MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 8 Dec 11

• Afghanistan (1)  Terry Glavin questions U.S. support of Pakistan in light of claims that it helped some of the nutbars claiming credit for the mosque attacks in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif. 
• Afghanistan (2)  “The international community’s 2014 exit strategy from Afghanistan rests on two pillars: training an Afghan security force that can stand on its own feet, and fostering regional co-operation on a conflict that defies borders. Forging a political settlement with the Taliban is considered by most to be the indispensable third pillar of this strategy, even if U.S. and NATO officials are reticent to recognize it as such. Unfortunately, an assessment of progress in all three areas gives cause for serious concern ….”
• Dear Prime Minister:  Please send in the military to help Attawapiskat First Nation.  Signed, Nicole Turmel, Leader, NDP.  Letter (PDF) here, NDP news release here, as well as some media coverage here, here and here.  According to this CP story, Canada Command says it’s received no request for help yet.
• A bit of history on the last time the CF was called in to help a remote northern Ontario First Nation (usual Wikipedia caveats apply) – archived CF fact sheet on Operation CANOPY here (PDF).
• DefMin’s Chopper Ride Woes (1)  Pilot of chopper seems to get Minister off the hook (more here and here) ….
• DefMin’s Chopper Ride Woes (2)  …. but the Minister’s not going to be around for a few days….
• DefMin’s Chopper Ride Woes (3)  …. and he’s threatening to sue anyone for saying he lied.
• What’s Canada Buying? (1)  East coast firm to get some work if their partners get the Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) contract.  “L-3 Electronic Systems has teamed up with Elbit Systems Land in a bid to bring portions of two large military projects to Nova Scotia. L-3, which has about 170 employees in this province, could add another 30 people to the roster at its Enfield plant if it is successful in its bid to help put together and maintain the army’s new tactical armoured patrol vehicles. “We’re in the hundreds of millions of dollars for the total contract of dual (remote weapons systems),” Gerry Morey, a former air force officer who now works for L-3 in Nova Scotia, said Wednesday. “And then there’s the export options as well that we’re obviously interested in.” L-3, a subsidiary of New York City’s L-3 Communications, and Israel’s Elbit — working together as Canterra Solutions — are hoping to supply weapon systems for Force Protection’s contender in the race to provide the army with about $1 billion worth of new armoured vehicles. “Basically it’s a dual remote weapons system, which means it’s two guns, a 40-millimetre gun and a 12.76-(millimetre) gun with camera systems and laser-warning systems and 40-millimetre smoke grenades on it,” Morey said. “It’s remotely controllable from inside the cabin without any external exposure of personnel.” The work here would largely involve maintaining the weapons and then handing them over to an assembler in New Brunswick, he said. “A lot of the supply chain might be outside the province.” In September, Dieppe’s Malley Industries Inc. announced it could be adding 120 new manufacturing jobs if Ottawa picks Force Protection’s Timberwolf as the army’s new vehicle. Other companies competing to build Canada’s new tactical armoured patrol vehicles include Oshkosh, BAE Systems and Textron Marine & Land Systems ….”  More info on the TAPV project here.
• What’s Canada Buying? (1)  More boilable pouches for rations.
• F-35 Tug o’ War  Mark Collins on “F-35 clearly not ready for prime time”
• Permieter Security Deal (1)  How this new deal is going to help Canada, via the Government of Canada Info-Machine (LOADS of backgrounders on various elements of the deal at the link, too):  “…. “Billions of dollars worth of goods and hundreds of thousands of people cross our shared border every day,” said Prime Minister Harper. “Moving security to the perimeter of our continent will transform our border and create jobs and growth in Canada by improving the flow of goods and people between our two countries.” ….”  More here, here,
• Permieter Security Deal (2)  How it’s helping U.S. President Obama:  “…. Canada is going to help him achieve his political objectives thanks to the $1 billion border perimeter deal aimed at streamlining trade while protecting the continent from the type of terrorist attacks that still haunt Americans 10 years after Sept. 11, 2001. The deal will not only improve screening procedures for travellers and passengers before they arrive in North America, it will also create domestic jobs, the president said. “Canada is key to achieving my goal of doubling American exports and putting folks back to work,” Obama said. “Put simply, we’re going to make it easier to conduct the trade and travel that creates jobs, and we’re going to make it harder for those who would do us harm and threaten our security.” ….”
• Japan apologizes to Canada’s former prisoners of war – Canada accepts the apology.  More here, here and here.  Earlier this week, Japan honoured Brian Mulroney for apologizing to and compensating the Japanese interred in World War 2 here in Canada.

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 6 Sept 11

• Afghanistan  Finally, a bit of info (from a visiting Canadian academic) from Herat, one of the spots where Canadian troops are helping train Afghan security forces during Operation Attention.  “…. Our participation in this training process, while likely the best course of action in a very challenging situation, simply adds to both the moral responsibility we owe Afghanistan and the strategic corner we have backed ourselves into. If we build this army, we had better be willing to fund it and support it long into the future. This will be added to the long-term development and humanitarian engagement we also have rightly committed to and have the obligation to maintain. Afghans, of course, have been taught to shoot RPGs before.”
• Taliban Propaganda Watch  New statement (link to non-terrorist web site):  child suicide bombers?  What child suicide bombers?  We have rules against that kinda stuff, ya know….  Meanwhile, here’s what Human Rights Watch has to say about using kids to blow themselves up:  “The Taliban’s use of children as suicide bombers is not only sickening, but it makes a mockery of Mullah Omar’s claim to protect children and civilians. Any political movement or army that manipulates or coerces children into becoming human bombs has lost touch with basic humanity.”
• Libya Mission  Sun Media columnist says time to go home, not extend mission.  “…. Do Canadians really need to be mixed up in another protracted foreign military effort with an uncertain outcome? We may be headed into another recession. The federal government should keep its powder dry and focus now on the home front.”
• 9/11 Plus Ten (1)  “Canada is better positioned today to thwart a terrorist attack than before 9-11, but remains vulnerable to ever-evolving threats to national security — especially those targeted from within the country, says Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. Billions invested in beefed-up security measures, more information-sharing with allies and tighter controls on the movement of passengers, cargo and vehicles since Sept. 11, 2001, have all helped detect threats before they become too far advanced. But Canada must keep “alert” to new sources of danger — including home-grown terrorists and cyber-attackers. “Relatively speaking, we’re in a better position. I think back in 2001 we had no idea about the possibilities and types of threats,” Toews told iPolitics. “I think we’ve become much more sophisticated in recognizing potential threats than we were able to 10 years ago, so in that sense we’re in better shape. We’re also in better shape because we share information with our allies on a more regular and consistent basis.” ….”
• 9/11 Plus Ten (2)  “…. The consequences of 9/11 are a bit like the tip of an iceberg.  What you see is less important than what lies below the surface.  The most visible reminder of 9/11 is the inconvenience travellers face crossing the border …. The other major legacy of 9/11 is the resuscitation of hard power in Canada’s foreign policy …. That horrible day 10 years ago is a lasting reminder that Canada needs both hard and soft power to advance its interests in the world.”
• 9/11 Plus Ten (3)  EU, NATO:  World is safer post-9/11.  “…. A decade after Al-Qaeda traumatised the United States, the terror network has lost its leader, Osama bin Laden, and proved irrelevant in the revolutions sweeping the Arab world, said EU counter-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove. “The main finding is the real failure of the Al-Qaeda project,” he said. The once mighty group has been worn down by the NATO-led war in Afghanistan, which served as its safe haven prior to 9/11, and reinforced international cooperation, de Kerchove said. “Today an attack of the scale and sophistication of 9/11 is no longer possible,” he told a news conference. “Does it mean that we’re completely out of the threat? Probably not.” He added: “Are we safer today than before? I can say yes.” ….”
• What’s Canada Buying? (1)  Wanted:  someone to plan and develop the next CF recruiting media campaign.  This from the bid document’s Statement of Work (PDF available here):  “…. the focus of advertising messaging will shift with the evolving focus of Canada’s military. Ongoing recruitment continues to be the priority and the emphasis will change to accurately reflect the reality of life in the CF. As Fight portrays the CF with a combat focus, and Priority Occupations promotes specific careers, future advertisement campaigns propose to showcase the CF’s readiness and proficiency in humanitarian efforts and domestic defence and support.  The readiness message should demonstrate that CF personnel are trained and the right equipment and necessary infrastructure are available when and where it is needed ….”  Check out the Statement of Work for suggested key messages and target audiences.
• What’s Canada Buying? (2)  Jobs for east coast folks from one of the wanna-be TAPV competitors?  “A Dieppe company could be adding at least 120 new jobs to its roster if the Canadian government picks the Timberwolf as the newest tactical armoured patrol vehicle for the Canadian Forces. A prototype of the Timberwolf, a tactical armoured patrol vehicle designed specifically for the Canadian Forces, is seen in action. Dieppe’s Malley Industries Inc. will be the vehicle’s manufacturer if the design is selected. Specialty vehicle manufacturer Malley Industries Inc. will announce Tuesday that it has penned a deal with Force Protection Industries Inc., a leading United States designer and developer of military tactical vehicles. Malley Industries now joins a team of companies to potentially manufacture the Timberwolf – a tactical armoured patrol vehicle designed specifically for the Canadian Forces. There are at least three other teams vying for their vehicles to be picked. The government has until next July to choose a design. Up to 600 vehicles could be purchased ….”
• What’s Canada Buying (3)  Wanted:  someone to build Joint Personnel Support Unit (JPSU) building in Petawawa.
• What’s Canada Selling?  “CAE today announced that it has been awarded a series of military contracts valued at more than C$100 million, including a subcontract to design and manufacture four additional C-130J simulators for the United States Air Force (USAF) as well as contracts in Germany to provide support services for the German Air Force’s Eurofighter simulators and to upgrade Tornado flight simulators …. Under terms of a subcontract from the prime contractor, CAE will design and manufacture four C-130J weapon systems trainers (WSTs) to support the USAF’s Air Mobility Command (AMC), Air Combat Command (ACC), and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Three of the simulators will be HC/MC-130J WSTs for ACC and AFSOC, and one will be a C-130J simulator for AMC ….”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 2 Sept 11

