CF-18 Replacement Delay Fueling Exodus of Pilots from RCAF

By: Bruce Campion-Smith, The Toronto Star

OTTAWA—The oft-delayed purchase of new fighter jets is contributing to a flight of pilots out of the Air Force to the civilian sector, causing a critical shortage of skilled aviators to fly Canada’s ageing fleet of CF-18s, insiders say.

Flying a 30-year-old jet holds less appeal for pilots who are no longer prepared to sacrifice quality of life and are instead quitting for airline careers, where demand for experienced personnel is sky-high.

Frustration over the oft-delayed purchase of new fighter jets is contributing to a flight of pilots out of the Air Force to the civilian sector, causing a critical shortage of skilled aviators to fly Canada’s aging fleet of CF-18s, insiders say. (Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO)

The rush out the door has left the Royal Canadian Air Force coping with less experienced pilots flying increasingly outdated jets, former fighter pilots tell the Star.

“It’s not a winning proposition,” one veteran former pilot told the Star.

In a recent report, the auditor general turned a spotlight on the crisis, noting that the Air Force only had 64 per cent of the CF-18 pilots it needs. Between April 2016 and March 2018, 40 fighter pilots left and the Air Force was only able to train 30 new ones. Since then, 17 more pilots have indicated they are out the door.

If that pace continues, there won’t be enough experienced pilots to train new ones and the Air Force won’t be able to meet its obligations to NATO and NORAD, the report said.

The Star spoke to several former fighter pilots about the situation. They spoke on background because of sensitivities around their current jobs.

They say several factors are at play in the exodus of pilots. These include exasperation over the delayed purchase of replacement jets that are now not expected for a decade or more, as well as a desire for better quality of life away from the two main fighter bases in Cold Lake, Alta., and Bagotville, Que.

But the biggest factor is the huge demand for pilots across Canada and the world, offering military pilots an easy path to the cockpits of commercial airliners.

“There’s not enough pilots globally ... so companies are very aggressive in recruiting wherever they can find them. Military pilots are prime candidates, so they get offered good deals and off they go,” one former pilot said.


The broader pilot shortage problem could soon be the topic of parliamentary study. Liberal MP Steve Fuhr, a former Air Force pilot who flew the CF-18, has proposed a motion to have the Commons transport committee examine the challenges facing flight schools in training new pilots.

Speaking to the motion earlier this month, Fuhr (Kelowna-Lake Country) said the industry-wide shortage is already having an effect on the civilian sector and the military, and noted that Canada could be short 3,000 pilots by 2025.

“As the pilot shortage percolates up, both scheduled and nonscheduled commercial air service will be negatively affected,” Fuhr told a meeting of the committee on Nov. 21.

The CF-18s were last deployed in a combat role in Iraq against Daesh, and remain potent fighters. Able to fly at almost twice the speed of sound, they continue to hold appeal for young military pilots.

But delays in purchasing new fighters, first by the Conservative government and now the Liberals, means replacement aircraft are 10 years or more away. With no prospect of flying the next generation of fighter, some pilots see little incentive to stick around and are opting to quit the Armed Forces when their flying tours are complete.

“They make the calculation that I’m never going to fly anything other than an old 40-year-old F-18 in my entire career,” the former pilot said.

However, another veteran pilot downplayed the delayed procurement as a reason for the departures. “Realistically, I don’t think that’s driving people out the door,” he said.

After two tours of flying — typically about six years — pilots usually move to a desk job. That’s the point where military pilots who are keen to keep flying decide to jump to the private sector, which offers the promise of a good career and the chance to live closer to big cities.

“That’s why guys get out. What’s ultimately driving them out is opportunity,” he said.

Whatever the reason, the departures are hitting the RCAF hard. The Air Force has 76 CF-18s and just over 100 pilots qualified to fly them, insiders say. As a result, having almost 60 quit the forces in just over two years marks a huge loss in experience, they say.

The former Air Force veterans stressed that training is good and that the young pilots arriving at the front-line squadrons are well-qualified. Yet they are considered “minimum combat-ready,” able to initially fly only as wingmen and require another one or two years of experience to be considered qualified to fly all missions and serve as flight leaders.

“That’s the danger of this cycle. They’re not regenerating the same numbers as they’re losing,” the pilot said. “The experience level is dropping ... With that goes an increase in risk.”

By the time they are replaced, the CF-18s will have been in the Air Force fleet for almost half a century, 30 years longer than planned. The auditor general noted that it’s been 10 years since there was any significant upgrade to their combat capabilities. The Air Force had been relying on the experience of its pilots to overcome shortfalls caused by the age of the aircraft.

“You can still fight OK with an old jet if you have very, very skilled individuals flying it. We invest a lot in our training and therefore our people are very capable, adaptive, innovative,” the pilot said.

“The problem is that those guys are leaving,” he said.

In response to the auditor general findings, Lt.-Gen. Al Meinzinger, commander of the RCAF, said the Air Force is taking steps to help retain aircrews, including measures to improve the quality of life along with changes to how the Air Force trains its pilots to give it “greater flexibility to better meet future personnel demands.”

CAF and OPP conducting Explosive Training in Ontario

By: David Pugliese, The Ottawa Citizen

Exercise ARDENT DEFENDER staged two counter-explosive threat scenarios in Meaford, ON, on October 10 and 11 as police and military personnel from a number of organizations tested their skills in dealing with explosive threats.

One scenario involved a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device at the harbour front and the other involved explosive devices found in a building and drew upon the HAZMAT response expertise of local emergency services, according to information provided by the Canadian military. Local, county, and regional emergency responders took part alongside Canadian and international soldiers and observers.

The exercise continues at CFB Borden and 4 CDTC Meaford until October 19. The exercise gives Canadian Armed Forces soldiers an opportunity to work with domestic and international partners in a series of realistic and challenging scenarios, according to the military.

Exercise ARDENT DEFENDER 2018 includes participation from various Canadian police agencies and other government departments, including Global Affairs Canada, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Peel Regional Police, the York Regional Police, the Niagara Regional Police, and the Sûreté du Québec. Other participants include the Canadian Coast Guard at Meaford Harbour Station), Grey-Bruce Regional Health Services and Hamilton Police Services. Various staff from the Municipality of Meaford are also involved.

Twenty-five nations are represented at the exercise and the NATO Centre of Excellence is hosting international doctrinal working groups at Canadian Forces Base Borden during the exercise, the Canadian Forces noted. Additionally, Defence Research and Development Canada has sent a number of defence scientists to the exercise to field test new technologies and to gain feedback from the soldiers and operators who use explosive ordnance search and disposal equipment.


Below are photos of the exercise, courtesy of the Canadian Forces:

Plan to send Canadian Peacekeepers to Colombia Fizzled

By: Murray Brewster, CBC News 

Canada had a small military team on standby to take part in a high-profile United Nations peacekeeping mission in Colombia, but foot-dragging on Ottawa's part saw other countries fill up the mission's ranks instead, newly released documents reveal.

