MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – August 28, 2012
- We Now Know Who the Next Chief of Defence Staff Is – this from the PM …. “Prime Minister Stephen Harper …. announced that Lieutenant-General Thomas J. Lawson, currently Deputy Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), will be appointed Chief of the Defence Staff, and promoted to the rank of General. The change of command ceremony will take place in the coming weeks. “Lieutenant-General Lawson is the right leader for the Canadian Armed Forces and will bring a clear vision and strong values to the role,” said Prime Minister Harper. “His experience, team-building skills and collaborative approach will help position the Canadian Armed Forces for the future.” ….”
- …. and this from the Governor General/Commander in Chief …. “…. I would like to congratulate Lieutenant-General Thomas J. Lawson for his appointment as the Chief of Defence Staff of the Canadian Forces. Lieutenant-General Lawson has had a long and decorated career with the Forces and continues to bring great honour to Canada in his current role as deputy commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). I have no doubt that he will inspire our troops at home and overseas. I look forward to working with him in the coming years ….”
- …. and this from the Minister of National Defence …. “…. “Our Canadian Forces are leaders both here at home and on the world stage. The calibre of our personnel is world-class, and our men and women need and deserve a leader in uniform who reflects and upholds that high standard. They have had that type of leadership to date and I’m pleased to tell you that that will continue. Today, I’d like to introduce Canadians to Lieutenant-General Tom Lawson, who will be the new Chief of the Defence Staff to the Canadian Forces, and the top soldier for our country. Those in uniform will be familiar with Lieutenant-General Lawson. He is a 37-year member of the Royal Canadian Air Force and will now assume the highest rank within the Canadian Forces. Lieutenant-General Lawson is an exceptional, dynamic leader who brings a great deal of domestic, international and operational experience to the table. He has the respect of his peers, the admiration of his subordinates and our allies, and the complete confidence of both the Prime Minister and myself ….”
- ….. not to mention this from the guy he’s going to end up replacing …. “I wish to congratulate Tom Lawson on his upcoming appointment to suceed me as your Chief of Defence Staff. He is a great officer and gentleman who will continue to lead the men and women of the Canadian Forces with distinction. I know he will enjoy the support of great Generals, Admirals, Officers, and equally, all the ranks, through to the most junior privates and ordinary seamen ….”
- And the tea leaves are already being read re: his stance on the F-35 (he seems to like it) – here’s what he had to say when asked (highlights mine): “…. “The greater question is the government’s focus on ensuring that the Canadians have combat-capable platforms for the air force, for the navy and for the army,” Lawson, a former fighter pilot, said when asked his position now. “We will continue to take our lead on the F-35 from the government.” Lawson has previously been a strong proponent of the stealth fighter, which has been plagued with controversy and exploded into a full-fledged crisis for the government following the release of a scathing auditor-general’s report in April. When pressed on whether he would recommend the $25-billion aircraft as a replacement for Canada’s ageing fleet of CF-18s, Lawson replied: “The F-35 is a program that’s hitting milestones and doing quite well. It will continue to contend for the replacement of the CF-18.” ….” Given that the deadline has JUST passed (yesterday) for bids to have outside eyes look at the assumptions behind choosing the F-35, I wouldn’t be as optimistic as this Sun Media headline just yet: “Harper signals commitment to F-35 with new top military post” Let’s remember that first bit in red (the F-35 decision buck stops with the Government – in some cynics’ eyes, the PM), no matter how much the incoming CDS likes the idea. More on this angle here, (note to headline writer here: a headline shouldn’t be about questions you KNOW reporters are going to ask – the headline makes it kinda sound like a surprise), here, here, here and here.
- One analyst’s read of the appointment: “The announcement Monday morning of RCAF Lt.-Gen. Tom Lawson as the new Chief of Defence Staff is no big surprise except perhaps for the timing. The Monday before Labour Day is as good a tip-off as any that this is a “no news here” kind of announcement, and the appointment itself seems to be sending a “steady-as-she goes” signal, with a distinct overlay of “we’re not in Afghanistan anymore.” ….” – loads o’ tea leaf reading, as well, over at Milnet.ca.
- Way Up North (1) One embed’s read of OP Nanook and Canada’s approach to the Arctic in general “Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s annual tour, coincident with the Canadian Forces’ Operation Nanook, guarantees that, at least for a week, southern Canada looks to our North. This year the western scenario of the Forces exercise involved a barge carrying toxic chemicals colliding with a ferry shuttling travellers across the Mackenzie River, obliging the evacuation of Tsiigehtchic. Last year, the scenario involved a plane accident that sadly turned to reality with the First Air flight crash near Resolute Bay. In situations such as this, while the civil authorities lead, as we have witnessed through disasters in the south, be it forest fires, ice storms or hurricanes, it is our Forces that have the necessary capacity to support and respond to environmental and other calamities. Operation Nanook is the most visible of ongoing exercises directed from Joint Task Force North in Yellowknife. Critics describe these activities as “militarization” of our North. They are wrong ….”
- Way Up North (2) “Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper has just completed his seventh annual foray to the Arctic. The PM’s annual northern tours have traditionally focused on a combination of announcements affecting economic development, environmental protection, and defense readiness. The ever-shrinking ice cap is bringing new challenges to Canadian policy makers, particularly with regard to the navigability of the North-West passage, the fabled historic trade route from Europe to China on which so many hopes have foundered, and over access to offshore resources. The U.S. has long-claimed that the waters of the North-West passage constitute an international strait while Canada contends that they are internal waters. Now the issue of access to Canada’s Arctic waters will take on an added dimension with China’s newly expressed interest in the north ….”
- Syria “In recent weeks, as the violence in Syria continues to escalate, those Western nations supporting the rebel faction have raised the spectre of embattled President Bashar al-Assad employing his chemical weapons against his own people. This forced the Assad regime to make the declaration that it would never employ such weapons on Syrian rebels, but they would not hesitate to do so against foreign military forces if they attempt armed intervention …. many of those same al-Qaida linked Libyan rebel brigades are now in Syria fighting to depose yet another Arab president whom they deem to be a pro-Israeli Zionist. With Western military forces now poised to intervene to prevent the anti-Assad rebels from acquiring chemical weapons that they could use to attack Israel, poor old (Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John) Baird must be wondering just who he should be cheering for now.”
- A reminder from Foreign Affairs that Canada, while pretty safe, has had moments of unsafeness in the past. “Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the assassination of Colonel Attila Altikat, military attaché at the Turkish embassy in Ottawa: “On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to renew our expression of deep sympathy to the Colonel’s family and friends, as well as to the Government of Turkey and the Turkish people. We continue to condemn such violence as a means of furthering political objectives. Canada reiterates its commitment to working with its Turkish partners to combat terrorism in all its forms.” The only foreign diplomat to be killed in an act of international terrorism on Canadian soil, Colonel Altikat was assassinated on the morning of August 27, 1982, on his way to work in Ottawa. Canada remains committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice. “