• Libya Mission (1)  The PM talks tough to the troops in Trapani, Sicily – here’s my quick-and-dirty analysis of some of the messaging (via Army.ca).  More on the speech here, here, here and here.
• Libya Mission (2)  NDP want any new or extended mission debated, voted on by Parliament.
• Libya Mission (3)  Welcoming home HMCS Charlottetown.  Note the message development – we’ve gone from deploying to “Enforce UNSCR 1973” through deploying “In Response To Situation In Libya” and “(Enforcing) A No-fly Zone Over Libya” to now “Fighting The Gaddafi Regime”.  More on the ship’s homecoming here.
• Libya Mission (4)  An editorial reminder:  “…. The first priority for leaders such as Mr. Harper, Mr. Baird and their NATO counterparts should be to examine the circumstances of this victory as closely as they would have a defeat, and to dedicate sufficient resources to helping Libya make the best of its post-Gaddafi existence. We’re only in Act One.”
• Libya Mission (5)  Canada lifts sanctions against Libya (but can’t unfreeze assets yet) – more on this here, here and here.
• Libya Mission (6)  One vet who’s been there, done that, watches Libya.  “As the world watches with horror and hope as North Africa is torn by revolution and war, retired air ace James (Stocky) Edwards is remembering as well as watching. The Comox resident, still going strong at 90, flew over the desert lands still under siege during his days as a Second World War pilot, ultimately earning the third-highest number of aerial victories in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Among other exploits in 1942, he bombed 200 Nazi vehicles parked “mostly in the desert in North Africa — in the land where they’re getting rid of [Moammar] Gadhafi,” he says. More importantly, he shot down 13 German planes on his own, along with eight “probables” downed and damaged another eight ….”
• New boss – LGEN Stu Beare – over at Canadian Expeditionary Force Command (CEFCOM).  More on the handover here.
• The Leslie Report/CF Reorg  Canada’s CF military boss says he’s behind the report, even if his isn’t the last word on some of the proposed changes.  “…. Speaking about the proposed cuts, (Chief of Defence Staff Walt) Natynczyk said: “Everything’s on the table.” He added: “I can’t implement all of this. A lot of this is government decisions.” ….”  More on this one here and here.
• What’s Canada Buying? (1)  Another entry in the Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) sweepstakes.  “Force Protection Industries, Inc., a FORCE PROTECTION, INC. group company, today announced the submission of a bid and test vehicle to the Canadian Forces for the Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) project. Force Protection is offering the Canadian Forces a 6×6 variant of the battle proven Cougar wheeled combat vehicle developed by Force Protection to meet the TAPV requirements. Force Protection will be the design authority and have overall responsibility for the acquisition contract to supply the TAPV vehicles and maintain configuration control. As Force Protection’s main Canadian partner, CAE will have overall responsibility for the comprehensive in-service support (ISS) solution, including: vehicle operator and mission training systems; engineering information environment; fleet management services; systems engineering support; and, lifecycle and integrated logistics support services. CAE will also be responsible for assembling a pan-Canadian team of companies to develop and support any country-specific requirements for Canada’s replacement fleet of tactical armored patrol vehicles ….”
• What’s Canada Buying? (2)  Wanted:  someone to help run kitchens at at USS Montreal, St Jean-sur-Richelieu, Farnham, Valcartier and Quebec.
• F-35 Tug o’ War  Mark Collins shows the half-empty glass that is the Joint Strike Fighter’s prospects outside Canada.
• Marc Hani Diab, 1986-2009, R.I.P.:   “More honours continue to roll in for the documentary, If I Should Fall, produced and directed by Londoners. The film, about Trooper Marc Diab, 22, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009 by an improvised explosive device, will be screened at the Canadian Embassy in Berlin on Remembrance Day. International guests and military personnel will be at the Berlin screening. “There is no higher recognition than being asked to represent one’s country to other nations of the world,” said producer Paul Culliton. The poignant feature-length film, which includes interviews with Diab’s family and comrades and with retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie, was created by three Fanshawe College graduates: Brendon Culliton, director; Dan Heald, assistant director; and Brock Springstead, photographer of the documentary ….”
• Taliban Propaganda Watch:  Lookit the cool charts in the Taliban’s (alleged) stats summary for August 2011 (links to Sribd.com)
• Westjet supports the troops by not charging them for extra checked luggage.  “Canadian soldiers traveling in uniform won’t have to lighten their pockets to pay for excess baggage when flying via WestJet. The Canadian airline will allow military personnel to check in a maximum four bags at no additional charge. Oversize and overweight charges will also be waived. It’s WestJet’s way of honouring the men and women who serve the country. “The reason we chose to do this is to demonstrate support for the men and women of our armed forces, and to thank them for their service to Canada,” Westjet spokesperson Rob Palmer said. “It is a small gesture compared to what they do for us, certainly, but it’s something we wanted to do to express our appreciation to them.” ….”
• 9/11 Plus Ten  “As the horror of Sept. 11 sank in, it was a refrain repeated over and over for months: the world would never be the same. As a close relative, neighbour and trading partner to the anguished, grief-stricken United States, Canada was emphatically a big part of that world. “We were terrified,” recalled Janna Trosman, who was a 12-year-old elementary student in the Toronto area at the time. “Toronto is like a main world hub as well.” Now 22, Trosman said she will never forget the horror and shock on the faces of her classmates as they sat in her elementary school library watching the Twin Towers crumble. “That is like an everlasting effect. I remember the day very, very clearly,” she said. Ten years after terrorist attacks reduced the Twin Towers in New York City to rubble in one of those I-remember-exactly-where-I-was moments, some things are no longer the same for Canadians ….”
• Globe & Mail opens story about vets having trouble finding work by talking to….  a veteran of the British army living in Toronto.  “During three tours of duty in Afghanistan, Captain David Mack commanded dozens of combat troops on missions in unpredictable situations, often amid the whiz of bullets and the scream of shells. Throughout his 10-year military career, the Torontonian’s leadership skills and experience were never questioned by fellow soldiers in the British Army’s Royal Regiment of Scotland, in which he served as a platoon commander. But when he made the transition back to life in Canada, employers couldn’t easily see how his military skills and experience would translate to a civilian workplace. “Whenever I started describing to employers what I did in the military, people would just scratch their heads,” said Mr. Mack, who had been studying theology at Oxford University when he enlisted in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks …. ”  Don’t worry – by paragraphs 20 and 21, we hear from a Canadian vet who’s found work and is helping others do so as well through a non-profit networking group he helped set up, Treble Victor Group. Insert slow clap here….