The army "identified, screened and trained" 19 Spanish-speaking soldiers to act as ceasefire observers in the South American country, which is emerging from five decades of guerrilla war.

The troops were, according to a briefing note prepared for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, ready to go by October 2016 — just weeks after the Liberal government committed itself to deploying 600 troops and 150 police officers in support of UN-led peace operations.Play

The soldiers remained on standby for months.

A decision to deploy them, however, remained in limbo — until it was too late.

"No [Canadian Armed Forces] nominations were submitted to the UN and, as of March 2017, the mission is currently fully manned with no foreseen additional requirements from Canada," said the March 30, 2017 briefing note, obtained by CBC News under access to information legislation.
Worries about troop security

Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance, the country's top military commander, said the mission was considered — but he had concerns about how well protected the troops would be in the event of trouble.

He said concerns about force security are "a good reason for everything as to why we do, and do not, do everything the UN asks of us."

Chief of Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)

Canada did end up deploying two police officers to support the special political mission in that country.

Ultimately, it would have been up to the federal cabinet to decide whether to participate in the mission.

The UN mission in Colombia was one of the more benign deployments available to Canada in terms of mandate and risk.
A lower-risk mission

Over 450 unarmed soldiers, in 40 locations, acted as observers supervising the disarming of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) — a mission that is more in line with the Canadian public's perception of peacekeeping.

The mission certainly presents a lower risk to peacekeepers than the tribal, jihadist-fuelled bloodshed in Mali, or the civil war in the corruption-tainted Democratic Republic of Congo — both sites of current UN peacekeeping operations.

"It is startling that we had the personnel trained and we didn't deploy them," said Walter Dorn, a professor at the Canadian Forces Staff College.

He said Canada's failure to send soldiers to the one of the most auspicious missions on the UN's plate throws into doubt the Liberals' election pledge to return to peacekeeping in a meaningful way.

Since the 2015 election of the Liberal government and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's declaration that "Canada is back" on the world stage, the UN has offered Canada a number of marquee posts and opportunities.
Multiple missions rejected

According to documents uncovered last summer by CBC News, Canada was: offered command of the mission in Mali; asked to deploy troops to replace the Dutch contingent in the same country; bombarded with multiple requests for helicopter support and; asked to establish a police training mission in the volatile Central African Republic.

All of the requests were turned down, much to the frustration of UN officials and diplomats with the European Union who were courting Canada on separate, but complementary peace deployments and training in the region.

"The cabinet is just not able to make up its mind about where it wants to deploy," said Dorn. "It seems there is eagerness at some levels of the Canadian government, but not others."

Last fall, Trudeau laid out the Liberal government's roadmap for rejoining peacekeeping, which includes phased deployments of transport planes, helicopters, military trainers and a 200-strong rapid reaction force over a five-year period.

Where they'll go, and when, is still the subject of discussions.

The federal government also made an important social commitment to deploy more women peacekeepers and to end the exploitation of child soldiers.

Dorn said Canada's contribution to UN missions is at an all-time low.

At the end of December, Canada had only 43 peacekeepers deployed on various missions.

CAF Abandons Mefloquine as main drug to combat Malaria

By: David Pugliese, The Ottawa Citizen 

The Canadian military will no longer use mefloquine as its main drug to combat malaria.

The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces announced Thursday the release of the findings from the Surgeon General’s Review on the Operational Use of Mefloquine. The review looked at available literature on mefloquine use and how it is used in an operational setting.

“Mefloquine will now only be recommended for use if a CAF member requests it, or if there are contraindications to the member being prescribed other anti-malarials,” the DND noted in a news release.

“We are recommending mefloquine as a second line drug only, because of the unique operational environment that we work in,” Brigadier-General Colin MacKay, Surgeon General, noted in a statement. “This direction should not be applied to a non-military environment. We will continue to monitor and review all relevant scientific literature on mefloquine.”

More from the DND release:

Compared to currently recommended alternatives, the body of evidence suggests mefloquine is not consistently associated with an excess overall risk of adverse effects, nor is it associated with an excess risk of not being able to perform occupational duties.

No evidence was found (that met the inclusion criteria) that would suggest potential long-term adverse effects of mefloquine on human health.

The report also recommended caution for the CAF, because the deployment of large numbers of personnel within a short period of time can pose challenges for adequately screening individuals for potential contraindications. Additionally, the dispersed deployment of personnel, limiting access to physicians on operations, may reduce opportunities to assess for adverse effects and if necessary to provide alternative medications to CAF personnel taking mefloquine. Also, the nature of the short term side effects associated with mefloquine could impact an individual’s performance and could be confused with usual responses to operational situations, which would in turn complicate the management of adverse effects.

CAF "Peacekeeping" Mission Decision is Delayed for Months

By: Bruce Campion-Smith, Toronto Star

OTTAWA—Canada’s high-profile military mission to Africa appears off the radar for now with a decision on a deployment delayed, perhaps until fall, the Star has learned.

Political upheaval among key allies — notably the United States, France and Great Britain — is cited as the reason why Justin Trudeau’s government has pushed back its high-profile pledge to return Canada to international peacekeeping efforts.

The federal government does not want to deploy soldiers on a potentially dangerous mission only to find other nations have decided their priorities lie elsewhere, leaving Canada “stuck with a legacy mission,” one source told the Star.

One official at defence headquarters offered a blunt assessment of where the peace mission currently stood on the list of priorities. “It’s not on the radar,” said the source.

When asked about the delay, officials point to the political shake-ups around the globe, notably in Washington, where the unexpected election of Donald Trump as president and his unpredictable tenure in office so far has forced Ottawa to rethink priorities on issues from defence to trade.

But political change bubbles in other capitals too. Britons go to the polls in a general election in June. France just saw the election of a new president, Emmanuel Macron, who beat out right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen. That country has a significant military mission ongoing in Mali, one nation cited as the likely destination for the Canadian deployment.

At home, other issues are competing for attention. Next week, the Liberal government will unveil its defence policy review that will lay out a new vision for the armed forces and the promise of additional funding to pay for it.

That vision, expected to provide policy guidance for the coming two decades, will almost certainly include a nod to the record of Canadian peacekeeping around the globe. But it’s not expected to include any new details of forthcoming missions.

The government’s attention has also been distracted as the political front as the man tasked to sell that new vision — Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan — is fighting for his credibility after being forced to apologize for inflating his role as an officer during an Afghanistan offensive.

And within defence headquarters, the fallout from the surprise January ouster of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, the second-in-command of the military is still being felt.

All that means that a decision on a peace support mission is now not expected for months yet. That timing means it could be more than a year since the Liberal government laid out its promise of personnel and funding for a mission — 600 troops, 150 police officers and $450 million over three years for a new Peace and Stability Operations Program.

An announcement on exactly where Canada would deploy those personnel on a peace mission had been expected by last Christmas. But there was no word and nothing yet in the months since.

Trudeau said in March that his government would not be pushed into making a decision, saying that any deployment had to be done “responsibly and thoughtfully.”

But months later, the government seems no closer to a decision.

