Canadian Forces Considering Dropping Citizenship Requirements

By: Tony Keene, CBC News Opinions

The Canadian Armed Forces recently said that in the interest of boosting ranks, it is considering changing its requirement that recruits have Canadian citizenship — a policy that many assumed to be longstanding.

In fact, the longstanding practice in our military has been to enroll non-citizens. It has long been part of our military tradition. If it had not been, I wouldn't be here writing this column.

In the First World War, the Canadian Expeditionary Force, which fought on the Western Front, was largely made up of British-born men throughout the entire four years of that conflict. They were given priority for recruitment in some cases, and even as late as October of 1917, a survey showed that the CEF was still 55 per cent British. And that was all ranks. If you take out the officers, who were largely Canadian-born, the percentage rises to about 65 per cent.

And that, after more than three years of war.

Canada was awarded 73 Victoria Crosses in that conflict. Only 30 of them went to those born in this country; the rest went to foreigners, almost all of them British.

When the war ended, large numbers of those men did not come home to Canada, but went back to the British Isles. They weren't Canadian, and did not consider themselves to be. Most of them joined because they were unemployed, and wanted to go home to Britain. Three hots and a cot, and a steamship bunk.

After the Second World War, when not only Brits but many Americans served in our uniforms, the Royal Canadian Air Force was being equipped with the Bomarc anti-aircraft missile. The need for increased security prompted the formation of an Air Force Police branch, and recruiters immediately set out, not across Canada but across the Atlantic, seeking to lure the famed British Bobby to come to our shores.

At the time, the the Metropolitan London Police were thought to be the finest police force on earth, and Brit cops were thought to be superior overall.

One of those was my father.

Recruitment on the streets of London

Having served in the Household Cavalry, he was now in the Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch. While riding through the streets of London in 1955, he was hailed by a Canadian air force recruiter:

"Good morning constable! Are you thinking about emigrating? The Royal Canadian Air Force needs policemen."

And that's how I got here.

After living in Alberta for five years, we were posted to France, and then Germany with the 1st Canadian Air Division.

I remember going into the guardhouse at Grostenquin in France to see my father, and hearing nothing but British accents from everyone in there. The entire shift was British.

The author's father, Cpl. Jack Keene, being decorated at RCAF 2 Wing, Grostenquin, France in 1961. (Supplied)

Upon our return to Canada in 1964, we settled at Base Borden in Ontario and at the age of 17, I joined my local militia regiment, the Grey and Simcoe Foresters. Citizenship was never an issue. Three years later, I was commissioned and joined my local newspaper, The Barrie Examiner, and my two careers moved forward in tandem.

We were called "landed immigrants" and for all intents and purposes, we were the same as citizens.

When my father retired in 1969, we were still not citizens, and this caused a flap when my parents returned to Britain for two years and then tried to come back. They were turned down as "undesirable immigrants" and it took newspaper headlines and a ministerial warrant to allow them back in.

We all became Canadian citizens shortly after that. I remember walking into the citizenship office in uniform, as I was on reserve duty at the time. I was shown into an office where a woman administered the oath, had me sign a piece of paper, and that was it. My certificate arrived in the mail shortly afterwards.

Enrolling non-citizens in the Forces is a Canadian tradition going back to the beginning of our military. This is nothing new, and it will not only provide us with skilled and trained soldiers, but eventually with more solid citizens, especially if we give them a "fast track" way of doing it.

If the world needs more Canada, Canada needs more Canadians. This is another good way to get them.

---
This column is part of CBC's Opinion section. For more information about this section, please read this editor's blog and our FAQ.

RCAF CF-18's Ground-Based Radars are Failing due to Age

By: David Pugliese, Postmedia 

The ground-based radars key to supporting CF-18 fighter jets on domestic and international operations are falling apart and still years away from being replaced, according to documents obtained by Postmedia.

Canadian Forces members set up a portable TCR in Resolute Bay, Nuvavut. File Photo. CBC. 

Defence industry representatives were briefed in April by Royal Canadian Air Force officers that the tactical control radars, or TCRs, are is a state of disrepair but there is no government approval yet to replace the equipment purchased in 1991. “The new roles and tasks assigned to the radars have resulted in considerable deployment and usage increases, and have caused the TCRs to enter into a never-ending deterioration cycle,” the officials were told, according to the documents.

The radars were supposed to be replaced years ago but the purchase of new equipment, announced with great fanfare by the previous Conservative government, was a dud.

