DND Pulls Fighter Jet Study Down from Webpage

By: David Pugliese, Defence Watch 

The Department of National Defence is now figuring how to dig itself out of the problems it created when it pulled down from its website a study on fighter jets.

The study dismissed the option of buying “interim” fighter jets because of “significant additional costs.”

“The costs involved with bridging options make them unsuitable for filling capability gaps in the short term,” the DRDC study noted. It pointed out that 36 fighter jets were required to be operational at any time for North American air defence duties. Any more is in excess of the requirement, it added.

The study was embarrassing for the Liberal government which is moving ahead with buying 18 “interim” Super Hornets. So it had to go.

DND claims it was pulled down from its website because it was found to contain classified information and not because the department was doing damage control for the government.


But DND sources say there was no classified information in the study. It had already been carefully screened, and classified information was indeed removed before it had been posted on the DND website.

So what was the reason for the removal from the internet? It was embarrassing to the Liberal government.

But this attempt at limiting information has blown up in the government’s face.

Now DND senior officials are trying to figure out what to do next?

“We are reviewing whether a redacted version can be reposted,” the DND noted in a statement.