“I don’t have a timeframe on that,” Sajjan told the Star in a recent interview.

“All I can tell you is we will make that decision as a government when we feel comfortable that we have all the necessary information, that we have a whole of government approach and definitely from the military side, one that is going to have an impact on the ground,” Sajjan said.

He conceded that the changes around the globe were, in part, the reason for prolonged discussions about Canada’s role in a UN mission.

“We do need to look at . . . the changing environment. We have to make sure that when we add in and say we’re going to do ‘X,’ we have to make sure that ‘X’ is actually going to provide added value to the UN,” Sajjan said.

In the January cabinet shake-up that made Chrystia Freeland foreign affairs minister, one of the tasks handed the Toronto MP was to “increase Canada’s support for United Nations peace operations.”

Alex Lawrence, her spokesperson, told the Star that the peace deployment remains under active consideration. “Our government is committed to international peace operations, and we are currently considering what precise role Canada can play,” Lawrence said.

But Canada’s hand could be forced when Sajjan hosts an international summit on peacekeeping at the end of the year.

Sajjan used last year’s summit in London to herald the willingness of the Liberal government to reengage in peace missions, declaring that, “Canada is committed to leading international efforts in peace support operations.

“Conflicts today are more complex than ever before and we’re serious about being part of the solution — that’s the reason we’re bringing our resources and skills to the table,” Sajjan said in a statement issued for the 2016 summit.

It could be awkward for the Liberal government to go into this year’s summit with nothing to show for the statements it made more than a year earlier.

Defence analyst Dave Perry says the delay in deciding a mission has already likely forced military officers and diplomats back to the drawing boards to update the proposals they first presented to the government.

“I would imagine given how long it has taken since some of those initial inputs were provided that revisiting some plans because events and things on the ground have changed significantly would be part of the delay now,” said Perry, a senior analyst with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

“Some of the plans would have been submitted a half year ago. Hard to think they would still be viable today,” he said in an interview.

CAF Developing Arsenal of Cyber-Weapons

By: Alex Boutilier, Toronto Star

OTTAWA—Canada plans to take steps to “strengthen” its cyber-warfare arsenal, according to documents released by the Department of National Defence.

The documents are a rare public admission from National Defence that it is developing offensive cyber-weapons in addition to tools to defend against such attacks.

“Cyber ... (is) increasingly prominent among the security and defence challenges facing Canada and its allies,” read the documents, posted to the department’s website.

“(In 2017) we will advance our research in the future of cyber warfare to improve and strengthen both our defensive and offensive capabilities.”

There is some debate over what actually constitutes a “cyber-weapon” or an act of “cyber-war.” The most commonly cited example is a virus dubbed Stuxnet, widely attributed to the United States, which in 2010 sabotaged Iran’s nuclear program before spreading to the wider Internet.

More recently, Russia was accused of launching a cyberattack against Ukraine’s power grid in 2015, causing a blackout in the capital city of Kyiv.

When it comes to cyber-warfare, the Canadian government typically likes to talk about defence more than offensive capabilities. But that appears to be changing, with former members of Canada’s defence and intelligence agencies openly musing about future cyber-war.

In an interview with Postmedia earlier this month, Brig.-Gen Paul Rutherford said Canada will be sending “cyber-warriors” to Latvia this June to protect that country’s networks from Russian cyberattacks.



“First and foremost, we recognize cyber as a domain of warfare … We are constantly under attack,” Rutherford told Postmedia.

“We want to bring people into the trade to become what I call cyber-warriors.”

The documents posted by the department state the Canadian Forces will create a new military occupation called “Cyber Operators” to bring in employees with the skills required to conduct complex cyberattacks and defence.

“It’s maybe about time,” said Alex Wilner, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University.

“I think implicitly what (National Defence) is saying here is that in Canada we see the cyber-domain as a military domain. That’s the way the Americans see it, that’s the way the Russians see it.”

Other academics studying these issues stress that caution is needed before Canada fully embraces cyber-warfare — and note the challenges in even defining what “cyber-war” is.

“Cyber-war is challenging all of our previously held notions of warfare,” said Stephanie Carvin, a former intelligence analyst who also teaches at Carleton. “Who is and isn’t a combatant? What is an armed attack?”

The department raised the question of cyber-warfare in their sweeping Defence Review project, the results of which are expected later this year.

Wesley Wark, a professor focusing on security and intelligence issues at the University of Ottawa, said he read the documents as a go-slow approach on these issues

“Clearly there is a feeling that this is a future for Canadian military operations that the (Canadian Forces) is going to have to prepare for,” Wark said in an email. “But best that it do so openly rather than in the shadows.”

Wark told the Star in September that escalation and proliferation of cyber-weapons was also a concern — a point that even John Adams, the former head of the Communications Security Establishment who has pushed for the Canadian government to prepare for cyberwarfare, conceded at the time.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan was travelling Thursday, and was not available for an interview. In a statement, his spokesperson said any use of cyber-weapons would be “approved by the government on a mission-by-mission basis,” and would adhere to domestic and international law.

In a statement, the Department of National Defence called developing a cyber-component a “key priority” for the Canadian Forces.

“As cyberspace evolves and expands, it is critical that we look to the future and determine the optimal approaches to strengthen our ability to defend mission-critical military systems, building the future cyber force, and integrating cyber operations into broader military operations,” wrote DND spokesperson Daniel LeBouthillier.

Canadian Generals Defend Strategy for Defeating ISIL

By: The Canadian Press

PERSIAN GULF — Two senior Canadian generals have defended the current strategy for defeating Daesh (also known as ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, which U.S. officials have put under review following scathing criticism by President Donald Trump.

U.S. Defence Secretary James Mattis was in Iraq this week after Trump gave the retired Marine Corps general until the end of the month to come up with a plan for speeding up the campaign.

During last year’s presidential election, Trump repeatedly criticized the slow pace of progress and promised to introduce a new approach that would hasten Daesh’s defeat.

But Brig.-Gen. David Anderson and Brig.-Gen. Stephen Kelsey say they are hard-pressed to think of ways to improve the existing strategy, which they have watched unfold firsthand for the better part of a year.

And they worry that rushing to destroy Daesh could in fact undermine the progress that has been made in dealing with the root causes that led to the extremist group’s rise in the first place.

“I can’t think of a different way to do this that doesn’t create all the problems that have been there from the past,” Anderson said Monday, before Mattis’s unannounced arrival in Iraq. “I think we’ve got it right.”

Anderson and Kelsey are both based in Baghdad. And while they’re Canadian, each holds a key position within the larger international coalition for defeating Daesh.

Since last spring, Anderson has led a multinational team of military advisers posted inside the Iraqi defence ministry in Baghdad, where they have helped formulate and implement the current campaign strategy.

Kelsey has helped oversee the actual fighting on the ground, which is being largely conducted by Iraqi forces with significant assistance from Canada and other countries.

Mattis hasn’t said what changes he wants to see in the campaign plan, but reports suggest the options under discussion include putting more U.S. troops on the ground and having them do more of the fighting.

