Archive for the ‘Afghanistan, Kandahar’ Category
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – May 18, 2013
- Afghanistan It appears Canada’s CDS did attend the big meeting in Belgium “The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Tom Lawson, joined his North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) counterparts this past week for the 169th meeting of the NATO Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting provided the Chiefs of Defence of NATO and its Partners with an opportunity to review and discuss updates on a number of issues relevant to the Alliance …. The two-day conference focused on NATO Transformation and the progress made in its Connected Forces Initiative and Smart Defence projects. Discussion also covered NATO’s current major operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as the planning for NATO post the 2014 mission in Afghanistan ….”
- “All charges against a Nova Scotia woman in the Royal Canadian Navy who is fighting cancer, and who was charged with being absent without leave, have been dropped, the woman and her lawyer say. “I feel fantastic, I feel vindicated, it’s been a long 11 months. Between having to face a court martial and fighting cancer, some days I didn’t know which one was more difficult. But now I can just focus on getting better,” said Able Seaman Carol Anne Deyoung. Both Deyoung and her lawyer, Maj. Sarah Collins, said the charges were dropped Friday afternoon. The Department of National Defence confirmed Friday evening that all charges against Deyoung have been dropped ….”
- “Lights, action, weapons free. Canada’s special operations forces soldiers have produced a slick sales video showcasing their fighting skills — on water, in the air and room-by-room in the close confines of a building. At a time when special forces soldiers are in the limelight with movies like Zero Dark Thirty, which tells the tale of the U.S. hunt for Osama bin Laden, the video gives a brief window into Canada’s cadre of shadow warriors. The three-minute video begins showing six soldiers climbing aboard a Griffon helicopter, flying low, and then rappelling to a rooftop. It goes on to highlight soldiers parachuting from a C-130J Hercules transport at high altitude, speeding along the water in rigid-hull inflatable boats, and driving in what appear to be specially equipped Humvees ….” You can check out the video here.
- Meanwhile, a less-than-desirable video pops up …. “A stolen iPhone and a sex tape that’s been circulating for three years has left a young woman’s military career in ruins. Alexandra-Kim Martin-Roberge joined the Canadian Forces in May 2009, dreaming of serving in the infantry. One of only two women in the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment, the Quebecer had planned to join the combat mission in Afghanistan. But one indiscretion destroyed her reputation, her self-esteem and her integrity in the eyes of comrades. In 2010, while on a 12-month assignment in Alberta, a fellow soldier stole her smart phone and copied a 13-minute clip that depicted her having sex, her face clearly visible. “He managed to take my phone during a patrol,” Martin-Roberge told QMI Agency. “Ten days later I found out all the guys were swapping it. It was like an atomic bomb. For a woman in the infantry, this is the worst thing that can happen.” ….”
- “By the shore of Hudson Bay (background), just south of Churchill, Man., Cpl Réjean Lefebvre (middle-ground) and Sgt Steven Amos (foreground) prepare to drop rescue equipment from the back of a CC-130 Hercules to Royal Canadian Air Force personnel who had already parachuted to the ground to help mock victims on the frozen tundra. They are members of the 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron’s search and rescue team, based at 8 Wing in Trenton, Ont., who participated in TigerEx 2013, a week-long exercise to hone their Far North lifesaving skills. The annual search and rescue exercise took place May 13-17 ….”
- From the RCAF Info-machine: “Therapy on wheels: healing the wounds of war through art“
- F-35 Tug o’ War Mark Collins on “Will the Canadian Government Keep the RCAF’s Hornets Buzzing?”
- DND Info-machine’s latest Backgrounder on Aboriginals in the Forces
- From the Halifax Shipping News blog: “Work is continuing on HMCS Athabaskan, though it appears they are only tending to her holes now ….”
- “On behalf of the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Minister for La Francophonie, the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State (Western Economic Diversification) and Member of Parliament for Blackstrap, will pay tribute to Canada’s Veterans by participating in a ceremonial puck drop during the Memorial Cup tournament (tonight)….”
- “The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs), (yesterday) announced increased support for regional security projects in the Caribbean that well help to improve security in the hemisphere and fight the problem of organized crime. Canadian support will help to equip the Regional Security System (RSS), a collective security organization for the eastern Caribbean, with new radar, infrared scanners and avionics for its air wing. Minister Ablonczy made the announcement at the E.T. Joshua Airport in Kingstown and was joined by partners including Ralph Gonsalves, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, National Security, Grenadines Affairs and Legal Affairs, and Grant Watson, Executive Director of the RSS ….”
