MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 22 Jul 11

• What’s Canada Buying – Honkin’ Big Ship Building (1)  “A Quebec Superior Court judge approved Thursday morning the sale of Davie Shipyard to Upper Lakes Group, giving the new owner the green light to enter the race to bid on potentially lucrative federal shipbuilding contracts. The deadline for bidding on the largest chunk of the federal government work, worth $33 billion, in the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy is set at 2 p.m. ET Thursday. B.C.’s Seaspan, and Nova Scotia’s Irving shipyard are bidding as well ….”  More in a company news release here.
• What’s Canada Buying – Honkin’ Big Ship Building (2) “A blockbuster bid submitted Thursday could give St. Catharines’ shipyard a big chunk of a multi-billion-dollar federal shipbuilding contract. The bid by Upper Lakes-owned Davie shipyards would see Seaway Marine and Industrial dry docks and Davie build the federal government’s large non-combat ships. Montreal’s SNC-Lavelin is the joint venture partner with Upper Lakes in the submission. If successful, these projects — which include oceanographic and fisheries vessels — could add 1,000 new jobs to St. Catharines. The work, worth up to $5 billion for two shipyards, would be spread out over about seven years. It could mean about 1,500 jobs in Quebec, plus 500 shipyard jobs in St. Catarines and another 500 sub-contractor jobs in this area ….”
• What’s Canada Buying – Honkin’ Big Ship Building (3)  “Canadian officials are putting aside a bid by Davie Yards for a contract under a C$35 billion ($37.1 billion) shipbuilding program until its eligibility can be determined, a senior official said on Thursday. Three bids, including Davie’s, were received by the federal government Thursday morning, said a senior official from the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy secretariat. The other two bids were from Vancouver Shipyards and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. The official said they are established eligible bidders ….”
• What’s Canada Buying – Honkin’ Big Ship Building (4)  “Halifax looks like the front-runner for a $25-billion contract to build about 20 warships, an Ottawa insider says. The Irving-owned Halifax Shipyard is competing against Vancouver Shipyards, owned by Seaspan Marine Corp. of British Columbia, and a consortium that includes Davie Yards Inc. of Levis, Que. Besides the main prize, there’s also $8 billion in other work up for grabs building coast guard icebreakers and replacements for the navy’s supply ships and $2 billion to be spent on building small craft and repair work. “I would bet right now that Halifax would get the military one and probably Vancouver would get the civilian one,” said a source who spoke on condition of anonymity. The larger project would require a lot of trained workers, which Halifax has, said the source, an expert in marine procurement ….”
• What’s Canada Buying (1)  Someone to research how groups perceive each other as part of “winning hearts and minds” research, AGAIN (4th time) with the “someone to operate, maintain facilities in, around CFS Alert” bid, and “applied mathematics, physics and chemistry” teaching at CFB Gagetown.
• What’s Canada Buying? (2)  More, from Mark Collins, on reading between the lines on fixed-wing search and rescue planes for the CF, and some interesting discussion from people in the biz at Army.ca.
• Afghanistan (1)  Former TF Afghanistan commander Daniel Menard pleads guilty to screwing around, fined, (retroactively) demoted – more from The Canadian Press, CBC.ca, the National Post, the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
• Afghanistan (2)  Outgoing TF Afghanistan boss in Ottawa today to speak to media.
• Afghanistan (3)  What the drones did.  “…. Canada deployed three reconnaissance drones – the Israeli-designed CU-170 Heron – for the first time in Afghanistan and brought in a dedicated air force unit of 39 people to operate them. Their first flight was in January 2009. Their last flight was last week. Through 30 months of operations, the Herons logged more than 15,000 hours of flight time. They were in the air almost every day for 22 out of 24 hours. There was rarely a time when they weren’t gliding over the dry landscape of Kandahar at speeds that never reached more than a mere 120 knots. Night and day their main job was to search out ambushes and insurgents planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the weapon of choice for the Taliban. Their data is fed directly to wing command headquarters, task force headquarters and the commander in the field in real time so he always knows what’s happening around him. One of their most recent triumphs was to save an American patrol from an ambush, Col. Al Meinzinger, commander of the air wing, said. “They were saving lives up to the last minute,” he said ….”
• Afghanistan (4)  I’m shocked, SHOCKED!  Any chance of sharing the documents, Canadian Press?  ”Canada’s diplomatic corps in Kabul did not go thirsty. Hospitality forms show embassy staff and dignitaries drank plenty of booze while posted to Afghanistan, an Islamic country where imbibing is not just taboo, it’s against the law. The embassy consumed close to 3,000 bottles of alcoholic beverages from mid-2007 to last November. The tab for the beer, wine and hard liquor was at least $20,000. The Canadian Press obtained hospitality diaries from the Canadian Embassy in Kabul under the Access to Information Act. The forms give the Foreign Affairs Department the cost of the embassy’s food and drink orders, along with guest lists and descriptions of lunches, dinners and other functions ….” 
• CF forest fire evacuation now named OP Forge.  “Since Wednesday evening, the Canadian Forces have evacuated over 500 more Canadians from northern Ontario communities, which continue to be threatened by wildfires. Five Canadian Forces CC-130 Hercules transport aircraft began flying at first light this morning from Winnipeg, Manitoba, picking up people from Sandy Lake, Kingfisher Lake and Deer Lake First Nations communities and delivering them to Thunder Bay, Ontario …. Working alongside federal, municipal and provincial partners in the forest fire-ravaged communities, hundreds of Canadian Forces personnel, including aircrew, planning staff and Canadian Rangers, are involved in the ongoing disaster relief effort known as Operation FORGE …. Operation FORGE is the Canadian Forces contribution to the Whole-of-Government effort to assist the Government of Ontario in the emergency evacuation of Canadians threatened by the current wildfires. This support is currently provided mainly through airlift conducted by CC-130 Hercules aircraft from 14 Wing in Greenwood, Nova Scotia, 8 Wing in Trenton, Ontario, and 17 Wing in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Canadian Rangers from the 3rd Canadian Ranger Patrol Group are also assisting in some communities by coordinating the logistical plans, loading aircraft and communicating with the families of the community members. In addition to Canadian Rangers, the CF also deployed ground coordination teams to assist with organizing community members onto military aircraft for evacuation. Since the beginning of July, the Canadian Forces has evacuated over 3,000 residents from the communities of Deer Lake, Cat Lake, Fort Hope, Keewaywin, Kingfisher Lake, Kasabonika and Sandy Lake.”
• Wanted:  Help from Canadians to track down illegal immigrant war criminals – here’s the list.
• “The Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs, and Kellie Leitch, Member of Parliament for Simcoe–Grey and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and to the Minister of Labour, announced today $50,000 in Government of Canada support for a project in Alliston, Ontario, to honour Veterans and those who made the ultimate sacrifice …. The Royal Canadian Legion Branch #171 is receiving a maximum of $50,000 to construct a new memorial to commemorate local citizens who sacrificed their lives in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, peacekeeping missions and in Afghanistan ….”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 20 Jul 11

