MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – October 16, 2012
- “Canada Post is working to spread some holiday cheer again this year to Canadian troops deployed overseas. From today until January 11th, family and friends of Canadian Forces members can send letters or parcels to them free of charge through Canada Post. It’s the seventh year that this program has been offered, and Canada Post spokesman John Caines says it’s been a success so far with about 40,000 kilograms of mail sent last year. “The majority of that was through the free mail program, [and] last I spoke with the folks at DND they were very happy,” said Caines. “They relayed to us that the troops that were serving overseas, particularly during the Christmas holidays, are really glad to get this stuff from the people that they really miss this time of year.” The mail headed to the war zones doesn’t get there through Canada Post, but you can drop letters or parcels off at retail locations or at your nearest Canadian Forces Base. Cairns says because of limited space on the military aircraft that takes the mail over, they can’t say exactly when it will arrive ….”
- “A software program that could end much angry debate between injured soldiers and Veterans Affairs Canada is now accessible online. The benefits browser was a brainchild of the country’s veterans ombudsman and took two years to be adopted by the government. The application allows former members of the military and RCMP to be able to calculate their individual eligibility for the department’s Byzantine series of programs. Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney calls it a significant leap forward and predicted veterans will see a real difference. “Across the country I have spoken to veterans and have heard time and again that they want better and more flexible access to the information that matters to them and that’s why our government is delivering the information they need in more modern and convenient ways,” Blaney said in a statement. Guy Parent, the veterans ombudsman, says the browser — located on the department’s website — will allow easier access to the programs and benefits ex-soldiers deserve ….” More from the VAC Info-machine here and here, with a link to the Benefits Browser elements here and here.
- “Three mid-level civilian executives at National Defence were inexplicably fired earlier this month, including a director who’s been at the centre of a class-action lawsuit that could cost the federal treasury up to $600 million. Andre Bouchard, Gerry Mahon and Randy Helgason were let go Oct. 3 in what defence sources say was “an attempt to change the direction of each organization.” The dismissals came out of the blue, according to defence insiders. In the case of Bouchard, president of the Defence Department’s insurance program, it came at a critical juncture as the federal government negotiates its way through a multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuit. Mahon headed CANEX, the chain of military base retail stores, and Helgason was in charge of personnel support programs ….”
- “A clear plastic bag of white power that had CFB North Bay on lockdown Monday morning is a non-toxic common household item, officials say. Lt. Col. Pascal Godbout told a media conference the powder was discovered in a clear plastic bag sitting by itself in the main-floor men’s washroom in the L. Pitcher Building on the military base. “Given the nature of our facilities, there are a series of procedures to follow when someone notices a suspicious package,” Godbout said. He said only those who work in the L. Pitcher Building have access to the facilities. Chris Cuthbertson, hazardous waste material technician for North Bay Fire and Emergency Services, said the hazardous materials team removed and tested the substance. He said it was determined the powder was a common household item, though he did not say what it was ….”
- Canadians apparently in Japan talking sea shop “China has sent its first military delegation to Japan since the Diaoyus dispute boiled over last month, suggesting signs that the recent strains on relations may be easing. Several naval officers from the People’s Liberation Army attended a regional co-operation meeting hosted by the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force in Tokyo yesterday, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK and ribenxinwen.com a Japan-based Chinese news portal. The gathering followed news over weekend that Beijing and Tokyo were preparing for subministerial diplomatic talk aimed at easing tensions that escalated after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda moved to buy some of the East China Sea islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan. At the 10-day military meeting at MSDF Staff College, 20 young officers from 19 nations, including China, Australia, Canada, South Korea and the United States, were expected to discuss joint rescue operations and maritime safety collaboration, NHK reported. Participants would also visit MSDF frigates and observe sea rescue training ….”
- Pirates aren’t the ONLY high-seas bad guys the CF is helping hunt down “A CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft and its Canadian crew from 407 Long Range Patrol Squadron returned home to 19 Wing Comox, B.C., on Friday from Hakodate, Japan, where they were stationed to help enforce the United Nations ban on high seas driftnets. A welcome home event recognized the successful completion of the 2012 Operation High Seas Driftnet mission in the North Pacific, and the close cooperation between Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Department of National Defence and the Government of Japan. This was the first year that the operation flew from Japan. Having the aircraft and crew staged from Hakodate demonstrates Canada and Japan’s growing partnership and shared commitment to combating the use of driftnets on the high seas. The daily patrols used the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Aurora aircraft, which is one of the few aircraft in the world uniquely equipped to effectively search such a vast area. The aircraft patrolled high-threat areas and investigated suspicious radar contacts for illegal fishing ….”
