MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 23 June 12

• MILNEWS.ca, 28 May 12:  “CF looking for someone to study how to use a special brain scan to assess Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and how it’s being treated – more on bid document extract (4 page Statement of Work via Google Docs) here.”
• We have a winner!  Toronto Star, 22 Jun 12:  “The defence department is looking to cutting-edge medical technology in its battle to identify and track legions of Canadian soldiers who have developed or are being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder. Defence Research and Development Canada, the scientific agency that supports the military, will spend a quarter of a million dollars to test the finding that the psychological disorder that has appeared in up to 20 per cent of Canada’s front line war fighters can be detected through magnetic fields given off by the electrical impulses in the brain. The study, to be completed by early next year, is based on research that was able to detect distinct patterns of brain activity in American veterans diagnosed with PTSD — patterns that did not appear in people without the condition. That work has come as a relief to hundreds of U.S. soldiers who have taken the tests, said Dr. Brian Engdahl, a professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota who has been treating patients with PTSD for decades. “To put it simply in the words of one veteran, you now have physical evidence of my emotional injury,” he recounted. “I think that sums it up pretty well.” ….”
• Afghanistan  “American reluctance to confront Canada over its weak military hold in the Taliban heartland of Kandahar province was among the costlier blunders of the war in Afghanistan, a new book alleges. Excerpts published Friday by The Washington Post describe the rising concerns of a team of U.S. military advisers who were stunned in 2009 when an unnamed senior Canadian intelligence official in Kandahar told them, “I have no idea what’s going on inside the city.” The sheer thinness of Canadian boots in Kandahar — only 2,830 soldiers, mostly assigned to headquarters and support roles, with fewer than 600 going on patrol — contrasted against more than 9,000 British soldiers deployed in the less populated and less strategically important neighbouring province of Helmand, Washington Post senior correspondent Rajiv Chandrasekaran writes in Little America: The War Within the War for Afghanistan. But when the U.S. reassessment team returned to Kabul to learn why more Canadians had not been deployed, they were told by the U.S. Maj.-Gen. Michael Tucker, then the director of operations for all NATO troops, “It is wrong to tell a (Canadian) commander, from this level, to put troops in Kandahar city.” ….”
• JTF-2 gets its land  “The verdict was never really in doubt; if the government wants to buy your land, selling is the only real option. But for Frank Meyers and his family, the official confirmation was no less devastating: their beloved farm, more than two centuries old, will indeed be transformed into a top-secret training ground for JTF 2, the Canadian military’s elite special forces squad. “I am of the opinion that the properties proposed for expropriation are absolutely essential for the safety and security of Canada,” reads the final decision from Ottawa, signed by Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose. “For that reason and in absence of valid justification to do otherwise, I have confirmed my intention to expropriate.” The paperwork, obtained by Maclean’s, marks the end of a long, public battle that pitted a piece of Canadian history against modern-day national security ….”
• “A Superior Court judge has ruled that there is no link between contaminated water in Shannon, Que., a small town near Quebec City, and cases of cancer in the community. Judge Bernard Godbout acknowledged the government did contaminate the water and awarded a maximum of $15,000 in compensation to about 300 people for inconveniences caused by disruption to water services and wells. Residents, who claim they were sickened by ground water contamination near the CFB Valcartier military base, say they’re disappointed with the ruling ….” - more here (from the Minister of Defence) and here.
• How’s Canada Buying?  Badly (or, to be kind, slowly), according to Mark Collins  “…. the government have made only two other major procurements now in service: the RCAF’s C-17 and C-130J transports. These were sole-sourced–rightly in my view–early on and the contracts were negotiated fairly expeditiously, especially for the C-17s. CH-47F Chinook helicopters were also sole-sourced fairly early on–again quite rightly–but the contract negotiations dragged on for three years and no choppers have yet been delivered (the first is expected in 2013). Otherwise: zip, zilch, nichts, nada, ništa, rien de flipping tout.. No fixed-wing SAR aircraft; no U(C)AVs; no new Maritime Helicopter in service (previous Liberal governments have a lot to answer for on that one also); no contracts for new RCN ships; no contract for the Army’s Close Combat Vehicle; and a botched Army truck (!?!) order. I may have omitted something. Great work, people. Politicians, bureaucrats and CF members ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War  More released documents, no signs of them being shared yet  “Defence Department officials knew last year Canada would not have enough F-35 stealth fighters by the time the last of the country’s CF-18s were due to be retired in 2020, newly released documents show. As a result, officials were preparing to ask the Conservative government for more money to again extend the lives of some of the CF-18s — which have already undergone a $1.8-billion overhaul — until the last of the F-35s could come online. “The planned CF-18 estimated life expectancy is currently 2020,” reads one email dated Sept. 21, 2011, and obtained by Postmedia News through access to information laws. “However, the current Next Generation Fighter Capability project scheduled is based on the last of Canada’s F-35s being delivered in 2022 or 2023. CF-18 estimated life expectancy requirements are currently being assessed and a request for an extension will be made once the required date is confirmed.” ….”
