MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 21 Sept 11

• Libya Mission (1a)  Three more months?  “Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he believes that the Canadian Forces will be able to wrap up their mission in Libya “well before” their next three-month mandate is over. Mr. Harper will ask the House of Commons this week to approve a three-month extension after NATO countries agreed to stay with the mission beyond the Sept. 27 deadline, but he said Canada’s goal is to wipe out the remaining threat of pro-Gadhadi forces and it should be over sooner ….” More from CBC.ca here and The Canadian Press here.  The PM’s officialese statements here and here.
• Libya Mission (1b)  Here’s how the PM’s official statement put it:  “Canada has been at the forefront of international efforts to protect civilians in Libya against the oppressive Gaddafi regime and provide them with humanitarian assistance …. Canada will continue to support the people of Libya, standing ready to promote effective governance and institutions, a secure environment founded on the rule of law, economic development and prosperity, and respect for human rights.”  More in the “Lookit everything we’ve done” bit here.
• Libya Mission (1c)  Softball question from the Conservative backbenches to the Parliamentary Secretary Deepak Obhrai, with a well-messaged response:  “Mr. Peter Braid (Kitchener—Waterloo, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the situation in Libya this past summer has seen the toppling of the Gadhafi regime and the emergence of a real democratic hope. However, despite these gains we recognize that the situation does remain unstable. Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs please update the House on the situation in Libya?  Mr. Deepak Obhrai (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, CPC): Mr. Speaker, today the Prime Minister attended the high-level meeting on Libya at the United Nations chaired by the Secretary-General. Canada has been at the forefront of the international effort to protect civilians in Libya against the oppressive Gadhafi regime. Canada stands ready to support the new Libyan government through the UN coordinated efforts committed to helping the people of Libya.”  Far better than when he said Afghanistan wasn’t really a war, but more like “providing a secure environment in a country in which there was a complete loss of security.”
• Afghanistan (1a)  Former president, head of the Afghanistan High Peace Council and, in some eyes, warlord hard man Burhanuddin Rabbani killed by a explosives-packed turban on a suicide bomber.  Here’s Postmedia News’ take on what the killing means, and here’s the PM’s condolences (noticeably longer than these condolences from Canada’s envoy to Afghanistan for an even tougher warlord).
• Afghanistan (1b)  Here’s former OMLT-eer Bruce Ralston’s take on the Rabbani assassination:  “There’s no question the Taliban’s improvement in their pursuit of “high value targets” this year has mirrored, if not exceeded the coalition’s.”
• Afghanistan (2)  The combat mission in Kandahar is over, but Force Protection Company is still keeping busy (via CF Info-Machine).
• Afghanistan (3)  Canadian General bearing still-useful leftovers for the Afghan National Army (via CF Info-Machine).
• Natynczyk’s Plane Rides (1)  Opinion, from a former subordinate George Petrolekas:  The CDS can’t get the work done on Air Canada that he can get done on a military executive jet.
• Natynczyk’s Plane Rides (2)  Opinion, from Senator Colin Kenny:  “…. General Walter Natynczyk, Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff, has been skewered by simplistic reporting this week. He is right to be indignant, wrong to be surprised, and out of luck if he thinks many in the media are going to stop and put everything in perspective ….”
• Natynczyk’s Plane Rides (3)  Opinion, from QMI/Sun Media columnist Joe Warmington:  “Only in Canada would you see our top soldier sucker-punched in this way. Gen. Walter Natynczyk has looked into the crying eyes of the parents of many of the 157 hero warriors killed in action in Afghanistan, and now the same people who condoned millions for a fake lake and a giant fence are worried about our top soldier’s travel expenses? Only coming out of NDP critics could such hypocrisy reign. It’s funny how we have taxpayers’ money for their leader’s state funeral but we must count every penny for the man leading our troops, not in peace time but in the middle of war ….”
• Natynczyk’s Plane Rides (3)  Opinion, from QMI/Sun Media columnist Charles Adler:  “…. So what about this trip to the Caribbean? Natynczyk had spent the previous two Christmases with our troops serving in Afghanistan. He was about to miss a much-deserved holiday with his family in order to pay respects to more of our fallen soldiers at a repatriation ceremony. The minister of defence ordered him to join his family, and approved the use of the jet to get there. It was a classy move on Peter MacKay’s part, and was completely justifiable ….”
• “No” to expanding the Mo’?  “Canada’s bloated military bureaucracy has consistently defied explicit orders from government ministers to increase the size of the army militia as directed. The accusation is made in a scorching but carefully documented report by pre-eminent military scholar Jack English for the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute and obtained in advance of its release Wednesday by only a few media outlets, including Postmedia ….”
• DND changing how it funds research. “The Department of National Defence is changing how it pays for public research on the military, cutting funding by 80 per cent and moving to a new “agile” model that would mimic private consulting, according to scholars involved. By doing so, many of them charge that the department is squeezing the lifeblood out of almost three-quarters of research centres across Canada that are supported by the program, known as the Security and Defence Forum. DND, however, says it is only acting in the best interests of taxpayers. It says the move will transform the way it interacts with military experts, ultimately providing better value. Directors of the SDF, a decades-long effort by the government to link the military and universities to foster debate and research on security and defence issues, were disappointed to learn in July that their $2.5-million program would be shut down and replaced with a $0.5-million successor. They say DND will likely forge the new program into a system where it can commission work quickly, drawing in expert analysis on current affairs, or on subjects that immediately interest the government ….”
