MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 5 Nov 11

• Remember the Memorial Ribbon announcement yesterday?  It appears to be gone now (except for a few media outlets that ran with it early here and here, at Army.ca for discussion, and here (PDF) for posterity).  Hmmmm…..
• Remembrance Day  “So far this year we’ve been spared the almost annual clash between the custodians of the red Remembrance Day poppy and anti-war activists who promote the white poppy of peace ….”
• Veterans getting a lot of mention in the House of Commons these days - more from Hansard here, here, here and here.
• The Applebees restaurant chain is offering a free meal on November 11th to veterans – I especially love Army.ca owner Mike Bobbitt’s idea of donating what the meal would have cost to the Soldier On fund.
• Poochies helping those with hidden wounds.  “Dave Desjardins says he’s convinced a Rottweiler named Maggie helped save his life. The 41-year-old retired soldier was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder in 2005, a few months after he returned from Afghanistan. When he first met the dog last year, he was addicted to morphine and afraid to leave his home for anything more than a quick cigarette in the backyard ….”
• Toronto Star articles on dealing with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and how DRDC labs are helping.
• Libya Mission  Softball question in the House of Commons on when the troops are coming home from the Libyan theatre o’ operations:  “Mr. Speaker, earlier this year Canada responded rapidly and strongly after the UN Security Council passed a resolution to protect civilians who were being attacked by the Gadhafi regime in Libya. In less than 24 hours CF-18s were airborne from 3 Wing Bagotville en route to their operating base in Trapani, Italy, along with strategic air-to-air refueling support from 8 Wing Trenton’s Polaris aircraft. Canada also sent a frigate to patrol the central Mediterranean. Could the associate minister of national defence please inform the House when our heroes are coming home?”  I guess the Conservative member for Chatham-Kent—Essex missed the news release here, not to mention all the media advisories here, here and here.
• While troops return from Libya, veterans will be pressing for better benefits.  “There will plenty of celebration Friday and Saturday as cabinet ministers travel to air-force bases around the country to welcome home Canadian Forces personnel from a mission in Libya that saw rebels overthrow long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The 630 members of Canada’s military are returning home from Operation Mobile and NATO-led Operation Unified Protector, which saw them enforce an arms embargo and a no-fly zone around the North African nation for most of this year. Julian Fantino, the Associate Minister of National Defence, has been dispatched to Bagotville, Que., to greet troops Friday afternoon. Chris Alexander, the parliamentary secretary to the Defence Minister, will be waiting for them on Friday night in Trenton, Ont. And Defence Minister MacKay will be at 14 Wing Greenwood in Nova Scotia on Saturday, an event that was delayed by weather. At exactly the same time that Mr. MacKay is shaking hands with the folks getting off the plane from Libya, veterans from Afghanistan and other conflicts will be on Parliament Hill protesting what they say are unfair benefits for people who have put their lives on the line for their country. It is the second Veterans National Day organized by Canadian Veterans Advocacy against the New Veterans Charter, which the group says discriminates against military personnel who were injured after April, 2006 – a time when Canada suffered most of the casualties in Afghanistan ….”
• Afghanistan (1)  CBC columnist reminds us Canada’s still at war in Afghanistan, training mission or not.  “…. the reality is that while Canada’s military pulled out of a costly, direct combat role this summer, it is now plunging even deeper into the real heart of the war ….”
• Afghanistan (2)  Kandahar handover more than just handing over the keys (via the CF Info-Machine).
• Afghanistan (3)  “The Government of Canada is one of the most generous donors to the World Food Programme globally and also in Afghanistan ….” (via the World Food Programme Info-Machine)
• Taliban Propaganda Watch  Mullah Omar:  Guys, guys, guys – you want to get at least a bit of a grip on the civilian casualties? (links to non-terrorist web page)
• Kevin Megeney, 1982-2007, R.I.P.  “Final submissions heard at ex-reservist’s court martial” (via The Canadian Press on CTV.ca)
• Stuart Langridge, R.I.P.  “Shaun Fynes bristles as he recalls the Canadian military’s treatment of his son, Cpl. Stuart Langridge. “They threw Stuart away like a piece of broken equipment,” he says in War in the Mind, Saltspring Island-based filmmaker Judy Jackson’s moving, revelatory film about combat trauma. It airs Nov. 8 (9 p.m. and midnight) on Knowledge Network. “We have to do everything we can to resurrect his reputation,” says Fynes, whose son, a young veteran of Bosnia and Afghanistan, hanged himself at Canadian Forces Base Edmonton in 2008 at age 28, the victim of post-traumatic stress disorder. Langridge’s parents have taken issue with their son’s treatment at the hands of the military ….”