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – May 16, 2013
- Afghanistan Canada officially declares Taliban, Haqqanis terrorists - more here and from the Public Safety Canada Info-machine here
- Chris Karigiannis, 1975-2007, R.I.P. “It began as a touching gesture, with a group of students planting a tree at their school in memory of an alumnus, a Canadian soldier who had been killed in Afghanistan a year before. It was Nov. 11, 2008. It could have stopped there. Such well-meant tributes, born in the emotion of tragedy, often do. But in the years that followed, something absolutely remarkable happened at Laval Liberty High School in Laval. “The kids got it,” is how Daniel Johnson, a behavioural technician at the school, puts it . “They got that it was important what he (the soldier) did, that he had committed himself to a higher cause. “The kids said it can’t end there,” Johnson says. “They said we can’t care for him, but we can care for his friends. And that’s when everything changed.” The soldier was Sgt. Chris Karigiannis of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton. He had graduated from the school, when it was called Chomedy Polyvalent High School, in the early 1990s ….”
- Way Up North (1) “The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council, (yesterday) assumed the chairmanship of the Arctic Council for a two-year period, 2013-2015. The Arctic Council is the leading body for international cooperation in the Arctic region. “I am honoured to chair the Council at this important time in the history of the circumpolar region,” said Minister Aglukkaq. “Canada’s chairmanship theme of Development for the People of the North will put the interests of Northerners first.” Minister Aglukkaq thanked the Indigenous Permanent Participant organizations and Arctic Council states for their support for the program to be undertaken during the Canadian chairmanship and Sweden, in particular, for its strong guidance over the last two years. “Canada is determined to see Arctic communities benefit from the economic boom that is unfolding in the region,” said Minister Aglukkaq. “The Arctic Council will establish a circumpolar business forum to foster sustainable circumpolar economic development.” Following today’s signing by Arctic states of the Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic, the Council will focus during Canada’s chairmanship on actions to prevent oil spills in the Arctic marine environment ….” - more on the Arctic here, here and here.
- Way Up North (2) “The Relay for Life is an international event that takes place each spring to raise funds and awareness for the Canadian Cancer Society. More than 20 countries from across and the world will participate this year. Last year, there were more than 17,000 teams across Canada and the Frozen Chosen are now, for a second year in a row, proud to be part of this global movement. Fundraising for The Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life has been enthusiastically embraced by all station personnel at Canadian Forces Station Alert. Throughout the spring months of 2013, the Alert family has come together in a unique show of solidarity to support this great cause. The Relay for Life in CFS Alert will take place on May 18 and 19 as a 12-hour fundraising event ….”
- “On a windy hilltop, Don Tremblay was watching soldiers through binoculars and thinking back to another hilltop 60 years ago where a few young Canadians fought a desperate battle. wednesday was a chance for modern soldiers from the Royal Canadian Regiment to remember what Canadians went through in Korea, in what they now call the Battle of Hill 187. It began in the dark, when a Canadian patrol ran into a much larger group of Chinese soldiers in the valley between their two fortified hilltops ….”
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – May 15, 2013
- I’m back.
- “The federal search and rescue system is back under the microscope after three military helicopters were unable to help rescue an Innu Nation leader who went into the water in Labrador on Wednesday because they were grounded for repairs. This comes one week after an auditor general’s report warned federal search and rescue (SAR) capabilities are at the break-i n g point, and after Newfound-land and Labrador’s emergency services minister said the feds weren’t doing enough. Former Innu Nation grand chief Joseph Riche was hunting with three other men on Park Lake about 80 kilometres southeast of Happy Valley-Goose Bay on Wednesday evening when the canoe he was in overturned, spilling him into the water. The Happy Valley-Goose Bay RCMP detachment was called, which kicked off a series of events that included National Defence being called upon to assist. But while there were three Griffon helicopters at nearby Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay, which CFB Goose Bay spokes-man Capt. Dave Bowen estimated as being about a 40-minute flight from Park Lake, all three were grounded for repairs. Bowen said one was going through a midterm refit, the second was undergoing modifications, and the third had been deemed unsafe to fly only a few days earlier because of a cracked windshield ….”
- Shortly after the AG’s report…. “The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Lead Minister for Search and Rescue, today welcomed new funding for the Newfoundland and Labrador Search and Rescue Association as part of an $8.1 million federal investment in search and rescue prevention and response in Canada, through the Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund ….”
