MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 30 Sept 11

• Pile On the Defence Minister About The Planes/Choppers! (1a)  PM Stephen Harper continues to back his man (the Minister, anyway).  “…. Mr. Harper, however, said all Mr. MacKay’s flights were legitimate. “When he has used them, they’ve been for important government business,” the Prime Minister told the Commons. He invoked fallen soldiers in defending his minister, saying half of Mr. MacKay’s flights were to attend repatriation ceremonies where the remains of dead troopers were returned to Canada. “Half of those flights are for repatriation ceremonies so that he can meet the families of those who have lost their loved ones in the service of this country. He goes there to show that we understand their sacrifice, we share their pain and we care about them,” the Prime Minister said ….”  And this was so different from the CDS’s work before the much-maligned, and un-PM-supported, trip to rejoin his family how?  More from the guys who started the pile on here.
• Pile On the Defence Minister About The Planes/Choppers! (1b)  Here’s Hansard’s version of what the PM said in the House of Commons yesterday:  “…. the Minister of National Defence has participated in some 55 repatriation ceremonies for over 80 lost Canadian service personnel …. This minister uses government aircraft 70% less than his predecessors. Half the time, he does so to attend repatriation ceremonies for soldiers who gave their lives for our country. That is why we have such great respect for the Minister of National Defence on this side of the House of Commons …. When this minister pays his respects to the families of our fallen soldiers I expect the official opposition to support us and the minister by showing respect for these families.”
• On the CDS and plane trips.  “…. Tradition suggests Gen. Natynczyk is heading into the final months of his term as Chief of the Defence Staff. He led our Canadian Forces through the successful completion of our combat mission in Afghanistan — one that elevated Canada’s military reputation around the world. We should allow him to bask in the afterglow that follows a job well done.”
• Afghanistan (1)  Columnist Joe O’Connor seems underwhelmed at how Canada handled fast-tracking Afghan translators to move to Canada.  “…. Interpreters, or ’terps, in the dusty lingo of life in the Afghan war theatre, were vital to our mission as translators, cultural guides — and as Afghans — who understood what Afghanistan was all about. One imagines that these Afghans thought they knew what Canada was all about after Mr. Kenney launched the program: a land of opportunity, of safety — and a just reward for a job well done. It is a pity that isn’t true.”  Not exactly – it was only true for 1 out of 3 who applied (glass half empty version), or it was true for more than 500 terps (glass half full version).
• Afghanistan (2)  NDP MP Anne-Marie Day congratulates ROTO 10 in the House of Commons:  “I am deeply honoured today to draw attention to the difficult commitment undertaken by our Canadian troops on Afghan soil during Rotation 10 of Joint Task Force Afghanistan, which took place from October 2010 to July 2011. We ought to commend and applaud the sacrifices and efforts made during this mission. In 2001, when Canada became involved in this mission, Canadians already suspected that our involvement would be long and arduous. In total, 10 years went by before we considered our work to be done. Tomorrow there will be a ceremony at Valcartier to mark our soldiers’ return. They lived up to the Canadian promise. We can all celebrate their work, be proud of it and honoured by it as well.”
• Afghanistan (3)  U.S. blogger Michael Yon continues to make no friends – this time, assessing Canada’s impact in Kandahar.  “…. the history of the Canadian troops is softly being rewritten as successful in Afghanistan. Reality differs. The Canadians troops have an excellent reputation and they served with distinction, but after nearly being swallowed whole, they were ordered to abandon their battlespace. There were many causes. The Canadian combat forces could have prevailed, but Ottawa is weak. The prime cause for the Canadian defeat was that tough men in mud homes without electricity defeated comfortable politicians in Ottawa, who seem to think that manufactured history will make them victorious ….”
• Afghanistan (4)  Detainee probe by Military Police Complaints Commission plods on, slowly.  “The Federal Court has dismissed complaints from military police officers over hearings conducted by the Military Police Complaints Commission into issues relating to the treatment of Afghan detainees. Eight current and former officers with the Canadian military police had argued they were being denied the right to a fair hearing with regard to whether they were at fault in their transfer of detainees to Afghan authorities or for not investigating how they were treated once transferred, given accounts about abuse of such prisoners at the hands of Afghan authorities ….”  Federal Court decision here, decision summary here and more media coverage here and here.
• Paeta Derek Hess-Von Kruedener, 1962-2006, R.I.P.  Remembering, five years later.  “…. On 25 July 2011, the fifth anniversary of the attack on Patrol Base KHIAM, the fourth annual memorial service was held in El Khiam, led this year by New Zealand Army Lieutenant-Colonel Helen Cooper, the current chief of Observer Group Lebanon (OGL) ….”
• On how much veteran families get for funerals:  “Mr. Sean Casey (Charlottetown, Lib.):  Mr. Speaker, a Canadian Forces member receives $13,000 for funeral costs. A veteran receives $3,600. Nineteen months ago we raised this issue. The answer we received was that it was under review. Last year we asked the minister again to fix this problem. Even though his own officials raised it with him, he told a Senate hearing that it was not the time to talk about the matter. Yesterday we received another non-answer. Our veterans have done their job. They served and defended Canada. Why will the minister not do his and fix the situation now?  Hon. Steven Blaney (Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC):  Mr. Speaker, I am glad to say that on this side of the House we not only speak for veterans, but we act for veterans. As I told the member yesterday, this program is managed by the Last Post Fund. It is doing an outstanding job. We fund the Last Post Fund. We are making sure that every military member who is killed or injured during service, whatever his or her rank, is well-served and will be treated with respect until the last moment of his or her life.”
• What’s Canada Buying?  Remember the “rent a UAV” bid request?  A new Statement of Work and Evaluation Criteria document is out (via Army.ca).
