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 – 11 Aug 11

• Canadian military helicopters, support staff headed to Jamaica to help out in case of hurricanes.  “Dozens of Canadian troops are heading to the Caribbean this week to assist the Jamaican military with medevacs and search and rescue during the region’s annual hurricane season, Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced Wednesday in Trenton, Ont. As part of Operation Jaguar, which could last until the end of November, Canada will deploy three CH-146 Griffon helicopters as well as 65 Canadian Forces personnel from Canadian Forces bases in Goose Bay, N.L., Bagotville, Que., and Trenton ….” - more on OP Jaguar here (CF Info-Machine version), here, here, here, here and here.
• Helping out Colombia. “Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced Canadian support for new and ongoing projects that will enhance peace, security and justice in Colombia and the region. Areas of focus include preventing conflict, combating transnational criminal activity, facilitating access to justice, responding to the global threat of terrorism, ensuring security at major events and land restitution. The announcement was made during an official visit with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos ….” – more in backgrounder here.
• Boss of CFB Trenton on to other tasks.  “The current commanding officer here has always been proud to call the air base his home.  He helped heal it. He helped put it on the global map.  Taking the lead of the largest and busiest air force base in the country 18 months ago, outgoing commanding officer Col. Dave Cochrane helped launch Canada’s new emergency response mission Op Jaguar along with minister of National Defence Peter MacKay Wednesday morning – a day before relinquishing his command to Col. Sean Friday.  “Since taking command last February we have done continuous operations,” said Cochrane. “It is because of efforts like Op Hestia in Haiti, our support to the Vancouver Olympic Games, the ongoing support to Afghanistan, and most recently our response to the wild fires in Northern Ontario where thousand of residents were evacuated that our emergency response units and personnel here at 8 Wing that I am proud to call this wing home and being its commander.” …. “It’s been truly amazing,” said the commanding officer, who will proceed on the advanced training list to attend the Defence and Strategic Studies Course – a top level curriculum for senior military officers and government officials engaged in national security issues – at the Australian Defence College later this year ….”
• Letter writer doesn’t seem to get it.  1)  Writer worried about brutality of Canada’s military police after the Provost Marshal’s annual report says there’s been more investigations of sexual assault, assault and death.  2)  CF Provost Marshal writes back saying:  “These are complaints investigated by or reported to Military Police; the way the letter is written would suggest that these complaints were against the Military Police. This is clearly wrong.”  3)  Original letter writer:  “I am still unclear though as to who committed more than 700 alleged crimes, in 2010, that Grubb stated in the press that he himself was concerned about.” >>insert banging head on wall smiley here<<
• What’s Canada Buying?  Boots, first for “user acceptance trials”, then loads if OK – more here in part of bid document (PDF).
• Editorial on need for more help for homeless vets:  “…. as important as it is to find and fund a solution, correctly identifying the problem is just as crucial.  For the most part, we don’t even know who these veterans are and how they ended up on our streets. Scant research has been done in this country. But a recent study by Susan Ray and Cheryl Forchuk, two nursing professors at the University of Western Ontario, challenges the assumption that these veterans are down and out because they suffer from addictions or mental health problems that can be traced back to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Few among the dozens of homeless vets they interviewed had ever been deployed overseas. Their average age was 52 and it often took a decade or more after their release from the Forces before they ended up on the street. Many said they learned to drink while in the military and that alcoholism helped drive them to ruin.  What this points to, according to the Western Ontario researchers, is that Veterans Affairs is having some success in identifying and assisting veterans with PTSD. Primarily, those falling through the cracks in Canada seem to be a different group who have trouble making the transition to civilian life — from a highly structured environment to one with much more freedom to make choices …. the phenomenon might be more complex than we imagine and that we need harder data if we are to respond effectively and proactively over the long term ….”
• Libya Mission  Some of what HMCS Charlottetown was up to. “…. The ship’s superior combat co-ordination and communications systems led to its periodic assignment as Surface Action Group Commander, in which Charlottetown directed the tactical employment of allied warships and maritime patrol aircraft in the area while co-ordinating patrol areas and alert levels for shipborne helicopters. These same capabilities, summarized under the rubric “C4ISR” — standing for the command, control, communications, computing, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems — allowed the ship’s combat control centre to alert NATO to a major offensive on April 26 against Misrata by Gadhafi forces. Working with NATO air controllers, Charlottetown’s operations staff assisted with the co-ordination of air strikes that blunted the attack and eliminated several dozen assault vehicles, artillery pieces and a main battle tank. The ship had repeat performances on May 8 and 24. This Canadian frigate is responsible for saving Libyan lives and preventing Libyan military offensives against the residents of Misrata — big achievements for one ship of Canada’s navy.”
• Afghanistan  Macleans before-and-after in Kandahar. “…. In the weeks and months of the transition from Canadian to American control, much has changed in Kandahar. The heavy hand of the American war machine has devastated the lives of many villagers. In the Arghandab valley, one elder tells Maclean’s that before the Americans came, there was peace. “Sure, the Taliban were in control,” says the 80-year-old Haji Abdul Jabar, “but they never bothered us. They treated us with respect. Now the Americans have come and they are destroying our gardens with their tanks. When they patrol the village they trample over our irrigation canals. And now war has come. Wherever the Americans go, war follows them.” ….”
• PM’s got a new (acting) foreign & security advisor.  “Prime Minister Stephen Harper has brought in Christine Hogan as his acting foreign and defence policy adviser to replace Claude Carrière, who moved out of the position last month to become associate deputy minister at Agriculture Canada. Ms. Hogan, who is usually the assistant secretary to the Cabinet, foreign and defence policy, stepped into the key role temporarily after the departure of Mr. Carrière on July 11. A permanent replacement has yet to be named and the PCO has been tight-lipped on when that would happen, but former diplomats say that the next person to step into the role must be knowledgeable, well-connected, and experienced ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War  The good news:  American F-35′s back at work.  The bad news:  not flying yet, though.

