Canadian Military News

[speede5]

While the gap between forces and civilian fluctuates I've always felt the forces are paid pretty darn good. The writer is padding the numbers a bit but he's not completely wrong.

[CaptainCrunch]

Going back to the Norad shootdowns of balloons, Andrew Coyne Twitter string

https://twitter.com/user/status/1648782405489115136

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has told NATO officials privately that Canada will never meet the military alliance’s defense spending target, according to a leaked secret Pentagon assessment…”.

“The document’s anonymous authors say Canada’s “widespread” military deficiencies are harming ties with security partners and allies…”


"Germany is concerned about whether the Canadian Armed Forces can continue to aid Ukraine while meeting its NATO pledges. Turkey is “disappointed” by the Canadian military’s “refusal” to support the transport of humanitarian aid after February’s deadly earthquake...


".... and Haiti is “frustrated” by Ottawa’s reluctance to lead a multinational security mission to that crisis-racked nation."


The document lists problems with what it categorizes as readiness, personnel, “political apathy” and procurement. It says that nearly all of Canada’s 78 Leopard II tanks “require extensive maintenance and lack spare parts.”


In one unit, only nine of 40 are fully or partially operational. The assessment says the military lacks half the pilots it requires and calls procurement decisions “politically motivated, constrained by limited staffing and not properly codified in budget items.”


Canadian military leaders, it says, “perceive that politicians do not care about supporting them and that senior politicians publicly misrepresent defense spending for political gain.”


"The assessment notes Canada’s response to an unidentified aerial object that violated Canadian airspace in February. Canadian and American fighter jets were scrambled, and an American F-22 fighter jet shot the object down in Canada’s Yukon territory on Feb. 11."


"At the time, Anand said that the process was “sound” and that the shoot-down was “NORAD doing what it supposed to do.” But the document says the response of the Canadian CF-18 fighter jets “was delayed by 1 hour, necessitating U.S. assistance” — an example of a readiness issue."

The general rust out has been happening for years, but now we're seeing allies looking at the Canadians Forces and realizing that we're not a capable and reliable partner.

[peter12]

It is so embarrassing to see our defense capacity slide to a level where we basically have to cede sovereignty of our own airspace to the Americans in order to maintain a semblance of NORAD commitments.

This is just too awful.

[CaptainCrunch]

The actual article.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...ked-documents/

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by peter12

It is so embarrassing to see our defense capacity slide to a level where we basically have to cede sovereignty of our own airspace to the Americans in order to maintain a semblance of NORAD commitments.

This is just too awful.

I've talked about rust out for years. Its a serious problem and we're well into it. We have a recruiting problem, we have a brain drain problems of NCO's who are leaving their careers.

We're rightly spending billions on new jets to replace the F-18's but I doubt with our budget that we'll do a better job of maintaining them then the tanks. Our coast defense vessels can't generate clean water. Our procurement is a joke.

As much as we joke about it, we're got a not only massive capability gap, but a massive leadership gap as well.

I expect a complete collapse of the armed forces within a decade.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by peter12

It is so embarrassing to see our defense capacity slide to a level where we basically have to cede sovereignty of our own airspace to the Americans in order to maintain a semblance of NORAD commitments.

This is just too awful.

I'd like to know more, they talk about weather being a factor. but a well maintained F-18 is one of the best all weather fighter bombers out there. It was one of the reasons that we picked it.

If our readiness is that low that we can't scramble, its either a problem with the aircraft themselves and they had to find one that they were comfortable that it would fly safety. Or the ground crew doing prep for scramble did not do its job.

There are certain things that are important, especially with airspace defense. An hour is a lifetime.

I would hope that the base commander and squadron commander were seriously questioned on their readiness reporting.

[Madman]

Canada looking at Korean made subs as an option for their sub replacement program.

https://m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/art...newsIdx=351075

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Madman

Canada looking at Korean made subs as an option for their sub replacement program.

https://m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/art...newsIdx=351075

I would expect that any bid list would include the German 212A which is a very good boat.

I think an Air Independant system is the ultimate goal. the 212A can go three weeks without snorkling or recharging. I'm not sure about the Korean Boat.

We need to look at the ability of the boat to operate under ice.