- Liberal Senator: “If Defence Minister Peter MacKay sometimes appears to be sleepwalking when addressing problems within Canada’s military infrastructure, I can assure you he has been incredibly active. MacKay has been busy perfecting a strategy called “the Nod-and-Dodge Defence.” It has nothing to do with defending the country and everything to do with defending himself. The minister’s black belt mastery of Nod-and-Dodge was front and centre earlier this month, as he defended the federal government’s continued neglect of Canada’s search and rescue capacity. Effective search and rescue (SAR) is vital in a country with a huge expanse of rough, remote terrain and frigid waters. About 20,000 people a year in Canada depend on quick and capable responses — from foundering fishermen to lost children, from downed pilots to missing boaters to avalanche survivors ….”
- Afghanistan Australia’s CDS is in Brussels talking about the future of the AFG mission – wonder if our’s is too?
- Mali “Canada will contribute an additional $10 million to help stabilization efforts in Mali. The new funds were announced as international donors prepare to meet this week in Brussels on how to rebuild the North African state. Mali fell into turmoil after a 2012 coup led to Islamic fighters taking over wide swaths of the north, prompting an international military force to intervene ….” More from the info-machine here.
- Syria (1) “A coalition of aid groups launched a public campaign Tuesday to raise money for Syrian refugees, saying demand for assistance far outpaces global government donations. The Humanitarian Coalition said they believe Canadians want to support the estimated 6.8 million people affected by the ongoing civil war in Syria, but don’t know how. The Syrian-Canadian community has exhausted its resources to assist family members and churches and unions have tried to help as well, said Robert Fox, executive director for Oxfam Canada ….”
- Syria (2) “Why we need to stay far, far away from Syria“
- “Does A New Supreme Court Ruling Put Idle No More Protesters In Peril?”
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – April 12, 2013
- Afghanistan Editorial on cuts to danger pay “…. Their rationale was that serving in Kabul, where our troops are training Afghan security forces until March 31, 2014, is not as tough or dangerous as when Canadian soldiers were actively hunting insurgents during our deployment in Kandahar, which ended in 2011. Perhaps not. But surely the current mission in Kabul, as the public correctly perceives it, is also fraught with grave risks and difficult living conditions for the more than 900 brave women and men in uniform who are there to serve their country. With about a year to go on this mission, such significant pay cuts seem petty and, considering unsurprising reports the pay reductions have hurt morale, shortsighted. Since those pay reductions are already taking effect, the committee should heed Ottawa’s words and retreat without delay.”
- “A federal audit has clearly shown that Ontario’s Liberal government is ducking its duty to oversee quality of care at Canada’s largest veterans facility, activists and opposition critics say. They’re urging the province to force regular inspections and proper accountability at the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre, where complaints about neglect and other issues prompted Veterans Affairs Canada to order the audit. To date, however, the province has insisted Sunnybrook can look after itself, and that the facility answers to Ottawa. “This denial of responsibility is typical for the (Liberal) government,” said Christine Elliott, health critic for the Progressive Conservatives. “It’s only when things blow up that they’ll finally accept responsibility.” The audit ordered by Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney finds that Ottawa’s responsibility extends to ensuring Sunnybrook spends the $26 million in federal tax dollars appropriately, while Ontario is responsible for enforcing standards of care. The audit cites a 1988 agreement among Sunnybrook, Ottawa and the province that says Ontario “shall use its best efforts” to ensure the facility meets its obligations under provincial quality rules and standards. Unlike similar facilities in Ontario, the 500-bed veterans centre is excluded from the provincial Long Term Care Homes Act which, among other things, mandates annual inspections with results posted publicly ….”
- Way Up North “Canadian Rangers and a myriad of armed forces personnel are teaming up in the High Arctic this month for Operation Nunalivut, an exercise designed to collect and report information relevant to protecting Canada’s Arctic sovereignty while training personnel to operate in the harsh weather and terrain. The annual exercise, coordinated by Joint Task Force North since 2006, began in Resolute Bay, Nunavut on Apr. 2 and will continue until the end of the month. Participants will go out on the land and by air to conduct patrols and report back to the headquarters in Yellowknife, who will in turn contact Ottawa with their findings ….”
