MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – October 14, 2014

 

#CANinIRQ

• “Nicholson, Lawson talk Islamic State campaign with U.S. officials at White House  — The country’s top military commander is representing Canada at a White House meeting ….” – “Minister Nicholson meets with US Secretary of Defense” – “Tom Lawson Talks ISIL Campaign With US Officials At White House” –  “Obama, allies plot anti-ISIS strategy”
• “Canada in combat – (Conservative MP Bev) Shipley talks war with ISIS”
• One analyst’s take  “…. One issue for any coalition operation is selecting which targets to strike. In the 1999 NATO air campaign in Kosovo, there was significant disagreement among the NATO allies about what to bomb …. Canadian officials did not immediately respond to questions about whether the Canadian military would not strike certain types of targets.”
  
• From the mideast media  “Kuwait: Canada’s risky ally” – “Deployment of Canadian troops to Kuwait stirs memories of Gulf War” – “Hagel confirms ‘long-term’ fight against ISIS”
  
• “Ghosts of the Libyan campaign likely to haunt new war against ISIL  — The ghosts of Canada’s last air war are likely to haunt its participation in the new campaign ….”
• Commentary  “Canada’s response amounts to a scolding” – “Full Pundit: This is no way to go to war” – “The mission against ISIS fails the national interest test” – “Point / Counterpoint: What strategies should Canada employ in the fight against ISIS?” -
• “US, Russia Vow Intel-Sharing on Islamic State”

Ebola

• “Ebola test result awaited by member of CF aid mission” – “Ottawa patient tests negative for Ebola; DND member still in isolation” –  more – more – more
• “Canadian Ebola vaccine begins testing” – “Human testing of an experimental Canadian-made Ebola vaccine began Monday, while health care workers in Alberta and Ontario held patients who were showing symptoms of the virus in isolation.  The vaccine, known as VSV-EBOV, was created by scientists at the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory and officials say the drug could be shipped to West Africa within months if it proves successful ….” – From the Info-machine  “Experimental Ebola vaccine developed by Public Health Agency of Canada to be tested in humans” - more on the vaccine from Google News
  
• “Ebola ‘will go over 9,000 cases this week,’ WHO says”

Ukraine

• “HMCS Toronto participates in Exercise NOBLE JUSTIFICATION  — Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Toronto joins Exercise NOBLE JUSTIFICATION today as part of her Operation REASSURANCE NATO deployment in response to Russia’s aggressive military actions against Ukraine.  Toronto and other Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) warships will conduct Task Force training exercises and force integration activities in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea regions from October 13-26 ….”
  

Way Up North

• From the Info-machine  “Operation Nevus: Mission accomplished”

Other

• “Canada to review policy that boots wounded from military”
• “Military’s mental health system ‘abandoned’ CFB Shilo soldier — A soldier says mental health care at Canadian Forces Base Shilo in Manitoba has been ‘a nightmare for me and other patients.’ Among other things, the base has been without a psychiatrist for three months ….”
• “Military veteran alleges abuse by drill sergeant — James Robichaud went from promising military recruit to injured veteran before he could even complete basic training ….”
• Commentary  “Harper Government is failing the Canadian Armed Forces”
• “Military may gets its $3-billion back — Even as the Harper Conservatives have deployed CF-18 fighter jets to Eastern Europe, and now to Kuwait to join the air war against Islamic State, the Canadian Forces have seen their funding slashed. But that may be about to change, as the government considers adding back part of all of the $3.1-billion removed from the military’s piggy bank in last February’s budget ….”
• “Statement by Vice-Admiral Norman on the Chief Review Services Evaluation of Naval Forces” – still no such evaluation report on the Home of Chief Review Services/Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services) page
• Some Info-machine nuggets  “Cooking up a storm: a rewarding challenge for military cooks” –  – “NORAD: Canada’s role in the most integrated defence partnership of the modern age”
• “Peace groups opposed to military course in Regina schools — A coalition of Saskatchewan peace groups has started a petition about a new course being introduced to Regina schools that includes military training ….” – More CBC coverage of Regina military co-op program