• Somalia’s PM, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, is in Canada, asking for help (including military help)  “(Q) You spoke of the need for more military and police trainers in Somalia, and suggested this is an area where Canada could specifically contribute. Aren’t there already such trainers in Somalia? (A) No, we don’t have those. Not inside Somalia. The European Union is providing some training for the Somali national army. They are training outside the country but we don’t have American, British or Canadian trainers. We need these because security institutions are essential to law and order. We also need logistical support – communication, transportation, even providing salary in the short term – so that once we have a bigger, broader tax base we will be able to provide salaries for our soldiers. We need a lot of financial help.”  More from the Toronto Star here, and Agence France-Presse here.  Given Canada’s military track record in the country (let’s also remember this was a case a small number of very, very, very bad apples making the whole group look bad), this might be hard for the government to sell and message – we’ll have to wait and see what unfolds and how.
• What’s Canada Buying: Big Honkin’ Ships Edition  Getting ready for mo’ shipbuilding work on the east coast.  “A baker’s dozen of employers and the Dexter government have contributed more than $400,000 in cash and equipment to double the number of metal fabrication students at the Nova Scotia Community College this fall. An Irving Shipbuilding official said he couldn’t say whether a further expansion would be needed if Irving Shipbuilding wins one of the huge federal government contracts for new combat and non-combat ships, to be announced within weeks. “It’s difficult to say,” Mike Roberts, Irving’s vice-president of corporate development, said after an announcement in Dartmouth ….”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 5 Aug 11

• Nanook 2011  “Canada is deploying unmanned surveillance aircraft to the High Arctic for the first time, as part of the largest military exercise ever in the Far North. Catapult-launched Boeing ScanEagle unarmed drones similar to those used by the Canadian army for surveillance in Afghanistan are to assist in a major air disaster scenario in an extremely remote area near Resolute, which is about 3,000 kilometres north of Ottawa. They will also assist in a major maritime disaster exercise being overseen by the Canadian Coast Guard in waters between Canada and Greenland. “It’s precedent setting. There will be small UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) in the High Arctic,” Defence Minister Peter MacKay said in an interview. “They are a harbinger of things to come” ….”
• Afghanistan  “NATO trainers will continue to mentor and train Afghan army and police for years past the pullout deadline of 2014, said Col. Peter Dawe, deputy commander of the Canadian contribution to the NATO training mission. Dawe told Postmedia News that as many as half of NATO’s total training contingent will remain after 2014 to continue their job of helping Afghans build a professional security force that by 2012 will number 352,000 strong, including 157,000 police. NATO’s goal is to withdraw gradually all combat troops by March 2014. There are 132,000 coalition forces in Afghanistan. Building and sustaining Afghan security forces beyond 2014, however, requires continued NATO commitment in Afghanistan, Dawe said in an interview. “You can’t view 2014 as an absolute deadline,” he said. He added however that “it is unequivocal” that Canada’s 950 trainers and support staff, whose main job is to train Afghan trainers, will be gone by 2014. “NATO will continue to be engaged for the long haul,” he added ….”
• “Canada and the United States oppose military intervention in Somalia despite evidence the Islamic militant group al-Shabab is blocking famine relief in parts of the drought-ravaged nation that are under its control. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emerged from their first bilateral meeting on Thursday united in their approach to ending the humanitarian disaster in Somalia and responding to the Syrian regime’s violent crackdown on protesters. “At this time, we are not contemplating military action” in Somalia, Mr. Baird said. “Obviously, both countries have experience from that.” He was referring to the participation of Canadian and U.S. troops in the 1992-93 United Nations-sanctioned effort to clear the way for food and medical aid after the Somali government’s collapse ….”
• What’s Canada Buying?  “…. The Department of National Defence (DND) has a requirement for the supply of 24 Chemical Identification System (Chem-IS) kits; Spare Parts and Consumables up to a maximum cost specified in the RFP; Initial Cadre Training (ICT); Repair and Overhaul services for a perod of three (3) years; 24/7 Reachback services for three (3) years; and clearance decontamination. The Chem-IS will be manufactured in accordance with DND’s Statement of Work (SOW). The goods are to be delivered to Canadian Forces Base Montreal, Quebec. Delivery is to commence no later than 9 months after contract award and be completed within 18 months after contract award ….”
• “Convicted war criminal Omar Khadr stunned his longtime Canadian lawyers …. by giving them the boot just months before he is due to be repatriated to Canada from Guantanamo Bay. For years, Dennis Edney and Nate Whitling championed Khadr’s cause, fighting protracted and successful legal battles on his behalf in Canada. His decision to fire them took both men by surprise. “I have no idea what pressures are being placed on Omar Khadr in Guantanamo to make that decision,” Edney told The Canadian Press. “I presume he made the decision with full information and Nate and I wish him all the best.” ….”  More here.
• “Canada has the lowest risk of terrorism among major western economies, says a new global security report. The 2011 Terrorism Risk Index, by the respected British risk analysis company Maplecroft, ranks Canada 86th out of 197 countries. The United Kingdom placed 38th, the highest among major western nations, which Maplecroft attributes to deteriorating security conditions in Northern Ireland, with 25 reported terrorist attacks last year, none fatal. Greece had the worst showing of any western nation, placing 27th with a “high risk” classification. No major western economies, however, fell within the “high” or “extreme risk” risk bracket — the U.S. (ranked 61), Germany (62), France (45) and U.K. all remain in the “medium risk” category. China, meanwhile, ranked 39th ….”  More here and here.

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 14 Apr 11

• Libya Ops (1) – “The Canadian military continues to play a large role in the NATO mission in Libya, a Defence Department spokesman said Wednesday. Brig.-Gen. Richard Blanchette said that Canadian CF-18 fighters have been active in Libyan skies, accounting for 98 of the 832 fighter missions flown by NATO jets since the start of combat operations. Canada dispatched six CF-18s to the NATO-led mission to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya. Blanchette told a media briefing that since April 6 Canadian mid-air refuelling tankers have flown 11 missions in support of NATO’s fighters, while CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft have flown five missions ….”