- “Statement by the Army Commander following the visit of NATO Commander of Allied Land Command”
- “The Royal Canadian Air Force officer who headed up the aviation element of the latest Rim of the Pacific Exercise considers RIMPAC a huge learning experience for all 22 participating countries. Every two years, at the invitation of the United States Navy, the armed forces of an increasing number of countries congregate around Hawaii to strut their stuff. It’s effectively as close to actual combat as it gets. Canada and Australia have been involved with the U.S. since the first RIMPAC in 1971, but the latest exercise saw non-U.S. officers in key command positions for the first time. Mike Hood, a Brigadier General when he oversaw the Combined Forces Air Component Command at RIMPAC 2012, has since been promoted to Major General and named Deputy Commander of the RCAF. He also has been appointed Director of Staff within the Strategic Joint Staff, which determines training requirements and priorities for all commands within the Canadian Armed Forces ….”
- “Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird (yesterday) announced that Canada is taking further action in preventing sexual violence against women and girls in conflict areas. Canada will contribute $5 million this year to help prevent conflict-related sexual violence and to respond to the needs of victims ….”
- Ooopsie…. “A “technical anomaly” appears to have knocked out Canada’s Radarsat-1 satellite, which has been beaming images of everything from Arctic ice to oil spills down to Earth for almost 18 years. The satellite, which gathered detailed images day and night, through cloud, smoke and haze, malfunctioned on March 29. “Expectations of a full recovery are low,” the Canadian Space Agency said in a statement Tuesday. An expert team is trying to determine what is wrong with the aging satellite, which helped “set world standards” for Earth observation, says Michel Doyon, manager of flight operations for the space agency ….” - more here. The good news: “…. This situation does not impact the security of Canadian borders, coasts and northern territories as RADARSAT-2 continues to provide critical, high-quality data ….”
- “Prime Minister Stephen Harper has come out swinging against New Democrat Alexandre Boulerice for the Quebec MP’s 2007 blog post that praised communists who opposed the First World War and cast the conflict as “a purely capitalist war on the backs of the workers and peasants.” “I find the comments outrageous, inflammatory, unacceptable,” said Harper in Calgary ….”
- “Sault MP Bryan Hayes says Korean War Veterans in Sault Ste. Marie and area should be properly recognized. He’s put out a call to area residents in the riding, asking them to submit their stories or identify members of the community who fought in the Korean War so they can be recognized at a special anniversary celebration later this year. Hayes said he has already received some feedback from three living Korean War Veterans and from several family members of other deceased vets. The Sault MP said 2013 is a special year in Canadian history and the Minister of Veterans Affairs has marked the year as the Year of the Korean War Veteran. In July, Canada will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that led to the conclusion of combat on the Korean Peninsula ….”
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – April 11, 2013
- Afghanistan “A planned cut to the danger pay of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan is under review after the prime minister’s office intervened. National Defence officials recently scaled down the risk level for the armed forces serving in the war-torn country — and subsequent hardship pay by a reported $500 a month. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s spokesman Andrew MacDougall said Wednesday the government asked the officials to head back to the drawing board and “consider all the factors” before imposing the pay chop ….” – more here and here (including a switch in message)
- Ooopsie …. “A military judge is questioning why a navy non-commissioned officer who was facing a court martial for charges involving dishonesty was transferred to a top-secret intelligence unit in Halifax, violating the military’s own security rules. In 2011, Petty Officer 1st Class D.W. Morton convinced a colleague to take a mandatory fitness test in his name. Members in the Canadian Forces need to maintain no less than a pass in order to be eligible for promotion. “Your motive for these offences was for personal gain,” court documents from the case said. Despite the charges and the military’s own regulations, which forbid navy non-commissioned officers from being transferred while facing a court martial, Morton was posted in December 2012 to HMCS Trinity, an intelligence facility base that depends on officers being trustworthy ….”
- RCAF Info-machine: flyers back since first week of March “The crews of two CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft returned last month from Exercise Proud Manta, the world’s largest anti-submarine warfare exercise. Held off the coast of Sicily, Italy, the exercise ran from February 23 until March 6. The exercise involved 16 aircraft, eight surface ships and four submarines from 10 NATO countries. The Auroras and four crews came from 407 Long Range Squadron, located at 19 Wing Comox, British Columbia, and from 404 Long Range Patrol and Training Squadron and 405 Long Range Patrol Squadron, both located at 14 Wing, Greenwood, Nova Scotia. A CC-177 Globemaster III from 429 Transport Squadron, located at 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario, also deployed. In total, more than 100 Royal Canadian Air Force participated in the exercise, which was based at Sigonella Naval Base in Italy ….”
- Editorial “…. With three coasts to patrol and a world full of complex problems, Canada needs a modern navy that can work with its allies to protect its interests and ensure the seas remain free based on the rules of international law.”
