MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 13 June 12

• Syria  “Canada is pushing Russia to do more to end the killing in blood-soaked Syria, including raising the subject during a major trade mission to the country. And just like the United States, which is leading the international lobbying of Syria’s good friend and arms supplier, Canada’s entreaties are being rebuffed by the Russians. In an unusual mingling of trade and human rights, International Trade Minister Ed Fast raised Syria as he led a five-day junket to Russia last week with nearly 30 Canadian companies in tow. Fast pressed the case for Russia to help in the peaceful, negotiated removal of President Bashar Assad. Fast raised Syria with Andrey Denisov, Russia’s first deputy minister of foreign affairs, but the overture was met with resistance, officials said. “We’ve been engaging Russia at every opportunity, and I think it’s safe to say we believe that Russia needs to be a part of the solution,” said a senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity ….” - more (the official DFAIT Info-machine messaging, where the word “Syria” doesn’t appear) on the trade trip to Russia last week here and here.
• Meanwhile, Canada highlights 70 years of diplomatic relations with, uh, Russia (one hates to nit-pick, but it was the Soviet Union then, not Russia):  “…. As Arctic neighbours and trading partners, Canada and Russia enjoy a level of bilateral cooperation that has yielded tangible results for both our peoples. Our partnership in organizations like the G-8, the G-20 and APEC, which Russia currently chairs, has brought Canada and Russia closer together. Our ties extend far beyond diplomatic niceties, as our national hockey teams have enjoyed fierce competition over the decades at almost every level, all for the love of the game ….”  Not to mention a bit of spying here and (allegedly, at least) there, I guess.
• Afghanistan  “Speaking from Afghanistan, Col. Jim Goodman related the value he places in Canada’s mission to the war-torn country. Goodman, who was born at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital in 1971, is a senior adviser to the Afghan National Army as part of the NATO-led training mission. It was Canada’s first real war since Korea and that has fuelled more than a few debates between the more hawkish and the peaceniks of the Canadian public. Some question Canada’s role in a distant country it has no quarrel with while others say it’s a just fight against terrorism. Canada has built a leadership reputation in the world for the peacekeeper role it played during the previous four decades in such places as Haiti, the Congo and Yemen, to name just a few. Today, Canada plays a limited role in making Afghanistan a safe place. It’s been an expensive and bloody war for Canada, but it hasn’t been without purpose. From halfway around the world, the concern in Goodman’s voice is palpable as he forms the words of the message he hopes to send home. “I think we forget we have troops serving overseas,” Goodman said. “It’s easy to forget, when you’re 11 (time zone) hours away, halfway around the world.” ….”
• Stuart Langridge, R.I.P.  “A senior military police officer admitted Tuesday that his officers “blew it” when they kept a suicide note from a grieving family for 14 months. National Investigative Services (NIS) former deputy commander Major Francis Bolduc told the Military Police Complaints Commission hearing that withholding the suicide note from Cpl. Stuart Langridge’s family had been an error. “There was never a procedure not to give a suicide note to a family,” he said, adding that the NIS has moved quickly to introduce “quality control” to avoid a similar incident occurring in the future. The short suicide note contained 28-year-old Langridge’s last requests and was addressed personally to his mother Sheila and stepfather Shaun. In it, he asked for a simple family funeral, which he did not get. “We blew it once, and we didn’t want to blow it again,” said Bolduc, who noted that the “media outburst” over the suicide note remains fixed in his mind ….”
• Big Honkin’ Ships (1)  CDS: Let’s git ‘er done!  “Canada’s top soldier says it is time to get the lead out on the $35-billion federal shipbuilding contract, just as defence analysts warn that belt-tightening in Ottawa could further delay delivery of the country’s next fleet of combat ships. Gen. Walter Natynczyk said the navy is his greatest concern when it comes to modernizing the military, and finalizing the shipbuilding deal would be vital in ensuring that Canada’s aging vessels are replaced. “The National Shipbuilding Strategy is a huge leap in progress,” Natynczyk told about the Royal Canadian Legion convention in Halifax on Tuesday. “But we need to start cutting steel.” Natynczyk said the Arctic offshore patrol ships, the first vessels to be constructed under the deal, are key to the future of Canada’s maritime security. But federal budget documents tabled this spring show that they are being delayed, with the first vessel not expected to arrive until 2018 — three years after initially promised — and it won’t be fully operational until 2023 ….”