• Let’s not forget we have troops in the Middle East, too.  “On the Golan Heights since July, Canadian army Capt. John Hooyer saw something new Thursday. It rained. He had been told by officers there before him that the rocky high ground between Israel and Syria does grow green. The area is fertile, home to vineyards and orchards. It is also the source of the headwaters of the Jordan River. But almost halfway into a year-long deployment with the United Nation’s observation force, Hooyer said he has watched the ground get drier and drier. Hooyer is one of seven Canadian soldiers assigned to Operation Jade, Canada’s contribution to the UN’s oldest peacekeeping mission. Hooyer is stationed around six observation posts on the Israeli side of the border with Syria. “It’s surprising how many people are not aware the UN is operating observation posts up here,” Hooyer said in a telephone interview ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (1)  Yet ANOTHER question in the House of Commons.
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2)  Mark Collins on numbers and locations (some that may be no more?)
• Mark Collins again, this time on how long some of the Big Honkin’ Ships’ll take to build - more on that here.
• Speaking of Big Honkin’ Ships, ooopsie….  “A Canadian navy ship that had just undergone a yearlong, $44.7-million facelift struck a dock in Halifax on Friday afternoon, causing damage to both. HMCS Preserver, one of the navy’s supply ships, had just returned from several days of tests at sea and was in the process of turning around when it struck the Halifax Shipyards dock, said Royal Canadian Navy spokesman Maj. Paul Doucette. No one was injured, but Preserver’s upper starboard side was damaged, as was the dock ….”  More at CBC.ca here, and the Halifax Chronicle-Herald here.
• House of Commons debate on proposed changes to the CF’s legal system via Hansard here and here.
• Don Cherry declines honourary degree from RMC with thanks (you can still vote here on a CBC.ca poll, though).  “Concerned controversy may take away from “a special day,” Don Cherry has declined an honorary degree from the Royal Military College. “I can’t accept the degree and I won’t attend the convocation,” Cherry said in an interview Friday about the Nov. 17 ceremony in Kingston. “I am sad because I was really looking forward to spending time with the 800 cadets.” Perhaps instead they can line up to get their picture taken with French Professor Catherine Lord. It is because of her bizarre and vitriolic complaints that the legendary hockey coach and commentator wont be there. “On many occasions he publicly expressed his contempt for many groups of the Canadian population, notably for the French-speaking Canadians, for the (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) community and for the immigrants,” Lord wrote in an open letter. “What message will RMC send, in celebrating Don Cherry, to the students coming from these groups? And what will the Canadian people remember from RMC, as a serious and prestigious institution?” The message would be: “Thanks, Don, for all you have done.” ….”
• Big spending by the U.K. to train its troops in Western Canada.  “The Army spends an average of almost £45 million a year (CDN$ 74 million) training British soldiers on a Canadian prairie, the Government said today. Seven thousand troops are sent to British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS), on a prairie in Alberta, each year ahead of deployment to war zones, including Afghanistan. They are able to fire live weapons more freely than in the UK because of the vast size of the prairie in Alberta.  But figures revealed by the Ministry of Defence show spending on BATUS totalled £224.5 million over the past five years, peaking at £58 million in 2009/10. It works out at an average of £44.9 million annually since 2006 ….”  (Article also downloadable as PDF here if link doesn’t work)
  

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 1 Sept 11

• Libya Mission (1)  “Prime Minister Stephen Harper warned dictators of the world Thursday that Canada will not shy from using force to oust them, even as he told Canadian troops here that their role in Libya is not yet finished. “There is, I am afraid, as we have just been briefed, still fighting to be done,” Harper said in a strident address to several hundred Canadian soldiers at this military airfield in southern Italy. “And undoubtedly, there will be, even after that, difficult days ahead.” ….”