World War One

• “Marking a special centennial for Canada’s troops”

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MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – September 25, 2014

Middle East

• “U.S. says Canada offered to help in Iraq – not the other way around — A spokeswoman for the U.S. Secretary of Defense told Global News the Canadians reached out to ask how to help in “countering” Islamist rebels ….” – “Harper hasn’t ‘ruled out’ Islamic State fight” – “Stephen Harper says Canada weighing direct military contribution to fight against ISIS” –  –
  
• “G-7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement on Joint Action to Fight the Terrorist Organisation ISIL/DAESH — The text of the following statement was released by the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and High Representative of the European Union ….” – “G-7 Approves Military Action in Iraq and Syria” - “G-7 Countries Approve of Military Action in Iraq and Syria”
• “London (Ontario) Muslim Mosque Condemns Actions of Islamic State Terrorists in Iraq, Syria”
• “The Government of Canada updates the Criminal Code list of terrorist entities to include the Islamic State” - “Islamic State added to Canada’s list of terrorist entities”
• Commentary  “Stephen Harper more open with Americans, UN than with Parliament — Why is the prime minister so much chattier about his government’s intentions when he’s outside the country rather than in Parliament?….”
• “Must-see QP: Welcome to the House, Minister of Defence!”
• “Global trend supports parliamentary say on deployment: expert”
• “Hamilton family turned in jihadist son – too late” – “Mohamud Mohamed Mohamud: How ‘vibrant’ Hamilton youth may have died as ISIS fighter” –
  
• Commentary  “How can we stop the jihadi tourists?”
• “Sophisticated online recruiting techniques used by ISIS will be difficult to stop, experts say”
• Commentary  “Fighting the Islamic State at home — the wrong way”
• Alternative oddballs at globalresearch.ca chime in  ” “The Terrorists R Us.” The Islamic State “Big Lie” “

Ebola

• “Canada contributes another $30 million to fight Ebola”  – From the Info-machine  “Canada Provides Further Humanitarian Assistance to Fight the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa”
• Commentary  “Canada should be a leader in the fight against Ebola”

Ukraine

• “(Former Canadian government worker) Oksana Bashuk Hepburn: Help Ukrainian freedom fighters”
• A touch of legal analysis  “Further Toughening of Canada’s Sanctions Against Russia”
  

Way Up North

• “The “Strategic Assessment of Development of the Arctic: Assessment Conducted for the European Union”  report considers the trends and developments taking place in the European Arctic today ….”
• “Friendly facade melting in new Arctic cold war”

Other

• “First-ever Operational Medals Awarded to HMCS Victoria”
• Commentary  “Soldiers hate war”
• ceasefire.ca pipes up  “Defence Department report shows Canada’s deep integration with U.S. missile forces”
• “Cenotaph dedication ceremony planned Oct. 7″
• “Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence to Make a Special Announcement (in Winnipeg on Saturday)”

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MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – September 16, 2014

Iraq

• “8 Wing makes impact in Iraq”
• “Baird Concludes Participation in Iraq Conference, Urges United Response”
• “Windsor MP wants clarity in Canada’s role in Iraq, Syria conflicts” – “MPs set to debate mission of Canadian advisers in Iraq” – “Harper sticks to his guns: no vote on Iraq”
• “Abu Turaab has been tweeting his deadly ideology since he joined ISIS. The Post has learned his real name is Mohammed Ali …”
• “Can Al Qaeda Compete With ISIL?”
• “A surprise voice asking Harper to do more against ISIS”

Ukraine

• PM allows Foreign Affairs Minister make a Ukraine announcement  “Canada Announces Further Sanctions” – ITAR-TASS – Huffington Post – Globe & Mail – RIA Novosti – Yahoo.com – CBC.ca – Toronto Sun
• “In the lead-up to Ukraine’s parliamentary elections in October, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today detailed support for advancing democracy that will see more than 300 Canadian observers travel to Ukraine to monitor the elections ….”
• From the Ukrainian President’s Info-machine (in Ukrainian)  “17 and 18 September will visit the President of Ukraine to Canada and USA – 17 and 18 September 2014 the President of Ukraine Poroshenko will pay a working visit to Canada and the United States.  It is assumed that on September 17, in Ottawa, the President will participate in a joint meeting of the House of Commons and the Senate of the Parliament of Canada to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Governor General of Canada David Johnston ….”

