MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – November 30, 2013

• With all the recent news about suicides, and how this sort of thing seems to increase this time of year, here’s some advice that I’d appreciate you share anyway you can to help people who need help, or to help those who know some who do.  Thanks.
• Michael McNeil, William Elliott, Travis Halmrast, R.I.P.  “The government’s ability to help soldiers with mental illness came under scrutiny for a second day after three Canadian Forces members apparently committed suicide this week.  Opposition parties targeted the Conservative government in question period Friday over whether it’s doing enough to help struggling current and former soldiers.  NDP veterans affairs critic Peter Stoffer said he hopes the investigations into the deaths — launched as part of regular procedure — would be completed soon.  It can take up to five years to complete an investigation, although the military says results are often released after a year ….” – more here
  
• “Despite the suicides of three Afghan war veterans this week, a military psychiatrist says there has not been a recent increase in suicide rates among Canadian Forces members.  But those numbers are expected to rise within the next decade as the stress of combat takes hold in soldiers who have returned from the fighting in Afghanistan, Col. Rakesh Jetly said Friday.  That is a troubling prospect as the military grapples with the latest rash of suicides, which are shining a spotlight on the programs the military has available for dealing with cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.  Critics have also questioned how the Canadian Forces tracks suicides among its members, and whether the numbers paint an accurate picture.  The military doesn’t include suicides among reservists in the data, even though it keeps tabs on them, leading to speculation that the actual rates may be much higher.  “We track them, we have them, we do investigate. If a Class B reservist (completes a suicide) we’ll do an investigation there as well.” Jetly told a teleconference Friday.  “The problem is, it’s been very, very difficult for us within the organization to actually accurately capture reservists,” he explained.  “We’re just afraid that if we just sort of start trying to tabulate them that the numbers will be misleading.” ….”
• “The federal government has agreed to move one veterans affairs employee from each of its closing offices to a Service Canada office when they shut their doors by February.  The announcement doesn’t come close to satisfying some veterans and the workers’ union.  The union says the eight will have to manage the 17,000 veterans who use the front line services.  Yvan Thauvette, the president of the union, said it’s an impossible task.  “That won’t make it. You cannot replace 89 workers that will lose their jobs by eight workers. That makes no sense to me. It is adding insult to injury,” said Thauvette ….”
  
• Afghanistan  CF General to the last troops left in country  “We are fast approaching March 2014, when our military engagement in Afghanistan will end. Yours will be the last rotation of the Canadian Armed Forces deployment to Afghanistan on a mission that has lasted more than 12 years.  Like those who deployed before you, you have all done tremendous work.  In October, 268 CAF members returned home because their job was done. The Afghans they worked with demonstrated the capability to lead and conduct training on their own.  Another 360 of you will return home between December and early-January as part of the second phase of the Rotation 3 redeployment.  The remainder will follow in the months thereafter.  Be proud of what you have accomplished in these last months ….”
  
• 15 Nov 13:  CF in New Zealand for an ex?
• 25 Nov 13:  CF in New Zealand for an ex
• 29 Nov 13:  CF (still?) in New Zealand for an ex
• Way Up North (1)  “Russia has started the deployment of aerospace defense units in the Arctic and construction of an early missile warning radar in the country’s extreme north, the commander of Aerospace Defense Forces said Thursday.  “The expansion of [missile early warning] radar coverage is one of the key areas of our work, especially when it comes to [Russia’s] extreme north – we have already started the deployment of electronic warfare units in the Arctic,” Maj. Gen. Alexander Golovko said ….”
• Way Up North (2)  Why the Italians are interested in the Arctic
  
• “One of two men accused of plotting to attack a Via Rail train has been denied bail.  The family of Raed Jaser was in attendance throughout his three-day bail hearing, which had been postponed from October due to a surety being out of the country.  Jaser, 35, faces four terror-related charges.  He and his co-accused Chiheb Esseghaier, 31, were arrested in April and accused of plotting to attack a train that runs between Toronto and New York City …. A joint judicial pre-trial for both has been set for Dec. 9.”
• Blogger on “Why Are Homeland Security And The RCMP Investigating Toronto Activist Sakura Saunders?“
  
• Commentary on the G8/G20 spying fracas  “…. So we know what should not have happened at the G20: CSEC, with or without its U.S. friends, should not have been spying on anyone, whether foreign guests or domestic protesters. And if CSEC was not involved, what about other branches of government? That question remains unanswered.”
  
• “The North American Aerospace Defense Command is prepared to track Santa’s yuletide journey!  The newly redesigned NORAD Tracks Santa website, www.noradsanta.org, goes live Sunday, Dec. 1 featuring a holiday countdown, daily games and activities, videos, music and more.  Beyond a new look, features such as a 3D globe and new interactive games take advantage of today’s modern web.  The site is available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Chinese ….”