• An Aboriginal leader is calling for more help – including military – getting people out of northern Ontario communities threatened by forest fires, smoke.  “Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy today called on the governments of Canada and Ontario to commit all available emergency resources to assist First Nation communities under immediate threat by forest fires raging across Northwestern Ontario. “I am calling on the Government of Canada to mobilize all available resources, including the Armed Forces, to ensure that enough aircraft are available to evacuate First Nations at a moment’s notice ….”  How bad are the fires?  Check the map here – more here and here.
• Afghanistan (1)  “…. “Many of the soldiers we’re going to send over from Gagetown have had tours of duty performed in Afghanistan already and that is important because they will have the credibility with the Afghans because they’ll be speaking from a position of knowledge and experience,” (Dr. Lee Windsor, the deputy director of the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society) said. Almost 500 soldiers from The Second Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (2RCR) are expected to deploy to Afghanistan in early 2012 for about eight months. They will make up the second rotation of troops as part of Canada’s new non-combat role in Afghanistan.”
• Afghanistan (2)  Yet ANOTHER “packing up” story.  “It’s been 10 years since Canada first deployed troops in Afghanistan, and what was known grandly as Operation Enduring Freedom has now been reduced to dust. Dust from Kandahar province’s vast Red Desert, from the districts of Dand, Daman, Panjwaii and Arghandab, clings not only to the memories of Canadian troops, but also to every millimetre of equipment. The memories may be exported, but not the fine-grained sand that gets into everything. That stays here. A mountain of metal awaits Canada’s movers and one of their most difficult tasks is washing away a decade of desert dirt. The challenge, says Lt. Col. Virginia Tattersall, 45, of Ottawa, who is in charge of the packing and moving, is to ensure that “alien invasive species” can’t sneak into Canada ….”
• Afghanistan (3)  CDS: Well done, troops. “…. As the last combat troops prepare for their return home, Canada’s top soldier remains confident that the mission that began in early 2002, months after the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States, was accomplished. In an interview with Postmedia News Monday, Gen. Walt Natynczyk said the goal was to rid the restive southern region of al-Qaida and that’s exactly what troops did ….”
• Afghanistan (4)  One columnist’s take on what the return home should look like.  “…. Just as in Korea, our new veterans will return home with the vague sense that the job was not done, that there was more they could still do. Despite leaving 900 of their brethren behind to train the Afghanis, there will be vets who know we have left too soon. There will be no marching bands or public ceremonies welcoming our Afghanistan vets back. Instead, there will be those who ask, “Just what was it you were doing over there?” Too bad – they deserve better.”
• Afghanistan (5)  Hamilton soldiers share their stories of Afghanistan.
• Afghanistan (6)  More on the upcoming court martial of a Canadian General charged with having sex with a subordinate while in theatre.
• “As thousands of Canadian soldiers adjust to home life after the battlefields of Kandahar, what looked like a flood of aid for the wounded among them and veterans of other wars is turning out to be only a trickle. The Conservative government made a $2-billion promise last September to increase disability benefits, just as veterans’ outrage began to boil over how survivors of past and present conflicts were being treated. Support for the military is a key priority for Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government. But the pledge was for the lifetime of the program, meaning the money is meant to last until the last veteran alive needs it. Now, details are emerging about how much money current vets will actually see in their pockets. A government analysis of regulatory impacts resulting from changes to the Veterans Charter says $129.9 million will be spent over 10 years for three elements of the new program ….”
• The Economist second-guesses Canada’s decision to ditch UAE and move to Kuwait as a staging base.  “…. Switching operations to Kuwait will cost the Canadian government hundreds of millions of dollars in moving expenses and rent payments. A souring of relations could also hurt Canada’s business dealings with its biggest trading partner in the Middle East. And Canadian travellers will be stuck paying higher fares: a round-trip from Toronto to Dubai last week cost C$1,000 more on Air Canada than on Air Emirates. The Canadian government seems to have realised belatedly that it had little to gain from squabbling with the UAE: John Baird, who became its minister of foreign affairs following a national election on May 2nd, met the Emirati ambassador at last on July 5th. Had his predecessor done so earlier, Canadian soldiers might still be based in Dubai today.”
• A Globe & Mail columnist’s critique of the PM’s Arctic approach.  “Next month, as he has every summer since becoming Prime Minister, Stephen Harper will travel to the Arctic, trumpeting his Conservative government’s resolve to assert Canadian sovereignty in the Far North against all comers. Little of what he says will accord with reality. But it will all make for splendid political theatre, which is the whole point. This federal government employs a two-track policy in the Arctic: noisy confrontation and quiet co-operation. The latter track is the real policy, but it doesn’t profit the Prime Minister to acknowledge it much ….”
• What’s Canada Buying?  Interested vendors to discuss Fixed Wing Search and Rescue plane buy, someone to run a command post exercises for the 1 Canadian Air Division and help researching “pulse detonation engines”.
• More calls for an apology for disbanding the Canadian Airborne Regiment.  “…. For a regiment with an impeccable record of service, it was an inglorious end – and entirely unwarranted, say the Canadian Airborne Forces Association (CAFA) and the Airborne Regiment Association of Canada (ARAC). They’ve mounted a campaign to restore the airborne regiment’s honour. In their view, the unprecedented decision to disband the airborne regiment “was a pernicious act without fairness and justice taken by a government prior to ascertaining the facts … Redressing the perception of the Canadian Airborne Regiment being in disgrace at the time of disbandment must be corrected.” “It was a great travesty of justice,” says Brighton resident Ian Douglas who commanded the regiment from 1975 to 1977. He worked on the original position paper, ‘Righting a Wrong,’ that’s at the heart of the two airborne associations’ demand for an apology and a “serious review” of Canada’s armed forces. They say there’s a strong argument to be made for “reconstituting” the regiment ….”
• “This time it’s not just the killer colonel and his wife being sued but the OPP and the Canadian Armed Forces, too. The Toronto Sun has learned surviving victim Laurie Massicotte is pitted against defendants David Russell Williams, Mary Elizabeth Harriman, the Attorney General of Canada on behalf of the Department of National Defence and her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontario. The defendants were served with the notice of claim on July 13 and, in that, document Massicotte and her Belleville lawyer J. David M. Ross outline a number of accusations against them all. Massicotte will be making the claim that there was a “breach of duty of care by not warning her that a previous sexual assault had taken place on the same street where she lives only days before.” It also cites a “breach of duty of care by not warning her of previous break and enters that had taken place on the same street” since Sept. 9, 2007 where “items of female clothing were taken.” And “the police first described her assault by saying she was a copycat” which made her feel “betrayed” and with “fear and a sense of guilt” to go with suffering from “post traumatic stress and anxiety disorders.” ….”
• A few additions to my military flicks collection.