- North Korea More calls for Canada to reconsider ballistic missile defence
- WW1 (1) “It’s fascinating to see controversy stirred up over an old blog post by NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice in which he called World War I “a purely capitalist war” and lamented how, at the Battle of Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917, “thousands of poor wretches were slaughtered to take possession of a hill.” Conservatives, led by Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney, have expressed outrage and demanded Boulerice apologize. So far, he hasn’t. For the record, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair had already released a statement praising the legendary efforts of Canadians soldiers in the landmark battle ….” – more here
- WWI (2) “NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice refuses to retreat from a blog post that praises communists and slags the First World War as a “capitalist” conflict. Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney has demanded Boulerice apologize for the 2007 post that came to light on Tuesday on the 96th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Boulerice offered no defence of his comments, but he did shoot back at Blaney on Wednesday. “I think Mr. Blaney yesterday, it was the last day to engage in partisan politics and to try and score points like that, with old stories,” said Boulerice in Montreal. “He is the minister who is making the largest cuts in support programs for disable veterans.” ….”
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – April 10, 2013
- Afghanistan (1) “The federal government is reducing danger pay for Canadian military personnel who are currently serving in Afghanistan on training missions, saying that the country is not as dangerous as it used to be, according to Radio-Canada. Starting in mid-April, the cut in danger pay will result in a loss of about $500 a month. The current tour ends in late summer, meaning this decision is coming half way through their tour ….” – discussion of the change over at Milnet.ca here
- Afghanistan (2) Joshua Baker, 1985-2010, R.I.P. “Prosecutors are seeking a harsher sentence for a veteran Canadian Forces reservist convicted in a deadly Afghanistan training accident. Darryl Watts was found guilty in December of unlawfully causing bodily harm and negligent performance of military duty, but not guilty of manslaughter. He was demoted two ranks to lieutenant from major and given a severe reprimand. Watts filed an appeal of both his sentence and conviction last month. But the director of military prosecutions has filed a cross-appeal in the case. The prosecution had requested jail time for Watts during sentencing arguments as well as his dismissal with disgrace from the Canadian Forces. “Yes, the Crown will be asking the Court Martial Appeal Court to substitute a greater punishment in lieu of the sentence imposed by the court martial,” prosecutor Maj. Tony Tamburro confirmed in an email to The Canadian Press ….”
- Afghanistan (3) “Children and their parents are better able to play a healthy and active role in their community and contribute to the long-term economic growth of Afghanistan thanks to investments in health by the Harper Government. (Yesterday) Chris Alexander, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence, on behalf of the Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of International Cooperation, announced a new partnership with Save the Children that will help provide critical nutrition supplements to pregnant and nursing mothers, and children in their first years of life ….”
- Video (1) A BC student’s video of what the new, young veteran is all about
- Video (2) Another video including a Canadian soldier highlighting the scars we never see
- “The 139-year-old Royal Military College of Canada’s authority is under siege, and the school’s leaders are powerless to protect it. Professors’ promotions have been frozen, programs are being scaled back, and dozens of academic jobs are in jeopardy – all at the hands of a federal government asserting control over the school as it grapples with dramatic fiscal shortfalls. Those moves at the RMC, the country’s only federally run university, have spurred growing concerns that its academic quality could be under threat, and that a climate of cutbacks might drive the school back toward its technical roots. The measures have also revealed fault lines in the governance of the school, which has tried to reconcile academic independence with federal oversight for decades …. a new report, to be released Tuesday, argues RMC’s leaders have had their power to shape its academic experience slowly stripped away. The report, penned by an independent panel of three accomplished RMC alumni, says civil servants are running the school more like a government department than a university, damaging morale and making it harder to attract and keep leading academics from civilian universities ….”
- Mark Collins on “The Military and Canadian Identity”
- RCAF Info-machine on new online learning system
- Twitter warning from DFAIT: “#Terrorists are reportedly planning to kidnap Westerners in #Sudan, probably in #Khartoum“ – more here
- Norh Korea “Is it time for Canada to join the U.S. in a continental ballistic missile defence (BMD) program? ….” – more here
- “As Canada develops its own economic pivot towards the countries of the Asia-Pacific, it’s also going to have to develop a coherent security policy toward the region. It’s going to need imaginative thinking and focus to develop a policy tailored to deepening our trade and investment ties while simultaneously addressing the security needs of those with whom we want to do business. Canadians are not strategically-inclined by nature; geography has conspired to align our security interests with those of the United States. But we’re going to have to change our thinking and get serious about the kind of role we want to play in the world’s fastest-growing neighborhood. If we don’t, we will quickly find ourselves marginalized in what many are now calling “the Pacific century.” ….”