• Libya Mission (2)  “Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the work of Canadian forces in Libya has given the country new hope. He says Canada punched above its weight in the international military effort to oust Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. And he says NATO’s success proves soldiers, not diplomacy, were the only way to end his bloody regime. “For the Gadhafis of this world pay no attention to the force of argument,” he told around 100 soldiers gathered at the NATO military base in southern Italy. “The only thing they get is the argument of force itself. And that you have delivered in a cause that is good and right.” But Mr. Harper told the troops the fighting isn’t over yet ….”
• Libya Mission (3)  QMI/Sun Media columnist:  “Enough. Bring them home. For the most part, Canadians have accepted the rationale for our military’s involvement in the Libyan civil war, now apparently winding down. We know that, as NATO partners, we must stand alongside our allies when the shooting starts. We’ve done that for nearly a decade in Afghanistan. Moammar Gadhafi was a madman and one of the most cruel tyrants in a part of the world known for producing them. His role in the Lockerbie bombing alone justifies Canada’s active participation in his ouster. To date, that participation has included 650 Canadian forces personnel, a flight of CF-18 fighters, refueling planes, surveillance craft and a ship. At last count, Canada has dropped 550 bombs in the Libyan campaign. We’re proud of our pilots and their support crews. We’re proud of our sailors. We applaud the work they’ve done in bringing, we hope, democracy to Libya. We’re happy that Gadhafi is no longer running Libya. Now bring them home ….”
• Libya Mission (4) U.N. scraps idea of offering observers.
• Afghanistan  “Canada’s last air wing commander at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan says the Royal Canadian Air Force is well positioned for future missions abroad. Col. Al Meinzinger told Postmedia News his time in Afghanistan, in one of the country’s busiest airbases, showed him the versatility and professionalism of the air force. “The air force is positioned very well based on its most recent experiences to be employed in whatever area the government seeks to use us,” Meinzinger said. “I think the future is exceptionally bright for the RCAF.” Meinzinger said Afghanistan was “the most challenging and difficult (operation) that one would find on the planet.” High temperatures and an abundance of dust added to the pressures of operating within a combat zone. “As I look to the future, I see us as being capable of being deployed in the full gamut of campaigns,” Meinzinger said. “I think it’s that expeditionary mindset that is the legacy of Afghanistan. We’ve proven we can operate under a very austere, difficult, harsh environment.” ….”
• 9/11 Plus Ten (1)  One Canadian aid worker’s view of Afghanistan, tying in with the coming anniversary of 9/11:  “…. When the international community gave up on Afghanistan after a feeble effort at a peace process, during the civil war of the 1990s led by the mujahedeen who decided to eat their own, a bloodbath ensued, followed by the Taliban, followed by bin Laden, al- Qaida, and the atrocities of 9/11. It’s not long enough ago to warrant forgetting. There are lessons there that we need now, desperately. We ignore that history at our peril, and to leave Afghanistan in disarray is to dishonour those lost 10 years ago in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.”
• 9/11 Plus Ten (2)  “A new poll suggests many Canadians feel air travel is safer now than it was before the Sept. 11 attacks. The Canadian Press-Harris Decima survey found that almost four out of 10 respondents feel flying is safer today, while a majority say it is just as safe. Only seven per cent feel air travel is less safe a decade after the terror attacks in New York and Washington ….”
• 9/11 Plus Ten (3)  “Ten years after 9-11, Canada-U.S. relationship has both trouble spots and bright spots” (The Canadian Press)
• Thunder Bay-Superior North NDP MP Bruce Hyer was one of a number of MPs flying (a bit) with the RC Air Force.  “…. “It’s a real honour – and a real eye-opener – to be training here at 8 Wing Trenton with the Royal Canadian Air Force,” said Hyer on his third day of training. “As a former bush pilot, I was especially eager to have the opportunity to go up in some of the aircraft, and learn from the flight crews.” Hyer flew in a CH-146 Griffon helicopter, a CC-177 Globemaster, and piloted a CC-130 Hercules heavy transport in simulator. But the training wasn’t all about flying aircraft. “Seeing the base and touring air traffic control really showed the top shape our Canadian Forces personnel keep their facilities and equipment in,” noted Hyer. “But it was meeting and talking with those personnel that was the really valuable part of the experience. The professionalism and dedication of our personnel is immediately evident, including the ground crews and support personnel.” ….”