Ebola

• “Canada to send gear to help in Ebola outbreak” – more – Info-machine version:  “Canada offers essential protective equipment to help stop the spread of Ebola in West Africa” – More from the Info-machine:  a summary what Canada’s doing to help
• More from Canada’s defence research info-machine  “Foresight helped make Canada a world leader in ebola research — After 9/11, Canada’s federal scientists began investigating medical countermeasures. While the Ebola outbreak in West Africa continues, it is insightful to look back at the decisions made 10 years ago that are offering hope for containing the virus now ….”
• “US sending (3000 troop) military mission to Liberia to escalate Ebola fight”
• More Ebola coverage here and here

Afghanistan

• “Afghan War commemoration cost more than $1.8 million — A day of honour to commemorate Canada’s decade-long mission in Afghanistan cost taxpayers at least $1.8 million ….”
• “Afghanistan Memorial Vigil on display at (Manitoba) legislature”
• “Memorial planned for fallen soldier”

Other

• Welcome back!  “HMCS Regina returns to CFB Esquimalt after an eight month deployment”
• “Master Cpl. Denis Demers takes own life 2 weeks after standoff”
  
• “Department of National Defence struggles to fill mental health jobs – Almost nine months after promising to make the hiring of mental health staff a priority for the Canadian Forces, 40 positions — nearly 10 per cent of the military’s mental health workforce — remain vacant across the country, according to new figures released by National Defence ….”
• “Hearing loss claims perk up veterans’ ears in Nova Scotia”
• “Retiring military members can no longer expense in-city moving costs: Ottawa — The federal government will no longer cover moving costs for retiring members of the Canadian military who are relocating within a 40-kilometre radius ….” – more – Info-machine version  “Government of Canada Announces Changes to the Canadian Armed Forces Relocation Policy”
• “Department of National Defence struggles to fill mental health jobs – Almost nine months after promising to make the hiring of mental health staff a priority for the Canadian Forces, 40 positions — nearly 10 per cent of the military’s mental health workforce — remain vacant across the country, according to new figures released by National Defence ….”
• “Uproar after museum raided for (Herc) parts”
• “Military manual that suggests Israeli war crimes overseen by Trudeau aide”
• World War 2  “Law Students Killed in WW1 To Be Called To The Bar 100 Years Later”

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MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – July 6, 2014

• On the road with work, so stay tuned for the next update mid-week.
• “Reservists arrive to help fend off flood in southern Manitoba” – more - more – more – more – more
• “US, allies to face off with Canadian submarine in RIMPAC war games”
• “4CDSG welcomes Colonel Gagne as commander”
• “US, Canadian Military Conducts Exercises In Mongolia”
• “Disabled veterans’ settlement tops $900 million”
• “Judge approves $39 million settlement for military veterans”
• F-35 Tug o’ War  “Still no word on CF-18 replacement”
• “Shipbuilding project recruiting Aboriginal workers in Halifax”
• “Searching cadets’ possessions at camp violates Charter, civil liberties association says — An Ontario civil liberties group presented a letter to National Defence Headquarters Friday accusing Canadian Cadet organizations of conducting searches of cadets’ belongings that violate Charter rights ….”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – October 30, 2013

