MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – September 29, 2012
- Afghanistan Next ROTO (this one from Quebec) ready to head downrange “After four months of intensive training at Valcartier, some 850 soldiers who will form the next contingent of the Canadian Contribution Training Mission – Afghanistan (CCTM-A) are ready to carry out their mission. Tribute was paid to the preparedness of Task Force 4-12 at a ceremony held at the Valcartier Garrison (yesterday) …. Lieutenant-General Peter Devlin, Commander of the Canadian Army, found important to highlight, in the program given to the guests, that “the strength of the Canadian Army is represented by its soldiers and their level of preparation for expeditionary operations is second to none. The outstanding contributions of our Canadian soldiers will ensure the success of the overall mission”. Brigadier-General Richard Giguère, Commander of Land Force Quebec Area and Joint Task Force (East), who presided over the ceremony, said that “Task Force 4-12 will be deployed in the coming weeks after completing rigorous and specialized training. I am confident that our men and women, most of whom are from the Quebec Area, will represent the populations of Quebec and Canada with dignity by contributing to the training of an autonomous and competent Afghan security force.” As part of Operation ATTENTION, the soldiers of Task Force 4-12 will essentially provide support for the training and professional development of the national security forces of Afghanistan from October 2012 until June 2013. This task force, known as CCTM-A in Afghanistan, will be concentrated in Kabul, with a satellite team at the Regional Military Training Centre – North in Mazar-e-Sharif ….”
- Khadr Boy Guess Who’s Coming Home – like, today? “Omar Khadr, who has been in a U.S. detention camp since October 2002 following his capture by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, is on his way to Canada from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to serve the balance of his sentence. A military plane with Khadr on board left the U.S. Naval base on Cuba’s southeast shore around 4:30 a.m. ET Saturday, according to a military source. No information has been released on where the plane will arrive in Canada. Under a plea deal with prosecutors in October 2010, Khadr admitted to being responsible for the death of American Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer. In exchange for that plea, he was promised he would be transferred to Canada to serve out the rest of his sentence ….” – more on this here and here.
- The Commander in Chief is dropping by two Reserve units in Montreal today “His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, will attend events to be hosted by The Canadian Grenadier Guards and The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, during a visit to Montréal, Quebec, on Saturday, September 29, 2012 ….”
- “Members of 32 Service Battalion will show their appreciation to the Board of Directors at the Canadian Museum of Hindu Civilization for their efforts in creating a monument for fallen soldiers (in Toronto tomorrow) ….”
- Canadian Government Info-machine version: “The Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Peter MacKay, (yesterday) met with U.S. Secretary of Defense, Leon E. Panetta, at the Pentagon, where they discussed the close security and defence relationship between Canada and the United States …. During the bilateral meeting a number of continental and global issues were discussed, including the upcoming Conference of Defence Ministers of the Americas (CDMA) which Minister MacKay will attend from October 8-10th in Punta Del Este, Uruguay, as well as NATO, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. While in Washington, Minister MacKay was awarded the Dr. William J. Perry Award for Excellence in Security and Defense Education by the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies (CHDS). The CHDS noted Minister MacKay’s support of the CDMA and of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), as instrumental to the improvement of hemispheric response to large-scale disasters, as well as in the coordination of efforts to address emerging threats and challenges to the region ….”
- Pentagon Info-machine version: “U.S. policy toward Iran’s nuclear capability “is not about containment, it’s about prevention,” Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here (yesterday), in reference to what Western nations believe is Tehran’s attempt to enrich enough uranium to acquire a nuclear weapon. Panetta and Canadian Defense Minister Peter G. MacKay spoke to the Pentagon press corps following a meeting during which they discussed bilateral relations, Western Hemisphere concerns, Afghanistan and the Middle East with a particular emphasis on Iran. In their session with reporters, both stressed they want the Iranian government to respond to diplomacy and international sanctions aimed at thwarting suspected efforts to develop a nuclear weapon. Canada has deep concerns about the Iranian nuclear program and recently closed its embassy in Tehran. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper has called Iran the most dangerous place on Earth, and spoke of the “clear and present danger” that Iran poses to the world during a speech to the United Nations. There were questions at today’s joint news conference about red lines for Iran regarding its alleged nuclear ambitions. “There have been a number of red lines placed already, and Iran has edged closer and stepped over those red lines on a number of occasions now, particularly when it comes to cooperation around the subject of inspections,” MacKay said …. In their meeting, Panetta and MacKay also discussed the need for greater security collaboration across the Western Hemisphere, particularly for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. “We think that’s a real potential for bringing countries together in a common effort,” Panetta said. He hopes this will be part of the agenda at the Defense Ministerial of the Americas beginning next week in Uruguay. Panetta thanked MacKay for Canada’s steadfast support in Afghanistan where it has deployed about 500 troops who are training Afghan national security forces. There is progress and there is hope” in Afghanistan, MacKay said. “This is what we had always anticipated, is the eventual turnover of security responsibility will allow … Afghanistan and hopefully the region, to spread that security and spread that hope,” he said.”
- Mainstream media version: “Defence Minister Peter MacKay is calling for the Canadian military to have a “permanent, visible presence” in the Asia-Pacific region. “We have to be there in quality and quantity in the coming years,” MacKay told QMI Agency during a call from the Canadian embassy in the United States, following meetings with his American counterpart. He met with U.S. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta to discuss several issues, including Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, and a defence ministers’ summit next month in Uruguay. MacKay says a lot of the conversation revolved around Canada being able to “up its game” in the Asia-Pacific region, through more military exchanges, training, and face-to-face meetings. “I would mention maritime security as something in which we have established some military acumen over the years,” MacKay added, noting that Canada can help fight piracy, human smuggling, as well as trafficking in drugs and people. He says China’s tensions with its neighbours, North Korea’s nuclear threat, Islamism in Indonesia, and “the regional tensions that exist even between South Korea and Japan” are all reasons for the Canadian forces to be more involved in the region ….”
- Meanwhile, “Stephen Harper accepted the World Statesman award with a speech offering his stark view of an uncertain world, where a principled Canada’s closest friends face troubled times, where rising powers often don’t share “our ideals,” where the Arab spring is becoming “angry summer,” and where a few “malevolent” regimes threaten havoc. Mr. Harper delivered clear clarion calls on causes he holds dear – urging strong action to pressure Iran and the stalwart defence of Israel – but combined that message with an assessment of a murky world ….”
- Iran “Sanctions and diplomacy — not military action — remain the “preferred option” for correcting Iran’s threatening behaviour, according to Defence Minister Peter MacKay. But the opportunities to impose crippling sanctions are becoming “less and less obvious,” and the sanctions themselves are becoming “less and less effective,” he said during a press conference here Friday with his United States counterpart Defence Secretary Leon Panetta. Asked repeatedly about whether Canada supported Israel’s call for a so-called red line from the United States, which if crossed would trigger military action, MacKay said that was ultimately a “sovereign decision.” ….”
