necessary to achieve the mission successfully, and monitoring and co-ordinating current and subsequent activity. General staff responsibilities are divided into six broad categories: personnel (G1), intelligence (G2), operations (G3), logistics (G4), civil/military relations (G5), and communications (G6). The prefix G is used when referring to a single environmental force (land or air), N refers to maritime staff, and J designates joint staff- staffs supporting more than one environment. Thus staff of Canadian Joint Force Somalia were designated with the prefix J to denote the joint nature of the force, which included HMCS Preserver, the Canadian Airborne Regiment Battle Group, and air force resources. No matter what the designation, however, staff in each of the six groups perform the same functions.
G 1 (or N1 or J1) staff assist the commander in personnel administration. This includes planning for personnel replacements, manpower allocations, promotions, course selection for individuals, and record keeping. They also co-ordinate all areas related to the discipline and well-being of soldiers, such as notifying next-of-kin; administering honours and awards; the provision of pay, postal, medical, dental, chaplain, and legal services; public affairs; and handling and administering prisoners of war.
G2 staff provide the commander with the intelligence needed to plan and conduct operations. This includes, among many tasks, preparing intelligence reports and summaries; co-ordinating the analysis of incoming information; directing the interrogation of prisoners of war; and assisting in the planning of deception, surveillance, and patrol operations.
G3 staff assist the commander in planning, directing, supervising, and co-ordinating operations. The G3 branch is the pre-eminent staff branch, and all other staff effort must support its activities. Its activities include preparing staff estimates; preparing and distributing operations orders and instructions; co-ordinating (in consultation with other members of the staff) movement, surveillance, deception and concealment, and nuclear; biological, and chemical defence; liaison; electronic warfare; communications; engineer support; fire support; and tactical aviation support.
G4 staff assists the commander in planning all the logistics aspects of a proposed operation. This includes planning for the provision of supplies (ammunition, fuel, rations, clothing, and other supplies); maintenance and repair of all classes of vehicles and equipment; disposal policies; and the use of transportation resources, including airlift, movement control services, and administrative movement. The G4 staff has a large responsibility to ensure that the commander's mission is supportable and that logistics support is co-ordinated to ensure that the logistics plan supports the development and execution of the operational plan.
The G5 staff assists the commander by developing and executing plans and policies related to local national authorities and the civilian population. This includes gathering information on civilian/military matters and determining the state of political, psychological, and economic factors and their potential impact on planned operations. G5 also deals with liability claims from civilians and provides advice to other staff branches on local national issues.
The G6 staff assists the commander by developing and executing plans and policies related to communication and information systems. This includes developing procedures to identify, collect, process, present, and distribute information needed to implement the commander's plan.40
Special staffs provide a narrow or specialized type of advice, including legal, medical, dental, religious, and public information. These staff often hold designated appointments within a unit, formation, or other element and have direct access to the commander on matters within their specialty, for example, the regimental medical officer.
Personal staffs provide direct assistance to the commander in meeting personal needs and arranging work and visit programs; a personal staff may include aides-de-camp, secretaries, drivers, and executive assistants.
Image: Organization of Staff
Although the CF appears to be a large and ponderous organization with an endless set of rules, regulations and traditions, these elements are considered necessary and have evolved over time, largely through trial and error, and primarily during times of war. They are intended to provide a clear and easily recognizable line for the exercise of authority and the chain of command.
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