• What’s Canada Buying? (1)  “The Government of Canada today announced a new amendment to the CF-18 Primary Air Vehicle contract with L-3 Military Aviation Services (L-3 MAS), an aerospace defence company, to include the full scope of the Optimized Weapon System Support program ….”  More here (backgrounder) and here (Minister’s speaking notes).
• What’s Canada Buying? (2)  Wanted:  someone to build counter-IED instruction buildings in Valcartier and design/build Chinook training accommodations in Petawawa.
• F-35 Tug o’ War (1)  This headline could mean bad things as well as good ones:  “Lightning Strikes Twice: Two F-35s arrive at Eglin AFB”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2)  Why the U.S. establishment is keen to keep the project going.
• “Children of Canadian military personnel who died while serving their country will receive post-secondary education scholarships from Canada Company at the fourth annual awards ceremony commencing at 11:00 a.m. aboard HMCS Montréal in Toronto on Friday, September 2, 2011 ….”
• “Five men convicted of distinct al-Qaeda-inspired bomb plots have ended up isolated in a single wing within Canada’s most punishing prison – a fate they say they don’t deserve. The complaints from the inmates arise as federal authorities struggle with how to jail radical Islamists – whether to isolate them, what programs to craft for them and how to achieve the correctional system’s stated goal of rehabilitation. Government officials say they have good reason for keeping such inmates away from the general prison population, fearing they may radicalize others. But the policy does produce an ironic result: The convicted terror plotters associate mostly with one another ….”
• Border Security  Toronto Star editorial:  “…. Ottawa is quite right to work with Washington to ease U.S. security fears and see that our vital cross-border trade continues to flourish. But there is a natural Canadian suspicion of getting too cozy with the Americans that could lead to knee-jerk rejection of any deal. The best way to address that is to share as much information about these talks, as quickly as possible.”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 21 Jul 11

• Afghanistan (1)  Final report on 2009 fatal helicopter crash in Afghanistan is now out – report here, media coverage here and here.
• Afghanistan (2)  More on the last combat ROTO coming home.
• CF flying even MORE folks out of northern Ontario communities threatened by forest fire & smoke.  “The Canadian Forces evacuated over 500 more people today from the communities of Sandy Lake and Kingfisher Lake, which are among the communities in northern Ontario threatened by wildfires. Working alongside municipal and provincial authorities in the forest fire-ravaged parts of northern Ontario, Canadian Forces aircrew flew residents to safety aboard CC-130 Hercules transport aircraft. Canadian Rangers, activated in 14 communities throughout the area, participated in several of the evacuations. Hundreds more Canadian Forces personnel were involved in the detailed planning and coordination of logistics for this complex operation. …. The air evacuations were conducted by Canada Command’s Joint Force Air Component Commander (JFACC), located at 1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters in Winnipeg. The Canadian Forces aircraft flown in today’s operations originated from 14 Wing in Greenwood, Nova Scotia, 8 Wing in Trenton, Ontario, and 17 Wing in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Canada Command’s Joint Task Force Centre, based in Toronto, mobilized members of the 3rd Canadian Patrol Ranger Group, which assisted in evacuation efforts at Sandy Lake by coordinating the logistical plans, loading aircraft and communicating with the families of community members throughout the operation. …. Canada Command, which is responsible for Canadian Forces operations in Canada, is continuing to work together with other federal, provincial and municipal authorities to assist those Canadians who are still at risk of smoke or threatened by the wildfires. The evacuation is continuing with more flights planned for tomorrow. Since the beginning of July, the Canadian Forces has flown over 2,500 residents of Deer Lake, Cat Lake, Fort Hope, Keewaywin, Kingfisher Lake, and Sandy Lake to safety.”