• Big Honkin’ Ships (2)  Cause for shipyards to be nervous?    “Ottawa’s budgetary crunch could mean a scaled-back Halifax shipbuilding project, defence analysts say. The federal government’s austerity measures, which are forcing the Department of National Defence to shed $2-billion from its budget, could translate into fewer dollars for the federal shipbuilding strategy. Defence experts say that could take some wind out of the sails of Halifax’s Irving Shipbuilding yard. Last fall it won the combatant portion of the navy’s 30-year shipbuilding program, once valued at $25 billion. “Something has to give,” said defence expert Dan Middlemiss, a former Dalhousie University professor. “There’s less money. We’re going to see a delay or fewer of them (warships).” If so, this wouldn’t be the first time that Ottawa has scaled back its shipbuilding plans. The federal government originally hoped to build 18 frigates, plus more for export, as part of the Canadian Patrol Frigate program during the early 1990s. In the end only 12 were ever contracted for. The umbrella agreement with Ottawa calls for the Halifax yard to build 21 combat vessels. But Steven Staples, a defence expert and president of the Rideau Institute, an Ottawa (pro-disarmament) think-tank, said the hoopla leading up to the Irving selection may have led to some misunderstandings about the nature of the federal government’s commitment. “No contracts have been awarded,” Staples said. “The government just said, ‘In future we will negotiate with you, Mr. Irving, and with Seaspan (the Vancouver yard which won the non-combat portion of the program).’ ” “The tough negotiations for the contracts are underway now.” ….”
• Big Honkin’ Ships (3)  Here’s what the Public Works Minister had to sayin the House of Commons yesterday:  “Mr. Speaker, after a very transparent, successful and competitive process, two shipyards were chosen in Canada to build our navy and Coast Guard ships moving forward. Agreements were signed with both shipyards. I have every confidence that both shipyards, Irving and Seaspan, will work very closely over the many years we have a relationship with them to make sure our ships for the Coast Guard and navy are built on time. Of course, this does entail a lot of co-operation, collaboration and trust between the shipyards and the navy and Coast Guard, and I fully expect that will happen.”
• Part of union boss’s letter to the PM on that purchase of a bunch of armoured vehicles:  “I am writing to voice my frustration and disbelief at your government’s recent decision to award a $1.25 billion Department of National Defence contract to a U.S. firm. This decision can only be described as short-sighted and damaging for the city of London and the national economy. The contract for at least 500 tactical armoured patrol vehicles could last for 25 years, securing work and jobs well into the future. As you may know, London Machinery Inc. also made a bid for the contract – along with a supporting bid by General Dynamics Land Systems Canada, which builds armoured military vehicles in London. If London Machinery Inc, combined with General Dynamics would have been awarded the contract, it would have secured work for decades ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (1)  ”An answer the government provided to the opposition on the F-35 has raised fresh questions about what cost figures the defence minister would have known before announcing Canada was going to buy 65 of the fighter jets. In a response to an order paper question put forth by the NDP’s Matt Kellway, the office of associate defence minister Julian Fantino replied that defence minister Peter MacKay would have seen costing information for the F-35 a month prior to the government’s July 2010 announcement that it planned to buy the fighters. That information came by way of the 2009 Selected Acquisition Report, a document released every year by the U.S. Department of Defense that summarize the latest cost estimates, schedule and performance status of a given program ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2a)  “Just how much the Harper government trusts National Defence in the wake of the F-35 fiasco was drawn into question Tuesday. Defence Minister Peter MacKay acknowledged he’s not sure who will carry out an independent analysis of the stealth fighter program. The frank confirmation came on the same day Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose suggested it could be months before the latest price estimate for the radar-evading jet is tabled for public consumption. In the wake of a scathing report April 3, in which auditor general Michael Ferguson accused National Defence of hiding the true cost of the plane, the Harper government promised to release an updated figure within 60 days. That hasn’t happened, and Ambrose said it won’t until she’s satisfied with the numbers. “We will not table cost estimates from the Department of National Defence until they are independently validated,” the public works minister told the House of Commons. “The secretariat needs more time to do that. We respect that. They will take as much time as they need to get it right.” Even though Ambrose wouldn’t commit to a timeline, indications are it will likely be the fall when a full analysis of Canada’s participation in the troubled program is expected to be final. The extent to which Defence is isolated was evident when MacKay was later asked about the outside expert that will measure the program. “Yeah, I’m not sure. That’s something you’d have to ask Minister Ambrose,” he said ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2b)  Exactly what the Public Works Minister said in the House:  “Mr. Speaker, as I have said repeatedly in the House, I will not support the tabling of documents in the House in terms of updated estimates unless they are independently verified and validated. There is still work to be done. The secretariat has made that recommendation. It needs more time and I support its recommendation.”
