Canadian Military News

[undercoverbrother]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...ning-1.4994767

About 20 Canadian Armed Forces members suffered frostbite, and some required hospitalization, following a military training session near Petawawa, Ont., held earlier this month in extremely cold weather.

On Jan. 17-18, nearly 120 soldiers with the Royal Canadian Dragoons participated in basic winter survival training while the temperature dropped to –31 C.

......

The soldiers, part of the immediate response unit (IRU) vanguard, left in the morning on a 12-kilometre march and returned the next day after spending the night outside.

This screams of "Travel Light Freeze at Night"........Kit list is a good place to start when heading out. That being said I can't understand how you can get frostbite unless you get buddy ####ed.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Buying used Aussie jets is a bad idea


https://nationalinterest.org/blog/bu...bad-idea-42517


Canada to keep paying for F-35 development


https://www.theglobeandmail.com/poli...t-competition/


Canada will probably screw up the Submarine replacement


https://globalnews.ca/news/4879063/c...e-replacement/


So lets list the issues


Fighter Jet Replacement - Complete gong show mess
Frigate replacement - Complete gong show mess
Supply ship file - Complete corruption
Pistol replacement - joke
Upcoming submarine replacement - Extend subs past end of life and then procure new ones, what can go wrong.


By successive governments kicking the can down the road, we've hit rust out on a lot of major systems.



Basically


Land Services, probably in better shape them most. But the equipment is aging rapidly. They have no anti air aspect. Recruiting is way down.
Navy - Frigates reaching the end of their life, they're being extended past best before date. The new Frigate program is mired in controversy as the ship selected won't meet the requirements laid out, especially in terms of speed, and there's a whiff that the ships were selected because of the Liberal's connection with the ship builder linked to the selected ship.
Airforce - F/18's are already ancient. New selection is about politics, and mired in incompetency. One vendor has already dropped out.
Supply ship - See Mark Norman trial

And the #### they do buy ain't that good



https://edmontonjournal.com/news/can...d-a96876cc33eb

The Canadian Army’s new armoured vehicles have been plagued by rollovers and fires, the latest in a series of problems to affect the $600-million fleet.

Since April 2014, there have been 10 incidents when Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles have tipped on to their sides, six where they have rolled over completely, and four where they have caught fire.

[CaptainCrunch]

I still remember when Canada was looking at the MGS Or Styker as a cheap replacement for our tank fleet.

[CaptainCrunch]

Mark Norman trial is going to be a massive embarrassment for the government and for DND


https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/van...case-1.4996881

Vice-Admiral Mark Norman's lawyers are accusing defence officials of using elaborate codenames to bury documents sought by the defence in relation to his breach-of-trust case.


Lawyers for the military's former second-in-command claim that, in order to thwart document searches related to his case, defence officials have taken to using a variety of aliases in their communications. One of those codenames — 'Kracken' — could be a (misspelled) reference to the giant monstrous squid of legend best known to modern audiences for appearances in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.


Norman's lawyers entered into the court record at today's pretrial hearing in Ottawa a full list of aliases they say were used by defence officials for their client — including the substantive VCDS [Vice Chief of the Defence Staff], MN3, C34 and 'The Boss.' Norman's defence team is battling with the federal government for the release of documents they claim are relevant to his defence.

Last month, the court heard that senior staff at National Defence avoid using Vice-Admiral Norman's name in internal correspondence as a way to keep his records out of the public domain. The allegations were made at a pretrial hearing last month by a member of the military who handles access to information requests.


The military member (whose name is protected by a publication ban) told the court he approached his commander in July 2017 asking for help with an access-to-information request for internal documents about Norman. His commander, he said, smiled and said there were no records because officials were being careful to avoid using the vice-admiral's name in memos, email and briefings. That would mean any search for records about Norman would come up empty.

In a year-end interview with CBC News, the country's top military commander, Gen. Jonathan Vance, flatly denied the Department of National Defence uses aliases to hide documents.


