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 – 6 Jul 11

Please excuse today’s delayed distribution – internet connection was not co-0perating.  Thanks for your patience!

• Afghainstan (1a)  “Combat mission’s over” stories from Postmedia News/National Post (more), the Globe & Mail, Agence France Presse, United Press International, and CNN (more).
• Afghanistan (1b)  “…. Americans are concerned about that development – at least, those Americans who know about it.  In U.S. military circles, Canada’s withdrawal is viewed as an added burden to carry while the Americans are scaling back their involvement in Afghanistan, says Faheem Haider, Afghanistan analyst for the U.S.-based think tank, Foreign Policy Association. He says U.S. military leaders believe Canada has done “a brilliant job” meeting its objectives in Afghanistan, and adds that the absence of troops from Canada and other Western countries is going to become a serious issue for the Americans in the coming months. But Haider confirms that, outside military circles, there is virtually no awareness in the U.S. of the Canadian withdrawal from Afghanistan. In fact, the conflict is viewed as an American war because the U.S. has the lion’s share of troops there ….”
• Afghanistan (2)  The fighting’s over, but the fight isn’t over for some.  “The
  pain in his voice cuts through the stark words. “My three colleagues were hit by an IED. The vehicle was on fire, the driver was still trapped inside. “So basically we had to sit there and watch a friend burn to death and not be able to do anything . . . . “Instantly I felt myself die. That’s when everything changed for me.” Wayne McInnis, a 24-year-old combat engineer in Afghanistan’s lethal Panjwaii district, is back in Canada now, one of thousands of NATO
  troops to depart the modern world’s longest conflict. But like countless others, he felt the stranglehold of a war whose tentacles never loosed their grip, long after leaving the battlefield. The stories of McInnis and his colleagues are featured in the documentary, War in the Mind, to be aired on TV Ontario July 6. It explores the post-traumatic stress that leads some veterans to contemplate, or even commit, the ultimate act of violence against themselves. And as Canadian troops prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan, it’s a timely reminder that for some the battle is only beginning ….”
• Afghanistan (3)  “When “improvised explosive devices” became the Taliban’s weapon of choice in Afghanistan, not only did our military commanders have to adjust their strategy, so did military doctors. Trauma surgeons and medics in the
  field made changes that have allowed soldiers to survive injuries that, even 10 years ago, would have been fatal. And now, some of those medical developments are being put to use in civilian hospitals back home in Canada …. Suddenly, medics and surgeons at Canada’s Role 3 hospital at the Kandahar Airfield were dealing not just with gunshot wounds, but with devastating blast injuries, such as amputated limbs and serious abdominal wounds. As surgeons and medics were forced to refine their approaches, they revived the use of a simple medical device that had fallen out of favour for years: the tourniquet.  When asked to name one medical advancement that has had the most impact in this war, trauma surgeon Dr. Homer Tien replies: “The biggest difference was by far the tourniquet, in my opinion.” ….”
• Afghanistan (3)  One letter-to-the-editor writer suggests a test to see how dangerous it would be for interpreters to be able to immigrate here via the (allegedly) fast-track system:  “…. Allow me to suggest a simple test to determine the danger: how dangerous would it be for a Canadian soldier to walk through Kandahar at night, alone and unarmed? How many nights would he be able to walk the same route before his neck was sliced from ear to ear? If it would be dangerous for a Canadian in that situation, why would there not be much more risk of death for an Afghan interpreter, considered by the Taliban as a “traitor” for assisting the “infidel” Canadian military?”
• Afghanistan (4)  One academic’s view:  “…. Regardless of what our war in Afghanistan may have done for Afghans, it has eroded our civilized instincts. It has not left Canada a better place.”
  