American troops, like the roughly 200 Canadian special forces in northern Iraq, have largely stayed out of the fight and instead provided training, advice and some battlefield support from behind.

Anderson and Kelsey insisted it is up to the U.S. to decide its own approach to defeating Daesh; but any change would affect all countries involved in the effort.

That includes Iraq itself, which has been the scene of more than a decade of violence and strife after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 tore the country apart along ethnic and religious lines.

Kelsey said what’s different in Iraq this time around, and what he believes will end the cycle of violence, is that Iraqi troops are the ones doing the fighting and dying for their own country.

“What’s happening now with the strategy . . . is we are enabling our (Iraqi) partners to defeat Daesh,” he said. “We’re also creating capacity for the longer term.

“And in trying to accelerate that or do it for them, we then start owning the problem and affect their ability to create their own capacity, which is the key to long-term stability in the region.”

The two generals heaped praise on the Iraqi government and military for the progress they have made over the past two years in fighting Daesh while also dealing with various economic and political challenges.

And they said despite the fact Daesh remains a threat in Iraq and Syria more than two years after Canada and other countries intervened militarily, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“We are closer than we think,” Kelsey said. “And that’s the adult discussion that’s going to play out here in the next little bit.”

CAF Members Serving in Kuwait Lose major tax exemption

By: Mercedes Stephenson, Reporter, Ottawa Bureau, CTV National News

Canadian troops critical to the fight against ISIS have lost a major tax break that had saved them more than $9,000 each over the course of a six-month tour.

The tax breaks, worth between $1,500 to $1,800 per month, are provided to soldiers who meet certain criteria related to the risk of their duties and the relative hardship of their living conditions while deployed overseas.

Fifteen soldiers at Camp Arfijan, a base in Kuwait, lost the tax break in September, after the military downgraded the risk level. They fought to get it back, arguing that they faced no less danger or hardship than other soldiers stationed in the country.

But instead of restoring the tax break to Camp Arifjan’s soldiers, the military took the exemption away from the more than 300 soldiers stationed in Kuwait who will no longer be eligible as of June 1st, 2017.

One soldier told CTV News that, out of all the nations fighting ISIS, he believes the Canadians are the only ones who will not be getting the tax break. The Pentagon confirmed to CTV News that all American soldiers deployed to Iraq receive tax exemption status.

Military sources say the change is already causing hardships. One deployed soldier supports his disabled sister and pays his elderly mother’s mortgage, and now their financial future is uncertain.

His mother, Glenda Lindsay, said it feels as though her son is being cheated. “They're cutting corners at the troops' expense,” she told CTV News.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan promised to fix the situation at a defence committee meeting on Dec. 1 when he was pressed by Conservative Defence Critic, James Bezan.

But there has yet to be any change. One affected soldier feels like “we got kicked in the stomach.”

Operation IMPACT Tactical Aviation Detachment Conducts Change of Command

DND Press Release

By: Capt Matt Zalot, Public Affairs Officer, Joint Task Force Iraq Detachment Erbil (JTF-I Erbil)

Major Mathieu Bertrand assumed command of the Operation IMPACT Tactical Aviation Detachment in Northern Iraq from Lieutenant-Colonel Carol Potvin at a ceremony on January 14, 2017. Major Bertrand previously served as the detachment’s Operations Officer and Deputy Commanding Officer.

Colonel Luc Guillette, Commander of Air Task Force-Iraq, presided over the change-of-command ceremony, which took place at Canadian Camp Érable near Erbil, Iraq. During the ceremony, Lieutenant-Colonel Potvin spoke briefly about the work performed by the squadron during his watch. Major Bertrand also spoke to the attendees, noting the need to build on past accomplishments for future missions.

“The Tactical Aviation Detachment will continue to play an important role in the advise and assist mission to counter Daesh,” said Major Bertrand. “We have all made a contribution to the Coalition’s efforts and the squadron will continue to work hard and build on our previous successes.”

Major Bertrand joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1999 and has amassed significant experience in the world of search and rescue. He served at 439 Combat Support Squadron, based out of Bagotville, Quebec, before being posted to 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in Valcartier, Quebec. As part of 430 Squadron he served in Afghanistan and Haiti. Before his deployment to Iraq, he served as Detachment Commander and Deputy Commander for Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre Quebec.

Since October 6, 2016, when they took over from 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron, 430 Squadron has been leading the Royal Canadian Air Force’s tactical aviation efforts in Erbil, Iraq. The CH-146 Griffon helicopters provide tactical transport of Canadian troops, equipment, and supplies.

Canada remains a committed partner to the Global Coalition against Daesh. As part of Joint Task Force-Iraq, Air Task Force-Iraq contributes to Coalition air operations against Daesh to improve security in Iraq and in the region.

New RCAF Deputy Commander looks to the Future

By: Amanda Connolly, iPolitics 

For the first time in Canadian history, the Royal Canadian Air Force will have a female deputy commander.

But for Maj.-Gen. Tammy Harris, whose career has been marked by firsts, the honour she feels heading into her new post goes beyond being a symbol of women’s advancement in the military. It’s more about using her new responsibilities to champion the need for broader diversity and inclusion in the Canadian Forces — particularly when it comes to young people.

“The language that we use doesn’t resonate with the youth of today so we need to get better at messaging that and hearing them,” she said in her first sit-down interview with iPolitics. “I think the military is known for talking in acronyms and talking in short sentences, and you kind of have to be more active listening on what it is that our values remain the same. These young men and women were talking about empowerment, about other people, talking about being the activists or the voice of those who don’t have a voice, serving their country. All the things that we hopefully represent to Canadians in what we do.”

Harris first joined the Canadian Forces as an air traffic controller at 1987, two years before the milestone Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruling that allowed women to take on combat roles.

Since then, her Air Force career has seen her posted to Lahr, Germany, as well as bases across Canada.

In 2007 she was named the first female wing commander at 9 Wing Gander and in 2009, was deployed to Afghanistan as chief planner for NATO at the Kandahar Airfield.

Harris made headlines again in 2012 when she was named commander of CFB Borden, Canada’s largest training base, and in doing so became the first woman to head a Canadian Forces base.

She left for Ottawa a year later to take on a new role as senior military advisor to the Privy Council Office’s foreign defence policy secretariat, and then joined the office of the Chief of Defence Staff as General Jonathan Vance’s chief of staff.

Now, her latest appointment will see her taking on the challenges of her new role at a time when the Canadian Forces are facing significant challenges in recruiting new members, and as public and political pressure for a culture change within the military grows more intense.

March 2017 will mark two years since former Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps issued a damning report on sexual misconduct in the Canadian Forces that found evidence of a “highly sexualized culture” — where degrading remarks about women and LGBT members often went unchecked and allegations from harassment to abuse often went unreported because of a lack of faith in the military chain of command.

Maj.-Gen. Tammy Harris, deputy commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force sits down for an interview with iPolitics journalist Amanda Connolly in Ottawa on Friday, January 27, 2017. iPolitics/Matthew Usherwood

That report prompted the launch of Operation Honour, the military’s mission to stamp out sexual misconduct and harassment.