• What’s the U.S. Buying?  A Canadian company is getting more work from additions to this big job:  “Canadian Commercial Corp., General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada, Ontario, Canada, is being awarded an $87,335,007 firm-fixed-priced modification under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5028) for procurement of 425 of the following engineering change proposal upgrades: upgraded transfer case kit; hood/bonnet assembly kit; exhaust system kit; central tire inflation system upgrade kit; skydex flooring material kit; electrical harness kit; route clearance digirack kit; remote weapon station joystick kit; front door assist kit; wheel and tire upgrade kit; and independent suspension axel system kit. Work will be performed in Benoni, South Africa (70 percent); Trenton, N.J. (20 percent); Chandler, Ariz. (6 percent); and Halifax, Canada (4 percent) ….”
• Associate Minister of National Defence Julian Fantino chats up defence industry reps at the Canadian Association of Defence and Securities Industries about buying stuff.
• Whazzup with the General who wrote the transformation/reorganization report that all the reporters got?  “CGI Group Inc., a leading provider of information technology and business process services, today announced the opening of a new Canadian Defence, Public Safety and Intelligence business unit based in Ottawa with capabilities to serve the Canadian Armed Forces around the globe. In addition, the Company also announced the appointment of Lieutenant General Andrew Leslie to lead the new Defence, Public Safety and Intelligence unit. The offering will build on the corporation’s global expertise to develop and implement innovative, world-class solutions tailored to specific knowledge and requirements of Canada’s modern-day defence and security challenges ….”  A bit more here.
• An interesting idea from the Royal Canadian Legion as an alternative to recognizing Afghanistan’s war dead on the national cenotaph in Ottawa.  “…. some veterans argue that singling out those who died in Afghanistan for special recognition on the memorial does a disservice to the more than 100 Canadian peacekeepers who have lost their lives in various other conflicts. For that reason, the Royal Canadian Legion said Thursday that, instead of specifically acknowledging the toll in Afghanistan, the monument should be dedicated to all of those who died “In the Service of Canada.” That’s the same inscription that is found in the Seventh Book of Remembrance, which records the names of all of the Canadians who died in military action since the Korean War. “We think that an inscription that covers the sacrifice made in all wars or missions would be acceptable to most people instead of etching the individual wars or missions,” said Patricia Varga, the Legion’s dominion president ….”
• The World Socialists’ take on “royalizing” the branches:  “…. Though the rose of the Canadian military will smell no sweeter under its new designation, the name change exemplifies the ideological shift pursued by the new Conservative majority government. As the Canadian capitalist class has ever more vigorously asserted its imperialist interests abroad, and employed increasingly anti-democratic methods of rule to enforce its agenda of austerity domestically, its servants in the Harper government have contemptuously discarded the “peaceful” and “liberal- social democratic” Canadian nationalism promoted by the Liberal governments of the 1960s and 1970s and sought to promote the military and the Crown as sacrosanct elements of “what it means to be Canadian.” ….”
• They’re not “war resisters”, they’re volunteers who ran away and aren’t brave enough to face the music – this from the House of Commons yesterday.  “Mr. Speaker, decorated Iraq war veteran Rodney Watson has lived in limbo for two years in sanctuary at an East Vancouver church with his wife Natasha and young son Jordan, both Canadian citizens. I have come to know Rodney and know him to be strong in his conviction for peace and justice, and brave in his commitment to go up against an illegal war. It has been a tough two years, and the strong support from the war resisters support campaign has been enormously important. If Rodney were to return to the U.S., he would likely be charged, which would make his return to Canada inadmissible, tearing him apart from his family. As many as 40 other war resisters like Rodney are currently fighting to stay in Canada. This Parliament has passed two motions in support of war resisters, yet the government is still trying to deport them. I encourage Canadians to write to the immigration minister and their MPs about Rodney and all war resisters to support the call for their permanent residence in Canada.”
• Fence along the Canada-U.S. border?  Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?  “The United States has distanced itself from its own report that suggested it is considering beefing up its security at the Canadian border — possibly through the construction of “selective fencing” and trenches as well as enhanced electronic surveillance. The proposed options are contained in a detailed draft report released Aug. 31 in Washington, D.C., by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. The proposals will be aired at public meetings in American cities this fall, before the U.S. government considers how to further tighten the border to keep out terrorists and other criminals. But late Thursday afternoon, after reports about the possible fence hit the Canadian media, the U.S. agency released a carefully worded statement. “A border fence along the northern border is not being considered at this time,” it said ….”  A summary of the report (PDF) is available here, the news release linked to the report here, and more in the Globe & Mail here.
• Meanwhile, the UAV’s drone on looking for bad guys and bad stuff going from Canada to the U.S.  “The unmanned planes look north toward the long, lightly defended and admittedly porous Canada-U.S. border – the best route many Americans believe for jihadists seeking to attack the United States to sneak across. Like their missile-carrying military cousins prowling Pakistan’s skies targeting al-Qaeda suspects, the unarmed Predator aircraft that have patrolled the 49th parallel since 2009 are high-tech, sophisticated and little understood. And they are part of the same diffuse and determined effort the Unites States is making to secure its borders and defend itself. “We’re here to protect the nation from bad people doing bad things,” says John Priddy, U.S. National Air Security Operations director for the Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Air and Marine. He heads the Predator operation guarding American’s northern airspace. “This is the equivalent of the Cold War in terms of a new type of vigilance,” says Mr. Priddy, who has flown everything from Boeing 747 cargo jets to Apache helicopters ….”
• Former U.S. VP Dick Cheney’s in Canada, worried about a biological or nuclear terrorist attack.