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 30 Aug 11

• CF Reorg/Leslie Report  “Tension between generals and officials in the Harper government has left the future direction of Canada’s military up in the air. Senior officers at National Defence headquarters, according to sources, are opposed to the recommendations of Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie, chief of transformation, who is calling for savings of $1-billion annually by reorganizing the Canadian Forces and chopping up to 11,000 personnel, mostly at headquarters. But the report is far from dead, with officials in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government looking closely at its cost-saving proposals as they seek to trim at least five per cent from every departmental budget to meet deficit reduction targets. Who wins in this tug of war could determine whether Canada’s armed forces emerge from the budget cuts leaner and meaner, or just smaller and weaker ….”  Methinks if the Prime Minister’s office objected to the leak, we’d have heard about it pretty quickly.  I stand to be corrected, but I haven’t seen any such objection, so…..
• Way Up North (1)  Mark Collins brings up an interesting point:  “Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships to Assert Northern Sovereignty With Unarmed Helos”  As long as we politely ask intruders to GTFO, I guess.
• Way Up North (2)  Russian media commentary:  “…. Canada is going to stand up to Russia in the Arctic, along with its NATO allies. But, unlike in many other cases, Canada does not intend to give the Americans the fundamental part. There is still a competition between the nearest neighbors in North America, and they do not want to share hydrocarbons. Canada is trying to become a leader in the Arctic using belligerent rhetoric. The question now is how Russia will respond to the challenge.”
• Libya Mission (1)  The usual suspects are preparing to protest 15 Sept somewhere.
• Libya Mission (2)  Columnist:  Caveat liberator.  “…. The conflict in Libya is not a popular uprising but rather a tribal-based civil war. By freezing his financial assets, enforcing a one-sided arms embargo, providing the rebels with weapons, training and unchallenged air power, NATO ensured that Gadhafi would lose. What remains to be seen is whether or not the rebels will remain cohesive long enough to rebuild a civil society in Libya. I am betting the answer to that is no.”
• First mission for Operation Jaguar in Jamaica (via CEFCOM Info-Machine)
• Snipers meet at CFB Gagetown  “…. The 15th Canadian International Sniper Concentration – set to run Sept. 6 to 16 – will bring together military teams from across Canada, New Zealand, Australia, France, Italy and the United States. There will also be eight police teams participating.  Two of the military teams will be from The Second Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment at CFB Gagetown.  Capt. John Bourgeois, the officer in charge of the Canadian sniper cell, said the annual gathering allows soldiers from this country to develop skills and proficiency.  “As well, we open it up to the international (community) and Canadian law enforcement,” Bourgeois said. “Basically, it’s a big, giant exchange of ideas about new tactics, techniques, procedures and basically bringing everyone up to date on how the business gets done.” ….”
• Taliban Propaganda Watch  English sites down, some material shifted, and one Twitterer mocking the Taliban’s tweets.
• Afghanistan (1a)  Ammo techs among the many troops busy helping clean up as Canadians pack it in (via CEFCOM Info-Machine, 17 Aug 11)
• Afghanistan (1b) Ammo techs among the many troops busy helping clean up as Canadians pack it in (via Army News Info-Machine, 29 Aug 11)
• Afghanistan (2)  Converting shipping containers into quarters for Afghan troops (via Army News Info-Machine)
• Afghanistan (3)  How good a job did all those UAVs do?  “…. the Canadian Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Detachment, known as Task Force Erebus, deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 …. TF Erebus ended its flying operations on July 7, 2011, with the end of the Canadian Forces combat mission in Kandahar Province …. By the end of operations, TF Erebus was credited with 837 flying missions. The task force achieved several milestones during the last rotation of personnel, including a mission of more than 30 hours, the longest flight undertaken by a Canadian Heron crew, and an unprecedented stretch of 116 hours — just shy of five full days — of continuous intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance coverage.  Over 30 months of operations, TF Erebus flew a total of 15,000 operational hours with only 198 personnel distributed over five rotations ….”
• What’s Canada (No Longer) Buying?  Remember the call for an “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Helicopter” earlier this month?  Public Works Canada has cancelled the bid (via Army.ca).
• What’s Canada Buying? (1)  “Knappett Projects Inc. of Victoria has been awarded a $103.9-million contract to build the new base for 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron at Victoria International Airport. “In this current construction market where everything is so depressed, and everyone is fighting for every contract, it’s nice to know that you have something of this size that is going to last a few years,” company founder John Knappett said Monday. “It will keep a lot of our staff busy. It’s great news.” Federal officials have estimated that about 800 workers will be on the site over the 30-month life of the project ….”
• What’s Canada Buying? (x)  Practice dummies for medical trauma training – more from the bid document here (PDF) if you’re interested.
• “Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, today delivered the Oshkosh Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) to Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland where the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) will conduct mobility, survivability and weapons testing. Oshkosh Defense’s response to the TAPV solicitation was submitted to the Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) last week …. The TAPV is intended to replace the Armoured Patrol Vehicle (APV) and the Coyote reconnaissance vehicle, to help ensure the Canadian Army remains capable of effective training, supporting domestic operations and sustaining deployed forces as part of the Canada First Defence Strategy. The Oshkosh TAPV, which is based on the company’s proven Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) platform, leverages a mission-proven chassis and the patented TAK-4® independent suspension system used on more than 20,000 military-class vehicles, which have proven highly-effective in some of the most extreme operating environments, including Afghanistan. In independent testing conducted to date, the Oshkosh TAPV has undergone on- and off-road durability validation, successfully met ballistic and other survivability threat requirements (including the use of steel-pot method for NATO STANAG blast tests), and completed extensive live-fire demonstrations of the fully integrated dual Remote Weapon Station (RWS). The combination of these activities demonstrates the effectiveness, maturity and reliability of the Oshkosh TAPV ….”
• 9/11 Plus Ten:  “Melodie Homer has always taken solace in privately knowing how her husband’s final minutes unfolded while in the cockpit of the doomed United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001. Now she’s ready to talk about them. The Hamilton native is the widow of LeRoy Homer Jr., co-pilot of hijacked Flight 93 that slammed into a Pennsylvania field on 9/11, killing all 33 passengers and seven crew. Her story is her search to understand the last seconds of her husband’s life, to cope with his mindless death and to put his murder at the hands of Osama bin Laden’s air pirates in what she believes is the proper context. “Essentially the battle — the fight against terrorism — started in the cockpit. It started with Jason and LeRoy,” Homer told The Canadian Press in an interview ….”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 2 Jun 11