• Meanwhile, senior cabinet minister Tony Clement drops by some of the northern Ontario forest fire action.
• New boss coming for Canada’s Navy tomorrow.
• What’s Canada Buying? (1)  Aussie firm reportedly part of Canada’s small arms replacement research work - full news release and letter from Defence Research and Development Canada (PDF) available here (via Army.ca).
• What’s Canada Buying? (2)  Loads o’ box lunches for Valcartier & beyond, 130 x “lounge chairs” for Trenton’s Sergeants’/Warrant Officers’ Mess, “a firm quantity of 3000 meters of  (dark blue) Cloth, Tropical, Polyester/Wool” and a clothing/boot shredder (or gym equipment?) for CF Support Unit in Germany.
• What’s Canada Buying? (3)  Does this bit in an invitation to companies interested in providing a new Fixed Wing Search and Rescue Plane mean the CF is considering privatizing search and rescue operations?  Or does it mean the CF’ll consider leasing instead of buying?  Or both?  “…. The Government of Canada will consider all options to ensure the best possible SAR service to Canadians and best value for taxpayers. The main goals of this consultation include:  reviewing project status; reviewing the updated requirements; and seeking Industry opinions on Alternate Service Delivery options.  During the consultation, Government of Canada officials will discuss the outcome of the NRC independent review and provide a summary of the revised key requirements followed by a discussion on potential procurement approaches for FWSAR including Alternate Service Delivery options ….”  We’ll have to wait and see – more on that here.
• What’s Canada Buying – Big Honkin’ Ship Building Edition  “Four provinces are about to begin an anxious wait for the federal government’s decision in a battle to build the country’s next generation of warships and coast guard vessels, but military analysts say the benefits of the program will be widespread – no matter who wins. The deadline for final bids passes on Thursday on $35-billion in contracts to build navy warships, coast guard cutters and other vessels over the next 30 years ….“
• Meanwhile, Senator Colin Kenny explains why Canada needs a decent navy. “…. Countries with navies matter. Countries without them matter mostly to themselves. Canada is never going to rule the world. But while defending itself it can help keep the world from falling apart. Without a navy, we can’t pull our weight on the global stage. If the government wants Canada to matter, it needs to take the navy seriously.”
• Any chance of sharing this report with the readership, QMI Media?  “Criminals have smuggled drugs into Canada’s ports by hiding it in everything from sofas to cat food, water chestnuts, cotton, plastic thermoses, Moroccan pottery, foot spas and bongo drums, according to a new report. The draft government report, obtained through access to information, probes the vulnerability of Canadian marine ports to organized crime and compiles some 20 years of criminal activity in the Montreal, Vancouver and Halifax ports. It paints a portrait of Canadian ports as a gateway for hash, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines smuggled in through shipping containers sent from Venezuela, Guyana, Turkey, Afghanistan, Mozambique, Kenya, Jamaica, with Pakistan reportedly a primary source of hash. Drugs also move out of Canada through the ports, with reports of ecstasy, meth, and cocaine heading from here to Asia-Pacific markets. Records of police arrests suggest counterfeit goods are also coming in, especially through Vancouver’s seaport, from credit cards to cigarettes, pharmaceuticals, electronics and fake designer duds ….”
• “On July 21, the Canadian Forces (CF) contingent participating in the 95th annual International Four Days Marches Nijmegen will visit the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands ….”
• “A French plan to install towering wind turbines within sight of a beach where thousands of Canadians fought a bloody battle launching the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe is raising the ire of some veterans. “I think it’s a disgusting affair,” said Jack Martin, who was among the Canadians who stormed Juno Beach during the D-Day landings of 1944. “I saw so many of my buddies and friends die on Juno Beach that I figure it is very hallowed grounds.” Martin was a company quartermaster-sergeant with the Queen’s Own Rifles during the assault and later ran tours to the beach where 359 Canadians were killed. The French government announced last week that it was receiving tenders for over 1,000 wind turbines off the country’s northwestern coast, including at Courseulles-sur-mer, where Juno Beach is located. The entire project is eventually predicted to power more than 4.5 million homes ….”