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 7 Jun 11

• Afghanistan (1)  Let’s not jinx it, but it appears the last push is done.  “The Canadian army’s last major offensive sweep through Kandahar’s restive Panjwaii district ended quietly, almost imperceptibly, and not with the sort of thunder one might have expected on such an occasion. The two week operation, led by the Afghans and eagerly showcased by Canadians, pushed through roughly 18 objectives and dozens of wasted hamlets. It was a far cry from the fierce gun battles and rolling artillery barrages of early in the war, when the Canadians were doing the majority of the fighting — and dying ….”  The Globe & Mail’s version here.  Continue to stay safe, folks.
• Afghanistan (2)  “…. (Afghan MP and author) Fawzia Koofi lives with the fear of death daily, but she’s optimistic Afghanistan can rebuild itself. Poverty and a lack of security are still massive problems, but she says her country is changing its perspective. “The people of Afghanistan seem to be very happy with the achievements they have had in the past ten years, like freedom of speech, media, respecting women’s rights and human rights,” says Koofi. “This is a nation in progress; it’s a nation in transformation.” She says Afghanistan is getting better at making its parliament work, but Canada could help with security. “Equipment and training for our police and army. Also, in terms of human development. We need Afghanistan to improve its human indicators like education, health.” ….”  More on Koofi’s new book here (Amazon.ca).
• Afghanistan (3)  Big Honkin’ Dam Update.  “It is a bizarre sight in the middle of this vast and scorching desert: a tropical Eden of exotic birds and dazzling flowers enveloped in a fine cool mist, and all because of the torrents of water roaring from the Dahla Dam’s hydraulic gates. If future generations of Afghans remember anything about Canada’s five-year quest to bring security, stability and development to Kandahar, it will almost certainly be for fixing up this paradise on a plateau to the northwest of the capital of Kandahar province. Canada has invested $50 million to bring the Dahla Dam back to life and clean up 74 kilometres of irrigation canals connected to the Arghandab River. The project is to be completed by year’s end. As a result, the Arghandab’s waters will reach 70,000 hectares of farmland and 80 per cent of the people in perhaps the most violent corner of this country ….”
• Libya Mission (1a)  Question Period response to “What’s the Mission?” from the Foreign Affairs Minister:  “…. There is no change in the military mission. The military mission was approved by the United Nations through resolutions 1970 and 1973 to protect the civilian population from attacks by Gadhafi’s forces ….”
• Libya Mission (1b)  I guess Ceasefire.ca doesn’t read Hansard.  “…. what exactly is that mission? Is it to prevent the killing of civilians by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi? Is it to prevent killings of civilians by either side? Is it to overthrow Gadhafi, as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Foreign Affairs Minister recently suggested ….”  This is the same Parliamentary Secretary who said Afghanistan wasn’t a war a while back (more on that here and here), so caveat emptor on the subtle details.
• More from Question Period:  Whazzup with Canada’s spending huge bucks shutting down its operation at UAE, but reopening a new one in Kuwait?  Following some Oxbridge pleasantries, this from the Defence Minister: “…. I can …. tell the member that his figures are completely wrong. Those numbers are completely false. What we have done, obviously, is to make arrangements to have logistic hubs in parts of the Middle East that allow us to continue the logistic support for the ongoing mission in Afghanistan. That is the intention of the department, nothing more than that ….”
• The House of Commons also recognized 11 CF members for their hard work – congrats.
• From the 2011 federal budget, released yesterday:  “…. As a key element of the Government’s plan to restrain the growth in overall spending and return to budgetary balance over the medium term, Budget 2010 reduced the growth in National Defence’s budget by $525 million in 2012–13 and $1 billion annually beginning in 2013–14.  The Department of National Defence used the 2010 strategic review process to examine its spending in order to realize these savings.  The Department of National Defence is making changes to streamline departmental operations, optimize efficiencies, and align programs with core missions and government priorities. As a result of these changes, the Department is better able to focus resources to achieve long-term sustainability in order to fulfill commitments made in the Canada First Defence Strategy and to deliver as capable, agile and sustainable a defence organization as possible. The Department has identified savings proposals and is on track to achieve its targeted savings ….”