• Libya Ops (2) – If you want a decent summary of what the U.S. has been up to in/around Libya, check out this Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, “Operation Odyssey Dawn (Libya): Background and Issues for Congress”.
• “Canada and its Afghan allies scored a small but important victory Wednesday when one of nine schools funded by the Canadian military finally opened in Panjwaii district. Twenty-three boys showed up for morning classes in Salavat, where work to totally refurbish the school had been completed four months ago. The holdup in opening the school — which can accommodate about 250 students — had been caused by elders who said the Taliban had threatened to harm their children if they showed up for classes. The elders changed their minds after Panjwaii’s new district leader, Haji Fazluddin Agha, threatened last week to arrest them and “bring the army and the police to your homes and drag your kids to school.” …. “
• “The young, energetic leader of Dand district — an Afghan area held up by Canadians as a model of peace and governance potential in the violence-wracked country — has a decidedly vexing problem: Where exactly is his district? Theoretically, it’s the area that abuts the south end of Kandahar city to the north, the east end of Panjwaii to the west and Daman to the east. In reality, Dand’s borders are elusive, and therein lies Ahamadullah Nazak’s headache. “I don’t know what areas I’m responsible for,” Nazak told a reconstruction and development meeting Wednesday. It’s a point Nazak, 32, who has won leadership accolades from the Canadian and Americans who work with him, made repeatedly ….”
• Election 2011 - “…. Canada has put hundreds of millions of dollars toward not only rebuilding the Afghan education sector, but also toward health, governance, rule of law, livelihoods and infrastructure. As a Canadian aid worker in Afghanistan and as a taxpayer, I want to know how each party would sustain our investments in Afghanistan so this spending has not been in vain. As we transition to a non-combat role in Afghanistan, will Afghanistan continue to be a major recipient of Canadian aid? And how will the incumbent government promote accountability for aid spending, given the extent of corruption in the Karzai administration and the efficiency deficits in so many of the Afghan government ministries which handle foreign aid envelopes? ….”
• Taliban Propaganda Watch: Attacks alleged across Kandahar, and Taliban disses possible U.S.-Afghanistan partnership.
• F-35 Tug o’ War – “The F-35 is the only fighter jet that meets Canada’s specifications, according to the Department of National Defence. But you have to take this on faith, since the Harper government has deemed the “statement of operational requirements” confidential. If you don’t have an absolute trust in government, it’s worth considering what those specifications should be. Based on the past and likely future operations of Canada’s air force, is the F-35 really the best plane? ….”
• “A Toronto man charged with terror-related offences was set up by a man he thought was a friend, the suspect’s lawyer said Wednesday. Mohamed Hersi, 25, is charged with participating in a terror group and counselling to participate in a terror group. He was arrested March 29 as he was boarding a London-bound plane. That flight was then headed to Cairo. Hersi’s lawyer, Anser Farooq, said that’s where the story takes divergent paths: His client says he was going to Cairo to study; the government agent claims Hersi was headed to Somali to join the dreaded terror group al-Shabaab. Hersi appeared briefly in Brampton court Wednesday morning, only to have his bail hearing adjourned until April 20 and 21 ….”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 5 Apr 11

• Election Promises (1) “A Liberal government would restore full university status to the Royal Military College in St-Jean, Que., the party said Monday. If elected May 2, the Liberals would immediately invest $25 million to pay for infrastructure to boost the campus from what is now a CEGEP-level facility, to university status ….”
• Election Promises (2) “Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff pledged Monday to deliver a two-year $120 million plan to help Canadian military veterans return to school and find work. Ignatieff, backed by local candidates and a couple of veterans, said the plan would be increasingly important in the near future with thousands of Canadian soldiers returning from the mission in Afghanistan. “We get a lot of veterans coming home and end up on the street,” Ignatieff said. “One of the things I want to do is make sure those brave, young Canadians get the education that allow them to get the great jobs of the future.” ….” Liberal Party statement here, a critique of the pledge here.
• Election Promises (3)  Blogger Mark Collins quickly sums up the Liberal’s defence platform (hint:  there’s a reason he can do it quickly).
• Libya Ops  Columnist says it’s time for Canada to GTFO Libya. “…. this has now become a matter of power and prestige for the U.S. It is no longer about enforcing a UN resolution. It has, instead, become a showdown between America and Gadhafi. Canada was quick to deploy fighter jets and to take overall command of the NATO-led, UN-sanctioned no-fly zone. However, now that this situation has quickly morphed into yet another American intervention in yet another oil-rich Middle Eastern quagmire of tribal warfare, it is time for us to cut bait.”
• Meanwhile, in Afghanistan:  “The Arghandab River is barely a trickle as Claude Desilets scrambles down the bank to inspect recent repairs on the Dahla Dam water network — arguably the most important infrastructure project in southern Afghanistan. Of particular interest are recently installed gates at the diversion weir, a vital control point for the entire irrigation system Canada is spending $50 million to refurbish. While the river lapping at the gates is currently more reminiscent of a lazy creek, Desilets knows big changes are coming. “In a week, all of this will be under water,” he said. The project field manager notes the traditional agricultural season in Kandahar province is set to begin, at which point the Dahla Dam reservoir 17 kilometres to the north will begin unleashing its contents into the Arghandab ….”
• More on how the Government of Canada wants one of the probes into how Afghan detainees were treated to exclude non-military sources here (Toronto Star).
