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 – 12 Jul 11

• Afghanistan (1)  A new staging area is being set up in Kuwait to replace Camp Mirage, in the country that dare not speak its name.  “…. the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, as part of two days of meetings in the Middle East, stewarded the signing of a Canada-Kuwait Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The Memorandum of Understanding is a framework document to allow for logistical support to Canadian operations in Afghanistan. Canada and Kuwait enjoy a steadfast friendship and strong bilateral relations …. The movement of equipment and vehicles from Afghanistan requires access to both an airport and sea terminal for the transhipment of materiel back to Canada. The establishment of this support presence in Kuwait allows this to happen in a safe and controlled environment ….”  More from a CF backgrounder here, The Canadian Press here, QMI/Sun Media here, the Globe & Mail here and Postmedia News here.
• Afghanistan (2)  “Canada has finally kept its promise to a brave Afghan interpreter who served alongside Canadian combat troops in Kandahar. Just days after going public in the Sunday Star with his fears of being abandoned as the last Canadians pull out of southern Afghanistan this month, Sayed Shah Sharifi got word that he can have a visa to immigrate to Canada. Shah, 23, was sitting at the front gate of his family’s Kandahar home, with his brother and two cousins, when his cellphone beeped Saturday morning with the text message that not only changed his life, but may well have saved it. It told him to call an official from the International Organization for Migration, an intergovernmental agency that helps bring endangered Afghans to Canada ….”
• Afghanistan (3)  One B.C. Reservist’s story.  “A veteran of the conflict in Afghanistan says he wouldn’t think twice about leaving the Okanagan for another tour. Peachland’s Master Corporal Chris Hilland served 8 months running convoy missions with an armoured vehicle crew in 2008, and now works as a reservist with the BC Dragoons in Kelowna. “It was the most rewarding experience of my military career, if not my entire life,” says Hilland, “I got to go to another country to bring a bit of Canada with me and give people the opportunity to experience some of the freedoms that we have here in Canada,” he says. Hilland believes Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan has made the country a better place, making it safer and easier for working people to provide for their families. He adds most of the Afghans he would talk to on a daily basis were appreciative of Canada’s involvement in ousting the Taliban from power and attempting to establish democratic government ….”
• Afghanistan (4)  More legacy storyline, this time from families of the fallen.  “The battle may be over, but the sacrifices will never be forgotten. As Canada withdraws its combat troops from Kandahar, the families of Southwestern Ontario soldiers who paid the ultimate price agree Canada should be proud of its military legacy in Afghanistan ….”
• Afghanistan (5)  Another legacy story, but this time, what the war has left behind in Edmonton.  “…. it felt, very much, like Edmonton’s war, in which soldiers and reservists based here played a disproportionately large role. Approximately one-third of those who served in Afghanistan were based here -as were 41 of the 157 who died. Every rotation of the mission included some troops from CFB Edmonton. This war hit close to home, especially in those north Edmonton neighbourhoods near the base, and in northern bedroom communities such as Bon Accord and Gibbons, St. Albert and Morinville. Of course, Edmonton was a garrison town long before the Afghan mission started. But these past 10 years have transformed our city’s relationship with the military, reminding us forcibly that the soldiers we sent off to fight were our neighbours, our workmates, our friends ….”
• Afghanistan (6)  At least one organization in Manitoba is helping mobilize events honouring the just-wound-down mission.  “Canada’s combat role in Afghanistan has ended although some 900 service personnel will remain to train the Afghan Military and Police forces. Manitoba has deployed some 1000 soldiers to Afghanistan over the past years and an organization has been formed to welcome our troops home and thank them for their dedication, service and in seven cases, the ultimate sacrifice. Military Heritage of Manitoba Inc., has formed “Manitoba Salutes”.. It’s a program supported by community, business, government and military personnel, to stage and assist in the coordination of a series of events to publicly recognize and celebrate the service and sacrifice of military personnel. “Manitoba Salutes” will provide assistance to organizations that currently stage military recognition events and provide a military presence at annual fairs and other community events ….”
• Afghanistan (7)  Crystal balling what’s next for the CF.  “…. So at the end of the Kandahar mission — one which has entailed tragic human sacrifice and injury within the Canadian Forces and massive financial expenditures by the government of Canada — we have the positive by-product of a much more robust and capable, experienced, more internationally respected, and confident military force. Exactly what we do with this going forward will largely be determined by the flow of international events, which are far beyond Canada’s control or even influence ….”