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 ….”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 30 Nov 10

• Remembering the fallen, one tree at a time:  “The first tree planted in the Afghanistan Memorial Forest at CFB Petawawa has been dedicated to the memory of Sapper Sean Greenfield, who was killed in Afghanistan on January 31, 2009.  “Spr Greenfield’s tree will be the first of many planted here,” said base commander Lieutenant-Colonel Keith Rudderham.  The Memorial Forest is in the Memorial Park on the eastern edge of the base. Its purpose is to provide a lasting link for the families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan for generations to come ….”
• Looking for Wikileaks’ diplomatic cables? Sorry, but just like the Afghanistan and Iraq leaks, every piece of paper is an individual snapshot of what one report writer had to say about a specific meeting.  Do we know if all the cables are there to show a full picture?  If they were, would mainstream media go for the meat (digging and waiting for some context) or the sizzle (what tidbits can we mine NOW)?  Nothing to see here, friend – feel free to move on to other news.
• Well, we know ONE place diplomatic paperwork apparently didn’t find its way to: “Canadian reports about torture in Afghan prisons could have been helpful — if they had been passed on — the military’s former head of investigations said Monday. Retired lieutenant-colonel William Garrick was the commanding officer of the Canadian Forces National Investigative Service when detainees transferred to Afghan authorities told foreign affairs department officials they had been tortured. But Garrick told the Military Police Complaints Commission he didn’t see any of those allegations. When asked about reports that detail several prisoners’ allegations they were kicked, beaten with electrical cables and given electric shocks, Garrick said he wasn’t aware of the reports. He also said he didn’t know about site reports foreign affairs officials filed after visiting prisons and interviewing detainees ….”
• Some questions about from how Canada handled juvenile detainees in Afghanistan: “The Canadian Forces have for years arrested children suspected of working with the Taliban and handed them over to an Afghan security unit accused of torture …. Allegations that militants captured by Canada were transferred to Afghan forces and later tortured were hotly debated in Parliament last fall.  A document obtained by the CBC’s investigative unit shows that Canadian soldiers captured children as well in the fight against the Taliban, and that many of them were transferred to the custody of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, or NDS.  The document, obtained under an Access to Information request and marked “secret,” shows that Defence Minister Peter MacKay was briefed on the topic of juvenile detainees in Afghanistan March 30.  The “Canadian eyes only” note informs MacKay of how many children suspected of “participating in the insurgency” have been arrested by Canadian Forces and how many of them have been transferred into Afghan custody in the previous four years ….” Kudos, by the way, to CBC.ca for sharing the briefing note in question here.  The “Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre” in Afghanistan where the kids were sent popped up in Canada’s backgrounder on detainees recently:  here’s the original backgrounder, and here’s the latest version.  When did it change?  Apparently, about the time CBC got the briefing note.  More from CBC.ca here, the Globe & Mail here, Postmedia News here, QMI/Sun Media here and United Press International here.
• One columnist’s take on the Liberals supporting the extended mission in Afghanistan:  “…. In that sense Ignatieff, with a very public nudge from foreign affairs critic Bob Rae, planted the party’s foreign policy flag on high ground. Staying in Afghanistan in hopes of morphing a military stalemate into a rough facsimile of peace makes sense in many ways. It accepts Canada’s responsibilities as a good Samaritan middle power, recognizes the domestic economic realities of being sensitive to Washington’s international security preoccupation, and is consistent with Liberal proposals to equip the military with the “kit” it requires, not stealth fighters Canada neither needs nor can afford. But while getting policy right, Ignatieff and Rae got the politics wrong. By giving Conservatives a free Afghanistan pass, Liberals further undermined their already suspect prospects in a federal election now widely expected to be just months away ….” Gee, you’d think the columnist in question prefers the Liberals to win than do something that might help – or am I being cynical here?
• For those who think “it’s just sex” when it comes to Daniel Menard’s court martial for an alleged affair and for reportedly destroying evidence: “…. Daniel Menard was not summoned to face a court martial nor did he resign his commission because he had sex with Master Cpl. Bianka Langlois. He was charged because he broke the rules …. Had Menard simply had an affair with a subordinate, he would have likely suffered at least a minor blow to his career. However, by attempting to use his position to obstruct justice, Menard committed a far more serious breach of discipline ….”
• Worries about how much (more than planned?) proposed new F-35 jet fighters will cost: “Canada’s new stealth fighter aircraft will require extensive maintenance, as well as very expensive changes to improve security at the military bases they operate from, according to Defence Department documents obtained by the Citizen.  Critics of the Conservative government’s proposal to buy the high-tech Joint Strike Fighters have been warning that the purchase will come with hidden costs that could drive up the price tag far beyond the current estimate of $16 billion.  The 2006 DND report, which looked at next generation fighter planes as well as the stealth Joint Strike Fighter, highlighted issues that could play a factor in any aircraft purchase ….” Unlike CBC.ca, though, the Ottawa Citizen doesn’t appear to be sharing the briefing note with its readers.
• Some folks would like to see Canada go back to calling the Navy the “Royal Canadian Navy”.  The latest?  Great name, but not bloody likely.
• Elvis murderer-rapist Russell Williams continues to leave the building – more here.
• On a more pleasant note, five new pilots rotate into positions with Canada’s Snowbirds:  “Five Canadian Forces pilots were officially introduced as the latest members of 431 (Air Demonstration) Squadron, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, Wednesday, November 24 at 15 Wing, Moose Jaw, Sask., after a rigorous selection process and months of preparation. The newest squadron members are Snowbird 3, Captain Padruig MacIntosh, of Windsor, Ont.; Snowbird 5, Captain Brett Parker, of Edmonton, Alta.; Snowbird 6, Captain Denis Bandet, of Regina, Sask.; Snowbird 8, Major Ryan Stich, of Toronto, Ont.; and Advance and Safety Pilot – Snowbird 11, Captain Robert Chagnon, of Laval, Que. ….”
• Surely he can’t be dead?  Yes he can – and don’t call him Shirley. Erik Nielsen, dead of complications from pneumonia at 84, predeceased by his brother, former Canadian Minister of National Defence (1985-1986) Erik Nielsen.
• Taliban Propaganda Watch: IED’s allegedly destroy “tanks” in Arghandab.