• Libya Mission (1):  NATO extends its mission 90 days.  “NATO and partners have just decided to extend our mission for Libya for another 90 days. This decision sends a clear message to the Qadhafi regime: We are determined to continue our operation to protect the people of Libya. We will sustain our efforts to fulfil the United Nations mandate. We will keep up the pressure to see it through. Our decision also sends a clear message to the people of Libya: NATO, our partners, the whole international community, stand with you. We stand united to make sure that you can shape your own future. And that day is getting closer.”
• Libya Mission (2):  Canada’s envoy to NATO approves NATO extension.  “Ambassadors from NATO’s 28-member states, including Canada, have unanimously decided to extend the military campaign in Libya for an additional 90 days. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the alliance’s secretary-general made the announcement on Wednesday, saying it “sends a clear message to the Gadhafi regime: We are determined to continue our operation to protect the people of Libya.” NATO took command of the international military campaign in Libya at the end of March, in the hopes of protecting Libyan civilians caught up in fighting between rebels and forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. The alliance originally agreed to head the military campaign for 90 days, which would expire June 27 ….”
• Libya Mission (3):  Canada going to extend mission?  “The federal government indicated Wednesday it will extend Canada’s mission in Libya, following a NATO decision to extend its bombing operations in the north African country. The fact the Conservatives support extending the mission may guarantee Canada stays in the war zone until September, the revised end date NATO set for its mission. A simple majority vote in the House of Commons or a cabinet decision can send troops to war, both of which the Tories can do without opposition support ….”  More from CBC.ca:  “…. Harper had announced Friday at the G8 summit in Deauville, France, that Parliament will be asked to agree to an extension after the new session opens Thursday. “The government is very committed to the mission and we can, I think, report to Parliament that it has both gone well so far and that its continuation is essential for the original reasons we embarked on it,” the prime minister told CBC Radio’s Susan Lunn ….”
• Libya Mission (4):  Not sure yet (even though, with a majority government, we know how it would go) what Canada is doing on extending mission?  “NATO has extended its Libyan air war by three months, but Canada’s role in the prolonged mission remains unclear. In an email from Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s office, a spokesperson said the future of Canada’s role in the Libya mission rests on the shoulders of Parliament. “Prime Minister Harper has been clear that Parliament will decide whether to extend Canada’s contribution to the NATO mission beyond June 16,” the spokesperson said. Hours after NATO-led aircraft launched new raids on Tripoli, ambassadors of the military alliance decided to renew the mission for another 90 days, to late September ….”
• Libya Mission (5):  “…. Critics urged the government to define Canada’s mandate in the mission going forward, suggesting that without clear guidelines, “mission creep” could end with Canada committed to another long-term mission similar to Afghanistan. “This is an instance where we’ll want to make sure the government is being clear,” said NDP critic Paul Dewar. Complicating issues is a UN Human Right Council report accusing both Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s forces and opposition forces of committing war crimes during the conflict. “That’s why we have to be clear on what we’re supporting,” Dewar said. The Libyan mission evolved from protecting civilians through the enforcement of a no-fly zone to strikes at ground targets and military advice to rebel forces, said former ambassador to Pakistan Louis Delvoie ….”
• Libya Mission (6):  The Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs says it ain’t over until the guy with the funny clothes and hats is outta there.  “Canada’s military mission in Libya will last until the country’s violent leader is gone, says the parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs. Deepak Obhrai, who represents Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird when Baird isn’t available, said Wednesday that Canada’s mission won’t be done until Moammar Gadhafi is out of power. “The end of the mission is to bring peace, stability out there, and peace and stability can only be in the region if Mr. Gadhafi’s gone, due to his murderous actions,” Obhrai told Rosemary Barton on CBC’s Power & Politics. “The final outcome of this thing to bring peace and stability to the region is for Mr. Gadhafi to go because of his crimes against humanity.” ….”
• Afghanistan (1):  CF Info Machine says new training mission good to go.
• Afghanistan (2):  CF Info Machine highlights PM’s visit.
• Afghanistan (3):  Hockey visitors for the troops.
• Canadian Forces Cancer and Mortality Study (1):  The official word from the CF.  “…. In general, these results are encouraging and suggest that persons who served in the CF have lower mortality for most diseases and illnesses than civilians of the same age and sex. The results are consistent with findings from other studies examining mortality in populations with a history of military service ….”
• Canadian Forces Cancer and Mortality Study (2):  More official word on suicides in the CF.  “…. The death of even one military member by suicide is one too many. The CF have an extensive suicide prevention program in place, which includes primary prevention programs, clinical intervention, non-clinical intervention, and mental health education. Great efforts are made to identify people at risk for mental health problems and to provide them with the assistance that they require ….”
• CF Hercs headed to SK to help evacuate fire-threatened communities.  “The Harper government is dispatching military aircraft and helicopters to evacuate two northern Saskatchewan communities threatened by raging by forest fires. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and Defence Minister Peter MacKay are deploying four CC-130 Hercules aircraft and four CH-146 Griffon helicopters to help residents of Wollaston Lake and Hatchet Lake First Nations communities “facing imminent danger” as a result of a major forest fire ….”
• What’s Canada Buying (1)  When trade shows are outlawed, only outlaws will hold trade shows.  “A group of about 75 people from a coalition of peace organizations staged a sit-in at the gates of Lansdowne Park Wednesday to protest the opening of Canada’s largest military and security trade show. The protesters say they held the sit-in to make a point that Canada should get out of the arms trade. They plan to hold a peaceful demonstration outside the gates of Lansdowne Park each day of the event. The annual military trade show got underway Wednesday and is expected to attract between 8,000 and 10,000 people who want to look at the latest in hi-tech gear ….”
• What’s Canada Buying? (2)  “As Canada’s troops prepare to come home from Afghanistan with their battered kit, the federal government is moving ahead with plans to buy the army a whole new fleet of armoured vehicles. One of the contenders for the Canadian Forces’ new tactical armoured patrol vehicles was on display at a defence industry trade show here Wednesday. Textron’s TAPV, a descendant of the U.S. army’s ASV M11-17, is a four-man mean-looking four-by-four machine that is built to withstand IED blasts and can reach speeds of 100 km/h. Company officials describe it as a workhorse. “It’s a very, very tested vehicle. We’ve been developing this vehicle for five years, and we’ve blown up a lot of them. That’s the only way you know it’s safe,” said Textron’s Neil Rutter, adding thousands of the older U.S. variant have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan. “We know that this vehicle can equal it (the U.S. variant) and probably surpass it for reliability.” Textron is one of six companies short-listed to submit bids to the government in August. The feds are poised to buy 500 TAPVs, which will replace the fleet of soft-skinned Coyotes which have run out of room to be upgraded and are proving cramped for soldiers loaded up with gear in Afghanistan. The first vehicle could arrive in summer 2013 ….”
• What’s Canada Buying (3)  “A Halifax company has landed a contract that could be worth nearly $22 million over five years to help Canadian soldiers improve their aim. Armament Technology Inc. will provide the Defence Department with up to 4,500 sets of optical sighting and ranging equipment over the next year. The deal is expected to be worth $4.3 million this year, according to a federal contract award document made public Wednesday. The contract also includes the option of four one-year contract extensions for an additional 5,000 units annually, Armament president Andrew Webber said Wednesday. “It’s the standard sighting system for the standard Canadian service rifle,” he said in an interview from Ottawa, where he was attending a military trade show ….”
• What’s Canada Buying? (4)  “The Conservative government wants lobbyists to butt out of Canada’s new shipbuilding industry. Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose managed to raise more than a few eyebrows at a large defence industry trade show in Ottawa on Wednesday with that pronouncement. She told a large gathering of defence industry insiders, military officials, business leaders — and lobbyists — that the government doesn’t want lobbyists to play a role in Canada’s new National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy. “Companies involved in the NSPS implementation process have been asked not to engage lobbyists. It was our intention at the outset to ensure that the NSPS competition would be run through a process that is completely arms length of politics,” Ambrose told hundreds in her luncheon speech ….”  More on that here and here.
• More paratroopers standing behind paratroopers.  “Members of the international brotherhood of paratroopers are defending the disbanded Canadian Airborne Regiment. “These guys have heroes dating from World War Two, it’s wrong to brand the whole unit for the crimes of a few,” retired Staff Sgt. Mike Stocker, a former U.S. Green Beret and president of the Special Forces Association of St. Louis, told QMI Agency. “They were super tight-knit, real tough and real professional. It’s unfair, it’s as if they have taken their swords, broken them and branded them all. As a paratrooper, I stand behind them.” ….”
• VAC reminder:  you have until the end of this month to apply for Agent Orange payments.  “Veterans Affairs Canada would like to remind Canadians who may be eligible to receive Agent Orange ex gratia payments that they must submit their applications by June 30, 2011. In September 2007, the Government of Canada offered a one-time, tax-free, ex gratia payment of $20,000 related to the testing of unregistered U.S. military herbicides, including Agent Orange, at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Gagetown in New Brunswick during the summers of 1966 and 1967. In December 2010, the deadline for submitting an application was extended to June 30, 2011. Certain eligibility criteria were also modified. Applicants have until June 30, 2011, to get a relevant medical diagnosis, and no longer have to prove that they were expecting their medical diagnosis before February 6, 2006. The requirement for applicants to have been alive on February 6, 2006, has been removed. This allows more primary caregivers, including widows and widowers, to apply on behalf of a loved one who died before the ex gratia payment came into place. Veterans Affairs Canada encourages individuals to submit their completed application before June 30, 2011, with all necessary supporting information. For more information, visit the Veterans Affairs Canada Web site at veterans.gc.ca or call 1-866-522-2122.”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 25 May 11