• “When Private Richard Harold Armer first arrived at the newly-opened Camp Borden in July 1916, he was far from impressed. “This is an awful place, all trees and shrubs growing in sand… our tent was pitched where there had been a fire and there was plenty of black dust flying around,” he wrote to his wife. “I don’t like this place one bit [but] I am keeping well. I’m in the army now.” …. Pte. Armer, who strongly believed it was his duty to serve Canada and the old country, spent about four months at the Borden training camp west of Barrie. In late October 1916 he and other soldiers boarded a train to Halifax, and then a ship to Europe. Dick arrived in France to fight in April 1917. His journey and experiences were documented in approximately 400 letters he wrote to his wife during his time in service. These letters were kept by descendants of Dick’s children, who still reside in Middlesex County. Late last year the family made the letters available to Museum Strathroy-Caradoc for digitization by volunteer John Sargeant, who scanned each piece of correspondence and read Dick’s story with great interest ….”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 19 Jul 11

• CF getting busier helping fly evacuees out of remote northern Ontario communities because of forest fires.  “The Canadian Forces have supported municipal and provincial authorities in Ontario in evacuating 385 residents threatened by wildfires in the communities of Fort Hope and Sandy Lake. That number continues to climb as Canadian Forces aircraft continue the airlift of threatened Canadians out of Sandy Lake …. Beginning on Sunday, members of the Eabametoong First Nation were evacuated by the Canadian Forces from Fort Hope to Greenstone (Geraldton), Ontario using a CC-130 Hercules military transport aircraft tasked from 424 Squadron at 8 Wing Trenton. In total, 265 people were transported to safety, with the operation ceasing as of Monday morning. Ten members of the 3rd Canadian Rangers Patrol Group assisted in this evacuation effort by coordinating logistics, communicating with families and in the loading of the aircraft. Beginning today, members of the Sandy Lake First Nation were evacuated from Sandy Lake to Sioux Lookout using a CC-130 Hercules aircraft tasked from 435 Squadron at 17 Wing Winnipeg. In total, 120 people were transported to safety as of late Monday afternoon. Fourteen Canadian Rangers also supported the Sandy Lake evacuation ….”
• Wanted:  Media up for a short (or longer) trip to the Arctic to watch the next Canadian Forces sovereignty exercise, Nanook 2011.
• Libya Mission  Scott Taylor’s take on a possible future.  “…. From the outset of the campaign against Libya, the U.S. made it clear they were not going to become fully engulfed in yet another war. Within NATO, not all members agreed to contribute to the enforcement of the United Nations-authorized no-fly zone and only a handful conceded to launching bombing attacks. Of those that did, Norway has now backed out, the Netherlands is ceasing their bombing role and the Italians are hinting they want out of the whole affair. The French and Brits have been the most belligerent players in this game but now even they are looking for a face-saving political solution that may even include Gadhafi remaining in Libya. If that does transpire, Canada is going to have not just a big seat but the only seat left at the proverbial Libyan rebel table. One has to wonder, why?”
• An Al Jazeera journalist based in Bethlehem opines about Canada’s nature.  “…. If the missions in Afghanistan and Libya say anything, it’s that an aggressive Canada intends to be taken seriously.”
• Afghanistan (1)  More “so long, combat mission” coverage, this time from Agence France-Presse.  “Canada’s top general in Afghanistan held his head high as his combat troops flew out of the country on Monday, even if the long war against the Taliban shows little sign of ending. With a spotlight shining on a red maple leaf emblazoned on the aircraft taking them home, Brigadier General Dean Milner led 120 of his troops onto the tarmac of Kandahar’s sprawling airfield built on the same desert where the Taliban was born. It was a farewell of brief, but emotional, handshakes and embraces after nine years of fighting the Taliban which has left 157 Canadian troops dead — their names etched on a marble memorial left behind. “It feels good heading back to family,” said Milner, who refused a soldier’s offer to carry his bag under sand blasts from the desert. “It has been an outstanding mission, with a lot of great accomplishments and I hope there will be good transition,” he added, before giving a thumbs up and climbing aboard the plane ….”