• F-35 Tug o’ War (1)  The company says things are looking good for the new jet. “Lockheed Martin Corp said on Monday it made considerable progress on testing three variants of the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in the first quarter, conducting 57 more test flights than planned. Lockheed said the short takeoff version of the new radar-evading fighter, put on probation by Defense Secretary Robert Gates for ongoing technical issues, logged 61 vertical landings in the first three months of 2011, six times more than the 10 landings done in all of 2010. The F-35 test program remained ahead of plan, despite a dual generator failure on March 9 that grounded the entire U.S. fleet of 10 F-35 fighter planes for 4 to 15 days during the quarter, the company said. “The vector is moving in the right direction,” said Lockheed’s F-35 program manager Larry Lawson ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2) “As an American, I am extremely reluctant to presume to offer Canada advice on how to proceed with the purchase of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. However, the airplane is the culmination of such malevolent trends in my own country that I believe all allies and neighbours should be warned about going down the same path ….”
• What’s Canada Buying?  Anyone interested in providing professional services for designing/building new honkin’ ships for the CF gets a bit more time to submit a bid (via Army.ca).
• Remember how the CF’s top cop would be getting more control over some parts of the military police apparatus (fourth item)?  Here’s the CF’s new fact sheet on what the new organization looks like.
• I’m.  NOT.  Making.  This.  Up. “A second military court martial is being convened against a Canadian Forces seaman accused of disgraceful conduct after a prank involving a glass of milk and a sailor’s penis. The unusual case happened aboard the HMCS Nanaimo when the coastal defence vessel was visiting Seattle in 2009. A leading seaman in the ship’s mess poured the last of the chocolate milk; mess protocol dictates he refill it. Master Seamen W.L. Boyle told him to refill it and the sailor of a slightly lesser rank said he would do it after lunch. An argument ensued and the junior sailor left, presumably to get fresh milk. While he was gone, MS Boyle took the glass of milk, unzipped his overalls and, according to one witness, inserted his penis into the drink, swirled it around and returned the glass to the table. The sailor was warned by a shipmate not to drink it. MS Boyle was charged with disgraceful conduct and conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline, under the National Defence Act, which he was found not guilty of almost a year later. The military appealed, however, and won a retrial on the disgraceful conduct count ….” The Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada decision is here.
• A bit of a reminder from a Sun Media columnist. “Canadians are not capable of terrorism. We are the mild mannered and polite people of the Great White North who apologize to furniture when we bump into it. Surely we are not a nation capable of producing people who are willing to kill innocents in the name of an ideology. Reality, however, tells another story. There is a long, disturbing list of Canadians who have been arrested on terror charges both at home and abroad. Many have been convicted, Canadians with darkness in their hearts and violence on their minds: Members of the Toronto 18, Mohammad Momin Khawaja, Mohammed Jabarah among them. Since August 2010 alone, five Canadians have been arrested on terrorism charges. Yet Canadians continue to delude themselves into believing that terrorism doesn’t exist here, that every arrest is an aberration and that Canada is somehow an island in a world of instability ….”
• Speaking of which…. “The Toronto family of a young woman who has sparked an international panic over her sudden travels to Somalia says that she has called home to tell them that she is not affiliated with terrorists. “Based on direct contact with her, they are assured she is safe with family in Somalia and that she is not with al-Shabab,” a source who spoke to the woman’s close relatives on Monday told The Globe and Mail. He asked that neither he nor the family members be named ….”
• “A Spanish judge has issued an international arrest warrant seeking the extradition from Canada of a former Guatemalan soldier suspected of involvement in a brutal 1982 massacre during Guatemala’s civil war, a court official said Monday. Judge Santiago Pedraz ordered the arrest of 53-year-old Jorge Sosa Orantes for his alleged role in the massacre in the village of Dos Erres in 1982 in which more than 100 people died, the court official said. Sosa faces charges of crimes against humanity, according to the court official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with policy. The more-than-three-decade civil war in Guatemala claimed at least 200,000 lives before it ended in 1996. The U.S.-backed army was responsible for most of the deaths, according to the findings of a truth commission set up to investigate the bloodshed Sosa has been in custody in Alberta since January on U.S. charges of lying about his role in Guatemala’s war when he applied for American citizenship in 2008. He lived for many years in Southern California, working as a martial arts instructor ….”
• How some troops in the Dominican Republic seem to be supplementing their wages.  “A dozen soldiers in the Dominican Republic have been arrested in an alleged plot to ship cocaine to Canada in a child’s suitcase.  Prosecutor Elvis Garcia says the 12 soldiers include a lieutenant colonel. Eight work with the national anti-drug agency at the airport in Puerto Plata and four with the airport security agency. Two civilians have also been arrested.  The arrests stem from the discovery last month 33 kilograms of cocaine in the suitcase of a Canadian child at the airport. The girl was traveling with her parents to Toronto ….”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 2 Apr 11

• Libya Ops: “NATO’s operational commander is warning forces attacking civilians in Libya that they would be “ill-advised” to continue such activities. Lt. Gen Charles Bouchard, a Canadian now heading the international operation, says the transition of command from the U.S. had been “seamless with no gaps.” …. Gen. Bouchard said he was “aware” of news reports citing a Tripoli-based Italian Catholic bishop who said that 40 civilians died when a building collapsed during a bombing in the Buslim district of Tripoli. “We are investigating and we will report the details once the investigation is completed,” Bouchard told reporters via videolink from his headquarters in Naples, Italy. “My investigation is to ascertain whether or not NATO forces were involved in this incident,” he said ….”
• If you think it’s LOTS safer in northern Afghanistan than it used to be, you might want to think again.  Canada condemns the violence there here. Meanwhile, still no word where Canada’s training mission will be placing troops in Afghanistan (other than not in Kandahar).
• Flit’s Bruce Ralston disses Michael Yon’s defence of U.S. soldiers charged with assassinating and mutilating Afghan civilians.