• Families of Canada’s fallen visit Kandahar one last time before Canada shifts its mission in Afghanistan – more here and here.
• Wounded former IED dismantler/investigator helping others in the same situation. “Andy Tiffin’s left hand was mangled when the roadside bomb he was dismantling exploded last October. He was working in an “exploitation” lab, informally known as CSI Kandahar, as part of his deployment to Afghanistan. “(It’s) where people take things apart and try to figure out what the enemy did right, what they did wrong,” said Tiffin, a chief petty officer in the Canadian navy, in an interview Tuesday. He downplays the injury, speaking of the far more serious wounds suffered by other soldiers he saw while in hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. When he got home to Bedford, “my wife took care of just about all (the necessary tasks). I didn’t have to drive back and forth back to the hospital. Since she works out of our house, taking care of our little one, it gives us a lot of flexibility as a guy that deploys a lot.” But many soldiers and families do need help, whether with the extraordinary challenges of dealing with a serious injury or with the day-to-day challenges of military life. Those families have been getting support since 2008 from an organization called the True Patriot Love Foundation. A fundraising dinner for the foundation was announced at a launch event in Halifax on Tuesday attended by Tiffin, other members of the military, organizers and supporters. “Their families really do serve right along with them,” said Elisabeth Rybak, the chairwoman of the Atlantic Maple Leaf 2011 Nova Scotia Tribute Dinner, after the event was announced at the law offices of McInnes Cooper ….”
• In Afghanistan, Francophone troops get a chance to train Afghans and practice their English at the same time. “Since August 2005, Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams (OMLT) have been deployed in Kandahar province, where experienced military personnel offer instruction, mentoring and liaison services to Afghan soldiers. Although the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the coalition have been working together for eight consecutive years, few Afghan soldiers have learned and mastered English, while some have learned only a few words. Communication is always a challenge, but the use of English is also an excellent opportunity for Francophone soldiers who wish to practice their second language ….”
• Taliban Propaganda Watch:  More attacks alleged in Kandahar, Zabul, and Taliban calls on Kandahar bosses to admit someone else’s in charge.
• Survey says majority of Canadians polled OK with Osama killed.  “A staggering number of Canadians feel Osama bin Laden got his just reward when U.S. Navy SEALs shot the world’s most-wanted terrorist in the head and chest and dumped his body into the Arabian Sea, says a new poll. The survey conducted by Abacus Data suggested that the killing this month of the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks and other bloodbaths was a unique case, and that terrorists in general should be treated like other criminals when it comes to justice and punishment. Asked whether bin Laden got what he deserved, 82% of respondents said yes and 18% said no ….”
• Quebec Flooding (1):  CF agrees to help, sending more troops….  “The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, issued the following statement (Tuesday): “The Canadian Forces doubled the number of its personnel and equipment in the Montérégie region last night in order to assist the people in the flooded areas. The Canadian Forces are there to respond immediately should the floodwaters of the Richelieu River cause damage to the dikes, or place Canadians in danger. Given the concern of local and provincial officials that the public may be at a heightened risk, the Canadian Forces may be asked to assist with evacuating citizens, or assist provincial authorities where lives could be in danger. As such, I requested Lieutenant-General Walter Semianiw, Commander of Canada Command, to approve the immediate deployment of the Task Force Reserve, which was positioned at a state of high-readiness at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier and in St Jean, Quebec, along with follow-on forces, bringing the total number to approximately 500 ….” “
• Quebec Flooding (2):  … but not to take down sandbag dykes.  “The federal government has refused a request to have the Canadian Forces help with the cleanup once flood waters recede in Quebec. A letter from Public Safety Minister Vic Toews suggests that placing sandbags might be part of the military’s role — but removing them isn’t part of their job description. The Quebec government, which received the letter dated May 20, provided the correspondence to reporters Tuesday. It was released on a day of growing anger and finger pointing over the emergency response to the floods, which have affected 3,000 homes and forced 1,000 people to be evacuated. The release of the correspondence was meant to prove that the Quebec government — which is being questioned for its performance — had actually requested federal help in a timely manner ….”  More from the Canadian Press here.
• Quebec Flooding (3):  “An impressive Canadian Forces (CF) team was mobilized to repair a damaged dike in the agricultural sector of Henryville in Montérégie May 10. The dike ruptured when Lake Champlain overflowed. “We would like the dike to stay at least three months, to give farmers time to re-establish themselves,” said the engineer in charge of the repair work, Major Claire Bramma, 5 Combat Engineer Regiment (5 CER). The Quebec provincial police collaborated with the military to block off roads to traffic in order to facilitate the work of the soldiers and avoid endangering civilian lives ….”
• Will Associate Minister of NatDef Julian Fantino be the real power holder as time goes on?  So says one QMI columnist:  “…. One military expert told me with the Afghanistan mission winding down, the real power and most important action in the years to come with the defence department is in the re-booting of it and that responsibility has been handed to Fantino. “How Canada moves ahead with the purchase new (F-35) fighter jets and frigates is the number one defence priority going forward and the prime minister has selected his man to do that job,” he said. That person does not seem to be MacKay or, at least, not all by himself ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (1):  The company that will sell the jets to Canada says Canadian cost estimates are bang on!  “The Conservative government’s figures on the F-35 stealth fighter jets are accurate despite many reports to the contrary, according to Lockheed Martin’s executive vice president in charge of the program. And Tom Burbage told QMI Agency here Tuesday that the Canadian government’s support of the F-35 is important to the program as a whole ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2):  Meanwhile, in the U.S., “The House is expected to consider changes to the F-35 fighter program as questions swirl about the jet’s cost and long-term viability. The chamber is expected to consider a number of measures related to the F-35 during debate on the 2012 defense authorization bill. Those votes will come just days after conflicting assessments were given on the status of testing and the expected costs of operating the jets. Prime contractor Lockheed Martin — while acknowledging that challenges remain — last week sounded upbeat about the often-delayed and altered testing of the three variants of the war plane. “Early testing has allowed us to understand our main technical challenges and develop resolution paths for them,” said Tom Burbage, Lockheed’s vice president for F-35 program integration. “The performance of the [vertical takeoff-and-landing] variant in flight test has been very good since November.” ….”
• “Force Protection Industries, Inc., a Force Protection Inc. group company, today announced the addition of Elbit Systems and Lockheed Martin Canada as additional providers for the Canadian Forces requirement for the Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) project. Force Protection Industries, Inc. previously announced that it has been selected by the Canadian Government as one of the competitor companies qualified to provide up to 600 wheeled combat vehicles and related long term support services. CAE was announced recently as Force Protection’s main Canadian partner with responsibility for providing the in-service support solution. The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) expects to award a contract to the final selected bidder by early 2012 ….”
• “The former CFB Rockcliffe site has been sold to the Canada Lands Company for $27.2 million, QMI Agency has learned. “We’re the land owner and developer,” said CLC vice-president Gordon McIvor. Redevelopment of the lucrative real estate in north Ottawa is back on the table after being tied up in a land claim with the Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) since 2007. “That was resolved,” said McIvor. The CLC and the AOO have entered into a participation agreement. “We want them to be able to, if they want, develop a piece of the property following the guidelines that have been approved by the city and by Canada Lands,” said CLC president and CEO Mark Laroche. The deal between the land company and natives is worth $10 million ….”
• “Canada has cracked the top 10 in a global security assessment that ranks countries based on how peaceful they are. The Global Peace Index ranked Canada eighth out of 153 countries, a six spot jump over last year. The index, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), suggests North America overall has improved slightly thanks in part to Canada’s rise in the rankings. The United States was placed at 82, compared to its ranking of 85 last year. The index says if the U.S. reduced its violent crime rates to that of Canada’s, the U.S. economy and its state governments could save billions of dollars on correctional services, health care and lost tax revenue ….”  A bit more on this here.

