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.”
Showing posts with label Canada in Syria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canada in Syria. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
RCAF Active over Syria; Canada Waiting on US before Extending OP IMPACT
By: Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press
PERSIAN GULF – Canadian military personnel involved in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant are waiting to see what shape their mission will take in the coming months – a decision that could be heavily influenced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
More than 800 service members are currently deployed in half-a-dozen locations across the Persian Gulf region, after the Liberal government revamped Canada’s contribution to the American-led war against ISIL last year.
Two Canadian surveillance planes have flown hundreds of sorties to identify potential targets for coalition airstrikes.
While the majority of those missions have been over Iraq, a senior Canadian commander revealed Sunday that the aircraft have also flown dozens of times over Syria in recent months.
“We have done work in Syria,” Brig.-Gen. Shane Brennan, commander of Canada’s Joint Task Force-Iraq, told reporters during a media tour of the mission, though he added: “There’s lots of work to do in Iraq. We are looking at all of the areas.”
The flights over Syria have also included a different Canadian plane that has been refuelling coalition aircraft directly responsible for bombing or otherwise destroying ISIL forces and other targets.
The increased Canadian military activity over Syria, which Brennan described as between 20 and 30 missions in the past few months, is only one indication that the war against ISIL is shifting into a new phase.
As Brennan was speaking at an airfield, the location of which the military didn’t want revealed for security reasons, Iraqi forces were launching their long-awaited assault on western Mosul.
READ MORE: Mosul civilians trapped indoors as Iraqi forces bombard ISIS targets
The battle, which comes about a month after Iraqi forces declared the eastern part of the city free of ISIL, has been billed as a defining moment in eventually freeing Iraq from the extremist group’s grip.
While the fight for the city’s western half is expected to be much harder than what came before, Brennan was adamant that victory was a certainty.
“There is a battle that is ongoing and will be won,” Brennan said. “It’s an inevitable event.”
Less certain is what role Canadian troops will play when the current mandate, which also includes a military hospital, special forces troops and a helicopter detachment in northern Iraq, expires in March.
Military commanders are drawing up options based on a number of factors, including the expectation that ISIL will become a traditional insurgency in Iraq, which would require more police and counter-terrorism forces.
Canadian Brig.-Gen. David Anderson, who is leading an international team of military advisers in Iraq’s defence ministry, said his group recently submitted a two-year plan focused on exactly that.
There are also concerns that the group will try to spread outside Iraq and Syria, which is why Canada helping strengthen border security in Jordan and Lebanon.
The military will present three options for the government to choose from in the coming weeks in deciding the future of the mission.
Yet one big wild card is what direction the U.S. military will go, after President Trump blasted the slow progress of the fight against ISIL and ordered a 30-day review to consider new options.
U.S. Defence Secretary James Mattis is expected to visit Iraq in the next week or so before presenting his recommendations later this month.
Exactly what Mattis will recommend, both in Iraq and Syria, is wide open for speculation.
But Brennan said the results could have a big impact on what Canada decides to do given the need to ensure a unified and co-ordinated international effort in the fight against ISIL.
“It does depend what happens,” Brennan said. “We are waiting as well. I think the question is: What else needs to be done or could be done?”
PERSIAN GULF – Canadian military personnel involved in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant are waiting to see what shape their mission will take in the coming months – a decision that could be heavily influenced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
More than 800 service members are currently deployed in half-a-dozen locations across the Persian Gulf region, after the Liberal government revamped Canada’s contribution to the American-led war against ISIL last year.
Two Canadian surveillance planes have flown hundreds of sorties to identify potential targets for coalition airstrikes.
While the majority of those missions have been over Iraq, a senior Canadian commander revealed Sunday that the aircraft have also flown dozens of times over Syria in recent months.
“We have done work in Syria,” Brig.-Gen. Shane Brennan, commander of Canada’s Joint Task Force-Iraq, told reporters during a media tour of the mission, though he added: “There’s lots of work to do in Iraq. We are looking at all of the areas.”
The flights over Syria have also included a different Canadian plane that has been refuelling coalition aircraft directly responsible for bombing or otherwise destroying ISIL forces and other targets.