• F-35 Tug o’ War (1) – “At least one Ottawa diplomat is privately worried about further price jumps in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, adding another voice to the chorus of governments already expressing concern. The diplomat was responding to a slew of recent news highlighting the price uncertainty around the F-35. Several countries have delayed their purchases until later in the decade, while two national budget watchdog groups have recently concluded that the original cost estimates are far too low. On condition of anonymity, the diplomat said his country is definitely worried about the situation as a result of recent developments. The international JSF program, now expected by a the US Government Accountability Office to cost all participating countries more than $1 trillion after $23 billion in increases since 2007, is exposed to uncertainty due to its dependence on a global supply chain and big orders from over a dozen United States allies ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2) - “…. Canada is ruled by a minority regime which places top priority on war making at the expense of the people. When we go to the polls on May 2, Canadians should send the message to all parties in Parliament that the shocking fighter jet purchase plan is a scandal and must be scrapped immediately.”
• “Two Somali-Canadian women who vanished from Toronto in early January travelled to Somalia and are believed to have joined Al Shabaab, say community members who fear the increasing appeal of this outlawed terrorist group among youth. “No one knows what happened . . . how they were brainwashed,” said Mohamed Gilao of Dejinta Beesha, a Rexdale-based organization that helps Somali-Canadians. “It’s very, very worrying.” It is the first known case of women being recruited by Al Shabaab in North America, sending shock waves through Toronto’s Somali community. Their disappearance is particularly troubling for those still reeling from news of the Tuesday night arrest of Mohamed Hersi, 25, at Pearson airport before boarding a flight for Cairo ….”
• “Canadian troops could be complicit in the deaths of innocent civilians if the government proceeds with weak recommendations in the international treaty to ban cluster munitions, says Canada’s former lead negotiator. Earl Turcotte resigned last month from Foreign Affairs after nearly 30 years in the public service, the last decade of which was dedicated to disarmament issues. Turcotte broke his silence and told The Canadian Press in an exclusive interview Friday that he was removed as the government’s chief negotiator in part because he ran afoul of his superiors after senior U.S. officials complained he was too aggressive in cluster bomb treaty negotiations ….”
• What’s (a NATO country) Buying? A bit more than a year ago, Canada said it was looking for mobile labs to test bits of IED to help figure out where they came from (PDF of screen capture here if link doesn’t work).  This week, we hear “Allen-Vanguard Corporation announced (Thursday) that it has just completed the delivery of its first field deployable laboratory for a NATO military customer that provides complete forensic and biometric, technical and tactical intelligence against IEDs ….” (PDF) – copy of news release also available here if link doesn’t work.

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 31 Mar 11

• Cpl. Yannick Scherrer, Royal 22e Régiment, R.I.P. He’s home. More here and here.
• “A 25-year-old Toronto man has been arrested on terrorism charges after allegedly planning to travel to Somalia to join an al-Qaida-linked group suspected of recruiting young Canadians to its militant cause. “There was nothing in the investigation that would suggest a direct threat to Canadians within Canada,” RCMP Inspector Keith Finn said at a news conference Wednesday. “However, the issue of radicalization and people from Canada travelling overseas and receiving that kind of further indoctrination and training remains a concern for the RCMP and our partners as far as national security is concerned.” Mohamed Hersi was arrested at Pearson Airport on Tuesday after a joint investigation between the RCMP and Toronto police that began last October, officials said Wednesday. Police allege Hersi planned to travel to Somalia via London and Cairo to join al-Shabaab, a group Canada has labelled as a terrorist organization. He was charged with attempting to participate in terrorist activity and providing counsel to a person to participate in terrorist activity ….” RCMP news release here – more from the Globe & Mail here and Postmedia News here.
• Libya Ops (1) – Paul McCleary, reporter for Defense Technology International, has these short and sweet updates from yesterday’s briefing on Canada’s work over/around Libya: “Canadian MG Tom Lawson says Canada now has 2 Aurora intel-gathering aircraft operating over Libya, CF-18s flying daily strike misisons“  “Careful with the phrasing — Canadian MG Lawson said Canada ups military personnel to 515 in Med theater, calls it: “sustaining the mission” “
• Libya Ops (2) – NATO now has control of the whole tamale.
• Libya Ops (3a) – “…. With the exception of Afghanistan, the operation is already larger than every other combined. Fighter jets are being sent with all of their ground crews to Italy to attack targets in Libya, while refuelling and reconnaissance aircraft are also being sent to help with logistics and enforce a UN-mandated arms embargo. But too many questions are left unanswered by our quick deployment. There is currently no defined mission, no end date, no goal to strive for. Are our planes there to prevent Moammar Gadhafi from killing his own people? Or are we deploying forces in order to help rebel forces fighting out of the eastern half of the country? And who will be leading this mission during the month while the government is out of session and the federal campaign is running? …. Someone in Ottawa needs to come out and say how long our troops will be engaged in Libya and address the question regarding the overall extent of the mission. If the UN is unable or unwilling to give a timeline for the mission, our political leadership should give us a solid timeframe and end goal. Our troops deserve that much.”
• Libya Ops (3b) – “In Libya, a new doctrine of international order is being tested by coalition forces and rebel fighters. It’s the trial of a Canadian-born concept – responsibility to protect – but none of our campaigning political leaders have seen fit to talk much about what it means when it’s put to the test ….”
• “For Kandahar to win its war on drugs, it must succeed here. “That’s the biggest enemy we have,” Kandahar Gov. Tooryalai Wesa tells a group of Maiwand elders, some of whom chortle after hearing his plan to eradicate poppy fields from the province. “I need your co-operation, please.” The Afghan-Canadian governor’s appeal comes a month after he announced a crackdown this spring on the production of opium throughout Kandahar. It is a lofty goal in a province where cultivation of the illicit but lucrative plant has grown fivefold in the last seven years. But it is particularly ambitious in Maiwand, the largest poppy producing district in Kandahar and third largest in Afghanistan ….” More here.