- “The 150th anniversary of a military unit involved in many high-profile Canadian missions has been recognized by Canada Post with the launch of a new commemorative stamp. The Princess of Wales’ Own Regiment, which formed in Kingston, Ont., pre-dates Confederation with its creation in 1863 and continues to play an active role in the Canadian Forces. “The Regiment’s contributions dating back to the 1860s through to the recent Canadian mission in Afghanistan are truly commendable,” says the Honourable Steven Fletcher, Minister of State (Transport). “This resilient element of our military history deserves this recognition for its efforts over the last 150 years to help make Canada the best country in the world in which to live.” The Regiment’s first deployment came in 1866 when it was sent to the Niagara region to deter Fenian attacks from the United States and its members have served as part of the Canadian Forces in every major conflict since ….” – you can take a closer look at the stamp here
- “Message from His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, on the Occasion of Vimy Ridge Day”
- “Harper Government Remembers the Battle of Vimy Ridge”
- “Harper Government Marks the 96th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge”
- “Liberal Statement on the Anniversary of Vimy Ridge”
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – April 9, 2013
- Mark Collins on why columnists say people become bad guys
- Afghanistan “Following World Health Day, celebrated on April 7, Parliamentary Secretary Chris Alexander will, on behalf of the Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of International Cooperation, announce a health-related project for women and children in Afghanistan ….” this afternoon
- Promotions announced – congrats to all
- More from the RCAF Info-machine on how the RCAF is helping protect Iceland
- “April 30 is the deadline for Aboriginal youth to apply for the Bold Eagle Program. Every year, the program takes 92 Aboriginal youth from western Canada and Ontario into a Canadian Forces summer training program in Wainwright, Alberta. The program involves a cultural component, learning from First Nations elders, and then a standard military basic training. The training includes military knowledge, weapons handling, navigation with map and compass, first aid, drill, outdoor field craft and survival skills. “The whole purpose behind the program is to give them a summer employment opportunity where they can complete the army reserve basic training,” said Bold Eagle Coordinator Major Nolan Kemp, “at the same time have the cultural support built in, and at the end of it, leave with some money in their pocket, friendships, and a better resume for the future for whatever they want to pursue.” Maj. Kemp said that 50 to 60 percent of the graduates of the program go on to find employment with the Canadian Forces, either full-or-part-time, but that it’s not the point of the program ….”
- “His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, will tour Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Borden for the first time since his installation, on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, from 11 a.m to 2 p.m …. During his visit to CFB Borden, His Excellency will inspect the honour guard and receive the “Royal Salute”, after which he will embark on an aerial tour of the base on board a CH-146 Griffon helicopter. The flight will allow the Governor General to see the base in its entirety, as well as observe the capabilities of 400 Tactical Helicopter Squadron and a demonstration by the Canadian Forces Fire and CBRN Academy. His Excellency will then visit the Multi-faith Facility to speak with padres and proceed to Dyte Hall where he will observe interactive displays from base units and lodger units located within the geographical boundaries of the base. He will conclude the day with a tour of the Canadian Forces Military Police Academy ….”
- Africa “The Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute released a report …. “West African Canaries in the Gold Mine: Investment Outlook and Challenges for Burkina Faso & Mali” …. A new report from Chris Roberts, President of African Access Consulting, argues that there are three probable scenarios that both Burkina Faso and Mali will face in the future. In the worst case scenario Mali experiences a “half-hearted, delayed, and ultimately unsuccessful international effort to consolidate the successes of the French-led northern liberation, increasing local and regional instability.” ….” – more in the report here
- “On behalf of the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Minister for La Francophonie, the Honourable Gordon O’Connor, Minister of State and Chief Government Whip, will join His Excellency Philippe Zeller, Ambassador of France to Canada, at a wreath-laying ceremony to mark the 96th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Veterans, youth and members of the Canadian Armed Forces will also be in attendance ….” today
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – April 4, 2013
- Think tank report: time for Canada to focus its foreign military training work “…. (LGen (Ret’d) Mike) Jeffery argues that the primary goal of foreign military training is to “raise the effectiveness and capacity of military forces so that receiving nations may achieve internal stability.” For many nations, the report argues, this development of a professional military is a “central pillar of nation building.” Canada’s military assistance, provided under the Military Cooperation Programme, has been largely successful, Jeffery argues, because of its “consistent application of support over time.” However, “its weakness is in spreading training over too many recipients (to date over 70 nations), thereby diffusing its effectiveness.” ….” – more in the report (11 page PDF) here
- Afghanistan More updates from folks in uniform “On 20 February 2013, the Kabul Military Training Centre (KMTC) reached an important milestone during the 200th parade of graduates from the course for recruits, formally known as Basic Warrior Training (BWT). At the parade 1,400 Afghan National Army (ANA) recruits received diplomas and have now been assigned to other military formations to fill positions in weapons or support trades, or even leadership roles based on their potential. This event might seem insignificant, but it has important implications for Afghans as well as the Canadian, Australian, British, Jordanian, Turkish and French military personnel involved in the training of the ANA at KMTC ….” By the way, are the media waiting to head to Afghanistan for the last ROTO only? Story not worth telling if nobody is getting shot at?