The increased Canadian military activity over Syria, which Brennan described as between 20 and 30 missions in the past few months, is only one indication that the war against ISIL is shifting into a new phase.
As Brennan was speaking at an airfield, the location of which the military didn’t want revealed for security reasons, Iraqi forces were launching their long-awaited assault on western Mosul.
READ MORE: Mosul civilians trapped indoors as Iraqi forces bombard ISIS targets
The battle, which comes about a month after Iraqi forces declared the eastern part of the city free of ISIL, has been billed as a defining moment in eventually freeing Iraq from the extremist group’s grip.
While the fight for the city’s western half is expected to be much harder than what came before, Brennan was adamant that victory was a certainty.
“There is a battle that is ongoing and will be won,” Brennan said. “It’s an inevitable event.”
Less certain is what role Canadian troops will play when the current mandate, which also includes a military hospital, special forces troops and a helicopter detachment in northern Iraq, expires in March.
Military commanders are drawing up options based on a number of factors, including the expectation that ISIL will become a traditional insurgency in Iraq, which would require more police and counter-terrorism forces.
Canadian Brig.-Gen. David Anderson, who is leading an international team of military advisers in Iraq’s defence ministry, said his group recently submitted a two-year plan focused on exactly that.
There are also concerns that the group will try to spread outside Iraq and Syria, which is why Canada helping strengthen border security in Jordan and Lebanon.
The military will present three options for the government to choose from in the coming weeks in deciding the future of the mission.
Yet one big wild card is what direction the U.S. military will go, after President Trump blasted the slow progress of the fight against ISIL and ordered a 30-day review to consider new options.
U.S. Defence Secretary James Mattis is expected to visit Iraq in the next week or so before presenting his recommendations later this month.
Exactly what Mattis will recommend, both in Iraq and Syria, is wide open for speculation.
But Brennan said the results could have a big impact on what Canada decides to do given the need to ensure a unified and co-ordinated international effort in the fight against ISIL.
“It does depend what happens,” Brennan said. “We are waiting as well. I think the question is: What else needs to be done or could be done?”
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
What Happens After Mosul?
By: Matthew Fisher, Ottawa Citizen
Territorial gains made on the first day of the battle for Mosul are a “turning point in the war against terrorism,” said Massoud Barzani, president of Iraq’s largely autonomous Kurdish region.THE
Iraqi Kurdish forces retook 200 square kilometres and a half dozen villages east of Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on the first day of a massive operation to liberate the city.
Iraqi, Kurdish, U.S. and Canadian generals in Iraq are all predicting victory against ISIL, the most reviled terrorist group of modern times. However, they warn after quick initial gains in open terrain and villages on the outskirts of what was once the country’s second largest city, the battle will likely become a ferocious slog across an urban maze of tunnels, booby-traps, suicide bombers and well-hidden snipers.
“There were less than 10 Daesh in the village,” said Kurdish peshmerga commander, Lt. Mehsen Gardi using the Arabic acronym for ISIL after liberating the village of Shakouli. “But they were running around like rats in and out of tunnels and surprising us with suicide attacks and snipers.”
Left unsaid, although hinted at, is worry over what will happen once Mosul falls.
The biggest elephant in the room is Kurdish independence, but tensions could surface quickly if ISIL’s resistance suddenly collapses, and fighters try to flee across the desert to Syria, where its other redoubt, Raqqa, is besieged by Russian and Syrian forces and coalition warplanes.
Canada’s top general, Jonathan Vance met other coalition military chiefs in Washington Monday to discuss how to fight ISIL and other malevolent forces, such as al-Qaida and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra).
The 30,000-strong force attacking Mosul, which includes about 4,000 Kurds, is thought to outnumber the jihadists six to one.
Among the competing interests are members of the Kurdish peshmerga, who are itching to seize more land for what they hope will be a Kurdish state. Another possibility is the territory that evolves north and east of Mosul is so autonomous, it will be independent in everything but name.