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 26 Nov 10

• First off, a correction:  I screwed up when I named the wrong guy needing a history lesson on Afghanistan in yesterday’s summary.  It was former Liberal leader Stephane Dion, not Gilles Duceppe as mentioned.  Thanks to Ian for the nudge – must have been before coffee.
• Wounded warriors may end up getting first dibs for Ontario government jobs? “The Ontario government says it will consider putting injured military veterans at the front of the provincial public service job queue.  The move …. could give priority consideration to some of the thousands of soldiers coming home with physical and psychological injuries from the decade-long war in Afghanistan …. Ontario’s government services minister, Harinder Takhar, has tasked officials with examining the possibility of the province adopting similar measures to the federal government, said spokesman Ciaran Ganley.  “The Ontario government will review the situation,” he said ….”
• “Cpl. James McKenzie got the surprise of his life and his best birthday present this week. James’ father, Warrant Officer Alistair McKenzie, flew out to a forward operating base to congratulate him on the safe conclusion of his seven-month combat tour in the Taliban heartland ….”
• Latest on the Daniel Ménard file (1): Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey-ey, goodbye! Still facing his court martial, though.
• Latest on the Daniel Ménard file (2): Why I (and some others) disagree with Rosie DiManno‘s latest column on how “a good fraternizing snog can do wonders for esprit de corps”.
• “It took a motion from the Bloc Quebecois, but MPs have finally debated the merits and perils of staying in Afghanistan until 2014 to train that country’s fledging army. The Liberals and Conservatives joined forces Thursday during the day-long debate to rebuke the Bloc motion, which calls for the House of Commons to “condemn” the government’s decision. Bloc Defence critic Claude Bachand told the House of Commons, “Canadian troops have done enough … it is time for other people to step in.” But Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon told MPs Canada’s work in Afghanistan, “is not finished,” and Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the new training mission would continue Canada’s legacy in the war-torn country ….” More from Postmedia News here and here.
• Here’s the motion in play:  “That this House condemn the government’s decision to unilaterally extend the Canadian mission in Afghanistan to 2014, whereby it is breaking two promises it made to Canadians, one made on May 10, 2006, in this House and repeated in the 2007 Throne Speech, that any military deployment would be subject to a vote in Parliament, and another made on January 6, 2010, that the mission in Afghanistan would become a strictly civilian commitment after 2011, without any military presence beyond what would be needed to protect the embassy.” You can read yesterday’s debate here and here from Hansard, or download a 52 page PDF of the discussion here.
• Also, in Question Period in the House of Commons, NDP leader Jack Layton on Afghan aid and training:  “The Prime Minister himself said that he does not want to give a dime to the Afghan government because it is corrupt. Well, if it is as corrupt as he says it is, why does he want the Afghan government to have an even bigger army and why is he going to use our soldiers to help it get one?” The PM on Afghan aid and training:  “What I said was that we would not give a dime to the Afghan government unless we were assured that money would be used properly.  In the case of the training of the Afghan army, it just astounds me that the NDP does not understand that a secure Afghanistan taking care of its own security is vital to the global security interest, not just of the world but of this country as well.”
• Blog Watch:  Former CF trainer of Afghan troops, BruceR at Flit, is sharing this tidbit, a comment from a reader on how Canada says it will train Afghan troops  behind the wire:  “You are right on the mark on pointing out the mismatch between Canada’s desire to have all of its future training positions “behind the wire” and the actual available slots in NTM-A.” Politically speaking, given Canada’s sacrifices to date in Afghanistan (blood and treasure), I return you to a good point made by one of the regulars at the Army.ca forums:  “…. My guess is that this week, in Portugal, Minister MacKay will tell NATO/ISAF what to tell us to do. If we decide that we are going to train computer engineering officers and kosher cooks then, Presto!, computer engineering and kosher cooking will, suddenly, be top of ISAF’s list of priorities for training. We have earned, and had bloody well better use, our right to a caveat or two. We will teach the Afghans whatever in hell we want to teach and NATO/ISAF will be suitably grateful for our efforts ….” Methinks he’s not alone in feeling this way these days.
• A little bit more detail on the Russian helicopter saga, courtesy of unnamed sources speaking to the CBC: “…. Military sources told CBC News that the idea of leasing Russian choppers was approved by cabinet early last year. It took some time to train Canadian crews, but the helicopters went into service quickly, used by Canadian special forces troops on secret missions.  Over time, their use expanded to include regular soldiers on regular missions, sources said. The military said the Russian choppers are “very robust” and “very capable.” ….”
• Afghanistan’s Election: Results are (virtually) all in, some say it was a success, others not so much, Karzai says “losers, be cool,” and Canada endorses the results.
• “A Canadian Forces rescue helicopter braved hazardous conditions Wednesday to lift an injured sailor from a bulk carrier off Cape Scott on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Falling darkness, freezing temperatures and cloud cover threatened the operation to pick up the 38-year-old Filipino, who had broken both wrists and suffered internal injuries during a nine-metre fall ….” Well done!
• Want to learn a bit about Canada’s special operations forces? Symposium coming up in Kingston first week in December – agenda here.  More from the Ottawa Citizen here.
• What’s Canada Buying ?:  High-altitude, high opening parachute training, a new office building in London and English as a Second Language courseware (via Army.ca).