• Afghanistan (2)  A bit more on fast-tracking Afghan interpreters coming into Canada.
• Afghanistan (3)  This, from Mark Collins:  “This rather fatuous Canadian Press article in effect makes a case–with a distinct undertone of anti-Americanism–that if Canada had had its own foreign human intelligence (HUMINT) agency then we would have been much more aware of the
  likelihood of an upsurge in Taliban violence in Kandahar when the decision was made in 2005 to deploy the Canadian Forces for combat operations in that province ….”
• “Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who is expected to conduct a realignment of the bureaucracy after a winning a majority government on May 2, recently shuffled his foreign and defence policy adviser to Agriculture Canada, along with a number of other top changes. Critics say the foreign policy adviser position is an influential one, but that it’s up to the PM to determine the depth of that influence ….”  So far, the old adviser, Claude Carrier , has been moved without a new one being named yet.
• What’s Canada Buying?  Wanted:  someone with expertise in radar systems for research, design work.

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 15 Jul 11

• Libya Mission (1)  Minister of National Defence drops by.  “Canadian troops in Libya are saving lives and helping to mount pressure on the country’s dictator, Moammar Gadhafi, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Thursday. MacKay praised the Canadian Forces personnel involved in the NATO-led mission in Libya during a teleconference Thursday from Naples, Italy, calling them “our greatest citizens and our best ambassadors.” The defence minister met Wednesday with some of the 650 troops stationed at bases in Italy for the operation. Despite the ongoing violence in Libya, MacKay said the Canadian military is helping to achieve “tangible results.” ….”  A bit more in the official CF statement here.
• Libya Mission (2)  Canadian commander:  what suicide plan to blow up Tripoli?  “Moammar Gadhafi plans to blow up facilities such as oil refineries as the embattled leader’s forces retreat from Western-backed rebels in Libya, the Canadian commander leading NATO’s mission said Thursday. However, Lt.-Gen. Charles Bouchard said he had not heard of any plan by the dictator to blow up the capital Tripoli before giving it up — a possibility recently acknowledged by a Russian envoy. Speaking from a base in Italy and accompanied by Defence Minister Peter MacKay, Bouchard said the “Gadhafi regime has given direction to his forces to destroy certain facilities as they withdraw back, such as fuel refineries. “This is a government, this is a leader who will not hesitate to kill his own population to achieve his own personal goals,” he said via video conference. Still, that doesn’t necessarily mean government forces will comply, he said ….”
• Libya Mission (3)  Compare and contrast two models of media coverage of troops at war (h/t to Mark Collins).
• CF helps evacuate folks from remote northern Ontario communities, again.  “The Government of Canada, through the work of the Canadian Forces, evacuated 125 residents of Cat Lake First Nation, Ontario, overnight, after wildfires in the area were threatening their welfare. This operation was undertaken at the request of the Government of Ontario …. Within an hour of the province’s request for airlift support, two CC-130 Hercules; one from 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron, based at 17 Wing Winnipeg and one from 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron, based at 8 Wing Trenton, were en route to the affected community. Less than three hours later, all the residents identified as a priority for evacuation by local authorities were safely on the ground in Kapuskasing, Ontario ….”
• Afghanistan (1)  Former General facing Court Martial for alleged dalliances in Afghanistan:  “…. Retired Brig.-Gen. Ménard has been charged with two counts of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline contrary to section 129 of the National Defence Act. The first charge relates to his alleged inappropriate conduct by engaging in an intimate personal relationship with another member of the Task Force at Kandahar Airfield contrary to Theatre Standing Orders. The second charge relates to alleged attempts by the accused to hinder efforts to find out the facts about that relationship ….”  Here’s what he was originally charged with late last year:  “…. The charges facing Brig.-Gen. Ménard are two counts of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline, laid in the alternative, contrary to section 129 of the National Defence Act (NDA), related to alleged inappropriate conduct as outlined in the Canadian Forces Personal Relationships and Fraternization directives; and four counts of obstructing justice contrary to section 130 of the NDA, pursuant to section 139(2) of the Criminal Code of Canada….”  More from Postmedia News here and CBC.ca here.