Shia militias want into Mosul to exact revenge on the estimated one million Sunnis who stayed on and, in many cases, initially supported fellow Sunnis in ISIL because they did not like the Shia-led government in Baghdad.
But ISIL’s draconian interpretation of Shariah law eventually became too much for them and an underground resistance evolved that has been fighting back against the jihadists. They do not want the peshmerga and the Shia militias to enter the city, let alone govern them.
The Iraqi government — and its forces, who ran away rather than fight for Mosul in June 2014 — wants to restore its battered prestige and the status quo, with Baghdad in charge. More than anything, they do not want the Kurds to gain any advantage.
Mosul’s large Christian minority, now mostly scattered across Kurdistan, simply wants to be able to return home in peace, as do the Yazidis, whose women were forced en masse to become sex slaves.
As always in Iraq, complicating everything is who gets to tap the rich oilfields surrounding Mosul.
Before then, there is a war to be won. And then, according to the United Nations and many aid agencies, another humanitarian crisis looms, with hundreds of thousands of newly displaced people fleeing east and north.
Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian co-ordinator for Iraq, said in a worst-case scenario, some 700,000 civilians would require shelter.
Canadians will wonder what the 200 members of the Armed Forces, who have been advising the Kurds, will be doing. Some will accompany Kurdish units as they advance. How far forward and to what purpose is not clear, but commanders have said their orders do not include entering Mosul.
The Canadians’ rules of engagement allow them to defend themselves. It was confirmed in Ottawa this month that some advisers have been going forward more often and have been in gunfights.
Two generals are among about 30 Canadians based in Baghdad. They have been providing high-level advice to Iraqi commanders and supervising the training of some of the Iraqi troops now involved in the assault on Mosul.
Although it has not been heavily advertised, two Canadian Aurora spy planes, based in Kuwait and often operating near Mosul, have been providing specific bomb targeting information for coalition aircrews. The crews receive their orders from commanders who base their decisions partly on the work of a Canadian intelligence cell that studies ISIL’s whereabouts and its vulnerabilities.
Once Mosul is conquered, all eyes will turn to the fight against the jihadists in Syria, which has become extremely complicated because Russia is there with troops, warplanes and warships and supports Bashar Assad’s regime, which is as almost as repulsive to western leaders as ISIL.
The Trudeau government was the only coalition country to withdraw its fighter jets from the air war over Iraq and Syria. However, a Canadian refuelling tanker is still in the region to top up coalition warplanes attacking ISIL in Iraq.
Canada will likely face pressure from allies to rejoin the fight against ISIL’s caliphate in Syria, which is every bit as evil as the pernicious Iraqi variant. Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion has not said much on the issue except to note Canada is in favour of peace there.
 |
| ASSOCIATED PRESS - Kurdish security forces overlook Islamic State-controlled villages east of the city of Mosul in northern Iraq, Monday. Iraqi Kurdish forces retook 200 square kilometres and a half dozen villages east of Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on the first day of a massive operation to liberate the city from the extremist group. |
Iraqi Kurdish forces retook 200 square kilometres and a half dozen villages east of Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on the first day of a massive operation to liberate the city.
Iraqi, Kurdish, U.S. and Canadian generals in Iraq are all predicting victory against ISIL, the most reviled terrorist group of modern times. However, they warn after quick initial gains in open terrain and villages on the outskirts of what was once the country’s second largest city, the battle will likely become a ferocious slog across an urban maze of tunnels, booby-traps, suicide bombers and well-hidden snipers.
“There were less than 10 Daesh in the village,” said Kurdish peshmerga commander, Lt. Mehsen Gardi using the Arabic acronym for ISIL after liberating the village of Shakouli. “But they were running around like rats in and out of tunnels and surprising us with suicide attacks and snipers.”
Left unsaid, although hinted at, is worry over what will happen once Mosul falls.
The biggest elephant in the room is Kurdish independence, but tensions could surface quickly if ISIL’s resistance suddenly collapses, and fighters try to flee across the desert to Syria, where its other redoubt, Raqqa, is besieged by Russian and Syrian forces and coalition warplanes.
