MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 19 June 12

• A few CF troops about to head to Africa for an exercise  “The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, today announced the Canadian Army will send 12 military members to participate in Exercise Africa Endeavor (Exercise AE 12) being held in Douala, Cameroon from June 18 to 27. Exercise AE 12 is an annual international communications exercise that focuses on interoperability and information sharing among African partners …. Approximately 32 nations are expected to take part in this exercise, which is considered a flagship event. On April 30, participants from more than 30 African nations met with their Western counterparts from Canada, the Netherlands, and the U.S. in Accra, Ghana, to finalize planning for this significant training event. Those attending will include the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, and the Economic Community of East African States. Canadian Army participation serves to foster relationships first cultivated during Africa Endeavor 2011. The goal of Exercise AE 12 is to develop command, control and communication tactics, techniques, and procedures that can be used in support of humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and peacekeeping missions ….”
• How Canadians are helping out in Barbados during Ex Tradewinds 2012  “Local and regional military personnel received informative sessions and hands-on experience from their Canadian counterparts as Exercise Tradewinds 2012 kicked into high gear yesterday morning. As Chief Petty Officer Andrew Tiffin explained, the Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic took the groups through three different syndicates. These included Explosive Ordinates Disposal (EOD), or bomb recognition; diver training and exposing them to advanced underwater technology through the Electronic Diving Services. “Knowledge is power and any information that you get will make you a better operator at the end. We are working at the tactical level here and that allows all divers the opportunity, especially when conducting joint or combined operations that allow us to work better together,” said the military official ….”
• Here’s some photos from the donation of surplus Canadian tactical vests to the Belize Defence Force.
• Stuart Langridge, R.I.P. “The standoff between Defence Minister Peter MacKay and the military inquiry probing the suicide of an Afghan war veteran grew more bitter Monday as the inquiry’s chairman questioned MacKay’s right to withhold and censor documents. Following weeks of wrangling, Military Police Complaints Commission chairman Glenn Stannard wrote to MacKay late Monday afternoon urging him to take a “common sense approach” and release documents related to the 2008 suicide of Cpl. Stuart Langridge. In his letter, Stannard tells the defence minister he was wrong when he told the House of Commons last week that Supreme Court of Canada decisions leave him no choice but to keep certain documents from the Commission …. “The waiver being sought is not global or blanket waiver,” he says, “but rather a limited waiver restricted to specific communications that lie at the heart of the subject matter that the (hearing) is meant to investigate.” He also warns MacKay that if he doesn’t waive his right to solicitor-client confidentiality in the case, it would lead to a challenge to the Federal Court, which would mean “enormous expense and significant delay.” ….” - more on this from Question Period in the House of Commons yesterday here.
• Afghanistan  6 Jun 12:  ISAF Info-machine talks about how CF public health folks are helping train Afghans; 15 Jun 12:  CEFCOM Info-machine talks about how CF public health folks are helping train Afghans
• What’s Canada Buying? (1)  “The Harper government should be looking into a made-in-Canada solution to its search-and-rescue woes, especially when it comes to buying new fixed-wing planes, a new report suggests. The study, funded by the Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Rideau Institute, was to be released Tuesday at a news conference in Ottawa, but an advance copy was obtained by The Canadian Press. National Defence has been fuzzy in laying out its expectations for the new search planes, which have been proposed for nearly a decade, warns the report, which raises concern the process will favour large, multinational aircraft-makers — such as U.S.-based Lockheed Martin, Bell-Boeing Co., European aerospace-owned Airbus Inc., and Alenia Aeronautica, of Italy. Both Montreal-based Bombardier Inc. and Viking Air of Saanich, B.C., are interested in participating in the $3.8 billion program, which the Conservatives have tried and failed to push forward since being elected in 2006. “The Canadian government should ensure the (statement of requirements) does not preclude consideration of made-in-Canada aircraft,” said the report, penned by University of British Columbia professor Michael Byers and research associate Stewart Webb ….”  Report now available here or, if you don’t want to share your e-mail address with the Rideau Institute (brought to you by the same folks as ceasefire.ca), here.
• What’s Canada Buying? (2)  Wanted:  someone to design a new HR, payroll system for the CF
• F-35 Tug o’ War (1)  Former ADM who signed initial deal years ago, now in the consulting business, says Ottawa still isn’t doing it right  “Is the government serious? Does it really expect Canadians to buy into its new structure to oversee its response to the auditor general’s concerns? The government continues to treat Canadians like naïve children willing to swallow anything given to them. Had the government truly wanted to chart a new course it would have put in place a credible team to oversee the action plan and it would have committed to undertaking an open, fair and transparent competitive process. The fact is, it did neither. Many of the same people who were responsible for the current debacle are still in charge. Rona Ambrose, the minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is accountable for ensuring integrity in the procurement process. It is this minister and her officials who demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to do so throughout this process that are now being given more responsibility to oversee the process ….”  Has anyone asked why he didn’t do things differently way back when?
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2)  More back-and-forth in the House of Commons  “Hon. John McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the much ballyhooed seven point action plan for the F-35s is now down to six points and a maybe. Apparently, the minister does not want to disclose the price of the F-35 because “we want to get it right”, this time. I have two questions. First, does that mean that the minister never did get it right in the first place? Second, does the minister accept that the American price of $137 million per plane will in fact be the Canadian price?     Hon. Rona Ambrose (Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, CPC): No, Mr. Speaker. What it means is that we are following the recommendations of the Auditor General and he recommended that the Department of National Defence table updated cost estimates. We have gone further than that. We have said that we want those cost estimates to be independently validated. The National Fighter Procurement Secretariat recommended, on Wednesday, that it be given more time to provide a complete and independently verified update. We agreed with this approach and have given the secretariat more time to do its work.”