While Harris noted it was too early to talk about specific priorities for her new role since she has not yet taken command, she did stress that continuing her predecessor’s work in supporting that mission will be a top focus.

Having the chance to work more directly with RCAF members is something Harris said she is particularly looking forward to.

“Going back into the air force is exciting for me,” she said. “Now I have a very busy job but my job is to facilitate Gen. Vance’s ability to meet with the troops and make that happen, so this will give me the opportunity to spend some time with some extraordinary men and women and see the great things they’re doing and spending time with their families and getting to know them.”

Harris, a native of the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, said being able to help others find ways to succeed has been an important thread throughout her career — because she has witnessed the powerful effects of mentorship first-hand.

Now, she sees her new job as an opportunity to support others who may be struggling to get to where they want to go, or to balance their careers with their families.

“That’s how I lead,” said Harris, who is married to Brig.-Gen. Shane Brennan, soon-to-be-named commanding officer of the military’s Joint Personnel Support Unit, and a stepmother to three grown children. “We can accomplish the mission but how do I help people get to where they want to go and achieve the things that they want to do, and get that balance, which is kind of hard. And it’s okay to have a balance of wanting to have a family and wanting to have a successful career.”

A recent report by Auditor General Michael Ferguson cast doubts on the military’s ability to meet many of its recruitment targets. Harris pointed to the need for the military to do a better job telling its own stories and showing how a career in the Canadian Forces can be a way of achieving many of the goals and desires driving young Canadians’ career choices.

According to surveys and polls conducted over the past several years, young workers repeatedly list factors like the ability to make a difference, to travel and to take on multiple roles and types of occupations throughout their careers as among the most important considerations when choosing a career.

Harris said she had the chance to take part in the recent Prime Minister’s Youth Council meeting and that what she heard from the young people there made her even more committed to pushing for the military to get better at sharing its own stories.

“You can say you’re a mediator, you’re an activist, you’re a leader, you’re a follower, you’re a counsellor, you’re a judge, you’re a disciplinarian, you’re a mentor,” she said. “All these things come together throughout your career. They were surprised by that, so we haven’t kind of shown them you don’t really have one career, you have many careers in one.”

She also said that the military needs to make sure the work environment is one that is attractive and supportive for all, particularly in light of the Statistics Canada survey in November that found that even since the launch of Operation Honour, 960 force members had still experienced harassment over the past year.

“It just means we need to keep working and everybody is still committed to that going forward,” Harris said. “If you can breathe, you have a voice and if you have a voice, I’m listening. That’s my message to people, and I will act on your behalf if you are afraid to act.”

Tory candidate Erin O’Toole vows to double defence spending

By: ANTHONY FUREY, POSTMEDIA NETWORK

Canada’s defence spending will double if Erin O’Toole becomes prime minister. The Conservative leadership candidate and Ontario MP has crafted a substantial defence policy paper that includes a commitment to increasing defence spending to 2% of GDP.

O’Toole, a former veterans affairs minister, says in a statement: “This plan will achieve that as quickly as possible through a responsible increase in expenditures to modernize the equipment needs of the Canadian Forces to ensure the capabilities required for Canada to contribute to domestic, continental and allied defence needs.”

Two per cent of GDP is the amount NATO members technically pledge to spend on defence. However only a handful of the 28 member countries actually fulfill their commitment. Canada currently spends around 1% of GDP on defence.

The policy paper is clearly designed to show O’Toole is serious about not only national defence but also key foreign affairs issues. “The security of Canada, its sovereignty and the safety of its citizens must be recognized as the first and most important responsibility of Government - and is even more so today than it has been for over a generation,” the statement notes. “Every day, we see the war against terrorism, Russian aggressiveness and Chinese geopolitical posturing in the news.”

O’Toole served in the Canadian Armed Forces for more than a decade before becoming a lawyer, entering the House of Commons in 2011.

Other measures O’Toole proposes in the paper include creating a Defence Procurement Agency with the aim of depoliticizing major equipment purchases; strengthening Arctic security measures; implementing new co-operation agreements with Israel and Ukraine; and creating a cyber warfare division within the Canadian Forces.

Tory candidates will square off once again on Tuesday at a French language debate, the third of four official debates, in Quebec City. The leadership vote will be held on May 27.

CAF looking to replace Second World War-era pistols

By; David Pugliese, The National Post 

The Canadian military is looking to replace its Second World War-era handguns but it could take up to 10 years for all of the new pistols to be distributed to the troops.

Replacing the 1940s-era Browning handguns has been on the Department of National Defence’s procurement list for years.

But now the purchase of new guns appears to be moving ahead.

Still the Canadian Forces figures if the purchase is approved – and there are no delays – it won’t have all the new pistols in hand and being used until 2026.

The military plans to conduct a survey later this year to determine what the role of handguns might be in the future Canadian Forces.


Last year army procurement officers briefed industry representatives about their quest for a new pistol. Industry officials were told that between 15,000 and 25,000 handguns are needed and the military estimated the project would cost around $50 million, according to documents recently obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.

That price-tag would include extra parts and related equipment.

Canadian ForcesThe Canadian military wants to replace its 1940s-era Browning handguns, shown in this 2015 photo being used by Canadian troops in the Middle East, but first will conduct a survey on whether there is still a need for pistols.

Canada’s general service pistol is currently the 9mm Browning Hi-Power, which came into service in the later part of the Second World War, according to the Canadian Army documents prepared for industry. The guns have been refurbished over the years.

A smaller number of SIG P225 pistols were acquired in 1991 and are in the hands of military police and Royal Canadian Navy boarding teams.

The wear and tear on the Brownings have whittled numbers down to 13,981; of those 1,243 are in the process of disassembled for spare parts, in order to keep the other guns going until a replacement can be found, army spokeswoman Capt. Valérie Lanouette
 explained to the Ottawa Citizen in an email in November.

“The operations in Afghanistan have only accelerated the rate of non-serviceable pistols,” she added.

Production on the SIG P225 ended in 2009 so some of those existing firearms will have to be cannibalized for parts as well, the army noted.

Later this year or sometime early next year a nation-wide survey will be conducted in the Canadian Forces about the future of pistols and “to define the general concept of employment,” the military says.

Sometime in 2019 or 2020 the requirements for a new gun will be defined and then by 2022 the military will seek approval from the federal government to proceed with a purchase of a new general service pistol or GSP.

“If the project timeline is not delayed, the delivery of the GSP could start in fiscal year 2022-2023 and full operational capability could be reached by 2026,” Lanouette pointed out.

Industry representatives have privately questioned why Canada would take so long to buy a new pistol, noting that the process could be completed in about a year or two at most.

The Browning Hi-Power is one of the most widely used military pistols and is still in service in other countries.

Civilian gun stores sell a new version of the gun for a little over $1,000 each. Some dealers who specialize in military collectibles are charging $4,200 for a 1940s-era Browning Hi-Power in excellent condition.