On Generals Having Affairs

Rosie DiManno has done a kick-ass job covering the hard work Canadian troops have been doing overseas, but I have to disagree with her latest column on the Daniel Ménard court martial over an affair he had with a subordinate.  Here’s the e-mail I wrote and sent to Rosie:

On your Menard column:  while I’ve enjoyed your material from downrange, I have to say we’re not eye-to-eye on this one.

1)  You say it’s a “policy” not to have sex with colleagues.  In fact, I stand to be corrected, but my understanding is that Canadian troops sign a piece of paper saying they will not fraternize while in theatre.  This included the General, so this is, at one level, not living up to one’s word.

2)  You say “Proscriptions against physical intimacy may be intended to safeguard morale — or so the tall forehead brass claim — but the opposite is true in practice; a good fraternizing snog can do wonders for esprit de corps.” You think seeing a boss contravene orders everyone else is supposed to follow is good for morale?  How about if an affair leads to, say, the boss’ lover getting more goodie jobs and fewer shitty jobs?  How’s THAT for morale?  And that doesn’t JUST apply in the military – I’m guessing there’s all sorts of (and too many) private sector examples of that out there.  Except in the military, the bosses can have the power to choose who goes into situations where lives are threatened – I don’t want such decisions coloured by outside factors like romantic entanglements.

3)  You also say, “Far from home, living in close quarters, physically fit men and women coping with boredom punctuated by the occasional sharp up-tick of adrenalin and the very real threat of danger, it is entirely human nature to seek out comforts of the flesh.” Call me dinosaurish, but if someone can be ordered to run towards bullets when instinct says the healthier option is to run away, I think they can be trained to keep off the fraternization wagon temporarily.

I’m hoping this helps you frame the situation a bit differently.

Take care, and although I may not agree with you on this one, thanks for getting the message out about the work the CF does.

And here’s what else I should have added:

• There may be a temptation to also say, “hey, if she wasn’t working directly for him, no biggie”.  Really?  To use a media example, if the publisher is “snogging” a junior sales person, is the sales manager (who, in many shops, reports to the publisher) free to assign and supervise said sales person the same way as the other sales persons?  Ideally, yes.  Realistically?  It would be a pretty compartmentalized publisher who would let one of his subordinates dish out crap jobs to his/her lover without even hinting that things could be different.
• Re: “Menard, Canada’s former top soldier in Afghanistan, is facing — technically —prison time and dishonorable discharge if convicted on two charges of conduct prejudicial and four for obstructing justice … the latter, according to sources, arise from Menard allegedly asking the woman to delete email messages he’d sent her.” On this, we’ll see what the evidence and the verdict have to say.   That said, if any other government official deleted emails, or asked to delete emails, to prevent detection of wrong doing, how big a font would your paper or other media outlets use for the word “Cover Up” in a headline?  A lot of people see this – trying to cover one’s tracks in a position of very senior leadership – as at least as serious, if proven, as the relationship issue itself.

I’m not alone on this one, I see – here’s one Canadian historian’s take on this, and here’s the back-and-forth with Rosie (with a hat tip to Mark Collins).

Update (1):  Soon to be EX-General….

Update (2):  Menard pleads guilty – no word on sentence yet.

