MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 24 Dec 10

• The push continues in southern Afghanistan. “Hundreds of Canadian, American and Afghan troops pushed deep into Taliban country this week as part of an operation to rout the insurgents from an area in Kandahar they use to stage their attacks. The coalition said its forces faced little resistance from the enemy fighters during the three-day mission, called Operation Khenkakak after a village in the area, southwest of Kandahar city. No one fired on the Canadians and no one found any improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, said Maj. Luc Aubin, a senior operations officer with Canada’s mentoring team. He added the Americans did encounter some of the makeshift bombs ….”
• More on how Canadian engineers have been helping in the push in the south. “…. Operation HAMKARI is part of an overall effort to bolster residents’ confidence in the effectiveness of their government while discouraging them from supporting the insurgency. To this end, a series of construction projects linked to security were identified in partnership with local communities. Canada’s share of the construction work done under this government of Afghanistan initiative was performed by the 3rd Specialist Engineering Team, composed of personnel from 1st Engineering Support Unit in Moncton, N.B. Engineers have played a very important role in Op HAMKARI, and many coalition engineering units have actively participated in the initiative from the beginning ….”
• Taliban Propaganda Watch:  Politicians’ meeting allegedly disrupted by Taliban attack in Zabul, and more on Taliban calling UN report on civilian casualties (accusing Taliban of 3/4 of civvy cas) propaganda.
• No political guarantees for the PM with the coming Canadian training-only mission in Afghanistan? “The political ground beneath the Harper government’s feet is set to shift in 2011 when Canada’s military boots on the ground end their combat mission in Kandahar mid year. Switching to a non-combat training mission in Kabul may make the political terrain relatively safer for Canada’s minority Conservative government. But like any IED-wary military convoy that lumbers into the Kandahar outback, the potential for explosive political surprises always lurks beneath the surface ….”
• “The Supreme Court of Canada knocked down a legal roadblock on Thursday and paved the way for a class-action lawsuit over military veterans’ pensions. Military mechanic Dennis Manuge filed the suit on behalf of about 6,500 injured veterans and it was certified by the Federal Court. But that certification was later rejected by the Federal Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court reinstated the original decision in one of six related rulings on a technical legal issue that has real-life implications for how lawsuits are allowed to move through the courts …. Manuge, of Porters Lake, N.S., was injured in 2002 at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa. The government later decided to take back $10,000 of his disability pension after he left the military ….” Text of the SCOC decision here, and more from mainstream media here, here and here.
• Remember the scumbags calling families of soldiers in Afghanistan to say their loved ones are dead?  It’s happening in Australia, too.
• Missed this one earlier:  we have a winner in the “who’s going to convert Canada’s Leopard tanks?” sweepstakes. “…. Canada has …. contracted with Rheinmetall to modernize and overhaul Leopard main battle tanks taken over by the Canadian Army from the Dutch armed forces; the order is worth around €17 million. By the start of 2012, a total of 42 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks are to be refitted to meet Canadian Army standards and enable integration into existing C4I structures ….” More from United Press International here.
• Some Canadian sub “refits” are taking longer than planned. “There’s been yet another delay in the completion date for the refit of Canadian navy submarine HMCS Victoria, one of four subs bought from Britain 12 years ago. The ship has been in dry dock at CFB Esquimalt, near Victoria, for more than three years and was supposed to return to service late last year, but that was extended to late 2010, and now to the middle of next year. The defence department blames the delays on a lack of parts and technical knowledge, but those problems have apparently been solved. The department says the lessons learned from the Victoria refit are being applied to the three other submarines, one of which, HMCS Chicoutimi, suffered a fire in 2004 that killed one sailor during the sub’s maiden voyage in the North Atlantic ….”
• Remember the whole “CF apologizing for including the Mohawk Warrior Society in a draft of a counterinsurgency manual” thing?  The National Post‘s editorial board doesn’t like the idea. “…. Our military may find value in building better relations with First Nations communities and people, but this apology — to be delivered early next year — will simply reinforce aboriginal leaders’ tendency to wallow in the politics of victimhood. It is politically correct wallpaper covering over the reality of continued aboriginal militancy.”
• Guess which former military officer/multiple murderer-rapist has been named “Newsmaker of the Year” for 2010 by newsrooms across Canada? “…. Some may recoil at the thought of Williams as 2010′s top newsmaker, but it’s an “act of news judgment,” not an award, said April Lindgren, a veteran reporter who now teaches journalism at Toronto’s Ryerson University.  “People have to understand, he wasn’t selected Newsmaker of the Year because he’s a great guy,” Lindgren said.  “He was selected Newsmaker of the Year because of the magnitude of his evil, and because of the news his deeds generated.”  In the long history of The Canadian Press year-end survey, criminals rarely draw many votes from those who produce the country’s newspapers, newscasts and news websites. Despite their notoriety, killers like Clifford Olson, Paul Bernardo and Robert Pickton were never selected …. While there was little argument about the journalistic importance of the story, some voters admitted they couldn’t bring themselves to cast a ballot for Williams.  “I just couldn’t vote for Russell Williams — it would be like when Time (magazine) declared Hitler ‘Man of The Year,’” said Murray Wood, news director of radio stations CJME in Regina and CKOM in Saskatoon ….”
• Why did the town of Newcastle, Ontario remove a poppy from a street sign for a street named for a veteran?  Because he’s an AMERICAN military vet (even if he’s living in Calgary now)?  How’d they remove the poppy on the sign?  Covering it up with tape. Goofy enough for you?  More on the fracas here and here.
• OK, I think this really is enough with the “riding Santa’s coat tails” for PR, folks. Santa stops by CFB Winnipeg.  “Does CFS Alert supply Santa?“  On the other hand, Andrew Mayeda may have been just a touch harsh bursting some bubbles saying Santa isn’t real.  Still, if the others hadn’t poured it on….