MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – May 23, 2013
- “Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Wednesday) announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Peru, which will create new opportunities for Canadian businesses in the defence and security sector …. The MoU between the CCC and the Peruvian Ministry of Defense aims to deepen defence and security relations between the two countries, and to facilitate and improve cooperation for the purchase of services or military and defence equipment by Canadian companies to the Peruvian Ministry of Defense. The agreement, which takes effect immediately, will remain valid for the next three years ….” – more on the MOU here
- “Military police at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown are investigating an act of vandalism after the tank at its main entrance was covered with profanity and swastikas over the long weekend. The Sherman tank is now covered with a blue tarp as the investigation into who covered the monument with graffiti is continuing. Vandals spray-painted the monument with the offensive symbols, profanity and the term “Pongo,” a slang term for infantry soldiers ….”
- “The tempo on board Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Ottawa remains high as Exercise TRIDENT FURY 13 rolls into week two. The Operations Room Officer and Information Management Director students have been tested through numerous live fire exercises as well as complex air, surface, and subsurface operations involving HMCS Victoria and United States Navy surface units. Despite the significant accomplishments already completed by the Task Group, the final phase of TRIDENT FURY 13 will bring many unscheduled warfare engagements. This year, a portion of the exercise, is incorporated into a larger, joint, national-level exercise called JOINTEX 13, taking place from May 1 to June 8 ….”
- Happy 50th, Sea King! “There have been few aircraft in Canada’s aviation history that have provided such enduring and noteworthy service as the CH-124 Sea King maritime helicopter. In 2013, it is planned to celebrate the Sea King’s Golden Jubilee to commemorate its 50 years of service to Canada and Canadians at home and around the world ….”
- Editorial: “The French government’s proposal to build wind farms off the coast of Normandy, including Juno Beach, where so many allied soldiers died freeing that country from Nazi tyranny, is an affront to all Canadians ….”
- “…. at the fifth annual Warrior Games, the True Patriot Love Foundation launched their new Arctic expedition presented by Scotiabank in support of Canadian soldiers who have been injured on duty. The True Patriot Love Expedition: Arctic Circle will take place in spring 2014. This two-week initiative to the Magnetic North Pole will showcase Canada’s best resources: the military, the leadership of the nation’s corporations, and the rare natural landscape of the Canadian Arctic ….”
- “PGA Tour Canada has shown some true patriot love, partnering with the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services to create the Military Outreach Program. The program will give members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) who are currently serving, or veterans of the CAF, complimentary access to all PGA Tour Canada events. “The PGA Tour has always been appreciative of the troops, and this is an extension of that relationship to Canadians who have dedicated themselves to serving their country,” said PGA Tour Canada president Jeff Monday. Throughout the season events will also have Military Appreciation Day celebrations that will include deserving service members placing and removing the flagstick at designated holes. PGA Tour Canada players will also be conducting golf clinics for all active military personnel ….”
- “Serving military personnel do a wonderful job in protecting their country, but at a price, as they not only put their lives at risk when they are on tour, but also have to stay away from their loved ones for many months at a time. When they are back home it’s a special moment for them, their family and friends. MSC Cruises understands this and want to make it all the more special, which is why they currently have their MSC Cruises Military Rate promotion for those serving in the military in the USA and Canada. As a thank you to those brave men and women they will be given up to 10 percent discount on all cruises ….” - more here
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – May 22, 2013
- “The first of two convoys from the Washington National Guard’s Spokane-based 1041st Transportation Company rolled into Canada over the weekend for an international training exercise designed to help improve overall North American military readiness. A second is scheduled to leave Spokane on Wednesday, joining Canadian, British and other U.S. forces participating in Exercise Maple Resolve northeast of Calgary, Alberta. It’s described as one of the most complex training operations ever organized by the Canadian Armed Forces ….”
- Mark Collins wonders why Canada is using expensive naval assets to do police & fisheries work
- Way Up North (1) Meanwhile, in the U.S., “Coast Guard To Navy: Arctic’s Covered; White House OKs Arctic Icebreaker”
- Way Up North (2) Academic: “…. It is readily evident that Canada’s desire to chair the council at this time has more to do with finding new ways of showing leadership and strength in the Arctic, as other promises have fallen short. Employing a multilateralist approach and making use of the council is a clever way for a capabilities-limited nation to maintain its place as an Arctic state without being seen as weak. The Arctic Council is a good place for dialogue, but without the mandate to discuss military security issues, it becomes almost irrelevant to the realities of Arctic politics. Multilateralism is a positive step for Canada to protect its national interests, but this strategy should be coupled with living up to the promises Harper has made to bolster the resources necessary for Canada to be a strong and vibrant leader in the circumpolar community.”