Canada’s top general, Jonathan Vance met other coalition military chiefs in Washington Monday to discuss how to fight ISIL and other malevolent forces, such as al-Qaida and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra).
The 30,000-strong force attacking Mosul, which includes about 4,000 Kurds, is thought to outnumber the jihadists six to one.
Among the competing interests are members of the Kurdish peshmerga, who are itching to seize more land for what they hope will be a Kurdish state. Another possibility is the territory that evolves north and east of Mosul is so autonomous, it will be independent in everything but name.
Shia militias want into Mosul to exact revenge on the estimated one million Sunnis who stayed on and, in many cases, initially supported fellow Sunnis in ISIL because they did not like the Shia-led government in Baghdad.
But ISIL’s draconian interpretation of Shariah law eventually became too much for them and an underground resistance evolved that has been fighting back against the jihadists. They do not want the peshmerga and the Shia militias to enter the city, let alone govern them.
Mosul’s large Christian minority, now mostly scattered across Kurdistan, simply wants to be able to return home in peace, as do the Yazidis, whose women were forced en masse to become sex slaves.
As always in Iraq, complicating everything is who gets to tap the rich oilfields surrounding Mosul.
Before then, there is a war to be won. And then, according to the United Nations and many aid agencies, another humanitarian crisis looms, with hundreds of thousands of newly displaced people fleeing east and north.
Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian co-ordinator for Iraq, said in a worst-case scenario, some 700,000 civilians would require shelter.
Canadians will wonder what the 200 members of the Armed Forces, who have been advising the Kurds, will be doing. Some will accompany Kurdish units as they advance. How far forward and to what purpose is not clear, but commanders have said their orders do not include entering Mosul.
The Canadians’ rules of engagement allow them to defend themselves. It was confirmed in Ottawa this month that some advisers have been going forward more often and have been in gunfights.
Two generals are among about 30 Canadians based in Baghdad. They have been providing high-level advice to Iraqi commanders and supervising the training of some of the Iraqi troops now involved in the assault on Mosul.
Although it has not been heavily advertised, two Canadian Aurora spy planes, based in Kuwait and often operating near Mosul, have been providing specific bomb targeting information for coalition aircrews. The crews receive their orders from commanders who base their decisions partly on the work of a Canadian intelligence cell that studies ISIL’s whereabouts and its vulnerabilities.
Once Mosul is conquered, all eyes will turn to the fight against the jihadists in Syria, which has become extremely complicated because Russia is there with troops, warplanes and warships and supports Bashar Assad’s regime, which is as almost as repulsive to western leaders as ISIL.
The Trudeau government was the only coalition country to withdraw its fighter jets from the air war over Iraq and Syria. However, a Canadian refuelling tanker is still in the region to top up coalition warplanes attacking ISIL in Iraq.
Canada will likely face pressure from allies to rejoin the fight against ISIL’s caliphate in Syria, which is every bit as evil as the pernicious Iraqi variant. Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion has not said much on the issue except to note Canada is in favour of peace there.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
RCAF Targets ISIS Positions in Syria and Iraq
In a press release on it's OP IMPACT webpage, DND announced that the RCAF was active over the skies of Syria and Iraq earlier this week. This marks just the fifth time RCAF CF-18s have targeted ISIS in Syria since March 2015, when the previous Conservative government expanded airstrikes into Syria. During this weeks airstrikes, the RCAF targeted three ISIS positions.
On 27 January 2016, while taking part in coalition operations, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS Improvised Explosive Device (IED) production factory East of Palmyra, Syria, using precision guided munitions.
26 Jan 2016
On 26 January 2016, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position and an ISIS compound used as a staging area in an airstrike West of Fallujah using precision guided munitions.
On 27 January 2016, while taking part in coalition operations, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS Improvised Explosive Device (IED) production factory East of Palmyra, Syria, using precision guided munitions.
26 Jan 2016
On 26 January 2016, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position and an ISIS compound used as a staging area in an airstrike West of Fallujah using precision guided munitions.
 |
| An RCAF CC-150T Polaris refuels an RAF Tornado over Iraq, as part of OP IMPACT, January 26, 2016. Photo; CAF OP IMPACT |
Monday, November 16, 2015
Opinion: Canada Should Keep CF-18's in Iraq
If you have not already discovered my personal bias from reading this blog when it comes to the military, and the use of force - well this post should finalize where I stand.