• Afghanistan (8)  A Sault Ste. Marie Reserve unit wonders how much it can help the new mission.  “…. “We committed a lot of people to the mission for a unit our size,” said Lt. Col. Blake Golder, commanding officer of the 49th Field Regiment, the Pine Street Armoury reserve unit that sent 33 personnel to Afghanistan since 2006. He believes as many as 50 reservists, about one third of the unit, may have volunteered for assignment but were denied because their skills were not required or because of medical problems. Usually, the Armed Forces were augmented by several hundred reservists for a six-month tour of Afghanistan, the 49th specializing in artillery, military police assistance and headquarters staffing. “I imagine there is a role for the regiment in Canada’s new mission, but I have yet to see anything on the qualifications needed for consideration,” said Golder ….”
• Taliban Propaganda Watch:  A couple of alleged attacks on Canadians from earlier this month.
• Special ops choppers over Windsor starting tonight.  “Helicopters from 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron will conduct urban night flying training in Windsor, Ontario from 12-14 July, 2011. This training will help familiarize the pilots with the challenges of flying in an urban environment at night. The training is scheduled to occur on 12 and 13 July between 10 p.m. and approximately 1 a.m. If the training is cancelled on either of these dates due to inclement weather, there may be flights on the 14 July. The helicopters will be visible operating at a low altitude in close proximity to the Chrysler Building at 1 Riverside Drive. The helicopters will approach the building at a low altitude from a variety of directions, hover over the building for a brief period of time and then depart and repeat the process until the pilots have become proficient ….”  More on that here.
• F-35 Tug o’ War:  Even Holland is slowing down its acquisition of F-35′s (thanks to Mark Collins for this one). “The Netherlands has decided to delay and stretch out its acquisition of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. In a July 1 letter to parliament, defense minister Hans Hillen says that a revised plan, reflecting the most recent schedule changes “starts the flow of production aircraft in 2019, and lasts until 2027″ ….”
• What’s Canada Buying: Big Honkin’ Ship Edition  “As Ottawa prepares to award two mega contracts for shipbuilding, a political bun fight has broken out regarding which provinces should get the $33-billion booty. Both the Conservative government and New Democrats initially declared the process must be free of political shenanigans, with the contracts being awarded transparently, purely on merit. But this is Canada. And there are four bids in a contest that will see only two provinces receive the thousands of jobs and industrial benefits that will flow from the work. Last week, several New Democrats from Quebec suggested the process is being too rushed to allow their province a fair shot in the bidding process. That prompted B.C. cabinet minister Ed Fast to step forward: “I don’t know where the NDP is coming from. We had hoped the whole process would be clear of political interference.” NDP press secretary Marc-Andre Viau defended his party’s politicking: “Our Quebec City MPs want sustainable shipbuilding jobs for the people of their region.” ….”
• What’s Canada Buying?  Wanted:  Someplace to house, feed visiting military bands for a big get-together in Quebec, help in researching use of UAVs over land and sea (Statement of Work downloadable here) and figuring out better ways to identify ships electronically.
• Canada (reportedly) taking part in multi-national exercise in Chile.  ”A multinational peaceful military exercise was launched in Chile on Monday to enhance the participating forces’ capability to handle peacetime missions. A total of 600 soldiers from Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, the United States, Mexico, Uruguay and Chile are involved in the joint exercise code-named “Huemul” that lasts till July 15. The drill is aimed at better preparing the forces for such tasks as humanitarian aid, peacekeeping and disaster relief, Chilean Defense Minister Andres Allamand said during the launching ceremony.”  More from the Chilean Army in Spanish here (Google translation of news release here) and Spanish-language media here (Google translation here).
• Artcic Watch  “A Coast Guard vessel is heading to the Arctic where scientists will map out another section of the continental shelf, staking out the undersea territory and resources that belong to Canada. The Louis St-Laurent will be accompanied on its four-month mission by the United States Coast Guard cutter Healy. This is the fourth year that a Canadian ship has spent mapping the shelf that lies below the Arctic waters to determine where it extends beyond the limit of 200 nautical miles from shore over which Canada already has exclusive jurisdiction to exploit and explore …”
• One historian’s opinion:  “It is entirely appropriate that the Canadian military play an important role in Canadian citizenship ceremonies and in all other manner of public celebrations in Canada from the welcome of foreign leaders, to major national sports celebrations, and even to provincial and civic ceremonious occasions. Such participation not only reflects historical reality, it also signifies that the Canadian Forces are a central institution of Canadian government, because the defence of the nation is key to both Canadian governance and independence ….”
• A British soldier training in western Canada appears to have been shot during a live-fire training exercise.  ”A British soldier has been shot twice by a fellow squaddie in a training-ground exercise. The lance sergeant was hit in the arm and leg. He suffered substantial blood loss from a severed artery. Army chiefs believe the shooting during live-fire training in the plains of Alberta, Canada, was a horrific accident. The victim, a Grenadier Guardsman, was flown to the UK for surgery at Selly Oak military hospital in Birmingham ….”  A bit more here.