- “The Royal Canadian Mint is proud to announce that proceeds from the sales of its Highway of Heroes silver commemorative coin has raised $100,000 each for the Afghanistan Repatriation Memorial Fund (AMRF) and the Military Families Fund (MFF). The donations were presented (yesterday) at a special ceremony at the Afghanistan Repatriation Memorial ….”
- North Korea (1) Former diplomat on the latest nuke threats from North Korea “Canadian prime ministers have three files with a permanent place on their desks: national security, national unity and the U.S. relationship. When those files intersect, they require special attention. Sooner rather than later, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is going to reconsider the Canadian decision to stay out of Ballistic Missile Defence ….”
- North Korea (2) Columnist: deja vu all over again?
- North Korea (3) Academic: does anybody REALLY want a change?
- North Korea (4) Want to read more? Check here (Google News) or here (the North Korean info-machine in English)
- Algeria “Two years before the deadly al-Qaeda linked attack on an Algerian refinery, one of the two Canadian militants who participated in the assault made a farewell tour of London, Ont., and said goodbye to those he knew, CBC News has learned, as more details emerge about the young men. Where Ali Medlej disappeared to before the deadly attack in January and how he may have been trained to participate in it are not yet known, but CBC News has learned that Medlej and fellow militant Xris Katsiroubas had been searching for a radical path, something they didn’t find in their city’s main mosque or at a youth centre. One of Medlej’s friends remembers a disturbing conversation with him, in which he said he was wrestling with a spiritual pursuit, but didn’t want to give up girls or drinking. He said Ali told him, “There’s things that I just can’t give up on in my lifestyle, and it’s hard for me to be a practising Muslim, so why don’t I just be a shaheed [martyr] and go straight to heaven instead of all the effort that I can’t seem to do.” ….”
- Way Up North “The ice in Canada’s western Arctic ripped open in a massive “fracturing event” this spring that spread like a wave across 1,000 kilometres of the Beaufort Sea. Huge leads of water – some more than 500 kilometres long and as much as 70 kilometres across – opened up from Alaska to Canada’s Arctic islands as the massive ice sheet cracked as it was pushed around by strong winds and currents. “It took just seven days for the fractures to progress across the entire area from west to east,” said Trudy Wohlleben, senior ice forecaster at the Canadian Ice Service. She said it was “spectacular” to watch from Ottawa, where she and her colleagues track the ice with satellites. While ice fracturing is common in the Beaufort, few “events” have sprawled across such a large area so quickly or produced cracks as long and wide as those seen this spring, according to NASA Earth’s Observatory, which features the fractures this week ….”
- Canadian Reserve medics train with American colleagues “For members of Canadian armed forces taking part in a March joint training exercise at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., an American welcome meant dealing with plenty of trauma. Three soldiers and one sailor from different Canadian forces medical units traveled to northern California to participate in training, working as members of a U.S. Army field hospital. “I used to work with the Infantry, so I hope to gain experience with sustaining patients in a hospital setting,” said Canadian army Master Cpl. Joey Huskinson with the 18 Thunder Bay Field Ambulance. Their presence was immediately noticeable as the training began in early March. “We welcomed them right in from day one its been like they were a part of us,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Timothy A. Strange from Indianapolis, a medic with the 801st Combat support Hospital. Strange thinks having Canadian military forces train with U.S. forces will help strengthen the relationship. “Having them train with us in this joint effort is superb,” said Strange. “It brings the nations closer.” Canadian forces Maj. Christian Borland a nursing officer with the 18 Field Ambulance from Thunder Bay, Ontario, hopes the group learns to be diverse. “I want them to learn that there is more than one way to accomplish the mission.” “Its not always done the way we do it.” ….”