• Afghanistan (2)  Great flick from the CF Info-Machine’s multimedia section on Canada’s training and mentoring mission that’s just wrapped up.  Shame it didn’t get out sooner – good job!
• Afghanistan (3)  More video from the CF Info-Machine on how shuras helped get the job done in Kandahar.  Again, shame it didn’t get out sooner.
• Afghanistan (4)  The Toronto Star picks up the “garage sale” story and runs with it.
• Afghanistan (5)  One opponent of the war’s “black or white” assessment:  “The narrative of Canada’s role in the Afghan civil war as told by the country’s mainstream media is designed to lead readers and viewers to two inescapable conclusions: First, that after 10 years, Canada’s involvement in the conflict has come to a definitive end. Second, that thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of Canada’s troops, at least 157 of whom have died with scores more maimed physically and mentally, the West has triumphed unconditionally in Afghanistan. Alas, the balance of probability is high that both these yarns are baloney ….”  A “definitive” end?  “Unconditionally” triumphed?  I’d be happy to see some mainstream media sources using words that specific.  Anyone?  Anyone?
• Paratroopers from around the world meeting, and jumping, around Quinte. “Beach-goers at Sandbanks Provincial Park had some added scenery Thursday as military skydivers took part in an international parachuting operation over Lake Ontario. Military skydivers from Chile, United States, United Kingdom, Poland, Mexico and Canada have been in the Quinte region since the weekend, taking part in Exercise Quinte Dipper, an international exercise, aimed at familiarizing the skydivers with other country’s training methods. Capt. Christopher Nobrega, an adjutant from the Land Advanced Warfare Centre at 8 Wing Trenton said the week-long exercise helps the military personnel familiarize themselves with their counterparts from other countries ….”
• Special Forces helicopter ops over Windsor over and done with.  “Nighttime military exercises over Windsor, Ont., this week have come to an end. And both the Canadian Forces and local residents who came out to watch were pleased with how the manoeuvres went. On two nights this week, two CH-146 Griffon helicopters with the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command buzzed the top of the downtown Chrysler building in the dark. Lights on the choppers were turned off, and the pilots wore night-vision goggles as they approached the building from all directions on Tuesday and Wednesday nights ….”
• New bosses for Royal Military College and 1 Canadian Air Division.
• What’s Canada Buying? (1)  Someone to do a survey of what’s where at the CFB Stadacona Naval Cemetery, research into biomarkers spotting acute low-level radiation poisoning and heated innerwear for divers for delivery to Richmond, Ontario.
• What’s Canada Buying? (2)  “L-3 Communications Corporation, Arlington, Texas, is being awarded approximately $22 million for the hardware and software to upgrade the Canadian Air Force’s training system from the existing Advanced Distributed Combat Training System to the current U.S. Navy Tactical Operation Flight Trainers Roadmap Procurement Program baseline. In addition, this contract includes the installation and testing of the hardware and software for six networked CF-18 nine-panel Tactical Operational Flight trainers; 10 Part Task Trainers and six brief and debrief systems; a theater specific visual database; Simulated Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System; new personal computer-based image generation; and operator, maintenance and user defined file training for approximately 10 students ….”
• Preserving Korea’s stories.  “Capt. Mort Lightstone spent 6,600 hours in the air during the Korean War. He doesn’t want that to be forgotten. “As time goes by, we lose memory of those bad times,” said the 78-year-old veteran, who joined the Royal Canadian Air Force when he was 18. Today, he takes pride in talking to students around the country about his experience as a navigator in the war, and teaching them how to “salute veterans.” Lightstone, who served for 28 years in the Canadian military, still remembers how terrifying it could get. “We knew dying was part of the game,” he said, adding it shows the determination to defend people’s rights abroad. Lightstone believes every Canadian should have a chance to know what veterans went through as they fought during World War II and the Korean War. He is among the war vets who have joined the Historica-Dominion Institute’s Memory Project to help get their stories heard and shared by Canadians ….”