• What’s Canada Buying? (1)  Mark Collins spots an interesting tidbit about the CF already starting the long hunt for a replacement for the Griffon helicopter.
• What’s Canada Buying? (2)  Canada’s shipbuilding sweepstakes are about to begin.  “Some of the hottest political action in Ottawa this summer will happen over massive contracts to outfit the Canadian navy and Coast Guard for years to come. At stake are thousands of jobs, but as provincial premiers rotate into Ottawa to make the case for their regions, industry lobbyists have been told to stay away. The Canadian military is buying more than 30 new ships for the navy and the coast guard, including frigates, supply ships, patrol boats and icebreakers. An estimated $35 billion worth of contracts are up for grabs as part of a strategy to cover Canada’s needs for the next three decades. Two shipyards will be picked from among four competing for the work. The deadline for proposals is July 7, and the selection process could take another two months after that. The entire procurement process could take up to two years ….”
• What’s Canada Buying? (3)  Latest from MERX:  Marksmanship training for Junior Canadian Rangers in NWT, help researching how spread-out groups can make better military decisions, and fixing plane tires.
• Canadian sailors taking part in Exercise Sea Breeze 2011 near Ukraine.  “Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Monday launched the Sea Breeze 2011 military exercises in South Ukraine’s Odessa and Nikolaev regions. Naval, land and air exercises under the title “Planning and carrying out the international peacekeeping operations” will be held till June 18. International anti-piracy operations at sea and on shore will be a major part of the exercises. The drills will involve around 2,400 navy personnel from 15 countries, including Ukraine, the United States, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Britain, Algeria, Denmark, Georgia, Canada, Macedonia, Moldova, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey and France ….”  More on the ex here and here.
• AGAIN with the calls for “peacekeeping” in Africa!  Problem:  doesn’t seem to be too much peace to keep.
• “Fabien Melanson says he is willing to die on a hunger strike on Charlottetown to protest what he alleges was a mistake made by Veterans Affairs Canada which has cost him his home and nearly his life. The 15-year Canadian veteran is beginning a hunger strike in front of the VAC headquarters today to bring attention to his case. “They (Veterans Affairs) killed me in 2004 with their mistake and now all I have is the energy to bring myself here and give them my remains,” he said. “That’s all that’s left of me. I’m willing to die for this.” ….”  The VAC Minister’s response to the issue in Question Period:  “…. I cannot discuss the specific details of this individual case. However, I was given a mandate by the people of Lévis—Bellechasse and today, as the Minister of Veterans Affairs, I commit myself to bettering the lives of our veterans, and I count on the support of all members in the House, starting today. What took place many years ago was unfortunate and was an unacceptable mistake. Corrective measures were taken. I have instructed my officials to follow up on this veteran’s case.“  Some discussion at Army.ca here.
• The RCMP says online extremists are getting slicker.  “…. A new RCMP report says extremist groups — from Muslim radicals to violent animal rights activists to white supremacists — are employing increasingly sophisticated multimedia tools to attract a young, computer-savvy generation of followers. “Using bright colours and in some cases, illustrations stylized after children’s cartoons that seem inspired by Disney and other leading companies, the websites are visually appealing and in contrast to the malicious content they contain,” according to the report, Youth Online and at Risk: Radicalization Facilitated by the Internet. The Internet allows groups’ messages, which often contain distorted views of current events or false rumours, to be sent in near real-time to disaffected youth without filtering, the report says. Any alternative viewpoints are blocked out. These interactive tools, such as chat rooms and message boards, help to create a sense of community and belonging, and can be used to pass along operational knowledge — such as how to make a pipe bomb — to “newly inspired youth,” the report says ….”  You can find the full RCMP report here.