I expect procurement would screw up any deal, and the required "Canadianization" probably done by Irving would be an adventure in incompetence and over billing.

[Lubicon]

Bombardier with an alternative to Boeing for the Aurora surveillance aircraft replacement? Normally I would have scoffed at this but there might actually be some merit to this. The jet exists, is probably a sufficient size, and maybe we could purchase more of them for the same cost and increase our capabilities.

https://financialpost.com/pmn/busine...y-jet-contract

[Bigtime]

I didn't realize this was already that far along.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1664033825742094337

[Madman]

Not sure why its not the standard grey.

[accord1999]

It might have those colors if its replacing the old VIP aircraft.

[CaptainCrunch]

Buy your own lunch, buy your own helmet. You don't need this housing benefit.



https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/can...ium%3Dsharebar

There's a phrase soldiers use to describe equipment they've bought themselves to augment what the army gives them.
They call it Gucci gear, after the luxury fashion designer.
For Canadian troops deployed in Latvia, those private purchases have been decidedly more practical than luxurious — given the fact that they're taking part in more live fire training exercises meant to deter Russia from setting foot in the Baltic country.
They've been buying their own modern ballistic helmets equipped with built-in hearing protection that doubles as a headset. They've also personally purchased rain gear and vests and belts to carry water and ammunition. And the number of complaints about the ill-fitting body armour issued to female soldiers has been growing.
These purchases — usually made through online retailers — involve brand-name tactical gear or weapon accessories that make soldiers' existing gear more personal or more comfortable to wear.

Canadian troops in Latvia are grappling with more urgent equipment shortages as well. The battlegroup of roughly 1,500 soldiers, including more than 700 Canadians, lacks modern anti-tank weapons, systems to counter drones and a dedicated short-range air defence system to guard against helicopters and attack jets.
Those frustrations have only been compounded by the arrival of more allied troops — among them Danish soldiers who are in some cases arriving with Canadian-purchased gear that makes them better equipped than Canadian soldiers.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Buy your own lunch, buy your own helmet. You don't need this housing benefit.



https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/can...ium%3Dsharebar

a list of kit I bought during my time in:

-boots
-sleeping pad
-rain gear
-ruck liner
-bivy bag
-long underwear
-cold weather clothes
-woobie

-plus other items like socks/underwear/undershirts

none of this is new

[undercoverbrother]

On a positive

I opened a Veteran's Affairs Account today.

I'm still skeptical of what I will get but time will tell.

[Baron von Kriterium]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Buy your own lunch, buy your own helmet. You don't need this housing benefit.



https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/can...ium%3Dsharebar

Murray Brewster wrote: "They've been buying their own modern ballistic helmets equipped with built-in hearing protection that doubles as a headset."

There is no shortage of helmets in the system which would prompt soldiers to purchase their own. Yes, the current helmet has its drawbacks, namely an inadequate suspension system, a poor NVG mount and a design that limits the use of over-the-ear hearing protection. So, perhaps some troops are buying more modern helmets for those reasons but with the comms/ear-pro, you're looking at over $1000.00

But the photo the CBC uses in its story is as misleading as the story's title. Here is the photo:



The caption states the location as Latvia, but it's England. The soldier is wearing an issued helmet that was under trial with the Army. The Army eventually selected the Galvion Caiman and will issue 2100 to the light infantry battalions with an option to purchase another 8400.

[Ugly Kid Joe]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

a list of kit I bought during my time in:

-boots
-sleeping pad
-rain gear
-ruck liner
-bivy bag
-long underwear
-cold weather clothes
-woobie

-plus other items like socks/underwear/undershirts

none of this is new

I bought the same kit. Also bought a couple of norwegian army shirts. And a portable peak stove. And a British Army 30 litre patrol pack.

I still have my woobie! My kids like it so much, I bought each of them one so that they would stop scrapping over mine.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Could the CAF follow a similar approach to fill its recruiting shortfall?

Bidari, who heads to basic training in August, is just the latest in a growing number of legal migrants enlisting in the U.S. military as it more aggressively seeks out immigrants, offering a fast track to citizenship to those who sign up.

Struggling to overcome recruiting shortfalls, the Army and the Air Force have bolstered their marketing to entice legal residents to enlist, putting out pamphlets, working social media and broadening their outreach, particularly in inner cities. One key element is the use of recruiters with similar backgrounds to these potential recruits.