• “People living in and around Pictou are reminded that military choppers will be flying in the area Tuesday night, part of a large joint training exercise between the United States and Canada.  The helicopters are part of Frontier Sentinel 2013, an exercise being conducted this week throughout the Maritimes ….”
• More from the Info-machine on the CF’s help to law enforcement to nail grow ops  “Farmers aren’t the only ones who have been hard at work in the cornfields this August and September.  The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), along with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and other provincial and municipal policing agencies have been scouting out farmer’s fields and forested areas in search for something mean and green – illicit marijuana plants.  Operation SABOT is a RCMP-led marijuana eradication program. It has been conducted Canada-wide every year since 1989.  The CAF has supported the operation since its creation by providing aircraft and surveillance equipment, as well as personnel to operate them.  While the CAF assists in conducting aerial patrols, the RCMP is responsible for all law enforcement actions. Through these patrols the RCMP is able to locate outdoor marijuana grow operations (grow-ops). They can then remove the plants from the site and destroy them ….”
• Commentary  “…. Military tribunals, “particularly summary trials, are vestiges of a Victorian system of justice. It is time to bring them in line with the massive changes and reforms taking place in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, (and) Ireland.” ”
  
• A bit of a reminder of what, exactly, a veteran is these days  “Canada has a whole lot of veterans; a lot more than you might think. According to the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman in 2012:  There are nearly 750,000 Canadian Forces and RCMP Veterans; 100,000 Canadian Forces members (Regular and Reserve Forces) and 23,000 members of the RCMP.  Doing the math, you get approximately 900,000 and growing. Call it a million for the sake of convenience and you find that 1 in 35 Canadians is a veteran.  If that number seems high, think about how you define a veteran. To many people, a veteran is someone from WWII or Korea. Yes, those men are veterans. But they are not the ONLY veterans. In fact, WWII and Korea service personnel only account for 11 per cent of the total veteran population ….”
• “Gravely injured troops are being booted from the military before they qualify for a pension, despite assurances to the contrary from the Harper government.  A former reserve combat engineer was let go last Friday on a medical discharge after begging for months to remain until hitting the 10-year mark.  Cpl. David Hawkins is about a year shy of being eligible for an indexed pension, but was released because his post traumatic stress means he is unable to deploy overseas.  Among those also leaving is Cpl. Glen Kirkland. His plea to remain in the army last June was answered by former defence minister Peter MacKay with an a pledge he could stay until September 2015 — and that no members are released until they are ready.  But the offer turned out to be exclusive to Kirkland, who chose within the last few days to leave rather than be given special treatment.  “I joined as a member of a team, as a family,” Kirkland said in an interview from Shilo, Man.  “So, when I was offered an opportunity when no one else was, it just goes against everything I joined for.”  He will be formally discharged in March ….” – a bit of backstory here (FULL DISCLOSURE:  I’m a moderator at milnet.ca)
• Meanwhile, the Veterans Affairs Minister asks people to remember, any way they can
• “Remembrance is especially poignant this year for Korean War veterans who made a journey back to the sites where they fought tirelessly 60 years ago.  The trip, organized by Veterans Affairs Canada, coincided with the anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice.  These veterans will be carrying their reflections from the tour in their thoughts this November 11 ….”
  
• ” “We need action not only to end the fighting but to make the peace… “ — Lester B. Pearson, November 2, 1956 – The inscription on the national peacekeeping memorial — and the monument itself — have taken on new meaning.  Earlier this month the Pearson Centre, a Canadian institution devoted to the promotion of peace, security, human rights and the rule of law around the world, closed its doors in Ottawa for the last time.  Very much in keeping with the overall response to this country’s steady global retrenchment, news of the closure evoked barely a whimper among members of the public or press ….”
  