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 24 May 11

• “More troops headed to Quebec’s Montérégie region overnight as water levels in the Richelieu River returned to a historic high. Defence Minister Peter MacKay said last night that 250 reserve forces at CFB Valcartier had been ordered back to the region to help with the flood relief effort. That will double the number of military personnel in the region to 500, confirming the number quoted by Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who returned to the region earlier Monday. The Richelieu hit its highest level in more than a century on May 6, and is expected to rise another 20 centimetres by Tuesday ….”  More on OP Lotus here.
• “NATO’s top commander in Afghanistan thanked Canadian taxpayers and praised Canadian combat troops Monday for having “sacrificed greatly” to “dramatically improve” Kandahar since arriving to fight the Taliban in 2006. “The achievements of the past year have been particularly impressive,” Gen. David Petraeus said during a three-hour visit with a large group of Canadian, American and Afghan troops and civilians at a small district centre in Canada’s battle space to the west of Kandahar City. “What has been achieved is that a place that used to be (Taliban leader) Mullah Omar’s hometown and used to be a Taliban stronghold is now a stronghold of Afghan security forces with Afghan governance … Canada has contributed significantly to all of this.” It may have been Gen. Petraeus’s last visit with Canadian troops, who are to end combat operations in a few weeks. Gen. Petraeus is also leaving Afghanistan. He is President Barack Obama’s nominee to become director of the Central Intelligence Agency ….”
• “What possesses a Canadian dental surgeon to trade in his scrubs and scalpels for nine months in the Kandahari desert mentoring Afghan troops in counter-insurgency tactics? “Most people find it hard to relate to,” Capt. Luong Phuc Nguyen of 4 Royal 22nd Regiment admitted with a laugh. “I am losing a lot of money and not furthering my career.” That goes double for the 37-year old dentist’s father, who is a pediatrician and his mother, who is a pharmacist. “My parents are from Vietnam,” he said. “My grandfather fought the French and the Communists. They stayed there until a few days before the fall of Saigon. When I was almost two years old, I was on the cover of Newsweek. “So my parents understand my patriotism. But they have had a hard time understanding why someone with my career would want to interrupt it. The prospect of combat is scary for them.” ….”
• Matthew Dawe, 1980-2007, R.I.P.:  “For military …. family, losing a son just part of the sacrifice of duty”
• Taliban Propaganda Watch:  Taliban spokesperson denies reports Mullah Omar has been killed.
• “A Canadian brigadier general who was assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in an exchange program is headed back to his motherland, while another Canadian officer will replace him. Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay was the first general officer from a foreign country to take part in the exchange at Lewis-McChord. Officers and other soldiers will say goodbye to him at a ceremony Tuesday afternoon. Tremblay had been assigned to I Corps since August 2009, deployed with the unit on its Iraq deployment, and moves on to become commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada. “I think in life there is a time for everything,” Tremblay, who recently served as I Corps chief of staff, said in a press release. “And now it’s time to go back home.” He will be replaced by Brig. Gen. Jean-Marc Lanthier, another Canadian, who will deploy this summer with I Corps Headquarters to Kabul, Afghanistan. Lanthier previously went to Afghanistan as a commander with a Canadian Army task force in 2006 ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (1):  “As part of Lockheed Martin’s mission to Québec organized by Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED), Aéro Montréal is delighted with the holding of various meetings between Lockheed Martin managers responsible for the F-35 procurement program and many Québec aerospace companies. During a three-day visit, the American company held 50 B2B meetings and toured the facilities of many key, pre-selected players from Québec’s aerospace industry. These meetings flowed from a mission to Lockheed Martin’s plant in Fort Worth in December 2010 in which Aéro Montréal participated. They aim to position new potential suppliers in the global supply chain of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) jet ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2):  “United States defence giant Lockheed Martin will open its doors a little this week to showcase its latest aviation technology as part of a public-relations program partly in response to growing fears among politicians in the U.S. and Canada that its multi-billion-dollar F-35 fighter program is running well over budget. QMI Agency is the only Canadian news outlet invited on the international media tour. Beginning Tuesday with sit-down interviews here with some of the defence firm’s top executives, Lockheed Martin will showcase its unmanned cargo helicopter and helicopter production facility in New York state before taking reporters to Fort Worth, Texas, to tour the F-16 and F-35 production facilities ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (3):  ”With the Conservative Party election victory on 2 May, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government is now free to finalise the long-term military modernisation strategy – dubbed Canada First – that was unveiled three years ago. The document calls for yet more purchases of airlifters, helicopters and unmanned aircraft systems in the near term, with fighters and maritime patrol ships to follow ….”