WHAT’S CANADA BUYING? Stem cell research, accessible housing and living/working in tight spots

• Stem cell wound research:  MERX version (excerpt from Statement of Work here):  “…. Histological Evaluation of a Murine Wound Model for Mesenchymal Stem Cell Tissue Regeneration Studies …. The study purpose is to develop a model to follow the healing process after the application of stem cells which should accelerate the regeneration of tissue repair. The model will provide a visual window with which to observe and measure various tissue regeneration features ….” My plain English version: “How do wounds, specifically rodent wounds, heal using stem cells to rebuild tissue?  We need someone to take and watch tissue samples for the experiment.”
• What do you do after a military jet crashes at a civilian airport?  You have to clean up, of course: ”DEFENCE CONSTRUCTION CANADA (DCC) – #AC119506 – Soils Remediation of a CF18 Crash Site, Lethbridge County Airport — The work includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the supply of labour, material, supervision and equipment necessary to remove, transport and dispose of approximately 900 tonnes of impacted surface soils (<1.0m) at a licensed/permitted facility and the restoration of the site to pre-crash conditions …. The estimated cost for this opportunity is in the order of $69,000.00 …. The tender closing date is: December 14, 2010 ….”
• What does the research say about how people do in tight or isolated places? “…. Defence Research & Development Canada (DRDC) has a requirement for a Contractor to provide DRDC with a thorough overview of scientific research literature that examines psychological adaptation in people working in isolated, confined or extreme (ICE) environments ….”
• New accessible housing in Shilo: “DEFENCE CONSTRUCTION CANADA (DCC) – #SL11702– Barrier Free Access Residential Housing Unit, Shilo, Manitoba.  The work includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the supply of labour, material, supervision and equipment necessary to construct a new single family Barrier Free Access (BFA) Residential Housing Unit (RHU) …”
• Making houses accessible in Petawawa: “DEFENCE CONSTRUCTION CANADA (DCC) – HAKPA67 – Barrier Free Renovation, 3 Houses – Petawawa, Ontario     The work includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the supply of labour, material, supervision and equipment necessary to renovate three (3) existing residential units to become fully handicap accessible in Petawawa, Ontario ….”
• A one-year contract extension for a “staging base” for Brit adventure training near Suffield while the UK’s Ministry of Defence reviews its priorities: “…. Canada intends to award a contract to the present supplier of the Adventurous Training Military Staging Area. The Lazy H Trail Company Ltd has been providing the military staging area and related services under contract with Department of National DEFENCE on behalf of British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) prior to 2001.  The staging support infrastructure consists of exclusive accommodation for 160 people/3000 per year, telecommunications, fully equipped kitchen, manned warehouse, workshop, equipment storage, 10 offices, lecture room, conference room, recreation areas, gymnasium, parking for 28 vehicles, 12 trailers, 3 commercial buses, year round vehicle wash bay; and services consisting of laundry, catering, janitorial, and horse back packing for 620 people. The current contract will expire on March 31, 2011.  The near and long term future of an Adventurous Training Military Staging Area is uncertain due to recent developments by the United Kingdom’s Strategic Defence and Security Review, Ministry of DEFENCE (MOD). Alternatives are being considered as part of an investment appraisal and the future need for a staging area will be considered in 2011 but is unknown at this time.  MOD has committed to the ongoing delivery of Adventurous Training and Challenge Pursuit Activities for an additional year until March 31, 2012; the staging area and related services must be available for April 1, 2011 for the 2011/2012 training period ….”

WHAT’S CANADA BUYING? Specialized parachute training and English-language courseware

Wanted:

• Someone to teach high altitude, high opening parachute operations (more in Statement of Requirements available here)
• This Minnesota-based company to build live-fire “kill houses” for Brit training in Suffield
• Someone to build a new office building on Oxford Street in London
• Someone to provide English as a Second Language (ESL) online courseware for “up to 450 concurrent users for autonomous Canadian Forces Francophone members”.