• Disarmament lobby group ceasefire.ca connects the dots between Senators and arms merchants
• Way Up North (1)  Commentary  “Canada can learn a great deal from both Icelanders and their Norse ancestors when it comes to boldness ….”
• Way Up North (2)  Commentary  “Last month, a humble marine bulk carrier made history transiting the Northwest Passage, opening a new chapter in Arctic shipping over the top of North America. Reactions depended on where people sit.  A U.S. federal government official helpfully discouraged Canadian focus on the Northwest Passage while we’re at odds over its legal status, something lawyers might or might not clear up by the end of the century. For those who favour Arctic development, the voyage offers a tempting glimpse of the new maritime economy oceanic warming may bring. Environmentalists foresee an apocalypse. For those with a love of history, the voyage recalls centuries of exploration and sacrifice by iron sailors in wooden ships searching for a shorter trade route between Europe and Asia.  A balanced and realistic reaction is in order ….”
• 3D’s Mark Collins on “Oops! “Stateroom”: CSEC Helped NSA at Our Foreign Missions“ – more from Lux Ex Umbra blog here, and The Canadian Press here
• From the NDP Info-machine  “In the wake of disturbing revelations about the activities of the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) – Canada’s equivalent to the United States’ NSA – NDP Defence critic Jack Harris (St. John’s-East) wants greater Parliamentary oversight of the agency.  “Recent events have raised concern about CSEC’s activities,” said Harris. “As the former head of CSEC has said, there must be more parliamentary oversight for this agency and clear answers for Canadians about its activities.” ….” – more here
  
• “A police tribunal has heard that an activist, anti-police lawyer has no credibility when he claims he was arrested illegally during the G20 three years ago.  In closing arguments, defence lawyer Alan Gold accused Nicholas Wright of either exaggerating or lying about what happened.  Wright accuses Const. Ryan Simpson of arresting him and warning him he had no right to remain silent.  But Gold calls the allegations absurd, and says there’s doubt about whether there even was an arrest ….”
• “The Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, issued the following statement (yesterday), following a keynote address at SecureTech 2013, an annual conference focussing on current and emerging security and public safety issues …. Digital networks form the backbone of Canada’s critical infrastructure sectors, and we have taken a proactive approach to secure our vital assets.  In the past year, our Government has taken decisive steps on a number of commitments — particularly in our work to engage the private sector and our critical infrastructure owners and operators in our cyber security efforts ….”
• “The unsteady sand of who is considered a terrorist in Canada has once again shifted in favour of a Tamil woman living in Toronto, whose politician husband was assassinated in Sri Lanka while attending Christmas Eve mass in 2005.  Weeks after Joseph Pararajasingham, a member of parliament in Sri Lanka, was shot dead, Canada granted residency to his widow, Sugunanayake Joseph, who was injured in the attack, to protect her safety. Bill Graham, Canada’s former foreign affairs minister, praised her husband at a memorial service as a “man of peace.”  In 2011, however, the Immigration and Refugee Board concluded that Ms. Joseph was a member of a terrorist group and should be deported because of her ties to her husband, who had ties to the Tamil Tigers.  Now, a judge has ruled that this summer’s Supreme Court of Canada decision — starkly redefining how Canada defines membership in a terrorist organization — means the 76-year-old widow would likely no longer qualify for that dark designation, suggesting a reprieve from deportation may be the best option ….”
  
• RCMP helping Phillippines sort out policing issues  “A senior Mountie has been thrust into one of the least known and most intractable conflicts in the world.  Assistant RCMP Commissioner Randy Beck arrived in the Philippines last week to oversee the establishment of the Independent Commission on Policing (ICP) in war-weary Mindanao where many of the country’s seven million Muslims live and where more than 120,000 people have died over the past half century in fighting between Islamic insurgents and government forces.  Beck’s commission is to make recommendations next April on what kind of police force Mindanao will need if separation talks succeed. The ICP will be looking for a model that will reflect the southern region’s ethnic and cultural differences ….”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – September 27, 2013

• Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino announces review of New Veterans Charter ….
• …. five days before Veterans Ombudsman says he’s releasing his team’s review and costings of the Charter
• More from the Canadian Press:  “The Harper government tried Thursday to get out ahead of a potentially damaging report by the country’s veteran’s ombudsman by calling on a House of Commons committee to conduct a pre-ordained review of the oft-maligned new veterans charter.  Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino said in a statement that he supports a planned comprehensive examination of the marquee legislation, which was last updated two years ago.  The comment comes just days ahead of the release of an exhaustive six-year study that’s expected to show the charter is leaving some of the most seriously wounded ex-soldiers out in the cold.  “We have already made dramatic improvements, and will continue to strive for enhancements, to ensure that the tools and assistance relied upon by Canada’s veterans remain as effective, efficient and accessible as possible,” Fantino said in a written statement ….”
• “A new wave of job notices is going out at National Defence Thursday as the department absorbs big spending cuts to help the Conservative government climb out of deficit.  The vast majority of the 172 workers who will receive “affected” notices are at Canadian Forces Base Montreal, where 145 positions are impacted. Receiving a notice does not necessarily mean a person will be laid off. The union representing defence workers received advance notice of the letters, but the department did not indicate to the union how many positions it plans on eliminating ….”
• “Six civilian workers at the Canadian Forces station in St. John’s received layoff notices on Thursday morning, and the union representing them says it is bad news for the workers, but also for the station itself.  The Department of National Defence is spending more than $120 million on the nearly-finished station in Pleasantville — including a state-of-the-art kitchen — but said there is simply not enough demand for permanent, full-time kitchen staff.  David James, local president of the Union of National Defence Employees, said the kitchen will go mostly unused ….”
  
• CF helping RCMP, other cops shut down grow ops  “Between September 16th and 20th, 2013, the Cornwall Regional Task Force (CRTF) along with members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Cornwall Community Police Service conducted a marihuana eradication operation within Prescott-Russell, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry counties.  Operation SABOT is a yearly Canada wide marihuana eradication program held in partnership between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Canadian Armed Forces and many provincial and municipal policing partners.  Through the use of aerial patrols, along with the assistance from concerned citizens, outdoor marihuana grow operations are located and eradicated. The objective of the operation is to seize the crops prior to harvesting and reduce the supply of marihuana to Canadian communities ….”
• Afghanistan  “It may yet serve as the epitaph to Canada’s nearly 12-year involvement in Afghanistan.  In his long-awaited book about the Afghan war, Graeme Smith writes what others have long thought but rarely said out loud about the violently poor, landlocked south Asian country where some say empires go to die.  “We lost the war in southern Afghanistan and it broke my heart,” Smith — a former foreign correspondent with the Globe and Mail — writes in the opening sentence of his intense, unflinching memoir.  Many, particularly those who run in military and political circles and whose reputations rest on history’s judgment of that nasty, never-ending guerilla war, would disagree. The army never lost a battle, they say.  And now, Afghanistan — and Kandahar in particular, which once burned at the centre of Canada’s national interest — have all but disappeared from the public conscience since the Canadian combat mission ended in 2011, Smith said in an interview ….”
  
• From the Halifax Shipping News blog  “HMCS Montreal is due to move from the Machine Shop Wharf to the Dockyard today at 1300. She will be the third vessel to complete the Shipyard portion of FELEX.  HMCS Charlettown is currently in the graving dock, and HMCS St Johns will take her place when she moves to the Machine Shop Wharf.  Interestingly, HMCS Halifax had the flight deck modifications for the cyclone. these do not appear to have been preformed on the Fredericton, though the deck was probably strengthened anyway.”
• More from the Halifax Shipping News blog  “HMCS Ville De Quebec, and HMCS Iroquois returned this morning from Op Caribbe, An annual anti narcotics operation with the USN and USCG. Ville De Quebec Departed on July 22“
• From the Pentagon Info-machine  “The Marine Corps is renowned for its ability to be ready to fight anywhere in the world within a moment’s notice, which is the reason the Marines of 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, participated in Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training from Aug. 14 through Sept. 14, 2013.  More than 650 Marines and sailors, from 2nd Marine Division and 2nd Marine Logistics Group, as well as Canadian soldiers with Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, took part in the month-long training conducted in Toiyabe National Forest, Calif. ….”
• “Seven Canadian soldiers were taken to hospital following a collision between two military vehicles.  Grey County OPP say they were called to the scene of the crash, on Highway 26 between 3rd Line and the Town of Blue Mountains-Meaford Townline, around 7:45 a.m. Thursday.  According to police, two armoured fighting vehicles were travelling eastbound on Highway 26 when the vehicle in front stopped, at which point the second vehicle crashed into it from behind.  A Ministry of Environment crew was called in due to approximately 300 litres of diesel fuel spilling on the roadway.  Injuries suffered by seven soldiers are described as non-life-threatening ….”
  