• “Domestic violence on Canadian military bases has climbed steadily in recent years, coinciding with the return of soldiers from Afghanistan who carry physical and psychological battle wounds home. The problem exists in military communities across the country, but is acute at Ontario’s Canadian Forces Base Petawawa where a spike in cases was noted after troops returned from Operation Athena in Afghanistan in 2007. Military police documented the trend in a 2008 report that was not released, but that CBC News has obtained through Access to Information …. “We found, unfortunately, some methodological flaws in the way some of that military police data was collected and analyzed,” said Col. Jean-Robert Bernier, Deputy Surgeon General with the Canadian Forces ….”
• “The Canadian Forces is planning its first test of a disaster response team that would speed to the site of an airplane crash, environmental incident or shipping accident in the North. The Rapid Reaction Force North is to make its first deployment next week as part of annual Arctic training manoeuvres, said Lt.-Col. Gino Chretien, who will be commanding Operation Nunalivut from Resolute, Nunavut. “It’s a project to try and get troops up as fast as possible if an incident happens up here in the North,” said Lt,-Col. Chretien …. The deployment will be part of Operation Nunalivut, which will involve aircraft from Comox, B.C., and Greenwood, N.S., in addition to regular army staff from Yellowknife and Ranger patrols. The Forces will conduct land and air patrols April 6 to April 22 between Resolute and the Isachsen Peninsula on the northern tip of Ellef Ringnes Island.”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (1) - “Stephen Harper is standing by Ottawa’s rock-bottom estimates for buying fighter jets, even in the face of U.S. forecasts suggesting the aircraft will cost as much as 25 per cent more. The Conservatives agreed to the controversial purchase of 65 fighter planes during the last government at a cost that could top $15-billion to $22-billion over two decades ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2) – “At least one Ottawa diplomat is privately worried about further price jumps in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, adding another voice to the chorus of governments already expressing concern. The diplomat was responding to a slew of recent news highlighting the price uncertainty around the F-35. Several countries have delayed their purchases until later in the decade, while two national budget watchdog groups have recently concluded that the original cost estimates are far too low. On condition of anonymity, the diplomat said his country is definitely worried about the situation as a result of recent developments ….”
• “The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Human Trafficking National Coordination Centre have partnered with the Ottawa Police Service, in collaboration with the Canadian Chiefs of Police Association (CACP), to host Canada’s first national conference on human trafficking. Titled “Moving Forward Together – An Integrated Response to Human Trafficking”, this conference is bringing together law enforcement, prosecutors, victim services and non-governmental organization representatives from across the country as well as provincial and federal partner agencies ….”
• An article complaining about how much Canada’s helping Israel, even when it’s helping training Palestinian security forces. More on the training op here and here.

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 3 Mar 11

• CF to Libya (1a):  Canada’s Expeditionary Force Command (CEFCOM) now has a page with information on Operation MOBILE, Canada’s mission to Libya:  “The Canadian Forces launched Operation MOBILE on 25 February 2011 to assist the departure of Canadians and other foreign nationals from Libya. Op MOBILE is part of a whole-of-government effort led by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) ….” The CF’s Combat Camera folks have pages with photos and video from OP Mobile, too.
• CF to Libya (1b):  CEFCOM’s first feature story about the evacuation mission so far.
• CF to Libya (2a):  So, what’s the job of the HMCS Charlottetown, exactly? “…. Cmdr. Craig Skjerpen, addressing his crew before departure, said they were heading into an “emerging humanitarian crisis” in North Africa, along with the navies of the United States, Britain and other Western nations. The country is in revolt over the 41-year reign of dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Skjerpen told reporters little is yet known about the Charlottetown’s actual role once it arrives off Libya, which will come following a week-long Atlantic crossing. He doesn’t know yet whether the ship will join an existing NATO fleet or a U.S. naval task force, both now in the Mediterranean. Skjerpen also said he has no orders to begin enforcing United Nations trade sanctions against Libya. Nor does the frigate have stocks of humanitarian aid on board. “It’s a very dynamic situation over there right now, so we’ll have to adapt to whatever happens.” ….” More from the Halifax Chronicle-Herald here.
• CF to Libya (2b):  Well, here’s what SOME in Canada’s Libyan community want. “Edmonton’s Libyan community is calling for the removal of dictator Moammar Gadhafi, and has asked the Canadian government to take an active role in supporting the Libyan people. Zachariah Mansour, a second-year science student at the University if Alberta, was among 60 protesters calling for these measures at a recent rally at Churchill Square. “Basically we want to see a similar response to what happened in Haiti during the earthquake and in Sri Lanka during the tsunami; we want humanitarian aid not military intervention,” he says ….” (Note to Edmonton Libyan community:  a lot of the help sent to Haiti got there BECAUSE of the military.)
• CF to Libya (3):  Toronto think-tanker John Thompson’s take:  “….Warships off the Libyan coast can be used to potentially interdict shipments to that country, provided that some sort of agreement between various nations decides to exclude — for example — shipping from Iran or North Korea, and can manage to do so under international law.  If the war continues, warships might be used to escort shipments of humanitarian supplies.  More interventionist roles, such as declaring that Libyan aircraft all remain grounded, or sending special forces to secure stocks of chemical weapons (which Libya has, and used in Chad in the 1980s) or to destroy Libya’s inventory of Scud Missiles to keep the conflict contained to Libya alone.  However, such interventions might cause lasting resentment that will outlive the current situation and could easily be used as for propaganda purposes by any faction.”
• CF to Libya (4):  More “learning” of JTF-2 headed downrange. “…. the dispatch of Canada’s frigate HMCS Charlottetown, which sails Wednesday from Halifax with 240 Canadian Forces personnel aboard, represents a commitment of weeks or months of military presence. Its first job is to set up command-and-control for evacuation efforts if they’re still needed. Then it is likely to assist in aid operations to Libyans, and could finally end up as part of tougher international military “sanctions” against the regime, such as enforcing a blockade, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said. Canadian special forces troops are now based in Malta, The Globe and Mail has learned, and are believed to be playing an active role in assisting evacuation missions to rescue Canadians and citizens from other countries ….”