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/un...141058287.html

I think it's a great idea. Never underestimate the desire for certain motivated individuals within these groups to prove their love for their new country.

The only thing is that I think it's an easier path in Canada for a new immigrant to get PR status, than to get a green card in the US. That might change the appeal of these types of programs.

[CaptainCrunch]

Interview with Mike Vernon (nope) on the state of affairs that is our Military


https://nationalpost.com/news/canada...n-soldier-says

Fighting fires, shovelling heavy snowfall, delivering vaccines; it’s all become part of the mandate of the Canadian Armed Forces. But when does the combination of dwindling resources (both equipment and people), and a growing call on soldiers “as a force of last resort” to deal with extreme weather events, compromise the military’s preparedness as a combat-ready force?

To find out, I reach out to Mike Vernon. Not the hockey player, the “other” Mike Vernon — recently retired commander of the 41 Canadian Brigade Group, a 1,600-member army reserve formation with units in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Unlike regulars in the CAF, reservists have civilian jobs and volunteer for deployments at home and abroad.

Mike’s volunteered as a reservist to assist civilian authorities respond to emergencies, including joining 900 other reservists from across western Canada to fight wildfires in B.C. for six weeks in 2003. What does he think of the recent calls on the CAF to show up to fight fires across Canada?

“We shouldn’t be the first organization that gets called to help, domestically,” Mike replies. Then he explains: “The provinces are responsible and should get help from the feds, then reach out to the military. That’s the way it should roll out. But increasingly … the military is getting called earlier and earlier. The senior leaders in the military, I know from the discussions, they find that a bit frustrating. Because the provinces have the equipment and the infrastructure and the experience and the budgets.”

Last June, this question of military preparedness was put squarely on the table by Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre, in a sweeping directive to “reconstitute” Canada’s military. Eyre calls for a serious rethink of how the military does its work including the possibility of transferring tasks and capabilities from CAF to Department of National Defence employees or contractors.

What does Mike make of Eyre’s stern warning that the military we have today is not the one we need for the future? Mike agrees but questions the political resolve to change.

‘When I first started my career,” Mike shares, “we had armoured vehicles in the reserves here in Calgary. Right now, when the Calgary Highlanders go on a training exercise to Wainwright or Suffield, it’s a mixture of civilian vehicles, military vehicles, pickup trucks, nothing lethal in that mix of vehicles. We just look like some kind of gypsy caravan going to the field.

“We could be projecting more power, more influence — or good — around the world and yet there doesn’t seem to be a coherent vision for that,” Mike suggests. Instead, we have two conflicting tracks of messaging out there; a strong sense of patriotic duty competing with the need to be seen as a woke nation. Having the prime minister privately say we have no intention of actually trying to hit our promised spending targets in NATO, is also demoralizing.“And it’s not just the military. I think about CBC and Radio Canada International in the old days; why isn’t the CBC like the BBC in terms of what it could be putting out to the world?”

Meantime, the CAF is short 10,000 people in the regular force. Calls to defund the police make recruiting more difficult for the RCMP, the police and the military, Mike observes. “All these paramilitary organizations seem to be struggling to connect with young Canadians and … with diverse communities.”

And ponderous medical and security screening procedures make the CAF recruiting process exasperating for those who want to join. Mike’s son, Liam, recently graduated from the University of Alberta. Following in the steps of his grandfather and father, he applied to join the infantry but after six months of no contact from the recruiters, he pulled his application. Instead, Liam chose a corporate finance position with a Calgary-based energy company. Mike doesn’t hide his frustration: “He would have gone straight in, he wasn’t looking for a free education at RMC.”

[undercoverbrother]

https://globalnews.ca/news/9773472/c...-tanks-troops/

The Canadian Armed Forces will deploy 15 Leopard 2 battle tanks and about 131 personnel to a NATO force in Latvia by next spring, Defence Minister Anita Anand said Friday.

“There will be 15 Leopard 2 A4M tanks, two armoured recovery vehicles and then a variety of maintenance and fuel and supply and transport vehicles,” Anand said, adding the deployment will consist of a total of 50 vehicles, including the tanks.

The cupboard is getting awful ####ing bare