• “The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, today announced that Canadian singer and songwriter Sass Jordan has been appointed as the next Honorary Colonel of 417 Combat Support (CS) Squadron. Based at Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake in Alberta, 417 (CS) Squadron provides helicopter support, including Search and Rescue support, to base operations. “We are very enthusiastic to welcome Sass Jordan as the next Honorary Colonel of this squadron, which has a proud history that dates back to the early 1940s,” said Minister MacKay. “Her keen interest in doing as much as she can to support the men and women of our armed forces, and her position as a well-respected Canadian entertainer known to several generations, will make her an excellent addition to the honorary colonel cadre.” Honorary Colonel designate Sass Jordan will assume her duties after Mr. Jack Van Norman completes his tenure as the Squadron’s honorary colonel in September 2012 ….”
• CSIS comes up with new internal dictionary specifically defining various levels of… attention-worth folks  “…. “The objective of the lexicon is to increase clarity of communications internally, as well as with foreign and domestic partners,” says the October 2011 memo, which was delivered to the public safety minister, RCMP commissioner and other senior officials. The one-page list of definitions describes a “terrorist” as someone who “has or will engage in, assist, commit or conduct a politically, religiously or ideologically motivated act of serious violence against persons or property.” An “extremist,” on the other hand, is someone who “holds an extreme belief or interpretation of an idea, ideology, cause or issue, who may incite others to hold similar views and/or advocates extreme measures, including the use of violence, to draw attention to or advance a desired goal.” Meanwhile, a “supporter” is an individual who “supports a particular organization, cause, issue, idea or ideology and who purposefully diverts or redirects attention and or resources (ie. time, funds, propaganda, etc.) towards this organization or cause.” ….”
• Questions in the Senate about Omar Khadr, with the same response as in the House of Commons and to the media:  “Mr. Khadr is a Canadian citizen that pled guilty to the murder of an American Army medic. The U.S. no longer wants him and has asked us to take him. A decision regarding his application has to be made in accordance with Canadian law.”
• “South Korea has bestowed a unique honour on Canada’s oldest surviving veteran of the Korean War, issuing a then-and-now set of stamps showing Maj. Campbell “Cam” Lane as he appeared during the 1950-53 war alongside a portrait of the 99-year-old Ottawa man — military medals proudly displayed — at the veterans’ home where he lives today. A top official from the East Asian country’s veterans ministry visited Lane on Friday to express South Korea’s “most fervent thanks” for his service as commander of an engineers’ corps during the Cold War conflict and to recognize his upcoming 100th birthday on July 5. “To our knowledge, no other Commonwealth veteran has achieved this most impressive milestone,” read a citation from South Korean veterans minister Park Sung Choon. “The 49 million people of Korea send him 49 million wishes for a most happy birthday.” Lane, who was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and also served in the Second World War, seemed genuinely surprised by the fuss he was generating on Friday at Ottawa’s Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre, where a delegation from the South Korean embassy presented medals to several veterans and unveiled the stamps honouring Lane’s war service and longevity ….”
• “On behalf of the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs, Senator Yonah Martin will join members of the Korea Veterans Association of Canada to commemorate the sacrifices made by Canadians during the Korean War (today in Burnaby, B.C.)….”
• “On behalf of the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs, Eve Adams, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Member of Parliament for Mississauga–Brampton South, will join members of the Korea Veterans Association of Canada (tomorrow in Ottawa) to commemorate the sacrifices made by Korean War Veterans ….”
• “The Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs, and the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, will make an important announcement for Canadian Bomber Command Veterans (Monday in Ottawa)….”