- A framework for Canadian, American military forces to work together during civil emergencies “…. The purpose of the Canada-United States Civil Assistance Plan (CAP) is to provide a framework for the military of one nation to provide support to the military of the other nation while in the performance of civil support operations to the primary agency (e.g., floods, forest fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, and effects of a terrorist attack) ….”
- Congrats to Postmedia News for sharing the documents! “A targeted cyber attack on a private company or organization controlling a piece of Canada’s critical infrastructure could leave the federal government on the sidelines, able to offer help but with no guarantee that it would be accepted. Nor would there be any way for the federal government to force companies to accept its involvement should a targeted hack take down critical infrastructure such as electrical plants, water systems or rail, an issue identified during two cyber exercises last year. “Not clear what the federal government could actually do. The federal government does not ‘solve’ the problem for the affected entity, only coordination and providing advice. Ultimately, it’s up to the entity to fix the problem,” reads a summary of issues and questions arising from the summer exercise. “The effected (sic) entity must ask for assistance. Even then, they are not required to accept federal government help and the federal government cannot impose or force the entity to do anything.” ….”
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – March 27, 2013
- “(Northumberland—Quinte West Conservative) MP Rick Norlock says there are no plans to rethink moving a secretive commando unit to CFB Trenton despite expected cuts in defence spending. The feds wrapped up the expropriation process on the remaining properties needed to construct a 400-hectare training facility for Joint Task Force 2 in August, 2012. Norlock, who sits on the government’s parliamentary defence committee, was unable to provide a timeline as to when construction of the massive training facility is expected to begin. “All indications I have is that the project is a go, but I don’t have a definitive date,” said Norlock. Norlock said the extent of defence department budget cuts won’t be known until the budget implementation bill is tabled in the House of Commons. A national defence spokesperson told QMI Agency in February a design contract for a JTF-2 training campus north of CFB Trenton would be issued “soon.” But now it appears the government could move the project back. “I don’t know when an RFP for design work will be issued,” said Norlock ….”
- What’s HMCS Ville de Quebec up to?
- Canadian, American engineers train together “For two weeks in March 2013, members of the Royal Air Force 3 Wing Construction Engineers Canadian Forces Base, Bagotville, Quebec, made the 145th Civil Engineering Squadron at the North Carolina Air National Guard Regional Training Site in New London, N.C., their home ….”
- New fire trucks for the Air Force
- More on Canada’s Air Force guarding the skies of Iceland for a while
- Way Up North (1) “Is (Canada’s) Arctic focus being lost?”
- Way Up North (2a) “Myth of fresh Cold War in Arctic won’t die”
- Way Up North (2b) Russian media: ” ‘US anti-missile reshuffle, really, aimed at control over Arctic resources’ “
- “SOSsitter, the site that helps Canadians find a local nanny, babysitter, special needs caregiver, pet sitter, or a cleaning lady, is offering a permanent discount on its services to families in the Canadian Forces. “The Canadian Forces today have more than one million individuals in service, and many tend to their family needs while on duty,” says Paulina Podgorska, founder of SOSsitter. “We have more than 15,000 caregivers and housekeepers registered across Canada, they are all ready to help.” ….”
- “Harper Government Supports Military Families at “Military Families Matter” Event in Cornwall” by having Minister of Veterans Affairs give keynote address
- Afghanistan “A man who worked alongside Canadian Forces troops during the war in Afghanistan has been denied entry to Canada. Esmatullah Meherzada, like hundreds of Afghans, worked with Canadian soldiers on the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team. Now that the war is over, he’s worried Taliban fighters will kill him for the work he did. Meherzada qualified to emigrate to Canada under a special program started in 2009 and closed in 2011. But after he applied to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, he was flatly denied. Meherzada said last August he received a rejection letter from Canadian immigration officials saying he was not trustworthy, and may even be an insurgent ….”
- “Minister Toews to speak at the Symposium on Countering Violent Extremism” today
- “Members of the RCMP-led Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) arrested and charged one Windsor resident with False Report of a Terrorist Activity and Public Mischief. In December 2012, the Windsor RCMP received information of a possible terrorist plot involving several males in the Windsor area. INSET investigators immediately began investigations into the reported plot. Extensive interviews and enquiries were conducted which led to investigators determining the reports of terrorist activity were false. On December 24, 2012, INSET investigators with the assistance of the Windsor Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police arrested Abdul Raham ELSAFADY (33 years old) of Windsor, Ontario ….”