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 25 Nov 10

• In Afghanistan, the transition of outgoing-troops-handing-over-to-incoming has begun: “…. The Petawawa, Ont.,-based (Royal Canadian Regiment) is being replaced with troops that will close out Canada’s combat mission in Afghanistan, the 1st Battalion Royal 22e Regiment.  The …. Van Doos took over existing desert outposts and conducted their first patrols of the winter-scorched fields west of Kandahar this week.  They also took part in their first operation, a push with fellow Canadian and Afghan forces through a troublesome farming region where a team of Taliban bombers was on the loose.  The official handover between the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group and the incoming Van Doos has yet to take place …. ” Bonne chance to the newest troops downrange (again), and to those preparing to leave..
• The “Scumbags on Phones” story appears to be gaining a bit of traction, being picked up by the BBC and Agence France-Presse as well as some American military blog coverage.  Meanwhile, here’s my take how an incident where someone phones somebody in the middle of the night to say their loved one is dead is NOT a “prank”
• A warning to the Bloc as it tries to get a motion condemning Ottawa’s extension of the mission in Afghanistan:  “A Bloc Quebecois motion denouncing the government’s decision to extend Canada’s mission in Afghanistan appears doomed to fail with the Liberals saying Wednesday they will side with the Conservatives and vote against it …. The Bloc and the NDP are united in blasting the government for not putting the new mission to a vote in the House of Commons, but the Liberals support the Tories, both in extending the mission without asking Parliament and in having troops stay for a training mission….”
• In defending their position supporting the mission extension, at least the Liberals are letting one of the smart ones talk:  “Federal Liberals are invoking the name of peacekeeping icon Lester Pearson in a bid to justify their support for a three-year extension of Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan …. In an apparent bid to mollify internal party critics, a trio of senior MPs fanned out across the country Wednesday to explain Ignatieff’s decision. They cast it as consistent with the Canadian tradition established by Pearson, a former prime minister and one-time Nobel Peace Prize winner who is revered in Liberal circles. “You can’t promote peace unless you put force behind the law and behind the collective will of the international community,” foreign affairs critic Bob Rae said in the text of a speech delivered in Toronto …”
• From the “Opposition for the Sake of Opposition” files, we hear from Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe former Liberal leader Stephane Dion on why the Afghan army even NEEDS training: “After all we are speaking about people that have been able to win against the Soviet Union …. If they were willing to win against the Taliban they would not need so much training . . . How come those people who won against the Soviet Union need training?” ….” Uh, a little reminder:  it wasn’t the Afghan army that “won” against the Soviets, it was a whole swack of armed groups (including those that formed the nucleus of the present-day Taliban) that defeated the Soviets.  What NATO’s trying to do is build a single, NATIONAL Afghan army (the success of which can certainly be debated), so while a few oldsters may still be around with scars from the Soviets, NATO’s not just training the folks who beat the Soviets anymore. (Thanks to Ian for this correction – must have been pre-coffee!)
• Note to Jim Maloway, NDP MP for Elmwood-Transcona: although your petition to the House of Commons says Canada was supposed to be out of Afghanistan by the end of 2011, the actual wording of the March 2008 motion says out of Kandahar by that time.  Thanks for playing, though.
• QMI’s David Akin takes the PM to task over his (pick one) flip-flop/change of heart/co-opting of the Liberal opposition on the Afghanistan mission:  “…. Where did Harper tell us about his change of heart? He announced this expensive, ambitious change to our Afghanistan mission in the basement of a hotel in Seoul, South Korea, in front of me and a dozen or so other journalists at the tail end of a G20 meeting. He ought to have announced it in Parliament in front of MPs. And here is the second wrong. Harper leads a party that has long promised to introduce more parliamentary oversight to overseas troop deployments. Yet MPs had to read about this expensive, ambitious mission in the papers ….”
• Elephant Polo to Help the Afghans (with a Canadian connection):  “Two Kingstonians living in Kabul are taking on an elephantine job next week as they raise money to continue the work of a British surgeon brutally murdered in Afghanistan in August.  Megan Minnion and Ryan Scott, who both grew up in Kingston and still have family here, are members of the Afghaniphants elephant polo team that will raise money at the world championship in Nepal next week.  Not only is there a world elephant polo championship, but the barriers to entry are surprisingly low: even a group of enthusiastic foreigners who have never played the sport and who trained for it perched on armoured vehicles skidding around a Kabul helipad can challenge for it ….” Want to know more?  Check out this site for the story behind the game, and the person being memorialized.
• Taliban Propaganda Watch: Attacks alleged in Kandahar, Uruzgan.
• In the immortal words of Maverick in Top Gun, “I’m going to need a beer to put these flames out” for the Liberals  when it comes to this week’s House of Commons vote on the proposed F-35 fighter purchase:  “A majority of MPs doesn’t constitute the will of Parliament, according to the Liberals. At least not when it comes to the government buying 65 F-35 stealth fighter jets for an estimated $16 billion including maintenance costs.  Following the defeat of an earlier Liberal motion calling on the government to cancel the contract, opposition House leader David McGuinty sloughed off the idea that Parliament had spoken on the issue.  The Liberal motion lost 170 to 100, with the Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecois voting it down.  “It’s not exactly the will of parliament to go ahead with the F-35,” McGuinty said. “What the Bloc Quebecois did yesterday was enter into a coalition agreement with the Conservatives in order to be able to, again, act irresponsibly on an extremely important military purchase for our future.” ….” Here’s November 18 debate on the motion (wording from the Liberal party’s news release), and here’s the result of Tuesday’s vote.
• Meanwhile, Defence Minister Peter MacKay sounds convinced that Canada will get something like $12 billion worth of work out of any future contract for the new high tech fighter not yet in production. In 2003, the Pentagon guessed it was something less than $4 billion:  “Considering RFPs currently in competition, future bidding or second sourcing opportunities, and unit production total through FRP, JSF Canada estimates a potential for $4.4 billion to 6.3 billion of revenues for Canadian industry over the life of the JSF program; our estimate is $3.9 billion.” (as of this PDF document dated June 2003).  More in French in Le Devoir.
• What’s Canada Buying? Cleaning up radar bases in Nunavut, and running a base in Alert.
• The investigation into the crimes of murder-rapist Russell Williams may not be over (more here), but according to the OPP, media contact with the investigating team sure is. Meanwhile, one of the victims is remembered.
• The Toronto Star’s Rosie DiManno, in this column, suggests Brigadier Daniel Menard is being treated too harshly having to face a court martial over an affair with someone in his command: “…. Although the no-nookie directive is not mentioned in the Defence Act, what exists is a policy forbidding romance or sex between deployed soldiers — even married personnel — when posted overseas.  From my own nocturnal meanderings around KAF, the huge military base outside Kandahar city, I can emphatically report that this is not a policy directive being followed to the letter — at least not judging from the amorous sounds filtering out of tents and Quonset huts.  Let’s get realistic here: Far from home, living in close quarters, physically fit men and women coping with boredom punctuated by the occasional sharp up-tick of adrenalin and the very real threat of danger, it is entirely human nature to seek out comforts of the flesh.  Proscriptions against physical intimacy may be intended to safeguard morale — or so the tall forehead brass claim — but the opposite is true in practice; a good fraternizing snog can do wonders for esprit de corps ….” Hmm, can’t say I agree – more on that in a separate post shortly.
• How do you say “oopsie” in Russian? “A former Russian special forces officer has claimed that the 1996 murders of six medical workers in Chechnya — including Canadian Red Cross nurse Nancy Malloy — was the result of a botched nighttime raid by Russian agents and not an attack by Chechen rebels as generally believed. In an interview published Wednesday in the Times of London, former Russian major Aleksi Potyomkin — described by the British newspaper as a “defecting” ex-agent of Russia’s Federal Security Service, now hiding in Germany — was part of a secret death squad that killed the medical workers in a tragic mistake on Dec. 17, 1996 ….” More from the Times of London here (PDF) – I guess we know now, eh?