"We don't hide names. We don't use codenames," he said. "If it was done, if it has been done, it's wrong, dead wrong and we'll stop it."

This is shaping into a major scandal. There are now questions if Norman was the leak or if it was a Liberal Staffer.


If the code names is confirmed this becomes a major scandal because you have the CDS lying on the record and obstructing an investigation.


Brison, Vance and Saijan should be investigated but it won't happen.


Brison will be encouraged by his lawyers not to take a job related to Irving. Vance will be allowed to quietly retire and nothing will happen to our Defense Minister.


Oh and why the double F is he receiving emails from Irving on his personal email account.

His lawyers appeared in court Tuesday to deliver emails from his personal account covered by a defence subpoena, which asked for, among other things, correspondence between him and representatives of Halifax-based Irving Shipbuilding.

[CaptainCrunch]

So Vance is a big liar


https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/van...rust-1.4998411

Responding to earlier testimony that suggested the military deliberately uses codenames to thwart the release of documents, Vance drew a sharp distinction between the widespread use of military parlance and the deliberate use of words in an "underhanded" way to avoid key word searches.


"If there's a sinister effort by some to use something completely unassociated with the normal vernacular to try and bury communications, that would be very serious and would be a problem in terms of access," he said.


On Tuesday, the defence team produced a list of words used in documentation to refer to Norman that it had obtained through Access to Information. They include Kracken, MN3, C34 and The Boss. Vance said he didn't see anything on the list that would qualify as a codeword.

Vance denied the use of codewords in an interview with CBC News in December 2018, when he said he was shocked by the suggestion the military was using them to deliberately withhold documents, and said he would be "disgusted" if it were true. That Dec. 21, 2018 article was entered as an exhibit in court.

[Cliche]

Hey apparently those planes we aren't going to buy but are paying for because of development costs, and the fact that it was a multi-country effort to develop, those costs are going up.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/can...gram-1.4999240

[CaptainCrunch]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1090804437646536705

[CaptainCrunch]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1090645585072349184

[CaptainCrunch]

Canada looking at buying armed drones. From research to purchase its only going to take 26 years.


https://globalnews.ca/news/4929686/c...-armed-drones/

[CaptainCrunch]

Government to announce the winning ship in Canada's Frigate Replacement program on Friday


https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/20.../#.XFz-Nbh7mUm

The deal means that the Royal Canadian Navy's 15 new warships, which will be built by Irving and replace Canada's existing frigates and destroyers, will be based on the British-designed Type 26 frigate.


The announcement has been expected since Lockheed's design was selected as the best last October, over submissions from Alion Science and Technology of Virginia and Spanish firm Navantia.


Alion subsequently asked the Canadian International Trade Tribunal to quash the decision, saying Lockheed's design did not meet the navy's requirements and should have been disqualified.


The trade tribunal initially ordered the government not to award a contract to Lockheed until it could investigate Alion's complaint, but it later rescinded that decision and then tossed the case entirely last week.

You'd think with the Mark Norman Trial, the involvement of Irving Ship Yards and the government as well as the Type 26 Frigate not meeting the original requirements of the bid that they'd want to hold this announcement off.

[CaptainCrunch]

More on the crumbling airforc


https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/20.../#.XGA-H7h7mUl

[CaptainCrunch]

Russia in the midst of a massive buildup of their military in the Arctic


https://globalnews.ca/news/4945298/r...medium=Twitter

The newspaper Izvestia reported late last month that Russia’s military will resume fighter patrols to the North Pole for the first time in 30 years.


The patrols will be in addition to regular bomber flights up to the edge of U.S. and Canadian airspace.

Old Cold-War-era air bases have been rejuvenated. Foreign policy observers have counted four new Arctic brigade combat teams, 14 new operational airfields, 16 deepwater ports and 40 icebreakers with an additional 11 in development.