• A Canadian shipyard resumes talking to an Italian company about a takeover. “Davie Yards has announced that it has obtained an order from the Québec Superior Court extending the stay of proceedings ordered by the Court to July 7, 2011, the whole pursuant to the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act. Davie is continuing its discussions with Fincantieri – Cantieri Navali Italiani and DRS Technologies Canada, a Finmeccanica company, regarding the proposed acquisition of the shipyard by an entity that will be majority-owned by Fincantieri. On May 8, 2011, Davie’s yard workers accepted with a strong majority of 93 percent the proposal for a five-year collective agreement presented by the consortium led by Fincantieri ….”
• “Canadian aircraft sent to Haiti to help in the aftermath of last year’s devastating earthquake suffered mechanical problems that left some sitting idle for days as they awaited replacement parts, according to military reports. Six Griffon helicopters and one Sea King went to the Caribbean country within 48 hours of the Jan. 12, 2010, disaster to help ship humanitarian aid into communities that were extensively damaged by the 7.3-magnitude quake. But situation reports covering the two-month mission show that at times, up to three of the six Griffons were unserviceable because of breakdowns, a lack of parts and inspections. The documents say that the inability to get replacement parts was one of the greatest challenges in Haiti, as flights delivering military hardware into the country weren’t adequately prioritized ….”
• Khadr Boy (1a):  “Convicted terrorist Omar Khadr won’t get any time shaved off his eight-year prison term after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a request for clemency to cut his sentence in half. Defence lawyers for the Toronto-born Canadian had asked the high court for mercy based on what they say was a flawed sentencing hearing at a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay last fall. The request by his lawyers is considered standard procedure, the last legal motion in a case that began nearly nine years ago when the trained teenaged al-Qaida operative killed a U.S. soldier. The Supreme Court – as usual – gave no reasons for denying the request ….”
• Khadr Boy (1b):  “Convicted terrorist Omar Khadr will know in two weeks whether he will get his eight-year prison term cut in half, his lead U.S. lawyer says. Lt.-Col Jon Jackson said there was some confusion about a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Monday over the Toronto-born Canadian’s request for mercy based on what his lawyers say was a flawed sentencing hearing at a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay last fall. The request by his lawyers is considered standard procedure, the last legal motion in a case that began nearly nine years ago when the trained teenaged al-Qaida operative killed a U.S. soldier. But the request will be decided by Vice-Admiral Bruce MacDonald in as little as two weeks ….”
• Khadr Boy (1c):  “The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday finally ruled on whether to hear a years-old bid by Omar Khadr to have a part of his case reviewed — some seven months after his plea deal agreement renounced all claims he had against the U.S. government. A majority of Supreme Court justices denied the review petition, which was wrapped in with similar claims by other terror suspects held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba ….”
• This from the Pakistani media:  “The Canadian government has sought help from the Pakistani government in locating and arresting two Canadian students of Afghan descent who are suspected of having joined the Taliban and al Qaeda. Pakistan received the Canadian requests through Interpol for help in the arrest of Maiwand Yar, 27, and Farid Imam, 30. At least one of the young men was reported to be a mechanical engineering student at the University of Manitoba. The Canadian government suspects that they plan to join the Taliban insurgents fighting Nato troops in Afghanistan. According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the arrest warrants for Yar and Imam are the result of a four-year national security criminal investigation known as Project Darken. “These warrants are the result of a lengthy and thorough national security criminal investigation involving key partners throughout Canada and the US,” stated Assistant Commissioner Bill Robinson of the RCMP ….”  More here.
• “The Pakistani-American who spent months casing Mumbai ahead of the 2008 terror attacks told a jury Monday that Pakistan’s spy service supports the terrorist group he worked with on the deadly siege. David Coleman Headley testified at the terror trial here of Tahawwur Rana, a 50-year-old Pakistani-Canadian who co-owns a house in Kanata with his family. He told the court that Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) provided financial, military and moral support to the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). “I assumed these groups operated under the same umbrella -they co-ordinated with each other,” Headley told the jury ….”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 23 Feb 11