Captain Francis (Frank) Cecil Paul, R.I.P.

Canada’s latest addition to the official list of the fallen – this, from a CF news release:

Following a review of the Canadian Forces’ casualty policy, the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Walt Natynczyk, today announced his decision to add the name of Captain Francis (Frank) Cecil Paul to the official list of Canadian Forces (CF) casualties sustained in support of the mission in Afghanistan.  Capt Paul died in Canada last February while on leave from Kandahar.

“Although his death came suddenly while on leave from his deployment in Afghanistan, he was still on duty and considered part of the mission, and therefore his death is no less important than any other CF member who served and died while in Afghanistan,” said Gen Natynczyk.  “It is important that his name be added to the list of fallen.”

Following his death, Capt Paul was awarded the sacrifice medal and his name was added to the seventh book of remembrance.  His family was also presented with the Memorial Cross.

Following today’s announcement, Capt Paul’s photo has been placed on the CF’s Fallen Canadians web site and a minute of silence will be observed throughout Department of National Defence and CF facilities in the National Capital Region on Monday, November 29.

Capt Paul died of natural causes in Canada while on leave from deployment on 10 February 2010.  He was a member of 28 Field Ambulance in Ottawa. While deployed in operations, he was the adjutant for the health services support unit of Joint Task Force Afghanistan.  The number of fallen is now established at 153.

Condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of the fallen.  We mourn with you.

More Details on Bomb-Sniffing Poochie Bid

Canada is seeking explosive-detecting (EDD) and mine-detecting dog (MDD) teams for Afghanistan – more here and here.

A bit more detail is coming out on the bid.  One potential bidder asked if it was OK to bid with one-man-two-dog teams.  The official response (downloadable at Milnet.ca) – one-man-one-dog teams the way to go, thanks:

The “one dog – one handler” model has been meeting the needs of the Canadian Forces (CF) for the past five years. The advantages of two dogs – one handler, outlined above, can be achieved by modifying the manner of employment to closely monitor the dog’s performance.  This requirement (RFP/SOW) stipulates 38 EDD and two MDD teams – adopting a “two dogs – one handler” model will severely degrade the CF ability to provide the same level of support across widely dispersed elements without significantly increasing the number of teams.

Therefore, the RFP as detailed remains as a “one dog – one handler” requirement.  With respect to the MDD teams, the CF will not be employing this asset in a humanitarian demining role. These teams will support construction projects by searching the site to locate mines prior to starting work. There will be no clearances conducted to achieve the IMAS (International Mine Action Standards) standard needed to return the land to the civilian population. It is likely that both MDD teams will be used together however, the CF needs to maintain the flexibility of employing both concurrently at separate locations. As such, the MDD teams will also remain as a “one dog – one handler” requirement.