• Big Honkin’ Ships (1)  “Top brass at North Vancouver’s Seaspan Marine Corp. say they are still confident they’ll be cutting steel for new Canadian Coast Guard vessels beginning next summer, despite recent concerns that have been raised about defence department budget cuts. “We’ve had no indication it would have any impact on us,” said John Shaw, vice-president of government relations and business development. “We expect to design, build and deliver the noncombat ships on budget and on schedule.” Seaspan managers were in Ottawa this week meeting with a high-level governance committee to give an update on how the shipyard is progressing with work towards the building of several large coast guard and non-combat vessels ….”
• Big Honkin’ Ships (2)  Column urges optimistic caution  “…. Yes, it’s possible a future government might not want to build all the ships foreseen in the current program or that Canada’s defence needs might change, or that the project’s pace will evolve with changing political and economic conditions. We shouldn’t be surprised if any of those things happen. But we should remember that Canada still needs a navy. The world isn’t getting any safer and the old ships are wearing out. The alternative, keeping them afloat and combat-ready, isn’t cheap either. And there’s a legitimate national interest in having the new ships built in Canada. Come to think of it, now would be a good time for a rigorous parliamentary and public debate about what Canadians can expect from these ships and from the navy. That hasn’t happened, which means we are spending big without a clear statement defining the navy’s strategic role. As to us expectant, impatient Nova Scotians, we should keep our counsel, stay aware of changing conditions and govern our expectations accordingly. Let’s not find ourselves in the incongruous position of celebrating the arrival of manna from heaven, yet complaining that it doesn’t fall fast enough.”
• Russian media coverage of Canada highlighting the 70th anniversary of relations with the Soviet Union Russia (with a mention of a visit by our PM to Russia soon and interesting insights in Russia’s view of history, common areas of concern)  “Canada-Russia cooperation brings tangible results for people in both countries, Canadian Foreign Minister John Russell Baird said at the (12 Jun 12) at the Russian Embassy in Ottawa dedicated to the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations ….Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will visit Russia soon. Russia will play host to the APEC Vladivostok summit in September, and Canada plans to discuss bilateral relations on the summit sidelines, he said. About 300 representatives of the Canadian government, parliament, business and academic communities and Russian compatriots residing in Canada attended the reception. “This is a great day. We are celebrating not only the Day of Russia but also the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations,” Russian Ambassador to Ottawa Georgy Mamedov said. “The relations were established in an extremely difficult period – summer 1942. The Stalingrad Battle had not begun, and the landing of allies in Normandy had not been even planned. The establishment of diplomatic relations was a demonstration of support and confidence that we would defeat Nazi Germany together. We have a dynamic relationship nowadays. We are the two biggest countries on the planet and we have colossal resources – not only oil and gas but also drinking water, clean air and many other resources the world needs so much. The two countries play a leading role in the opposition to global economic problems, environmental pollution and bloodshed in certain regions. Canada admits 200,000 immigrants per year, and Russia does the same. It is much easier to solve problems together,” he said.”
• “Computer problems are being blamed for the most recent adjournment in the case of a Canadian naval intelligence officer accused of spying for Russia …. Mike Taylor, the lawyer for Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Delisle, was granted a three-week postponement. Taylor asked for the adjournment so he could continue his review of the hundreds of documents making up the Crown’s case against his client. “A lot of the disclosure I received was on an … external hard drive and I had a difficult time getting it open because of the software that was being used,” Taylor said after the brief court appearance. “I just had to get the assistance of the technical people with the federal crown in Ottawa and locally. We’ve got it sorted out but … it’s just going to take some more time to get through it.” Besides the information on the hard drive, Taylor said the Crown is still releasing more documents to him and many of those documents were vetted for security reasons by the various agencies involved in investigating the case …. The 41-year-old has the right to chose whether he wants to be tried by a provincial court judge or before a Nova Scotia Supreme Court justice sitting alone or with a jury. Taylor said he and his client will not make that decision until they have a better handle on the Crown’s case …. “
• “The government is defending electronic eavesdropping on airport travellers’ conversations despite an accusation from the federal privacy watchdog that the move violates a government privacy-protection directive. The Citizen reported Saturday that sections of the Ottawa airport have been secretly outfitted with audio recording equipment by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to monitor the conversations of international travellers and airport employees. New high-definition video cameras also are being installed, replacing older models. Responding to opposition questions in the Commons Monday, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said the equipment is part of the government’s response to smuggling and to airport security deficiencies identified by the royal commission that investigated the 1985 terrorist bombing of Air India Flight 182. “The CBSA operates customs-controlled areas for screening international travellers arriving at airports across Canada, including monitoring video and audio in order to detect and prevent illegal smuggling,” he said ….”
• Accused murderer-dismemberer gets a ride back to Canada via the CF to face trial  “The man accused of murdering and dismembering a Chinese university student in Montreal is back in Canada to face prosecution after an international manhunt. Luka Rocco Magnotta landed at Montreal’s Mirabel Airport just before 7 p.m. ET Monday aboard a military transport flight from Berlin. He was closely guarded by six Montreal police officers on the flight. A convoy of police and emergency vehicles with flashing lights met Magnotta at the airport. Armed guards were on standby as he was whisked away in one of the cars. Magnotta, a 29-year-old porn actor and model, is expected to appear in a Quebec court Tuesday ….”

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