• Things don’t seem to be getting better in Libya, so Canada’s getting ready to fly people out of there. “The federal government is sending flights to Libya to rescue stranded Canadians, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Tuesday. Evacuees will be flown to Europe and, as with flights arranged earlier this month to bring home Canadians in Egypt, Canada is working with “like-minded” countries to share flights. The first plane is expected to arrive in Tripoli, the country’s capital, on Thursday. At a news conference in Ottawa, Cannon said 331 Canadians are registered with the embassy in Tripoli, Libya’s capital, and 91 have told Canadian staff they plan to leave ….” More from Canada’s Foreign Affairs department on those flights here, as well as from Postmedia News, Reuters, Agence France Presse, the Globe & Mail and CTV.ca.
• More news on the latest in Libya here (Google News), here (EMM News Brief:  Libya),  here (NewsNow), here (BBC) and here (Al Jazeera English).
• A 14-year-old gets it on Afghanistan.  “…. Afghan teachers and the girls they’re teaching tell us how grateful they are to have the chance to finally live a freer life, with access to education. These are the voices we must listen to. We obviously couldn’t do the work we do without security. But when NATO eventually leaves, Canadians must not abandon Afghanistan. We should continue to support the aid projects that are changing lives, especially the right to education – because that’s the only way we’ll create and sustain peace.”
• What Canadian troops are up to in Southern Sudan.  “CF observers deployed on Operation SAFARI pack their kit and head out into the bush on five- or six-day patrols. They carry not only food, water and tents but also a generator, because there is no electricity or telephone service in small Sudanese villages. Op SAFARI is Canada’s contribution to the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS). It is also the military component of the Canadian whole-of-government engagement in southern Sudan that also includes activities by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Canadian International Development Agency and the RCMP. “We spend six days in the bush,” says Major Ed Smith, a UN military observer (UNMO) at Team Site (TS) Rumbek in the Sudan. “Our job is to know what is going on everywhere in this state, and send reports back to the United Nations. There are no lines of communication, no phones, no electricity, no running water, nothing – not even paved roads in this state. The only way the UN has of monitoring situations is through the UNMO, so we go and spend our time in the bush, then write up reports on what we see.” ….”
• Remember this MERX listing from 2008, looking for someone interested in providing consulting services to build a new helicopter hangar on Canada’s west coast to replace a 60-year-old one? The PM has announced the building should be finished “in the winter prior to the arrival of nine new CH-148 Cyclone Helicopters in the spring of 2014.” More in the backgrounder here, and media coverage here, here and here.
• “A Defence Department study says it’s risky for the air force to continue using Griffon helicopters for search and rescue in Central Canada. The review by the chief of air force development cites limitations of the CH-146, pressed into service in 2005 at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ont., because the military’s principal search helicopter is often not available. The air force intends to keep using the Griffon at the base until at least 2014, say briefing notes for Defence Minister Peter MacKay. But the 2009 air force study, obtained under the Access to Information Act, said the helicopter’s “capabilities are challenged” when employed as a front-line rescue aircraft and its use constitutes a “risk.” The CH-146, a military version of the Bell 412 civilian chopper, is too small and lacks the range to reach wilderness sites in Northern Ontario and Quebec without refuelling. Having to stop for gas “increases the response time to an incident site, and the amount of time the helicopter can remain on the scene to perform rescue tasks,” said the 20-page censored report. It noted one incident where search-and-rescue technicians were lowered to a crash site “and the helicopter departed the scene to refuel before extracting the casualties.” ….” Re:  the bit in red, any chance of anybody reading the paper or the internet being able to read the report for themselves?  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?  Anyone?