This post is my opinion - and my opinion alone - and should not be attributed to any other news source, or author that I have re-blogged at any point in time.
I blogged back in September that support for the continued deployment Air Task Force Iraq was needed. This post came before the 2015 Election that saw the election of a Liberal Majority government in Canada. I have no qualms about the outcome of the election - but with it came the promise to withdraw Canada from the US-led Coalition bombings of ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
I fundamentally disagree with this stance. ISIS needs to be degraded and ultimately defeated. While I can admit the air campaign has been extremely slow to show progress, it is making progress.
Need evidence of this success? Take a look at late last week - before the Paris Attacks. Air support was key in helping Kurdish and Peshmerga forces in retaking Sinjar, and helping gain control of the highway linking Sinjar, Iraq and Ah Raqqah, Syria - the defacto capital of ISIS.
Sinjar had been in the control of ISIS for the past year, and it has now been liberated. Mosul, is also almost completely liberated thanks to air support - an area where Canada has been highly active.
While the rest of the world is using fierce tones denouncing ISIS, and standing behind France militarily - Canada has remained largely quiet. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave his condolences to the French people, and said Canada stands with France - but ignored the question about whether or not the attacks would change Canada's plans to withdraw from the air campaign. Giving Trudeau the benefit of the doubt (still within his first 100 days) - ISIS had not yet claimed responsibility when he gave his statement - but it has been close to 72 hours since the attacks, and ISIS has now claimed responsibility, and Trudeau has not spoken to the media since 8:30 PM EST Friday.
A member of his staff spoke without being named on Saturday and said the attacks have not changed the Liberal Party's plan to withdraw from the air campaign. Today, it was reported that Finance Minister Bill Morneau seconded this statement - the first official member of the Trudeau Cabinet to do so. Personally, how or why the Finance Minister has any input on matters of National Security seems odd. Why was the statement not made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or National Defence?
Morneau did say that Cabinet is looking at alternatives to how Canada can contribute to the coalition. He said that Canada is committed to the coalition, just not in the air campaign. That is largely what the coalition is about - bombing ISIS because no one wants to deploy ground combat forces. Trudeau called for an increase in Canada's training mission, mainly to Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, but that he would ensure CAF special forces members were further from the front lines.
While I am fully insuport of deploying more training forces - as Canada has a specialty in training foreign forces, we should keep our CF-18s in the fight. Yes, they have only contributed to less than 2% of airstrikes, but that is because they are less 2% of the fighter jets involved in the fight. Despite this, according to the Combined Joint task Force, Canada contributed to 4.9% of the 141 airstrikes since November 3rd.
According to DND as of 14 November 2015, Air Task Force-Iraq conducted 1747 sorties:
This post is my opinion - and my opinion alone - and should not be attributed to any other news source, or author that I have re-blogged at any point in time.
I blogged back in September that support for the continued deployment Air Task Force Iraq was needed. This post came before the 2015 Election that saw the election of a Liberal Majority government in Canada. I have no qualms about the outcome of the election - but with it came the promise to withdraw Canada from the US-led Coalition bombings of ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
I fundamentally disagree with this stance. ISIS needs to be degraded and ultimately defeated. While I can admit the air campaign has been extremely slow to show progress, it is making progress.
Need evidence of this success? Take a look at late last week - before the Paris Attacks. Air support was key in helping Kurdish and Peshmerga forces in retaking Sinjar, and helping gain control of the highway linking Sinjar, Iraq and Ah Raqqah, Syria - the defacto capital of ISIS.
Sinjar had been in the control of ISIS for the past year, and it has now been liberated. Mosul, is also almost completely liberated thanks to air support - an area where Canada has been highly active.