Bomber patrols have been steady. NORAD has reported up to 20 sightings and 19 intercepts a year.

Nearing the end of its term, the Liberal government has yet to table an official Arctic policy.


Canada needs to keep pace if only because it can’t count on the current international order to hold, said John Higginbotham of the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo.


“If the globalized system fragments, we’re going to get a world of blocs. The blocs will have power to close international shipping channels.

[CaptainCrunch]

More on the selection of the Type 26 Frigate


https://nationalpost.com/news/warshi...box=1549808828

The warship that will form the backbone of the country’s future maritime force was originally rejected by Canada’s defence department years ago as not capable of meeting the needs of the navy, according to documents obtained by Postmedia.

The embrace of the Type 26 is a change from the Department of National Defence’s earlier examination of the vessels as it was being developed by the United Kingdom’s defence ministry. The DND had its eye on the Type 26 as far back as 2011 but rejected taking part in the program as well as any interest in the design as it did not meet Canadian needs, according to briefings obtained by Postmedia through the Access to Information law.

An examination into the Type 26 by the DND noted that the design could be modified for Canadian needs but concluded the “technical and programme risk would be high.”

[CaptainCrunch]

HA HA HA HA HA


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-...seas-1.5009312

Canada's $227-million fleet of mid-shore coast guard vessels are rolling "like crazy" at sea, making crews seasick and keeping some ships in port during weather conditions where they should be able to operate, CBC News has learned.

Another concern is the time the vessels spend holding up the wharf because of weather.
In the 2016-17 season, the Nova Scotia-based CCGS Corporal McLaren lost 44 per cent of ship time allotted to fisheries patrols — 112 of 252 days — because the vessel could not sail due to weather, according to its commanding officer.

[Zulu29]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

HA HA HA HA HA


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-...seas-1.5009312

A buddy of mine served on those boats. He told me they’re absolutely horrid to work on in any type of seas. Apparently they’re a Danish designed boat and need the stabilizing fins to operate effectively. Apparently some of the Danes were over to help them with familiarization of the boats and were blown away that the fins weren’t installed.

[undercoverbrother]

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/poli...otten-mission/

Of the 600 Canadian troops who served in Rwanda, half of them – more than double the rate of other recent deployments including Afghanistan, Bosnia, Somalia and Iran – are receiving disability benefits from Veterans Affairs related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

#### stays with you, even if you don't think it does.

[CaptainCrunch]

The shortage of pilots isn't the only problem in the military, there is a shortage of sailors as well


https://globalnews.ca/news/4960812/s...0globalhalifax

A shortage of sailors is making it hard for the Royal Canadian Navy to operate its ships and work on replacing them at the same time, according to a senior naval officer.


The revelation by Commodore Steve Waddell, head of naval strategic readiness, follow similar concerns from the Royal Canadian Air Force about the difficult choices it is facing thanks to a shortage of experienced pilots.

n fact, Waddell indicated during a presentation to a defence conference this week that the navy’s personnel shortages could threaten the Trudeau government’s “ambitious” defence policy.


hat policy – entitled Strong, Secure, Engaged – says the military must be able to conduct several missions at the same time. It also sets aside billions of dollars for upgrades to the navy, including new warships and modernized submarines.


Some of those projects have already been delayed, such as the construction of new support ships, though the blame for many of those delays rests outside of the navy and with private shipyards or other federal departments.

[undercoverbrother]

there is nothing, nothing that surprises me anymore.


What is the point of a military if you can't abuse the soldiers, sailors and airmen.

[CaptainCrunch]

I would be interested in recruiting numbers for Land Forces.


At this point, we have serious rust out happening across the Forces.



We're losing people like crazy, and the people going into the Civilian Job Market are probably the longer terms members, so we're probably ripping the experience heart out of the NCO and Officers rosters which means we're losing a ton of experience.

[Lubicon]

It's truly sad, embarrassing, and disappointing that we have allowed our government to ignore the forces to this degree.