• F-35 Tug o’ War (1) “…. Stephen Harper threw down the gauntlet Tuesday to his critics who question his government’s military spending, including $16 billion for 65 F-35 stealth fighter jets. That purchase is expected to be a major election issue for the Liberals and NDP in the next campaign, whenever it’s called. While announcing a new $155 million helicopter base in B.C., Harper warned against “willful naivete” in national security, and said Canada has to be ready to defend itself from any and all threats. “If you don’t do that, you soon don’t have a country and you don’t have any of the other good things you once thought were more important,” he said. “Our country has certainly never gone and will never go looking for trouble. However, many times during the past 200 years, trouble has come looking for us. While Canada does not aspire to be an armed camp, neither is their any place in national defence for willful naivety.” ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2) “The Department of National Defence says it is hiding a key F-35 document from the public because that type of document is classified. Yet its own website hosts many of these same types of papers for public downloading, almost all of which are marked as “unclassified.” This has prompted allegations the Harper government and military have “twisted” Canada’s procurement process so it can buy the billion-dollar planes. The document, called a “Statement of Operational Requirements,” is a well-established centerpiece of the military’s procurement process. Save for certain classified bits of information, it is typically released publicly so Canadians can examine what their armed forces need before their tax dollars are spent. However in an unusual step, the Harper government did not release an operational requirements statement before announcing its plan to replace Canada’s fleet of ageing CF-18 fighter jets with the F-35. In fact, the military has admitted it chose the F-35 before it even drew up the Statement of Operational Requirements. Despite this, the department has continued to hide the document from public view, saying in an email that “an Air Force project’s Statement of Operational Requirements is an internal Department of National Defence document.” “SORs are classified documents” that are “not disclosed publicly,” added spokesperson Evan Koronewski ….”
• If this has been reported properly, apparently, the RCMP says a former military police officer (who’s served overseas in Bosnia and Cyprus) hasn’t been a Halifax cop long enough to qualify for a U.N. policing job in Haiti. “RCMP brass in Ottawa won’t allow a former Canadian military member and current Halifax cop who’s done two previous tours in wartorn countries to be a peacekeeper in Haiti. “It’s absolutely asinine,” said Dave Moore, president of the Municipal Association of Police Personnel, the union that represents the unnamed Halifax officer. “To me it’s making a statement that (he’s) substandard and that’s not true at all in our eyes.” The officer, who’s worked under the auspices of the UN in Bosnia and Cyprus, has been on the Halifax Regional Police force for more than two years. Before that, he spent 12 years in the Canadian military, seven of those as a military cop. “We’ve worked many, many years with the military police. They’re as well qualified as the federal force,” said Moore ….”
• “Over his 22 years in the Canadian Forces, Chris Hennebery saw not a single gunshot fired in anger. It’s only now, as a married father of two little girls and a successful software executive, that he’s going to find himself in a combat zone. Hennebery leaves at the end of next month to work as an artist in Afghanistan, capturing in his sketchbook and watercolours images of Canadian soldiers at war. After three weeks in NATO combat outposts and on patrols in the heartland of the Taliban insurgency, Hennebery will return to Canada to turn his preliminary works into a series of 10 large acrylic paintings. Accompanying the former professional artist will be photographer Shaun O’Mara, a former British commando and Canadian soldier whom Hennebery served with in the Royal Westminster Regiment ….”
• Sigh…. “One of the doctors charged last week with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in downtown Toronto hotel is a long-serving member of the Canadian military, CBC News has learned. Dr. Amitabh Chauhan, 32, of Ancaster, Ont., has been closely associated with the Canadian Forces since 1997, when he became a cadet. The following year he enrolled in the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont., as an officer cadet. Chauhan, received his undergraduate degree from RMC in 2002 with an honours BA in politics and economics. “Following his education with RMC, he began his training to become a pilot in January 2004. He ceased training in July 2005 and undertook a variety of duties,” the Department of National Defence said in a written statement to CBC News. He did his pilot training at CFB Moose Jaw. On Monday, Toronto police said that when he was arrested Chauhan had a Saskatchewan driver’s licence. Chauhan left the military in 2007 but continued his association as a member of the naval reserve, which he joined three years ago. “Mr. Chauhan is a naval reservist who works part-time at the naval reserve division HMCS Star in Hamilton [Ont.] and holds the rank of acting sub-lieutenant,” according to the military. He is currently a post-graduate student in the plastic surgery department at McMaster University in Hamilton ….” I can’t wait for the CBC to start writing about the university history of future criminals.
• Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban claim responsibility for killing translator for Americans in Mullah Omar’s (alleged) former compound in Kandahar City.