“The Canadian Army is committed to supporting an efficient, cost effective and transparent procurement process in order to have the right tools in the right hands at the right time,” Lanouette
 noted in her email.

Canadian special forces use another model of the Sig pistol but there are also problems with finding certain spare parts because those components are no longer being manufactured, according to the Canadian Forces.

The myth of one-party support for the Canadian Armed Forces

By: Tony Keene, CBC News

There is a myth widely accepted by many in the military, by veterans and by the civilian public that the Conservatives are the party of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). This idea holds that while the Tories have traditionally supported and increased funding to the CAF, the Liberals are constantly looking for opportunities to cut costs. It's a prevalent notion, but a fallacious one nonetheless, and one that's being repeated as we look ahead to the Liberals' plans for 2017.

Back in 2006, a year from retirement as a reservist, I stood beside General Rick Hillier — then chief of the defence staff — as he was scrummed by the media on a visit to Halifax. The new Conservative defence minister had just announced a massive multi-billion-dollar plan to upgrade the military, especially the navy.
A 'decade of darkness'

Hillier, the burly Newfoundlander who had captivated the public with his down-home folksiness, could not resist slipping into political vernacular as he told the newsies that under the Stephen Harper government, the "decade of darkness" under the Liberals was over, and the navy was going to get "big honkin' ships."

As a lifelong Tory supporter, I was thrilled. Not only did it seem like Canada's men and women in uniform would finally get the respect they were due, but as a veteran (I was set to retire the following year), I was certain I would be looked after by the Harper government.

My optimism didn't last.

The Harper government began closing Veterans Affairs offices across the country, ending the face-to-face service we expected. The relationship between veterans affairs minister Julian Fantino and the men and women whose interests he was supposed to represent became combative, with sides trading barbs at a news conference. Under the New Veterans Charter, the government ended lifetime support for wounded soldiers and instead offered lump-sum payments, which many of us took to be "shut up and go away" payoffs.

As for military spending, there were no new ships — big, honking or otherwise — after nine years, and precious little of anything else. Defence spending fell to 0.99 per cent of GDP.

HMCS Athabaskan might not make it to her planned retirement. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

Training and recruiting were cut, and our last destroyer — HMCS Athabaskan — became so clapped out that there is doubt she will even make it to her planned retirement date later this year. There are no support ships. Canada's aged Sea Kings are still flying (barely), as are the CF-18s.

What Harper did do was restore the "royal" designation of the navy and air force, and officers had their British-style rank insignia returned: shades of prime minister Brian Mulroney, who in 1985 gave us three coloured uniforms, and then sent us to the Gulf War without, from what we saw, a single penny of additional spending. Napoleon said men would die for scraps of ribbon. He was probably right.
Defence spending lore

Recently, in a military mess, I spoke with young officers who were convinced we were about to enter another "decade of darkness" under the Liberal government. These guys, all young enough to be my grandchildren, were adamant that Stephen Harper had increased defence spending every year, and that Justin Trudeau was now going to cut it again.

Facts and figures meant nothing. They were absolutely certain: Conservatives good, Liberals bad. End of story.

The argument can be made that defence spending in Canada rises and falls no matter who is in power. My personal experience, which includes four decades of service, was that almost all significant improvements in equipment, pay and allowances and family support came under Liberal regimes. But then again, the Liberals were in power for most of that period.

Liberals to buy 18 Boeing Super Hornet fighter jets

In the year Canada's new government has taken the reins, some improvements have been made: the Liberals have re-opened many of Veterans Affairs offices closed under the Conservative government. Interim measures have been taken to back up the CF-18s and provide support vessels for the navy, and a decorated soldier is serving as defence minister. But the Grits are still struggling to nail down the procurement process, and have taken up the former government's lawsuit over the Veterans Charter, among other things.

Nevertheless, the myth of one-party support for the CAF still remains, and as long as military personnel and veterans continue to believe it, it will continue to skew how they vote, and how we, as a people, think. That tired way of thinking needs a reality check. 

---

Tony Keene was a reservist in the Canadian Armed Forces for 40 years and completed multiple overseas tours of duty. He has worked as a journalist in newspapers and broadcasting.

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

Not helping veterans could turn into national security problem: Military Ombudsman

By: Rebecca Joseph and Amy Minsky, Global News

Canada’s approach to transitioning Canadian Forces members out of service is fundamentally flawed — and, if it’s not addressed, could lead to national security problems, said Canadian Armed Forces ombudsman Gary Walbourne.

The root of the problem is the fact many Forces members are released before adequate support is set up, he said in an interview on The West Block.

“I think … the service delivery model we’re using for the transitioning member, I think it’s fundamentally flawed,” Walbourne said. “And I think the major flaw is that we release people before they’re ready or before the systems are in place to help them.”

READ MORE: Family ‘trying to hang in there’ following Nova Scotia murder-suicide

He says he’s already recommended that no member of the armed forces be released until all benefits, including pension and their contact with Veteran’s Affairs, are put in place.

“If we don’t change the position and the approach we have, I think the conversation is going to change away from transitioning members to national security,” he said.

“I do believe that if we could get back to that one recommendation of holding the member until everything was in place, I think we could have a different conversation next year.”

The apparent murder-suicide of a Nova Scotia veteran and his family last week left the country reeling.

Lionel Desmond shot and killed his wife Shanna, 10-year-old daughter Aaliyah and mother Brenda, before turning the gun on himself, RCMP say.

Canada’s approach to transitioning Canadian Forces members out of service is fundamentally flawed — and, if it’s not addressed, could lead to national security problems, said Canadian Armed Forces ombudsman Gary Walbourne.

The root of the problem is the fact many Forces members are released before adequate support is set up, he said in an interview on The West Block.


“I think … the service delivery model we’re using for the transitioning member, I think it’s fundamentally flawed,” Walbourne said. “And I think the major flaw is that we release people before they’re ready or before the systems are in place to help them.”

READ MORE: Family ‘trying to hang in there’ following Nova Scotia murder-suicide

He says he’s already recommended that no member of the armed forces be released until all benefits, including pension and their contact with Veteran’s Affairs, are put in place.

“If we don’t change the position and the approach we have, I think the conversation is going to change away from transitioning members to national security,” he said.

“I do believe that if we could get back to that one recommendation of holding the member until everything was in place, I think we could have a different conversation next year.”

The apparent murder-suicide of a Nova Scotia veteran and his family last week left the country reeling.

Lionel Desmond shot and killed his wife Shanna, 10-year-old daughter Aaliyah and mother Brenda, before turning the gun on himself, RCMP say.

Federal Government Does Not Understand CAF Special Forces

By: David Pugliese, Defence Watch 

Canada’s special forces aren’t being used enough because federal government officials don’t understand such units or have the structure to make the best use of them, according to a recently released report.

The eight-page report written by Queen’s University defence researcher Christian Leuprecht and H. Christian Breede, a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada, looked at the capabilities and future of Canada’s special forces.