• CF to Libya (5a):  Retired General Lew MacKenzie, in his own words, on Canada sending fighters to help in any no-fly zone that’ll be imposed on Libya:  “…. The immediate need for imposing a no-fly zone over Libya will only be achieved outside of the Security Council’s decision-making by a coalition of the willing. Some nation will have to assume a leadership role and as French President Nicolas Sarkozy was the first to recommend the idea, France would be an obvious choice. Canada should participate.”
• CF to Libya (5b):  Retired General Lew MacKenzie, quoted & paraphrased, on Canada sending fighters to help in any no-fly zone that’ll be imposed on Libya: “…. Retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie said deploying CF-18s would be “logistically possible,” but “extremely difficult and somewhat time-consuming.” He foresees a more humanitarian role for Canada’s troops, although even that could be difficult since Canada doesn’t have a lot of assets already in the area ….”
• Canada isn’t sending JUST military help to Libya. “…. “Canada is acting swiftly to help meet the humanitarian needs of the people of Libya which are a result of recent violence in that country,” said Prime Minister Harper.  “We are taking action to provide immediate humanitarian support to areas that need it most.” …. Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), will help to address urgent medical requirements, basic humanitarian needs, and the repatriation of people displaced into Tunisia and Egypt.  Canada’s help will include improving access to food, water, sanitation, shelter and emergency medical care.  The initial contribution being announced today will support humanitarian efforts through the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration ….” More on that from the Canadian Press, CBC.ca, Postmedia News, and QMI Media.
• It didn’t take long for the usual suspects to come out against ANY kind of help for Libya involving people whose titles include ranks. “The Canadian Peace Alliance is opposed to any military intervention in Libya or in the region as a whole …. Western military deployment to Libya is a bit like asking the arsonist to put out their own fire. Far from being a shining light in a humanitarian crisis, western intervention is designed to maintain the status quo and will, in fact make matters worse for the people there ….  The best way to help the people of Libya is to show our solidarity with their struggle. There are demonstrations planned this weekend. The people united will never be defeated!” I’m sorry, but WTF does “showing our solidarity with their struggle” mean, exactly?  Ship over some freeze-dried, vacuum-sealed solidarity to drop on the masses?  If you’re going to whine, how about some concrete solutions?  Even the Libyan community in Edmonton was clear about what they want.
• More news on the latest in Libya here (Google News), here (EMM News Brief:  Libya),  here (NewsNow), here (BBC) and here (Al Jazeera English).
• “Ottawa’s patience has run its course as the federal government is set to impose penalties of up to $8-million against Sikorsky for the latest delays in the delivery of a new fleet of maritime helicopters. The aircraft manufacturer is facing a financial hit after failing to meet a schedule that already has been pushed back from the original 2008 deadline. The amount of the penalty is largely symbolic, representing up to 0.15 per cent of the $5.7-billion contract, but the move highlights Ottawa’s decision to take a tougher stand against the U.S.-based company ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War:  Ceasefire.ca has posted a web page allowing you to send a letter to prominent politicians to oppose purchase of the F-35 here. One wonders how many people “personalize” the letter to make it say something COMPLETELY different than what’s already there before sending it?  Just sayin’….
• Wanna buy an old Snowbird? “A rare chance to acquire an iconic piece of Canadian aviation history is up for grabs when a Snowbirds Tutor Jet is auctioned in Toronto next month.  The Canadian Forces’ Snowbirds team, which claims Moose Jaw as its home, has entertained millions of air show spectators as international ambassadors for Canada for more than 40 years …. Now one of these rare aircraft will be offered at public auction for the first time at the annual Classic Car Auction of Toronto from April 8 to 10 held at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont., next to Pearson International Airport.  It is one of only four known CT-114s under private ownership …. Originally powered by the J85 jet engine, which has since been removed after being retired from service, the aircraft is expected to become a candidate for restoration or historical museum display.”
• Know those pirates stealing boats and killing people around Somalia?  Now, ship owners here in Canada are starting to get more  worried, too. “The hijackings and kidnappings orchestrated by Somali pirates in waters halfway around the globe are rippling back to shores of this country, Canadian shipping companies say, and they’ve joined an international campaign urging world governments to do more to combat the problem.  Several international shipping associations and sailors’ unions have launched the Save Our Seafarers campaign, warning the “growing Somali piracy crisis” is threatening global trade and endangering those working on ships plying the waters off Africa’s east coast.  The campaign’s supporters include the Chamber of Shipping of B.C. and Fairmont Shipping (Canada) Ltd., which say Canadian companies have had to turn down business and make costly changes to shipping routes to avoid the precarious waters patrolled by pirates.  “This problem has been recurring and has been escalating to a degree that we don’t feel this is something the industry can resolve,” Samuel Tang, a Fairmont Shipping vice-president, said in an interview ….”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 28 Jan 11

• Canadian Defence Minister meets U.S. Secretary of Defense – from Canada’s official statement:  “…. During their meeting, the Minister and the Secretary addressed important issues related to the security of the Western Hemisphere, such as the situation in Mexico and Central America and how Canada and the U.S. can assist their partners in the region. They also pledged to continue to support the work of civilian law enforcement agencies in countering illicit activities such as narcotics, human trafficking and piracy. On the bilateral front, Minister MacKay and Secretary Gates discussed efforts through NORAD and the new challenges facing defence and security institutions such as maritime domain awareness and cyber threats. Minister MacKay and Secretary Gates also discussed Afghanistan, NATO and global challenges like Iran.”