CF IN HAITI: CF Flying Canadians Outta HTI, Ships are On Their Way

Some updates:

• A new page is now available via the CF containing background information on OP Hestia here.
• CanWest says, “The federal government has begun airlifting Canadians from Haiti, and may institute a humanitarian immigration program to allow hundreds or thousands of Haitians into Canada ….  The first 100 Canadians removed from Haiti by Canadian military are en route to Montreal via the Dominican Republic and are scheduled to arrive at 10:05 PM. ET Thursday at Pierre Trudeau International airport.” (More on that from CBC.ca here)
• The CF says HMCS Halifax and HMCS Athabaskan are now on their way south to Haiti.
• Last night, Liberal defence critic Ujjal Dosanjh expressed his opinion on the relief effort via Twitter: “Canada should be in Haiti faster and more than we are. Time to speed up, Mr Harper.”  Today, he’s refined his position:  “i understand Harper is responding well to the needs in Haiti.”  More discussion on that here at Milnet.ca.

For more news, check out these sites:

• European Commision News Brief aggregator (you can even pick the language of the feed)
• Google News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• Yahoo News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• NewsNow aggregator on Haiti earthquake
• Milnet.ca Discussion Forum (where military members and those interested share news/information about the work being done)

Any other good places to keep track of what’s happening?  Don’t be afraid to share.

HAITI: How’s Canada’s Military Helping?

You’ve heard about the earthquake in Haiti.  Before I go into how the CF is helping, here’s some links to good news resources to keep track of what’d happening in Haiti:

• European Commision News Brief aggregator (you can even pick the language of the feed)
• Google News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• Yahoo News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• NewsNow aggregator on Haiti earthquake
• Milnet.ca Discussion Forum (where military members and those interested share news/information about the work being done)

If you know any other resources, PLEASE let us know via comments below – always happy to share.

As for the CF presence, it’s already got a name:  Operation HESTIA (reportedly named for the Greek godess of the hearth fire or fireplace).  They even have a web page to follow the military support.

Media and other open sources indicate the following:

• “A C-130 (Hercules)  military transport plane arrived in Haiti on Wednesday with a reconnaissance team that will assess what military personnel and equipment is needed.” This would likely involve people with engineering (building/rebuilding as well as purifying water), medical and logistical expertise to decide how best to deploy Canada’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART).
• Another larger plane – a CC-177 Globemaster - is to have left tonight (Wednesday) “with humanitarian assistance that will be provided to the people of Haiti on behalf of the Canadian Government (including) components of the Canadian Forces Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART).”
• There are also reports that “a (Globemaster) transport plane and two Griffon search-and-rescue helicopters have been assigned to help with the relief efforts in Haiti.”  Canada has four Globemasters, so this suggests that if one has already left, one more may be getting ready to go.
• Two CF ships – HMCS Halifax and HMCS Athabaskan – are headed to Halifax to load up on “medical supplies, food, water purification tablets, construction materials and other equipment” to bring to Haiti.  “The two ships are expected to leave Thursday morning and will take about five days to reach Haiti, arriving Jan. 18 or 19.”

Safe travels to all the folks headed to Haiti to help out.

More, as I have time to plug it in.