- Ronald Kevin Megeney, 1982-2007, R.I.P.: “A court martial resumes today in Halifax after a lengthy break for a former Canadian soldier charged in the fatal shooting of a fellow reservist in Afghanistan. Matthew Wilcox of Glace Bay, N.S., is charged with criminal negligence causing death and negligent performance of a military duty in the death of Cpl. Kevin Megeney. The 25-year-old soldier from Stellarton, N.S., died in a military hospital shortly after being shot in the tent the two men shared at Kandahar Airfield in 2007. This is the second court martial for Wilcox, who was found guilty in July 2009 of criminal negligence causing death and negligent performance of duty. He was sentenced to four years in prison and kicked out of the military but the verdict was set aside and a new trial was ordered last year after Wilcox’s lawyers argued the makeup of a military jury was unfair ….”
- Way Up North (1) Coverage of Operation Nanook by the local media up north. “Hybrid, gas-electric snowmobiles and tiny, remote-controlled airplanes are among the new silent surveillance tools Canada plans to use in the Arctic ….”
- Way Up North (1) DRDC paper (PDF): What’s the Arctic going to look like (in a defence context) in 2014?
- Way Up North (2) DRDC paper (PDF): What’s the Arctic going to look like (in a strategic, security context) in 2020?
- Way Up North (3) Blogger/commentator Terry Glavin on Canada and the North. “…. The first thing southern politicians need to get their heads around is that northerners need to eat. Worrying about Russian incursions into Canadian airspace should be rather lower down the list ….”
- Libya Mission (1) “Canada has a moral obligation to financially assist Libya’s transition towards democracy, a local expert says. “There’s a major chance that Canadians will be able to play a (huge) role,” said Christian Leuprecht, a fellow at the Centre for International and Defence Policy at Queen’s University, and an associate professor at Royal Military College. Providing assistance to Libya through funding giants such as the World Bank will be essential to the North African country when the revolution ends, he said ….”
- Libya Mission (2) Blogger Mark Collins predicts not much likelihood of Europe taking on another Libya anytime soon.
- It appears the helicopters and staff are in place in Jamaica to help out in case they’re needed during hurricane season (via the Jamaican government Info-Machine).
- What’s Canada Buying? Someone to clean up lead in the ground in Richmond, Ontario and someone to provide comms systems (satellite and HF) to NATO police training teams in Afghanistan. (via Army.ca)
- Taliban Propaganda Watch Taliban alleges big attack on government officials in Kabul.
- More federal funding for the meeting of world military bands in Quebec City (now underway until Sunday).
MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 25 Aug 11
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