Thales Canada, a subsidiary of the French defence giant, was awarded a contract in 2011 and was supposed to deliver the radars two years later. At the time of the original contract announcement, Thales noted that its award was building on its “40-year track record of providing world-class sensor systems to the Canadian Forces.”

But in 2015, the federal government announced the $55-million contract was being terminated by “mutual consent” between the firm and Canada. Neither Thales nor Public Services and Procurement Canada have said why.

A plan had also been put in place to upgrade the radars, which are used to provide long-range air surveillance and the capability for the military to control air missions. But that upgrade never happened because the equipment was being used so much, the RCAF confirmed.

RCAF spokesman Capt. Steven Dieter said the roles and the missions for the two AN/TPS-70 tactical control radars have increased significantly since their original purchase. The aging radars and the lack of a modern capability has had an impact, the air force admitted. “Over the years, technological advancements and operational developments have limited the tactical control radars’ effectiveness and the RCAF’s interoperability with allies on the modern battlefield,” Dieter said in an email.

The radars are used to support flight training, contributions to NATO and commitments to the North American Aerospace Defence Command, according to the RCAF.

It could still take several years before the federal government purchases new radars.

In the April presentation to industry officials, the RCAF noted it hopes to get the endorsement of the government to put out a request for bids for three new radars, but that is still yet to come. Public Services and Procurement Canada said that request for proposals could be issued later this year.

“We expect about a year to reach contract award, and delivery of the radar equipment approximately two years after contract award,” spokesperson Michèle LaRose stated in an email.

The Liberal government has promised to replace the CF-18 fighter jet fleet with 88 new planes. It is also buying 18 Australian F-18 jets to augment the CF-18s until the new aircraft are acquired.

Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough said last week at the CANSEC military equipment trade show in Ottawa that she expects the first two used Australian F-18s to be delivered in 2019. But Qualtrough said she still doesn’t have a final cost for taxpayers for the 18 used aircraft, spares, weapons and other related equipment. The Liberal government has set aside up to $500 million for the purchase.

Qualtrough said negotiations are ongoing.

Pat Finn, the Department of National Defence’s assistant deputy minister of materiel, recently said he expects a deal by the end of the year with deliveries of the Australian planes to begin next summer. The Liberal government originally planned for the arrival of the first used aircraft in January 2019.

Further Reading: 

By: Daniel Maillet, CAF Distpach 

This is not the first time the RCAF and it's CF-18 Radar system has made the news. Back in November 2017, it was reported by Warzone that Canada's request to purchase the latest Air-To-Air Missile (AMRAAM), the AIM-120D, had been granted by the US State Department. The problem with this purchase was reported that the current fleet of aging CF-18 Hornets would realize little from the missile's most preeminent feature, its greatly enhanced range; because the onboard radar systems have a more limited range than the range of the AIM-120D. You can read the full story, by Tyler Rogoway, here

DND currently pegs the replacement of the Tactical Control Radar systems at a cost between $50 million and $100 Million. The Canadian forces are looking to purchase at least three portable radar systems, with a delivery timetable between 2021-2023. You can follow the procurement project here. 

RCN Supply Ship Cost Increases by $1.1 Billion; Now over $3 Billion

By: David Pugliese, National Post 

At one point, the first ship was supposed to arrive in 2012. That date has changed a number of times. DND is now hoping for delivery in 2022 or 2023

Taxpayers will have to spend an additional $1.1 billion to build two new supply ships for the Royal Canadian Navy, the federal government has revealed.

The cost of building the Joint Support Ships, or JSS, had been pegged at $2.3 billion. However, the government ordered a review of that figure and in an email to Postmedia procurement minister Carla Qualtrough’s office confirmed the cost is now expected to be $3.4 billion.

Of the $3.4 billion price tag, the actual cost of building the two ships accounts for a little more than 60 per cent, Finn said. Pat Finn, the head of procurement at the Department of National Defence, said the new price tag includes items the government had not previously included. In some cases equipment for the ship has been purchased, so the government has a more accurate understanding of what it actually cost, Finn said in an interview Monday. The inflated figure also takes into account new infrastructure and delays with the program which have driven up its price as the cost of materials has increased over the years.

“The build period has changed quite dramatically,” Finn acknowledged.

Workers watch as the main girder of a new 300-tonne gantry crane is lifted into place at Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards in North Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday April 2, 2014. Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press

At one point, the first ship was supposed to arrive in 2012. That date has changed a number of times with the government later hoping for a 2018 delivery and then a 2019 arrival for the first vessel.