• “Military and police snipers from Canada and around the world participated in the 17th Annual Canadian International Sniper Concentration at 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, which commenced on September 19, and concluded (yesterday) …. The Combat Training Centre Infantry School hosted military snipers, along with civilian law enforcement agency snipers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, and the United Kingdom at this year’s concentration. Canadian participants hailed from the Royal Canadian Regiment, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Le Service de Police de la ville de Québec, and the Calgary Police Service, to name a few ….”
  
• “A former military medical technician left women feeling uncomfortable and even “humiliated” after he touched or looked at their breasts during physical examinations, a court martial heard Thursday.  The second day of a court martial for James Wilks, a petty officer second class who is now retired, featured the testimony of several women who described similar experiences of having their breasts and nipples fondled during exams. Their identities are protected under a publication ban.  One of the women said Wilks ordered her to expose her breasts so he could touch them during a physical exam.  She said he spent a minute or two touching her breasts before ordering her to pull up her hospital gown and get off the examination table. The woman choked up several times and dabbed her eyes with tissues as she spoke ….” - more here
  
• “The Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute released a report (yesterday), “North Korea, Ballistic Missile Defence and Canada-US Defence Cooperation”.  A new report by Frank Harvey, CDFAI Senior Fellow and the Eric Dennis Chair of Government and Political Science at Dalhousie University, investigates Canada’s policy towards ballistic missile defence (BMD) …. Harvey questions why Canada is reluctant to engage in “bilateral negotiations with the US to protect Canadians”, especially as US Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel has stated that “the latest plans for ground-based interceptor sites are designed “to protect the eastern United States and Canada against any potential threats that are limited in nature” ….” - a bit more in a commentary piece here
• Blogger on the disarmament think tank Rideau Institute’s report on the CCV’s  “…. By trying to give the appearance of neutrality the authors of these reports find themselves contorting into untenable positions. In their last paper, on the Close Combat Vehicle acquisition program, the authors found themselves in the unlikely position of appearing to support the counter insurgency policy espoused by U.S. General Petraeus. It’s not the only obviously unlikely and/or outright incorrect statement in the paper and most of them are forced on the authors by the apparent necessity of not explaining why they are opposed to military spending of any kind, while opposing military spending of any kind ….”
• Way Up North  Web-connected gaggle of analysts of all kinds say the Arctic is one of the potential hot spots where the U.S. may face future conflict
  
• No preliminary inquiry for the chaps accused of trying to blow up a VIA Rail train  “The Public Prosecution Service of Canada …. announced the filing of a direct indictment against Chiheb Esseghaier, 31, and Raed Jaser, 36, in the terrorism-related case named Project Smooth.  The indictment was filed September 19, 2013, in Ontario Superior Court, with changes to the charges against both accused.  By preferring an indictment, the Crown is sending these matters directly to trial. The decision was made under section 577 of the Criminal Code and follows policy in the Federal Prosecution Service Deskbook, a public document ….”
• Meanwhile, one of the defendants doesn’t appear to be making friends or influencing people while in jail  “In an interview from prison, one of the VIA Rail terror suspects says the West is “plunging a knife into the body” of the Muslim world, and he was duty-bound to “liberate Muslim lands.”  Chiheb Esseghaier told a Montreal-based newspaper (links to La Presse article in French) the September 11, 2001, attacks were a “tap on the cheek” compared to the violence committed by the West.  Mr. Essegheir does not deny the charges against him — plotting to cause a train disaster in Ontario’s Niagara region — and stresses that there is “no shortage of reasons” to launch a terrorist attack on North America.  “We have to liberate Muslim lands and support our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan,” he said, claiming that NATO intervention in the country was  “undressing our women.” ….” – more here and here
  