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 17 Feb 11

• Remember this from earlier this month? “The Treasury Board has severely restricted Internet use for the next month because of an undisclosed threat, the Toronto Star has learned. But employees of the department, which is central to the government’s spending, say it’s just “weird” and that they can’t do their jobs. “They have shut down the Internet internally at Treasury Board today and they are going to keep it down for a month. The secretary of the Treasury Board said this is due to a ‘threat’ but would not go any further on what the threat is,” a source said …..” Guess which country CBC says may have caused the problem?
• One of the jobs of Canadian helicopters in Afghanistan:  getting beans and bullets (and lots of them) to the troops. “…. In Decenber, the surge into the Horn (of Panjwai) allowed TF Faucon to set a new record for cargo moved in a single month with some 448,000 pounds (203,209 kilograms) of slung loads, shattering the previous record of 292,000 pounds (132449 kg) ….”
• Canada’s in discussions with Latvia about shipping “non-military” goods, equipment through the Baltic port of Riga to Afghanistan.
• “One hundred Canadian soldiers signed a City of Nanaimo flag and returned it to the community that showed its unwavering support for their efforts in war-torn Afghanistan. Goodwill, determination and a bit of luck helped bring the flag home. It was all part of Operation Nanaimo-Gram, an initiative of the Vancouver Island Military Museum, which was launched last February. Museum organizers collected greetings from more than 7,000 Nanaimo residents in 12 separate notebooks to show support for Canadian Forces overseas ….”
• WHAT’S CANADA BUYING?  Wanted: Someone to convert 8 x Leopard 2A4s into Armoured Recovery Vehicles (via Milnet.ca)
• Remember the talks Canada and the U.K. are having about maybe, possibly building new warships together (8th bullet)? Well, some unionized shipbuilders in Canada are worried about the possibility. “Talks between Canada and Britain about a joint program to develop a next-generation global frigate could deep-six Canada’s shipbuilding industry, says a marine workers union official. “If they’re talking to a foreign government about generic frigates, how long before they sell out everything?” Jamie Vaslet, business agent for Local 1 of the Canadian Auto Workers/Marine Workers Federation, said in an interview Tuesday. The local represents 1,200 workers at the Halifax Shipyard, which is doing a $549 million midlife refit of seven Halifax-class navy frigates ….”
• It appears the NDP are also worried about the Candaa-U.K. ship talks. “Mr. Speaker, shipbuilders on the west coast are nervous about talks with Britain to jointly discuss the building of Canadian naval ships. The government promised that these new vessels would be made in Canada, yet workers are worried that they may be sold out in these closed door negotiations. Workers at the shipyards of Victoria, Esquimalt and Nanaimo are looking for answers. Will the Minister of Public Works come clean and recommit to an inclusive, fair and made-in-Canada shipbuilding strategy?” The government’s response? “…. I can tell her that our government is fully committed to the national shipbuilding strategy. It is a historic commitment. Our strategy will create more than 75 million person hours of work for the Canadian shipbuilding industry.  At the end of the day, this is great news for shipbuilders across the country. Our ships for our navy and our coast guard will be built by Canadians.”
• One of the wanna-be vendors unveils a prototype for the proposed Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle. “Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, today unveiled its prototype for Canada’s Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) program, as well as the company’s plans to work with its subsidiary, London Machinery, Inc. (LMI), to leverage that company’s new facility in London, Ontario, in pursuit of Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) vehicle programs. LMI, the leading manufacturer of concrete mixer trucks in London, Ontario, provides local advanced manufacturing capabilities and a highly skilled workforce to the Oshkosh Defense and General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada team’s bids for the TAPV and Medium Support Vehicle System (MSVS) programs ….” More on this one here, here and here.  More from the CF on the TAPV project here.
• Exercises Coming Up (1) “The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will conduct exercise flights on Thursday from mid to late morning Eastern Standard Time as they practice intercept and identification procedures. Exercise flights will take place over northeastern Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts, eastern Ontario and southern Quebec. With the exception of those living west of Montreal, Quebec and east of Ottawa, Ontario or east of Providence, Rhode Island and west of Plymouth, Massachusetts, most people will not see or hear the exercises. Those living in the previously-mentioned areas may hear and/or see NORAD-controlled fighter jets in close proximity to a U.S. Air Force C-21, which will be taking on the role of a Track of Interest (TOI) ….”
• Exercises Coming Up (2) “On Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, February 22-25, 2011, numerous officials and staffs of The County of Essex, City of Windsor, City of Detroit Homeland Security, Municipalities of LaSalle, Essex, Lakeshore, and Tecumseh, as well as a large number of local community partners such as the Canadian Red Cross, 211 Call Centre, Social Services and Hotel Dieu-Grace Hospital, provincial and federal ministries (CRDC, CBSA, Environment Canada, Transport Canada, RCMP, MTO, OPP), the University of Windsor, St. Clair College and private industry will participate in a major emergency response and management exercise entitled Exercise CENTRAL GATEWAY I ….” More on link, a more detailed news release here, and Windsor Star coverage here and here.
• So, how’s Haiti doing a year after the big earthquake, and a rash of cholera? “…. These days, most people in Port-au-Prince live in donated tents and dread the havoc wrought by the frequent strong winds of the storm season. The tents form in IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps ranging in size from 50 families to 50,000 and occupying what used to be the city’s open spaces: golf courses, soccer fields, mountainsides. Although a full year has passed since the earthquake, every street still has collapsed buildings and victims are still being found — on 11 January 2011, a Brazilian patrol dug yet another out of the rubble. And then, on 16 January, former dictator Jean-Paul “Baby Doc” Duvalier returned to Haiti after 25 years of exile, adding fuel to the smoldering election crisis. All in all, not much surprises your average Haitian any more. Canada has 10 staff officers deployed in Haiti under Operation HAMLET to work at the military headquarters of the Mission des Nations unies pour la stabilisation en Haïti (MINUSTAH), under the command of Major-General Luiz Guilherme Paul Cruz of Brazil ….”
• Canada helps train Filipino first responders in how to deal with explosives, chemicals. “The Embassy of Canada is holding a training course for Mindanao’s first responders against explosives and other chemical attacks from February 22-25 in Davao City. The Chemical Explosive System Exploitation First Responders Training Program (CESE) aims to improve skills of first responders that include representatives from the various units in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Philippine Coast Guard. The training program addresses the need to manage improvised explosive (IED) or chemical devices and how to mitigate their possible effects since the lack of skills in appropriately responding to such attacks will pose serious threats to public security and infrastructure safety …. The CESE training course is part of the Government of Canada’s Counter-Terrorism Capacity-Building Program. It is an extension of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) First Responder Training that Canada started in 2005 ….”
• My response to someone saying “let’s throw criminals who don’t shape up any other way into the military”:  why don’t we ever hear people say “let’s throw criminals who don’t shape up any other way into the police“?