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 24 Nov 10

• Here’s what Canada’s PM has to say about the latest North Korean attacks:  “This is the latest in a series of aggressive and provocative actions by North Korea, which continue to represent a grave threat to international security and stability in northeast Asia.  Canada will continue to condemn all acts of aggression by North Korea in violation of international law.  On behalf of all Canadians, I extend my condolences to the families of those who were killed and injured as a result of this unprovoked attack.  Canada reiterates its firm support to the Republic of Korea, and urges North Korea to refrain from further reckless and belligerent actions and to abide by the Korean Armistice Agreement.  Canada remains committed to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula ….”
• On Afghanistan, let’s start with the scummiest news, shall we? “Quebec military police are after a prankster preying on families of soldiers deployed to Afghanistan by calling them in the middle of the night to say their loved one has died. The relatives of at least three soldiers currently serving in the war-torn country have been targeted by the prank, a spokesman at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier said Tuesday ….” WTF?  The last time something targeted this specifically against families of troops living in and around Valcartier was when letters showed up in troops’ homes from groups opposing the war as part of this campaign.  It makes me wonder how easy it is to spot soldiers’ homes in the area if one can mass mail or phone them.  Nobody’s saying anything about who did this, but IF this is some joker’s idea of expressing dissent, this is just vile.
• Remember Daniel Ménard, the General who was fired from his job in Afghanistan because of an affair?   Next step:  A court martial:  “Brigadier-General Daniel Ménard will face a Court Martial in relation to charges of inappropriate conduct.  Charges were laid in July 2010 following allegations made in May 2010 while Brig.-Gen. Ménard was the Task Force Commander in Afghanistan …. 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 ….”
• An interesting question from the National Post‘s Full Comment:  “With the recent NATO summit in Lisbon, the media have been filled with stories about Afghanistan. Stories about tactics, training, troop levels and timelines. Stories about governance and corruption. Stories about the hard slog of fighting a war that has gone on longer than both world wars and almost as long as the failed Soviet effort to do what NATO is failing to do now.  But in all those words, there was almost nothing in response to the only question that matters: Why are we there? …. I’d like to support the war. I admire our soldiers. And I’m happy to see the facile myth of “peacekeeping” in the dustbin. But try as I might, all I can see is an expensive, pointless and endless conflict.  And NATO isn’t helping me see anything else.”
• Don’t know if it’s a good thing, but Afghanistan’s ambassador to Canada makes a good point: “Afghan Ambassador Jawed Ludin said he felt once the training mission begins, it will become less of a front-page item for Canadians because media reporting tends to focus on negative developments. “This means it won’t be so highly reported on, which is a good thing because it means nothing bad is happening,” he said.”
• A little bit more on those mysterious Russian helicopters Canada’s reportedly buying for use in Afghanistan, from Laurie Hawn, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, during Question Period in the House of Commons:  “…. The request came directly from the Canadian commanders in Kandahar as an urgent operational requirement for an increased troop movement capability to augment Griffon and Chinooks ops.  The contract process, which followed all Government of Canada contract rules and guidelines and all Treasury Board guidelines, was very competitive, although it was not posted on MERX for security reasons. Several companies submitted bids and a decision was taken on the best value bid.  This contract will end when the combat mission ends in 2011. …. This contract is temporary. Several companies bid on it. It followed all Treasury Board guidelines and all Government of Canada contracting guidelines. The contract will end in 2011, when the combat mission ends. It has nothing to do with future Chinook contracts at all ….” That last bit was in response to a question from the NDP’s defence critic, Jack Harris:  “Did the government need to make this secret arrangement because the Chinook helicopters are five years late? Should we just add the cost of these helicopters onto the Chinooks, which are already 70% over budget?”
• At this point, it appears, the only “hush-hush” element of the recent Russian chopper “mystery” is who’s doing the work, and for how much – this time. When the idea of leasing Russian-made choppers was out there in 2008 (CTV.ca here, Toronto Star here, the Canadian Press here), there was even a name publicly attached to the idea.  At that point, Sky Link Aviation (priding itself on providing “hundreds of air charters to destinations across Afghanistan on behalf of governments, commercial clients, and NATO forces since 2002″ on its web page) leased out six smaller Mi-8 helicopters for a year.
• A alternative explanation for the mystery surrounding the Russian helicopters, via Thomas Rick’s “The Best Defense” blog at Foreign Policy:  “My guess is that because both the Afghan and Pakistani militaries use the Mi-17, this makes it more convenient to fly NATO forces across the border and into the FATA as necessary, with lots of plausible deniability, especially if they are flown at night and no one gets around to painting a lot of markings on the aircraft. That would explain why, as the Canadian report puts it, “details were kept off the MERX web-site, which formally lists government procurement competitions, and no news release was issued about the new choppers, which have been in use since the spring.” “ Even if you factor in how Canada is apparently having the private sector collect and share signals intelligence in the area, I’m going to go with Mark Collins on this one – faaaaaaaaaar too risky for an already Afghanistan-message-averse government like ours.
• QMI’s David Akin shares the Bloc Quebecois’ motion to be debated in the House of Commons tomorrow:  “That this House condemns the government’s decision to unilaterally extend the Canadian mission in Afghanistan until 2014, thus denying two promises made to the people, one made in the House May 10, 2006 and reiterated in the Speech from the Throne from 2007 to present a vote of Parliament and that any military deployment made January 6, 2010 to the mission in Afghanistan a strictly civil mission after 2011, no military presence other than the care necessary to protect the embassy.” Read on for a comprehensive summary of what the PM’s said in various venues about the mssion – good reading.
• Here’s more on the cabinet minister who suggests Canada’s not at war.  According to Hansard, here’s what John Baird had to say in response to questions in the House of Commons this week on the mission from Jack Layton:  “Mr. Speaker, our government has been very clear that if we are going to put troops into combat, into a war situation, for the sake of legitimacy we are going to bring it bfore Parliament. That has been our practice as a government.  What we are talking about here is a technical and a training mission. Our recent deployment of military personnel to Haiti following the recent earthquake is a perfect example of troop deployment in a non-combat role ….” I’ll bet a loonie the bit I’ve highlighted in red will come back to haunt the Minister, given that, unlike the Taliban and their allies, Haitians weren’t intent on blowing up people coming to help out.
• Remember way back, when Canadian politicians complained about European countries imposing caveats on their forces in Afghanistan, preventing their armies from contributing to the fight if it was at all risky?  Well, according to Toronto Star columnist Rosie DiManno (who has spent a fair bit of time in Afghanistan), let he who is without caveat cast the first stone: “Make no mistake. Dress it up as both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff might like: If this new stay-in plan is put to effect as advertised — and I have my doubts about that — Canadian troops, highly valued for their combat skills in everything from reconnaissance to sniper proficiency, will be little more than decorative tassels on the Afghanistan uniform, their primary value to pick up the mentoring slack left behind by other bolting allies so that Americans can carry on their terrorist-tracking pursuits.” Ouch!
• Taliban Propaganda Watch: Bad guys allege blowing up a “tank” in Zabul.
• What’s Canada Buying? Pouches, corrosion protection for subs and sword knots.