More, as we get it.

Canada (Again) Looking for IED-sniffing Poochies

Remember this?

One more try (this from MERX, PDF of posting here), this time, looking for both explosive AND mine-detecting poochies:

…. The use of certified Explosives Detection Dog (EDD) and Mine Detection Dog (MDD) teams are intended to increase the number of IEDs discovered and improve the effectiveness of search operations. Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) aims to achieve a reduction in casualties from explosive hazards and an improved freedom of CF movement through the use of EDD/MDD teams.

JTF-Afg requires EDD/MDD services to execute force protection requirements in support of operations on a 24/7 basis. EDD/MDD teams will conduct effective searches of, but not limited to, structures, vehicles, open areas, choke points, and routes in concert with CF or the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to detect hidden explosives and explosive devices….

Deadline for proposals:  just before midnight 13 Jan 10.

More here in the Statement of Work (via Milnet.ca).

UPDATE (1): This just in – BIG money involved:

The estimated budget for the requirement, for the initial contract period of 1 April 2010 to 31 July 2011, inclusive, is approximately $10M to $12M. As stated in the RFP, services will be  required from 1 May 2010 to 31 July 2011, but the Contract will be dated 1 April 2010.

Note the end date of the contract:  end of July 2011.  Unless it’s extended, this means the planners are working on the basis that IED and mine-detecting poochies won’t be needed after that.

Bid amendment obtained by MILNEWS.ca here (PDF).

Canada Looking for IED-sniffing Poochies

This, from MERX (PDF of posting here if link doesn’t work):

The use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and other explosive hazards requires the Canadian Forces (CF) deployed in Afghanistan to use resources that allow detection of these hazards to mitigate their effects. Detection dogs have proven to be an effective tool in locating concealed explosives and explosive devices.

The use of certified Explosives Detection Dog (EDD) teams is intended to increase the number of IEDs discovered and improve the effectiveness of search operations. Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) aims to see a reduction in casualties from explosive hazards and an increase in freedom of CF movement through the use of EDD teams.

JTF-Afg requires EDD services to execute force protection requirements in support of operations on a 24/7 basis. EDD teams will conduct effective searches of, but not limited to, structures, vehicles, open areas, choke points, and routes in concert with CF or the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to detect hidden explosives and explosive devices.

The Contractor shall deploy a team to Afghanistan consisting of one (1) Kennel Master / Project Manager, two (2) EDD Trainer / Supervisors and fourteen (14) EDD Handlers, who must meet and maintain the qualifications, experience and certifications specified in the Request For Proposal (RFP)….

More in the Statement of Work (PDF).

CAN Gets K’Har City, USA the Rest

Remember my concerns, and those of others, regarding Canada’s increasing focus on protecting Kandahar City while pulling out of the hinterlands?

Well, it seems to be almost official – this, from CanWest News Service:

“The marriage between Canadian and American troops in war-plagued Kandahar is still some weeks away from consummation, but the two forces have settled on a division of labour for Canadian-American military and civilian efforts in the battle-plagued Taliban heartland.

Which country will be responsible militarily for what parts of Kandahar is not something Canadian or American officers have wished to discuss in precise detail, but the rough overlay is expected to have the Canadians concentrating their effort against the Taliban insurgency primarily in heavily populated areas such as Kandahar City and its southern and western approaches.

The 3,000 or 4,000 fresh U.S. troops from a cutting edge, light-armoured Stryker Brigade will cover the rest of the province, including a few distant places that Canada has until now usually maintained a presence.

(….)

“The opportunity for us is that where we have had forces deployed in very small numbers, conducting very important operations, we can bring them back into our main effort,” (Canada’s Joint Task Force Afghanistan Commander Brigadier General John) Vance said. “Where we normally had a company-sized element, they will put in a battalion-sized element and enablers. It is an order of magnitude of difference in capability in those areas and we get to concentrate our force.” “

Good for Kandahar as a whole ONLY:

1)  as long as Canadian troops remain in K’Har City, and
2)  as long as US troops remain in the rest of K’Har Province.

Time will tell.

Also, there was some MSM hand-wringing about the potential need for private sector security to protect Canada’s work on the Dahla Dam.  Now, this, in the same article, from General Vance:

“Just because it happens that the headwaters will exist within an American AO does not mean the project will stop,” Vance said of the $50-million undertaking, which is slated to be completed by the end of 2012. “It will be serviced by Canadian civilians, but some of the prima facie military support will come from Americans.”

No need for opponents of the war to dust off their boilerplate “private military contractors=mercenaries” letters to the editor.