- “The Quebec soldier whose stolen sex tape ruined her military career said she hoped to reach an “accommodation” with army officials. Alexandra-Kim Martin-Roberge said the Canadian army will present her with an offer on Tuesday at CFB Valcartier, just north of Quebec City. In 2010, while on a 12-month assignment in Alberta, a fellow soldier stole her smartphone and copied a 13-minute clip of her having sex, her face clearly visible. She said the tape circulated in the forces for three years, and the taunting and abuse she suffered from other soldiers ruined her career ….” I wonder if whoever stole the phone has faced or is facing any sanctions of any kind?
- “There is always much fanfare when a new flight engineer receives his wings and, years ago, there was always a big deal as older flight engineers hit certain milestones: 1,000, 2,500, 5,000 or one year in the air (8,760 hours). Very few flight engineers back then – and even fewer now – achieve the incredible marker of 10,000 hours (one year, one month, three weeks and 14 hours) of flight time. Master Warrant Officer Karl Derhak of 404 Long Range Patrol and Training Squadron at 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S., is one of these special people ….”
- “Canada is investigating allegations that Eritrea’s diplomatic mission in Toronto has continued soliciting money for the East African regime’s military despite being warned by the Department of Foreign Affairs to stop. The RCMP and Foreign Affairs are reviewing new evidence that appears to show the Consulate General of Eritrea has been imposing a fee of up to $500 on Eritrean-Canadians to meet the country’s national defence needs. The fundraising scheme would be illegal since Eritrea is the subject of United Nations Security Council sanctions. Canada insisted in September that Eritrea either cease soliciting such payments or recall its consul, Semere Ghebremariam O. Micael. But nine months later, evidence gathered by an Eritrean-Canadian human rights group shows the practice has continued: As recently as January the consulate issued forms demanding payment for Eritrea’s “national defence against Ethiopian invasion.” ….”
- “Vice-Admiral Paul Maddison, Commander Royal Canadian Navy, was awarded the Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) by Admiral Jonathan Greenert, United States Navy Chief of Naval Operations, during a full honours ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard on April 26. Vice-Admiral Maddison was recognized for his dedication to superior maritime partnership and security cooperation efforts with the United States during his time as the Commander Royal Canadian Navy .
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – May 21, 2013
- Way Up North (1) The Economist on the PM’s earlier promises to beef up Arctic security infrastructure: “…. It was stirring rhetoric and popular with Canadian voters, for whom the Arctic is as much a part of national identity as maple syrup and Mounties. Yet more than seven years on, none of the promised projects has made it past the drawing board ….”
- Way Up North (2) Disarmament advocate on justifying fighter jets for helping protect the Arctic ( 8 page PDF)
- Way Up North (3) Commentary: “Disputes over Arctic development are not ultimately a ‘clash of civilizations’ but a clash of world views”
- Way Up North (4) “NATO has no plans to increase its presence in the Arctic, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said …. despite numerous countries’ keen interest in the region’s vast natural resources ….“
- Analyst & former diplomat: time to reconsider missile defence? “In a turbulent and uncertain world where nationalism and religious zealotry are on the rise, Canada needs to consider actions that will safeguard and advance its national interests. Nowhere is this more true than in the area of nuclear proliferation, as states such as North Korea and Iran develop these weapons and, with them, a long-range missile delivery capability. A good place to start would be to relaunch discussions with the U.S. for a partnership role in ballistic missile defence ….”
- “The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, and the Honourable Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, Q.C., Associate Minister of National Defence and Member of Parliament for Delta-Richmond East, …. issued the following statement on the occasion of Aboriginal Awareness Week (May 21-24, 2013) ….”
- “Canadians invited to weigh in on plan to build army of wind turbines off the shores of Juno Beach in France”
- “A former Windsor-area soldier who served in Afghanistan will head to Europe with 11 other Canadians on a tour of First and Second World War battlefields. Bruce Moncur, who served with the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan and was seriously injured in 2006, was selected for the Canadian Battlefields Foundation 2013 study tour and will head to France on Friday for three weeks. “I was pretty surprised and really happy,” said Moncur, who just finished a degree in history at the University of Windsor. “I’m a history buff. I love history, anything history.” The three-week trip, which is for university students who want to learn more about Canada’s role in the liberation of Europe, includes visits to Ypres, the Somme, Vimy, Dieppe and the Normandy battlefields ….”