Canada’s TF Commander Fired

This from the CF:

Commander Canadian Expeditionary Force Command (CEFCOM), Lieutenant-General Marc Lessard announced today that he has relieved Brigadier-General Daniel Menard from his position as Commander Joint-Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) and has designated Colonel Simon Hetherington as Acting Commander in the interim.

LGen Lessard made this decision following allegations concerning BGen Menard’s inappropriate conduct related to the Canadian Forces Personal Relationships and Fraternization directives, which caused Commander CEFCOM to lose confidence in BGen Menard’s capacity to command.

An investigation into the circumstances related to the allegations is being launched.

In the near future, the Canadian Forces will dispatch former JTF-Afg Commander, Brigadier-General Jon Vance to Afghanistan to assume command, pending the arrival of the next JTF-Afg Commander, Brigadier-General Dean Milner.

Before we jump to conclusions re: the nature of the  “inappropriate conduct related to the Canadian Forces Personal Relationships and Fraternization directives” being investigated, let’s look at what ELSE is covered by the regulation in question:

A CF member in a personal relationship with another CF member, DND employee or member of an allied force, contractor or an employee of a contractor shall not be involved, regardless of rank or authority, in the other person’s:

• performance assessment or reporting, including training evaluations and audits;
• posting, transfer or attached posting;
• individual training or education;
• duties or scheduling for duties;
• documents or records;
• grievance process; or

It’ll be interesting to see how this unfolds in the media.

release proceedings.

New Canadian Commander Changing Approach? Nope!

What a difference a few days makes.

On Thursday, we hear/read (courtesy of CTV sharing a Canadian Press story) – highlights, as usual, mine:

The incoming commander of Canadian Forces in Afghanistan is preparing to change the focus of counter-insurgency efforts as he deals with the possibility NATO will once again enlarge the area under Canadian control.

Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard said Thursday he plans to increase troop levels in the province’s dangerous capital, marking a shift from existing strategy concerned largely with rural areas southwest of the city.

“We will be putting a lot of emphasis on Kandahar city,” Menard said. “Kandahar city, for me, remains centre of gravity. It is certainly key terrain and it needs to be taken care of.” ….

Interesting, considering this quote later on:

Menard took over Thursday as commander of Task Force Kandahar from Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance, whose so-called “model-village approach” had won praise from Canada’s NATO allies.

“There is much that others can learn from what the Canadian Task Force has achieved in the last nine months,” (ISAF RC-South commander General Nick) Carter said at the transfer of command ceremony.

“Canada had provided a model of how modern counter-insurgency should be prosecuted.”

Well, as of today, there’s a refinement of the incoming Canadian Task Force commander’s message (via the Canadian Press):

Canada’s top general in Afghanistan says he plans to continue the model-village approach pioneered by his predecessor.

Brig. Gen. Daniel Menard says coalition forces are likely to provide Canada with enough additional resources to focus both on Kandahar city and rural areas of the province.

Menard took over last week from Brig. Gen. Jonathan Vance, who experimented with concentrating Canadian troops in districts southwest of the city….

Here’s both versions in PDF format in case the links don’t work for you.