- Way Up North Essay: More shipping, yes, but not feasible for everyone “…. Over the past decades the Arctic has witnessed a much faster than anticipated decline of sea ice and the continuation of this trend will transform the Arctic Ocean into a navigable seaway over the coming decades.Yet due to the region’s unique navigational and economic challenges Arctic shipping will, for the foreseeable future, only be cost effective for a limited number of operators.”
- The CDS continues to prepare to leave “You only have to speak with Chief of the Defence Staff Gen Walt Natynczyk for a few minutes to hear in his voice how committed he is to the CF and how proud he is of the men and women in uniform. When he retires later this fall after 37 years of service, including four as CDS, he says without hesitation that it will be the people he will miss the most. “Our men and women should be proud of what they achieved in Kandahar during the combat mission…an Afghanistan that is more secure, more stable and that has more professional and capable security forces. This is the legacy of our men and women who worked and fought so hard and sacrificed so much in that country. Our successes there are a reflection of the professionalism of the Canadian Forces.” With 900 CF advisors and support staff serving in Afghanistan, Gen Natynczyk has continued his regular trips to that region. As CDS, he oversaw the CF transition in 2011 from a combat mission in southern Afghanistan to a training and advisory role in Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan and in Kabul ….”
- Syria Columnist takes a stab at what NATO’ll do if Turkey asks for help if significantly attacked “…. Turkey has already met with the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s governing body, to make its case that Syria has attacked it. NATO accepted that, and warned Syria to cease its hostilities. But if it doesn’t, or if a series of accidents pushes Turkey into war with Syria, how would NATO best respond? There is, perhaps, already a template for such an allied response. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., NATO declared that the attack constituted an attack on the alliance, requiring a military response by all. It sent several early warning aircraft from the NATO reserve to the United States, to patrol North American skies alongside local U.S. and Canadian forces. The U.S. didn’t need the help — it had ample resources of its own. But it still accepted the contribution as a gesture of allied solidarity. If Turkey goes to war with Syria, expect NATO to make a similar contribution ….”
- Out you go, then! “Yana Gorelik, the 30-year old Canadian-Israeli who was imprisoned for allegedly dodging the IDF draft, was granted clemency on Monday, and her jail term was cut short. Gorelik already served approximately half of her three-month sentence, which was the result of a plea bargain with the IDF on September 27. According to the terms of the agreement, the month of incarceration served by Gorelik ahead of the trial was deducted from the sentence. Having reunited with her family in Bat Yam, Gorelik reportedly intends to return to Canada shortly. “I wish to thank [head of IDF Personnel Directorate] Maj. Gen. [Orna] Barbibay for showing sensitivity for the predicament that befell Yana and her family,” said Gorelik’s attorney Benny Koznitz. ”In the recent months the family underwent some rough blows and I am glad that the affair finally ended in the manner it should have ended long ago.” Gorelik moved from Israel to Canada with her family at age 17 and had visited Israel several times over the last two years without a problem. On September 2, she entered Israel to attend a family wedding, but was detained at Ben Gurion Airport as a deserter from the IDF ….” – a bit more here.
- “In a little-known chapter of the Cold War, Canadian diplomats spied for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in Cuba in the aftermath of the 1962 missile crisis – and for years afterward. A major part of that story is told in a forthcoming memoir by retired Canadian envoy John Graham. Mr. Graham was one of a series of Canadian diplomats recruited to spy for the CIA in Havana. The missions went on for at least seven years, during the 1960s. “We didn’t have a military attaché in the Canadian embassy,” explained Mr. Graham, who worked under the cover of Political Officer. “And to send one at the time might have raised questions. So it was decided to make our purpose less visible.” Mr. Graham said he worked as a spy for two years, between 1962 and 1964. His mandate was to visit Soviet bases, identify weapons and electronic equipment and monitor troop movements. The espionage missions began after President John Kennedy asked Prime Minister Lester Pearson – at their May, 1963, summit in Hyannis Port, Mass. – whether Canada would abet American intelligence-gathering efforts in Cuba ….”
- Columnist on priorities for Canadian history “…. changes will see the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the largest museum in the land, become a history museum with an emphasis on showcasing our great deeds. Other museums, according to the report, will be asked to do more to reflect past glories. It’s expected there will be an emphasis on the military and conflicts, such as the War of 1812. In keeping with this, the government has announced it is renaming buildings in Ottawa in honour of 1812 veterans. The monarchy will be given a greater place in museums, as will our sporting heritage, particularly hockey. At hockey games, we’re now expected to stand and cheer thunderously when military personnel are introduced, as though it’s the 1940s …. As fine an idea as it is to celebrate our armed forces and wartime contributions, what about our opposite inclinations? Our postwar history, before the arrival of the Harper government, is predominantly a story about Canada as peacemaker, bridger of differences, conciliator. We were never a bellicose, aggressor nation, not before this period either, and we should never be portrayed as one ….”