• U.S. Secretary of Defense meets Canadian Defence Minister – from the U.S. military media:  “…. Gates and MacKay addressed threats to the Western Hemisphere, cooperation among the nations of the hemisphere and efforts to combat a range of international threats such as piracy, counterterrorism, narco-trafficking and human trafficking. Gates said he and MacKay discussed expanded cooperation in the Arctic, coordinating maritime security assistance to the Caribbean region and sharing defense practices for supporting civilian authorities. The two men also discussed the North American Aerospace Defense Command, especially the new maritime domain awareness mission assigned to the group. They also discussed the decision to allow the Joint Permanent Board on Defense to continue looking at ways to examine a cyberdefense role. Gates said the two nations will “examine together how the advanced defenses of our military networks might also be applied to critical civilian infrastructure.” Gates reaffirmed America’s strong commitment to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Canada is an integral partner in the program and the new fighter will be the Canadian military’s aviation backbone for decades. Gates said the Pentagon has made adjustments to the program, and that the United States is expecting to have 325 aircraft built by 2016 ….”
• Oh, and what about the Afghan training mission thing?  Still chatting about it, apparently. “The top bosses of both the United States and Canadian militaries are in discussions “right now” to shape the upcoming Canadian training mission in Afghanistan, according to Defence Minister Peter MacKay.  With the training mission set to begin in July once the Canadian Forces pull out of insurgent-rich Kandahar, MacKay said work is now underway to shape Canada’s future role in war-torn Afghanistan.  Not only is Canada looking for a base-type facility in the relatively secure northern part of the country — as close as possible to the capital Kabul — from which to train the Afghan security forces, but also top military bosses from both the U.S. and Canada are sorting out what to teach them first.  “We’re in negotiations right now with NATO, with our closest allies including the United States, to determine specifically some of the more urgent types of training that are required,” he said Thursday at a press conference with U.S. Secretary of Defence Robert Gates following a bilateral defence meeting in Ottawa.  “Our Chief of Defence Staff Walt Natynczyk is in these discussions right now with Admiral Mullen, his (U.S.) counterpart, as well as with (U.S.) Gen. Petraeus.” ….” More on Canada’s “Kabul-centric” approach from the Canadian Press here.
• Taliban Propaganda Watch:  The Taliban shows what a great administrative system, and announces a new English-language propaganda video.
• Speaking of foreign visitors, the former “Governator” of California congratulates the contribution of Canada’s waves of troops – in Iraq. True, Canadians have served in Iraq (examples from the critics here, here and here) , but if he was quoted properly, it felt like he was thanking a group of troops.
• F-35 Tug of War Update (1): “Scrapping a plan to purchase American fighter jets risks leaving the Canadian Air Force grounded in 2020, the defence minister says. Peter MacKay says opposition to the purchase of 65 F-35 jets, which are experiencing delays and cost overruns, could result in an “operational gap” when the current fleet of fighter jets are pulled from service. There is no guarantee a replacement could be found on time. “There is, shall we say, a sweet spot in terms of the delivery time and the investment that allows us to be in that production line, that global supply chain when we start taking delivery,” MacKay said Thursday ….”
• F-35 Tug of War Update (2): “Canada’s participation in a massive fighter-jet purchase is critical for all players involved, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday, amid suggestions that a Liberal government could jeopardize the project. Following a bilateral meeting in Ottawa with Defence Minister Peter MacKay, Gates said he didn’t wish to interfere in Canada’s domestic affairs but that he hoped, “for all our sake,” all the partners involved in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program will “move forward” with it. Doing so, he suggested, would ensure the interoperability of allied fleets ….”
• US buying RG-31s via Canadian Commercial Corporation (via Army.ca, with a h/t to Mark Collins for spotting it first)
• WHAT’S CANADA BUYING? “Cultural Intelligence and Identity” & leadership paper (via Army.ca)
• Easy come, easy go for the brother-in-law of Tunisia’s recently-booted leader. “The Canadian government has reportedly revoked the permanent-resident status of the billionaire brother-in-law of a Tunisian dictator. Belhassen Trabelsi, who arrived in Canada with his family last week, had his status revoked Thursday, Radio-Canada’s all-news channel reported. Mr. Trabelsi is the reputed leader of a family that ran much of Tunisia’s economy with an iron fist. His sister, Leila Trabelsi, married former Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in the 1990s. The clan is accused of using their connections to the dictator to siphon off billions in public funds for their personal wealth ….” More from the Canadian Press here.
• Canadian security officials: at least 20 Canadian”youths” (mostly from the GTA) have been recruited by Somalia’s al-Shabaab terrorists.
• The feds are apparently looking for ways to deal with foreign bad guys in Canada without needing security certificates. “…. A federal interdepartmental body known as the Alternatives to Removal Working Group began meeting in March 2009 to explore policy options for managing people deemed a threat to national security, documents disclosed under the Access to Information Act show. The group, which includes the RCMP, Citizenship and Immigration, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Canada Border Services Agency, Justice, Public Safety and Foreign Affairs, has “produced a detailed body of work” on tools available under the law, says one internal memo. Among the alternatives to deportation identified are greater reliance on:
  — the Anti-terrorism Act to prosecute suspects;
  — other Criminal Code provisions relating to offences including violence, theft, forgery and conspiracy;
  — preventive measures including a peace bond, an order issued under the Criminal Code that allows authorities to keep someone under surveillance.  Another document shows the federal Privy Council Office was keenly eyeing the British debate over use of control orders — a means of strictly monitoring terror suspects through curfews and prohibitions on communication ….”

Where’s Canada Looking in Africa?

Where might Canada be looking for (possible) future commitments (military or otherwise) to Africa?  A few tea leaves from a recent speech by Canada’s foreign affairs minister….