DND is now hoping for the delivery of the first ship in 2022 or 2023. Construction of some initial portions of the vessels will begin at Seaspan Shipyards in Vancouver this summer, Finn said, which it hopes will head off any potential layoffs of skilled employees at the shipyard.

Finn said the new costing model for the JSS is more akin to the one used by the parliamentary budget office. That office had an even higher estimate for JSS when it concluded in 2013 that the final tally for taxpayers would be $4.13 billion.

The Joint Support Ships are seen as being critical for the navy, as they will provide fuel and supplies for warships at sea.

The navy retired its last two aging supply ships years ago, one after being damaged beyond repair in a fire, the other because of excessive corrosion. After their retirement the Canadian military had been relying on the Spanish and Chilean navies to provide it with supply vessels for short periods of time.

Because of the delays to the JSS program, the previous Conservative government entered into agreement with Davie Shipyards in Quebec to lease a commercial vessel converted into a supply ship. That ship, the MV Asterix, is at the heart of the federal government’s case against Vice-Admiral Mark Norman.

In March, the Norman was charged with a single count of breach of trust. The RCMP accused Norman of warning Davie in the fall of 2015 that Liberal cabinet ministers wanted to derail the Asterix project. When word of the Liberal plan leaked to the media, the resulting embarrassment forced the Trudeau government to back down on its plans and the conversion of Asterix proceeded.

Norman was put under investigation and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau predicted on two occasions the officer would ultimately end up in court.

Norman denies the charge and has said he looks forward to clearing his name. A date for the trial has not yet been set.

Asterix is considered a rare achievement in Canadian military procurement in that it was delivered on time and on budget. The supply ship is now at sea with Royal Canadian Navy and is headed to a major military exercise to begin later this month.

Final Cost for RCN Joint-Support-Ships Still Unknown as Work Begins

By: Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press 

OTTAWA -- The cutting of steel for the navy's long overdue support ships will begin next month in Vancouver, even though the federal government doesn't know how much the two vessels will ultimately cost.

Federal procurement minister Carla Qualtrough confirmed plans for an early start to work on the supply ships during a breakfast address Thursday at the Cansec defence show in Ottawa.

Seaspan Shipyards will receive $66 million to work on several dozen components of the so-called joint support ships during a lull in the building of two other Canadian Coast Guard vessels.

The government is hoping that advance work will shave about a year off the expected delivery time for the first support vessel, which is currently slated to hit the water in 2023.

It will also ensure Seaspan continues to have work for its employees during what would otherwise be a dead zone between construction of the last of three coast guard fisheries vessels and a new coast guard ocean science ship.

"These support ships will deliver fuel and other vital supplies to vessels at sea," Qualtrough said, "ensuring our women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces are able to carry out their missions for decades to come."

The navy has been without a permanent support ship since retiring its last two in 2015 because of an unexpected fire and excessive corrosion, and is currently relying on a converted civilian vessel to fill the gap.

The first new vessel, originally proposed by the Conservative as the Queenston-Class, now rebranded by the Trudeau Government as the Protecteur-Class was originally supposed to be delivered in 2019, but the project has been plagued with delays. The ships will be modeled after the German Navy's Berlin-Class Supply ships. 

The EVG Berlin, the flagship of The Berlin-Class. 

Even as work is set to begin, however, Qualtrough conceded later that the government still doesn't have a concrete estimate of how much the two joint support ships are going to cost.

"It's too early to speculate on what the (support ships) will ultimately cost," she said.

The previous Conservative government set a budget of $2.3 billion for the vessels back in 2011, but that number has been under review for nearly two years.

The parliamentary budget office pegged the full cost of two support ships back in 2013 at $4.13 billion, while the government's new defence investment plan, released this week, said it could cost up to $4.99 billion.

"There are a lot of things happening on (the support ships)," said Andre Fillion, head of military procurement at Public Services and Procurement Canada.

"The acquisition of long lead items, the start of the (early work) and also a lot of engineering work."

Seaspan vice-president Tim Page told The Canadian Press that the shipbuilder is in negotiations with the government, but remains committed to delivering the support ships to the navy.

Starting work early is a reasonable solution to what would otherwise be a troublesome lull in work at Seaspan, said defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

But the government still doesn't have an approved design for the support ships, he said, and the whole point of the federal government's multibillion-dollar shipbuilding strategy was to prevent such production gaps.

"It's a solution to an immediate problem," Perry said, "but it's not by any means an ideal scenario."