• Taliban Propaganda Watch:  Array of attacks and assassinations alleged in Kandahar, Uruzgan, Zabul and Daikondi.
• One wounded warrior’s next challenge.  “Making it to the top of Africa’s highest summit could prove difficult for anyone, let alone for a soldier who has lost limbs while on tour in Afghanistan. But Cpl. Mark Fuchko said stubbornness and determination will get him to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. “I’m extremely stubborn, and I want to make it to the top of this mountain,” he said. “I don’t care if I have to climb on all fours with two broken artificial limbs, I will make it to the top.” Fuchko lost both legs in
  March 2008, while on duty in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province. He’s among four soldiers leading the way as part of a group of 37 people that is set to climb Mount Kilimanjaro next month to raise funds for the Orthopedic Surgery Centre at the Royal Alexandra Hospital ….”
• “With Canada pulling its fighting troops out of Kandahar this month, there’s growing interest in whether the government’s enthusiasm for defence spending might wane once the heat of combat cools. Over at the National Post, for
  example, Mercedes Stephenson warns against “nickel and diming ourselves into another decade of darkness.” That’s a reference to former chief of defence staff Rick Hiller’s evocative characterization of the supposedly dismal era of military spending restraint, imposed by Jean Chrétien’s deficit-fighting Liberal government, which is often said to have brought the Armed Forces such a low point in the 1990s and early in this century. Voices on the right
  tend to see the Liberals as inherently unsympathetic to the military, while viewing the Conservatives as naturally inclined to spend more freely on the Forces. But can this pattern be seen in the historical data? ….”
• What’s Canada Buying – Big Honkin’ Ship Version (1)  “The Harper government’s long-promised fleet of vessels to patrol the Arctic has seen two of its project deadlines formally pushed back in recent weeks, meaning Canadians will have to wait even longer before they see any of these vessels in the water. The Canadian Navy currently does not have the capability to robustly patrol Canadian waters in the Arctic Ocean year-round, a fact that has always been a thorn in the side of Prime Minister Stephen
  Harper’s Arctic sovereignty strategy. That is why he promised in 2005 to equip the military with such warships. But the Department of National Defence has now made it official that it expects the delivery of the first of the $3.1-billion Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships to occur a year later than it previously forecast. The ships are one of the three large Navy construction projects expected to be handed to two Canadian shipyards this fall under the government’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy ….”
• What’s Canada Buying – Big Honkin’ Ship Version (2)  “Despite facing a tight deadline, a St. Catharines shipyard is hoping a partnership can help secure a piece of Canada’s largest shipbuilding contract. The federal public works department recently announced proposals for the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy would be extended two weeks to July 21.  That, despite two potential bidders for the $35 billion worth of contracts requesting the deadline be extended to Sept. 12 from July 7. John Dewar, a vice-president for Upper Lakes Marine and Industrial Inc., has not said if his company asked for the longer extension. However, media accounts suggest Upper Lakes, which owns the Seaway Marine and Industrial dry docks, is among two that made the request. “We are still exploring all options for a partnership that will allow us to secure work … that (we can do),” said Dewar in an e-mail Tuesday ….”
• What’s Canada Buying? (1)  “There are no plans to set up a single defence procurement agency, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Tuesday. A media report the day before said an independent analysis done for the Department of National Defence agreed with an industry recommendation to centralize military purchases, for which the government has earmarked $240 billion. Asked whether
  the government plans to open a new agency to handle procurement, a spokeswoman for Harper said it would be unnecessary. “There are no plans to create another bureaucracy or more red tape in Ottawa,” Sara MacIntyre said. “I think the question is answered by the fact that Julian Fantino has specific responsibility for military procurement.” ….”
• What’s Canada Buying? (2)  Initial specs out for CF to replace wheeled vehicles (but this is NOT a call for bids) – spec package here (via Army.ca).
• What’s Canada Buying? (3)  Wanted:  a swack of hotel rooms for CF personnel working at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.
• “CAE …. announced it has been awarded a series of military contracts valued at
  more than C$115 million, including a contract from the United States Navy to develop two MH-60R helicopter simulators, a contract from Boeing to design and manufacture training devices as part of the C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) for the United States Air Force, a contract from Professional Way in Malaysia to build a CAE 3000 Series AW139 full-flight simulator and a contract from the United States Army to develop a suite of Abrams tank maintenance trainers ….”
• CF-Royals Link (1)  Minister of National Defence meets Royals in Yellowknife.
• Pakistani Taliban bad boy group now officially considered terrorists in Canada – more from Canadian Press, National Post, and QMI/SUn Media.
  
• “This summer, a torpedo-shaped robot will try to do what 160 years of navy expeditions, RCMP search parties and eagle-eyed Northern hunters could not. In August, when the Arctic ice is thinnest, a small icebreaker filled with Parks Canada archaeologists will make its third attempt to find the Erebus and Terror, the long-lost vessels of the Franklin expedition, a doomed 1845 voyage to find the Northwest Passage. While underwater searches in 2008 and 2010 relied largely on sonar, this year researchers will be bringing along an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle to “dramatically increase the size of the search area.” “This is the year I hope we will solve one of the great mysteries in the history of Arctic exploration,” said federal environment minister Peter Kent in an announcement last week ….”