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – July 13, 2013

• New Boss for Canada’s Atlantic Navy Bits  “In a ceremony held …. in Halifax, Rear Admiral John Newton assumed the duties of Commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT) as well as Joint Task Force Atlantic (JTFA) from Rear Admiral Dave Gardam. The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, and the new Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Norman, were in attendance ….”
• “In a modestly attended ceremony Wednesday, 431 Squadron — the Canadian Forces Snowbirds — bade farewell to Lt-Col. Maryse Carmichael, their former commanding officer, and welcomed their new skipper, Lt-Col. Christopher England ….” - more here and here
  
• “(This week) Aboriginal youth from First Nations communities of the United Chiefs and Councils of Mnidoo Mnising, and from Wikwemikong First Nations of Manitoulin Island, successfully completed the Soaring Bird Aboriginal Youth Leadership Camp …. The leadership camp took place from 8 to 12 July in the community of Zhiibaahaasing, on Manitoulin Island.  It encouraged an exchange of knowledge, introducing Aboriginal youth to basic military training, and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members to Aboriginal heritage, history and culture ….”
• From the Pentagon Info-machine, a photo of a Canadian and an American soldier working together in Ukraine on Rapid Trident 2013 - a bit more on Facebook here, and from the Ukrainian Info-machine here
• F-35 Tug o’ War  “Reports of skyrocketing costs and quality control problems could make the Eurofighter Typhoon too expensive for Canada’s tastes.  German newsmagazine Der Spiegel reports the Typhoon has suffered from shoddy manufacturing and software problems, causing delays and cost overruns.  It says the German defence ministry now “estimates the cost of the program at $22.8 billion by 2018″ for 143 aircraft.  That averages out to $159.2 million per plane.  With Canada looking to get 65 fighter jets to replace the old CF-18 fleet, the cost just to buy the Typhoon could hit $10.3 billion, well over the $9 billion cap set by the Conservative government.  Der Spiegel also outlined manufacturing problems for the jets made by defence contractor EADS.  “Sometimes there were leaks in the tanks, and sometimes the aircraft behaved in unexpected ways, such as a cockpit canopy opening on its own while the plane was taxiing for takeoff,” the newsmagazine reported Monday ….”
• Mali  “Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird …. issued the following statement:  “Canada is pleased to provide support to an election-assessment mission for Mali’s upcoming presidential elections, scheduled for later this month.  Canada’s support for elections in Mali is an expression of our global commitment to promoting Canadian values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. A vote that is both free and fair will be a step forward in Mali’s post-coup recovery.”  Canada is committing up to $250,000 to assist in establishing an international election-assessment team that will include Canadian and international experts and will be on the ground when the first round of voting in the presidential elections begins July 28, 2013 ….”
• Mark Collins on “Previously Secret Documents Show That Canadian Intelligence Discovered That Israel Purchased Yellowcake from Argentines during 1963-1964“
  
• “A U.S. senator says a low-cost, high-tech cable sensor system could be planted along the Canada-U.S. border to boost security without impeding business.  Montana Democrat Senator Jon Tester, who will chair a special field meeting of the U.S. Senate homeland security committee today focusing on the northern border, said cutting-edge technology, private partnerships and bilateral collaboration are key to closing potentially critical gaps — especially at expansive unmanned stretches.  “I think there’s some real opportunity to save money and get better border security,” Tester told CBC News. “I’m not talking drones here, I’m talking low-level radar. I’m talking things like Blue Rose technology, where you can lay a cable in the ground and determine whether a gopher runs over it, or a human being, or a horse.” ….”
• The RCAF Info-machine shares a bit of history about DeHavilland Otters flying off of Canada’s aircraft carriers
• The Royal Canadian Mint is issuing coins to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Korean Armistice (more on that coin here) and the First Special Service Force (SSF, aka “The Devil‘s Brigade) – the SSF coins are available in silver and gold