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 23 Jan 11

• A new governor for Panjwai.  “A Canadian-patrolled part of Kandahar has a new political leader. The provincial government has named Haji Fazluddin Agha the new governor of Panjwaii district. Agha replaces the illiterate and mercurial Haji Baran. Rumours have swirled for weeks that Baran’s ouster was imminent. The new governor will work with officials from Canada and other NATO countries to secure the often troublesome district ….”
• A bit of what some Canada Border Service Agency folks went through in Afghanistan.
• Shaw Media + ABC = TV show about combat hospital in Afghanistan.  “Canadian broadcaster Shaw Media on Thursday said it will co-produce the homegrown medical procedural Combat Hospital with ABC. Confirmation of the American deal for the Canadian-U.K. drama means production on the now untitled series from Sienna Films, Artists Studios and Lookout Point can go ahead. There’s no word on casting. Shaw Media is set to announce Monday a veteran director attached to the Canadian medical drama. Shaw Media’s cable drama channel Showcase will air the 13-part series about a military medical facility in Afghanistan where doctors and nurses treat coalition troops and Afghan civilians next summer ….”
• Taliban Propaganda Watch: Attacks alleged across Kandahar.
• Canada’s reportedly hunting for spare parts to keep the Snowbirds flying for another 9 years or so.  “The Defence Department is on the hunt to find parts for the military’s aging Snowbirds acrobatic aircraft as it tries to keep the fleet operating until 2020. The planes have been in the Canadian Forces inventory since 1963 and have been used by the Snowbirds team since 1970. But a number of systems on the aircraft are obsolete and will have to be fixed in the next few years, according to the department. In addition, Public Works recently issued a request for a number of parts, with responses expected back by Tuesday. The aircraft, known as CT114 Tutors, were to have reached the end of their estimated life expectancy last year but that was extended by the Defence Department to 2020. Defence Department spokeswoman Natalie Cruickshank noted in an email that the Snowbird fleet remains airworthy and sustainable. “Overall, DND is effectively managing the aircraft, its operation and ensuring a strong support network is in place for a healthy fleet until it is retired from service,” she added. She noted that a recent study identified two systems as requiring updates in the future …”
• One of the military’s flying schools is cranking up its output a bit.  “3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School (CFFTS) at Southport is expected to step up its training this year by up to 30 per cent to meet a shortage by the Canadian Forces.  “We are actually expecting our production to increase,  in terms of the number of pilots we train … particularly the ones that graduate as fully qualified pilots, both on the multi- engine and on the rotary- wing side ,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Rob Kamphuis, commandant of  CFFTS. “It’s going to a busier year, even (more) than last year which was an increase from the year before.”  The flight school will be graduating an additional 10 multi-engine pilots and five or six rotary wing pilots in each course, which equals an increase of 30 per cent on the multi-engine side and 10 per cent on the rotary wing side.  “The air force right now as an institution is short of pilots,” said Kamphuis. “The long-term way to fill that shortage is to train more. We are part of the solution to get the air force back up to full strength where it needs to  be,  given all the operations the air force is doing both in Canada and internationally.”  Also, for the first time this year, flight students will be arriving from Saudi Arabia , starting in September.  About 20 students will be trained a year ….”
• F-35 Tug of War Update: “Canada wants to buy 65 F-35 fighter jets. The government says the purchase price is $9 billion, including some spare parts and weapons but not including a long-term maintenance contract.  Today, Winslow Wheeler, the director of the Straus Military Reform Project at the Center For Defense Information in Washington, D.C., releases written testimony he was asked to give to the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence. Wheeler says he tries to answer three questions in his testimony:
  1. What will Canada’s F-35As cost?
  2. What will Canada obtain for that expense?
  3. Is there a good reason to wait?
  The short answers to those three questions: 1. Unable to know. 2. Unable to know 3. Yes ….”
• Too many strings attached to Canadian military contracts?  Good question. “A number of folks in industry have voiced concern about what they believe is a large number of mandatory requirements for Canadian Forces equipment procurement projects. For instance, the Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) program has 600 mandatory requirements. A company must meet all of these requirements if they want to win the competition to supply the vehicles to the Canadian Forces. “Everyone is going to have trouble meeting all 600,” one industry official told Defence Watch. “DND talks about wanting an ‘off-the-shelf’ vehicle but when you have that many mandatories that isn’t off-the-shelf.” His view is that the customer (DND) should outline what they want a piece of kit to do and then let industry reach those performance parameters, instead of outlining requirements to such a specific nature ….”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 16 Dec 10