“Canada currently lacks the policies, national security culture, mechanisms, processes, and methods to optimize the use of SOF,” Leuprecht said in a statement. “As a result, Canada’s SOF is undersubscribed and under-utilized.”

The authors recommend that defence decision-makers develop a more thorough understanding of the capabilities of Canadian special forces. They suggest, in particular, more knowledge is needed by decision-makers in how special forces differ in training and skills from conventional forces.

To maintain the capabilities of Canadian special forces, the authors also argue against the rapid or large-scale expansion of these units. That could water down capabilities, they add. “Given the CAF’s authorized troop strength and the qualities of an operator being as unique as they are, a rapid expansion would necessitate recasting the combination of desirable characteristics,” the report added.


In addition, the authors recommend only select and targeted collaboration with conventional force units.

The government also needs to decrease the amount of time it takes to make decisions on the use of special forces, which, in turn, would allow for the greatest number of options for the use of such units, the report suggests.

The publication of the document comes as the Liberal government conducts a defence review, expected to be completed in early 2017.

“With large-scale deployments of conventional combat forces improbable in the foreseeable future, SOF has emerged as the force of choice,” the report noted.

The Department of National Defence did not comment on the report.

CAF to get Guidelines on Dealing with Child Soldiers

By: TONDA MACCHARLES, Toronto Star 

OTTAWA—Canada’s top soldier is issuing the first-ever guidelines for Canadian military personnel on how to deal with child soldiers in advance of deployment to Africa, the Star has learned.

Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff, and senior military officials have consulted with the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative and others on how to best prepare troops for a soon-to-be decided UN “peace operations” mission.

In September, Vance issued a draft version of the new guidelines which was expected to be finalized this week.

Called the CAF Child Soldiers Doctrine, it is not country-specific but will provide overarching principles to military personnel, no matter what the mission or mandate. The Star reported last week that Mali has emerged as the likely destination for a large contingent of up to 600 Canadian Armed Forces personnel, but the federal cabinet has not yet given its nod.

According to information obtained by the Star, excerpts of the new guidelines say the “aim is to provide the interim guidance required to address and mitigate the broad challenges posed by the presence of child soldiers in areas where we may undertake missions.”


The United Nations in 2005 identified six categories of grave violations against children that include killing and maiming of children, the recruiting of children as soldiers, sexual violence against children, attacks against schools, denial of humanitarian access to children, and abduction of children.

The military’s guidelines will make clear that all Canadian Armed Forces personnel have a legal duty to report any such violations, and it recognizes that the issue of child soldiers “needs to be better addressed within Canadian Forces doctrine.”

“It is important to ensure our soldiers are prepared to respond to the presence of children and vulnerable populations while on operations. Implementation of such steps will greatly contribute to the operational effectiveness of the CF when reinforced during developmental and pre-deployment training,” it says.



“It will also help prepare troops for the tactical and psychological challenges found in modern theatres.”

The move was hailed by the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, a global partnership based at Dalhousie University. Executive Director Shelly Whitman said “it means essentially that the military’s efforts, or the training, have to be guided by the doctrine; it’s like a bible of the military.”

“When you have a doctrine note come out and it says in it that we’re going to have to understand what this means operationally, strategically, tactically for how our forces address such issues, it’s a huge step forward,” Whitman said in an interview.

Canadian Armed Forces doctrine spells out everything from fundamental principles to details on how to execute operational tasks “to achieve a specific aim,” according to the military’s website.

More specific how-to operational guidelines such as when and how to engage with child fighters would be set out in the rules of engagement of a mission, which are usually classified information.

The guidelines have been a long time coming.

More than seven years ago, former army commander Andrew Leslie, now a Liberal MP, appointed now-retired colonel Jake Bell as the army’s liaison officer with the Dallaire Initiative “to essentially look at this issue to see the things that we could do to incorporate that knowledge into what we do,” Bell said in an interview with the Star.

During his military career, Bell was posted to Bosnia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and in 2012-13 was chief of operations for the United Nations mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Now a consultant for the Dallaire Initiative, he recently travelled to Congo to work with the Congolese army on developing a training curriculum on child soldiers for its officers and non-commissioned troops.

He believes it’s important for the Canadian military and other armed forces to have realistic, practical and scenario-based guidance in dealing with children in a operational theatre, and says “where you can really make an impact is in the prevention of recruitment of child soldiers.”

The Dallaire Initiative consulted with Vance, the chief of defence staff, and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan in March about the issue.

Whitman said military leaders learned many lessons from “challenging situations” in the past, including the war in Afghanistan, dealing with detainees and “also the chai boys, the tea boys.”

That’s a reference to allegations that Canadian soldiers turned a blind eye to abuse of boys by Afghan troops. An inquiry reported to Vance on the issue shortly after he took the top job in Canada’s military.

Earlier this year in response to that inquiry, Vance assured Canadians the military has changed how it trains soldiers for overseas deployments, with more focus on ethical issues, cultural differences and addressing human rights violations.

The Canadian Armed Forces do not identify a specific motivation for this new doctrine.

In an emailed response to the Star’s questions, a military spokesperson said the forces “continually revise and update doctrinal documents in order to ensure operational effectiveness and relevance. Providing our members with a better understanding of issues is therefore critical to mission success.”

“We are doing the responsible thing and recognizing that issues — such as the recruitment of child soldiers by illegal armed groups — can and do occur,” wrote Daniel Le Bouthillier, head of media relations.

“This is why we plan, prepare and ensure our members uphold our legal requirement to report any grave violations against children, as identified by the UN secretary general. The protection of the most vulnerable populations is of the utmost importance.”

He said the Canadian Armed Forces “takes its international obligations extremely seriously and will continue to help ensure our proud men and women have the tools required to carry out their mandates responsibly and with the ethos expected of them by Canadians.”

The concept of child soldiers is defined broadly by the United Nations.

The UN says “a child associated with an armed force or armed group refers to any person below 18 years of age who is, or who has been, recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to children, boys and girls, used as fighters, cooks, porters, spies or for sexual purposes.”

Whitman said she hopes the military will now focus part of its pre-deployment training on the kinds of “moral dilemmas” soldiers will face, and how best to deal with them.

“Our hope is by doing that it means a) it more success overall in their mission and b) we protect children better and c) when our troops come back home we are reducing levels of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and operational stress injury because we will have emotionally and practically prepared them for that and have it not be the first time that they thought about it—the first time they saw it on the battlefield.”

Whitman hopes to offer support and training for military trainers at the military’s Peace Support Training Centre in Kingston. It trains over 1,000 members of the CAF and other government personnel each year, prior to deployment on operations.

In each of the countries to which Canada has looked at deploying — South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic or Mali, children are recruited by military forces, whether to act as fighters, intelligence gatherers, sex slaves or domestic labour. In Mali, in particular they have been used by Islamist groups as suicide bombers, says Whitman.

CF-18 Crashes near Cold Lake: Pilot Killed

CTV News

A Canadian fighter jet has crashed in the Cold Lake, Alta. area, CTV News has learned.