• What’s Canada Giving Away?  “Canada will donate 2,000 surplus utility vests to the Belize Defence Force (BDF) in support of Canada’s Americas’ Strategy and broader commitments to support Central American countries in their efforts to address the security situation in the region …. Declared surplus by the Canadian Forces, these utility vests have multiple functions and are composed of pockets for arms and additional pockets for alternative use such as small radios and First Aid kits. This donation of equipment is in response to a BDF request for Canadian Forces’ assistance with the acquisition of vests, and will support BDF operations and training. These 2,000 load carrying vests represent a surplus to the needs of the Canadian Forces. This support for Belize is a tangible example of Canada’s implementation of its objective, under the Americas’ Strategy, to address insecurity and advance freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law through capacity building ….” - a bit more from the hometown Belize media here.
• One academic’s read of who could be the next Minister of National Defence (caveat: he’s only willing to bet a loonie on it)  “…. Look at it from the prime minister’s standpoint. He needs a minister of defence who can weather the political storm that’s gathering around the department. Projected costs of the controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will probably continue to rise, which is terrible news for the Tories, who have attempted to build their brand on fiscal discipline. As Postmedia’s Lee Berthiaume reported yesterday, however, even the enormous price tag on the F-35 acquisition is dwarfed by the government’s $35-billion shipbuilding plan, which is already behind schedule. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is too smart not to see the great political risks ….”
• Way Up North  “…. Climate change may open a sea route along the north coast of Eurasia and North America, and that would also make it cheaper to move oil discovered in those arctic waters off the coast. With all this new wealth potential up there, nations bordering the arctic are getting ready to defend their appreciating frozen assets.”
• Keeping a closer eye on the government’s IT infrastructure  “The government fears nefarious firms seeking to sell computer hardware for a massive network overhaul could leave Canada vulnerable to hackers, spies and other cyber threats. So the federal Public Works department is warning suppliers it will impose top-level security restrictions on companies competing to provide the cables, servers, switches, circuits and other equipment it needs to create a single government-wide e-mail system and turn more than 300 disparate data centres into less than two dozen. That move, according to experts, could see a number of IT firms with links to China shut out of the bidding. While those firms are among the industry’s largest and most prevalent, repeated charges they are doing the work of Beijing’s intelligence services have left some of them under a cloud of suspicion. The government letter to companies comes from Shared Services Canada, a federal department created last summer to bring Canada’s computer networks up to speed while saving $150 million annually by 2014-15 ….”
• Ooopsie….  “Data on almost 1,000 Canadian government officials was stolen in the hacking of a Texas-based intelligence firm in December, according to internal government documents. Almost 900 federal government workers and 109 provincial government officials were affected when computers owned by Strategic Forecasting Inc. were hacked, according to a memo by the federal Public Safety department obtained by Bloomberg News under Canada’s freedom-of-information law. The hackers obtained the client list of the company also known as Stratfor, and released personal information such as emails, passwords, home and office addresses and credit-card data, according to the Jan. 9 memo ….” – more here

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