• On the one hand, Canada seems happy with the U.S. surge clearing the way for more development work in Afghanistan. “…. As its 2011 exit countdown in Kandahar approaches, Canada is piggybacking on American-led gains in clearing out militants in this former Taliban heartland to pour in resources, push development and convince those in former insurgent safe havens to switch sides ….”
• On the other hand, Kandahar City’s mayor isn’t so happy about how Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. are spending money in the province. “…. In a letter to Canada’s ambassador earlier this month, Ghulam Hayder Hamidi complained that Ottawa’s contracting practices are contributing to the culture of malfeasance in Afghanistan. He also expressed similar concerns about the United States and Britain.  “Your prime minister, (U.S.) President (Barack) Obama and the prime minister of England are complaining that we didn’t clean the corruption in Afghanistan (and) they will stop helping,” Hamidi said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.  “Who is doing the corruption? You are doing the corruption.”  The letter, delivered earlier this month to Canada’s civilian representative in Kandahar, suggests that the federal government is being taken to the cleaners by a handful of guileful Afghan companies. As an example, he cited a recent $1.9-million project to install solar lights that has been plagued by problems.  Hamidi also accused Canadian civilians of spending taxpayer dollars needlessly and ineffectively in some areas, and companies selected by federal officials of providing low quality merchandise, or services at inflated prices ….”
• The newest under-boss of ISAF’s Regional Command South is a Canadian General. “A St. Albert resident has taken over as Canadian deputy commander of a busy region in war-torn southern Afghanistan.  Brig.-Gen. Andre Corbould is the new deputy commander of Regional Command South, an area that covers the provinces of Kandahar, Daikundi, Uruzgan and Zabul. The area was previously under British control but is now led by the American 10th Mountain Division.  Corbould says Gen. James L. Terry, commander of 10th Mountain, was looking for a Canadian to fill the deputy commander role and asked if he was interested in the position ….” According to General Corbould’s bio, he was already Deputy Commanding General of 10th Mountain as of this year.
• A Canadian Senate committee is calling on Canada to keep protecting Afghan women’s rights, even as the combat task wraps up. “The Senate Committee on Human Rights today releases its 14-recommendation report on Canada’s commitment to support women’s rights in Afghanistan post-2011. “Canada should not barter women’s security in Afghanistan,” Senator Nancy Ruth, the committee’s chair said. “Women’s rights should not be traded away in the geopolitical game for Afghan peace and security.” Entitled, Training in Afghanistan: Include Women (PDF), the report delineates how Canada can empower Afghan women in their diversity. It targets five critical areas to support that goal: security, political reconciliation, justice, education, and local development. “It is not in Canada’s interests to hold Afghan women back from complete participation in capacity building, whether they live in cities or rural areas,” Senator Mobina S. B. Jaffer, the committee’s deputy chair said. “The change in the Canadian Forces mission gives Canada a tremendous opportunity to design gender-sensitive training practices that underpin women’s security.” With the end of Canada’s combat mission in sight, the report’s recommendations include gender-sensitive training for Afghan security and Canadian Forces personnel and the enlistment of more women in security forces ….”
• Taliban Propaganda Watch: WTF?  Two MORE articles on Holbrooke’s death from the Taliban?
• CF looking into suicides at CFB Borden. “…. Suicides are a rarity at Borden – the most recorded in any one year during the past decade is two. Suddenly, within two months, four soldiers from the same base were gone.  By March, the Canadian Military had reported a total of seven suicides had occurred in 2010 – three of them during the first eight days of the year.  The situation was enough of a concern for officials to look further.  Military documents and correspondence show then-commander of CFB Borden, Liet-Col. Peter Kouri, probed the circumstances of the four soldiers who died while on training at the Barrie, Ont.-area base.  In an e-mail dated Feb. 23, two days after Vanden-Heuvel’s death, Kouri told military brass about the “extraordinary” measures: “Following the fourth person taking their life while undergoing training at CFB Borden this year, an extraordinary Comd Advisory Team was convened.”  The primary aim was to address the issue of suicide prevention, the second was to ensure the chain of command had a shared understanding of the background ….”
• “An Ottawa-based firm has dropped out of a Defence Department armoured vehicle competition after determining its product didn’t fit the requirements. Thales Canada made the decision to withdraw from the program, freeing up its partner, DEW Engineering also of Ottawa, to seek out new alliances for the hotly contested defence program. The Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) program would replace the Canadian army’s existing fleet of RG-31 mine protected vehicles and the Coyote wheeled light armoured vehicles. Besides the initial procurement of 500 vehicles, there is an option for an additional 100. DND has not released specific details on the cost of the program, but it’s estimated that the TAPV will cost well over $1 billion ….”
• Reading tea leaves on possibly changing the name of Canada’s Navy: the PM’s office reportedly told party faithful via e-mail that “the government was following the debate in the Senate with interest but had “no plans to rename Maritime Command at this time.” Remember the last time the PM said he noted something “with interest”?  A pretty big change of heart happened there.  Not saying it’s a guarantee, by any means, but just throwing it out there.
• Note to CF’s Army News folks:  I’m looking forward to what appears to be expanded coverage of the troops downrange in Afghanistan – stay safe while doing your job of spreading the word.  That said, brace yourself for harsher criticism than the following if you keep calling yourselves “journalists” (PDF of story transcript here if link doesn’t work).  As much as I like your work, I doubt we’ll be seeing a lot of critics in your pieces talking about how the mission sucks, so it’s not really fair to consider yourselves “journalists” in the traditional sense.  When the story lead reads “Reporters gear up to live side-by-side with soldiers for duration of Afghanistan tour,” this suggests that the “reporters” are not “soldiers”, which is NOT the case here.

Wanted (by 2015): As Many as 600 Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles for CF

Remember this eight months ago?

“Government of Canada to Renew Fleet of Land Combat Vehicles”

This week, MERX had the latest:

…. REQUIREMENTS
The Department of National DEFENCE (DND) has a requirement for a fleet of Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles (TAPV), with an estimated initial purchase of 500 and an option for up to 100 additional vehicles. DND also has a requirement for logistics support for the life expectancy of the TAPV, estimated at 25 years.

The TAPV is a wheeled combat vehicle that will fulfill a wide variety of roles on the battlefield. Canada requires one platform, comprised of two variants: the General Utility variant and the Reconnaissance variant. It will have a high degree of tactical mobility and provide a very high degree of survivability to its crew.

PROCUREMENT MILESTONES
The estimated procurement milestones are as follows:
Request for Proposal (RFP) Release    Fall 2010
TAPV Acquisition Contract Award       Fall 2011
TAPV Support Contract Award            Fall 2011
Initial Operating Capability                   2013
Completion of TAPV Deliveries             2015 ….

Keep in mind, though, that this is very much an initial first step in the buying process:

…. The purpose of this (Solicitation of Interest and Qualification) is to qualify vehicles as well as their Original Equipment Manufacturers through a formal evaluation of selected mandatory technical requirements. Canada encourages a supplier pre-qualification process when complex procurements will likely result in high proposal preparation costs to industry. By using a pre-qualification phase to initiate the procurement process, respondents evaluated as not having sufficient technical capabilities to carry out the project are informed before they undertake the effort and expense of preparing a response to a complete RFP ….

Translation: We’re looking for an initial short-list of possible vehicles and manufacturers. This allows us and companies to save time and money during the more formal process because vehicles/companies not even close to what we need won’t have to do all the more-expensive bidding work.

Interested in more details? You can download the “Selected Vehicle System Requirements” annex to the full bid package here (via Milnet.ca).