It's not clear yet why the CF-18 went down or whether the pilot survived.

Cold Lake is the site of a major Canadian air force base on the border between Alberta and Saskatchewan.

A spokesman for the Canadian Armed Forces said the crash happened Monday morning inside the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range in Saskatchewan.

"4 Wing emergency services, including 417 Combat Support Squadron, are currently en route to secure the area of the crash," Capt. Mat Strong wrote in an email.

"Our primary concern at this time is the status and safety of the aircraft's occupant and any impact to the immediate area. It is far too early in the situation to determine the cause of this incident. As more details become available, they will be provided."

The commander of the RCAF has confirmed the Pilot of the aircraft was killed.

More details as they become available. 

The return of "RCAF" to the RCAF's Aircraft is on its way

The RCAF’s new livery is shown on this leased King Air 350, which operates out of 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario. It is the first RCAF aircraft to receive the new paint scheme. PHOTO: Corporal Rod Doucet

By: RCAF Public Affairs

In the coming months, you might notice that Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft look a little different.

In 2011, to recognize Canada’s military heritage, the historic names of Canada’s three military services were restored: the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), the Canadian Army (CA) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Under these designations, Canadians emerged victorious from the Second World War and later defended Canadian interests throughout the Cold War and the Korean War.

The RCAF received its new insignia in 2013, followed by changes to members’ uniforms and the redesignation of the rank private as “aviator”. Now, the next step in the restoration process is to bring RCAF aircraft livery – that is, aircraft paint scheme – in line with the earlier changes.

The new aircraft livery includes the bilingual designation “RCAF” and “ARC” (for Aviation royale canadienne) on either side of an updated roundel.

“It’s important for the Air Force that we bring our aircraft in line with our new insignia,” said Lieutenant-General Mike Hood, the commander of the RCAF, “but we’ll do it in a way that minimizes any additional cost and doesn’t take an operational aircraft out of service unnecessarily. In all, we expect the changes will take the next four to five years.”

Aircraft will receive their new livery when they are already undergoing scheduled routine maintenance, which includes any necessary repainting. This is done every few years to correct the effects of usage and exposure to the elements. As of the first of November, one aircraft – the King Air B200, located at 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario – has been painted in the new livery.

To see how these changes are coming along, be sure to check out the RCAF’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, where photos of the new livery will be posted when the aircraft are repainted in the new livery.

The new RCAF livery will replace the livery "Candian Forces" shown under the wing of a CC-130J Hercules on RCAF aircraft. The new paint scheme will be added to the aircraft when they undergo regularly scheduled repainting to correct the effects of usage and weather. PHOTO: Corporal Darcy Lefebvre

RCAF SAR Rescues Fisherman off Cape Scott

DND Press Release

Late Monday afternoon 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron was involved in a mission to medevac a crew member of a commercial fishing vessel to hospital for immediate care, the Canadian Forces said in a news release Tuesday.

More details from the news release:

* The vessel was 60 nautical miles (110 km) northwest of Cape Scott at the time of the call for assistance.

* A CH-149 Cormorant helicopter and a CC-115 Buffalo were tasked to respond.

* The Buffalo arrived on scene first and after making contact with the crew by radio provided them instructions to prepare for the arrival of the Cormorant with SAR Techs on board.


* The Cormorant arrived on scene shortly after the Buffalo and two SAR Techs were lowered onto the deck of the vessel to prepare the patient to be hoisted onto the Cormorant.

* The patient was transported by Cormorant to Port Hardy then transferred to the Buffalo and subsequently flown to Victoria where the BC Ambulance Service transferred the patient to hospital

Canadian veterans say anti-malaria drug prescribed in Somalia ruined lives

By: GLORIA GALLOWAY, The Globe and Mail
Veterans who took part in the Somalia mission of the 1990s, which ended after the murder of a local teenager, blame the anti-malarial drug mefloquine for psychological damage that may have caused the tragedy and say Ottawa should reach out to others who have been affected.

A House of Commons committee heard from veterans on Thursday who say their lives have been permanently altered, and in some cases destroyed, by the pills they were required to take as part of a clinical trial involving members of the Canadian Forces who were deployed on the Somalia mission.

All of the men urged the government to create an outreach program that would educate both current and former military personnel, as well as civilian consumers, about the drug’s potential side effects.

Claude Lalancette was one of paratroopers with the Canadian Airborne Regiment who was sent to Somalia.

“This is where I can retrace the route of my mental-health issues,” Mr. Lalancette told the MPs on the committee. “We were young and so well-trained for this mission. But the intensity of our aggression and psychoses led to the closure of Canada’s elite – the Canadian Airborne Regiment.”

The regiment was disbanded in 1995 after what was known as the Somalia Affair. Master Corporal Clayton Matchee and Private Kyle Brown were charged in the beating death of Shidane Arone, a 16-year-old Somali.

“Clayton Matchee and Kyle Brown, they are victims,” said Mr. Lalancette, who blamed mefloquine for their actions. Mr. Brown was convicted of manslaughter in the teenager’s death and served a third of his five-year sentence. Mr. Matchee suffered brain damage when he tried to hang himself and was found unfit to stand trial.

Mefloquine is also sold under the brand name Lariam. A spokeswoman for the Department of National Defence has said it was given to 15,677 Canadian soldiers between 2001 and 2012.

Mr. Lalancette said his own symptoms include depression, irritability, hyper-vigilance, sleep disorders and aggression. “My temper goes from zero to 1,000 in an instant,” he told the committee.

He said he has given up driving because he cannot control his road rage. The drug, he added, has cost him his relationship with his children, his military job, pushed him into a life of poverty and prompted him to contemplate suicide.

All of the men talked about being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, which they say has similar symptoms of mefloquine toxicity.

But the treatments for PTSD do not work for those whose brains have been damaged by the drug, said John Dowe, who was also in Somalia and now works with the International Mefloquine Veterans’ Alliance.

“In the absence of national action to identify and alarm soldiers and consumers of the latest knowledge about mefloquine,” Mr. Dowe said, “we are left to remember psychosis, murder, violence and suicide.”

In 1999, the federal Auditor-General said the drug had been improperly prescribed during the Somalia mission. “National Defence did not keep essential records or follow required procedures required to fulfill its obligations as a participant in clinical study,” that report said.

Different drugs that have fewer side effects than mefloquine are now more commonly prescribed to soldiers. But Canadian troops are still given mefloquine far more often that it is prescribed for troops in the United States.

The British military allows it only as a last resort after a report earlier this year cited the risk of severe psychological side effects.

Dave Bona of Saskatchewan, a former member of the Canadian Airborne, said he took the drug during the Somalia mission and again in Rwanda a couple years later, and the psychological effects have been profound.

Mr. Bona told the committee that he has tried to track down the 28 men who deployed in his platoon to Somalia and has been able to account for 10 of them. “Two have committed suicide, six have attempted it and there’s only one soldier that is actually doing well,” Mr. Bona said, “and that’s the one guy that I know did not take the drug.”