While the rest of the world is using fierce tones denouncing ISIS, and standing behind France militarily - Canada has remained largely quiet. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave his condolences to the French people, and said Canada stands with France - but ignored the question about whether or not the attacks would change Canada's plans to withdraw from the air campaign. Giving Trudeau the benefit of the doubt (still within his first 100 days) - ISIS had not yet claimed responsibility when he gave his statement - but it has been close to 72 hours since the attacks, and ISIS has now claimed responsibility, and Trudeau has not spoken to the media since 8:30 PM EST Friday.
A member of his staff spoke without being named on Saturday and said the attacks have not changed the Liberal Party's plan to withdraw from the air campaign. Today, it was reported that Finance Minister Bill Morneau seconded this statement - the first official member of the Trudeau Cabinet to do so. Personally, how or why the Finance Minister has any input on matters of National Security seems odd. Why was the statement not made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or National Defence?
Morneau did say that Cabinet is looking at alternatives to how Canada can contribute to the coalition. He said that Canada is committed to the coalition, just not in the air campaign. That is largely what the coalition is about - bombing ISIS because no one wants to deploy ground combat forces. Trudeau called for an increase in Canada's training mission, mainly to Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, but that he would ensure CAF special forces members were further from the front lines.
While I am fully insuport of deploying more training forces - as Canada has a specialty in training foreign forces, we should keep our CF-18s in the fight. Yes, they have only contributed to less than 2% of airstrikes, but that is because they are less 2% of the fighter jets involved in the fight. Despite this, according to the Combined Joint task Force, Canada contributed to 4.9% of the 141 airstrikes since November 3rd.
According to DND as of 14 November 2015, Air Task Force-Iraq conducted 1747 sorties:
- CF-188 Hornet fighters conducted 1119 sorties;
- CC-150T Polaris aerial refueller conducted 305 sorties, delivering some 18,024,000 pounds of fuel to coalition aircraft; and
- CP-140 Aurora aircraft conducted 323 reconnaissance missions.
That does not include the airstrike by two CF-18s yesterday near Haditha, Iraq. This was a very small contribution on Canada's part - all six CF-18s should have been out bombing yesterday. France deployed 10 fighters and dropped 20 bombs on ISIS, mainly around Ah Raqqah, Syria. Canada has a few times bombed in Syria since the expansion of its mission. Yet the coalition is thankful we have expanded our role. The British Parliament still refuses to expand into Syria. The difference is in Britain the Paris Attacks have re-ignited the conversation on how to engage ISIS.
I do not know if France will envoke Article 5 of the NATO treaty - but if they do, Canada might be required to do more than just train Kurdish forces. Article 5 states that an attack on one member is an attack on all - and all are required to come to the defence of that member. France called the Paris attacks an "act of war." The two houses of the French Parliament are set to meet today for only the third time in the history of the French Republic. many expect the State of Emergency to be extended for 3 Months. We wait and see what else comes out of the meeting.
No one will place blame on Prime Minister Trudeau for going back on his Election promise to end the air campaign in the wake of the Paris Attacks. Canada should keep our CF-18s in Iraq - at least until the end of the current mandate of March 2016, and reassess the situation at that point.
If you feel the same way, push your MP to voice a concern, and keep Canada involved in the fight against ISIS.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the barbaric attacks in Paris on November, 13, 2015. - Soliderité
Friday, November 13, 2015
Defence Minister's Marching Orders - Top Priority: End RCAF Operations in Iraq and Syria
Written by The Canadian Press, published by CBCNews
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has given new defence minister his marching orders — and Harjitt Sajjan's top priority is to end Canada's combat mission in Iraq and Syria.
The Nov. 6 letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Canadian Press, was also notable for what it didn't say in terms of the other thorny issues facing the new Liberal government.
Sajjan was told to work with Public Services and Procurement Minister Judy Foote on an "open and transparent" competition to replace Canada's CF-18 fighter jets, but the letter makes no reference to excluding the F-35 — something Trudeau promised during the election.
The letter also makes no reference to overhauling National Defence along the lines of retired lieutenant-general — now Liberal MP — Andrew Leslie's transformation report.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has given his cabinet ministers their marching orders. Each new minister received a mandate letter outlining their priorities and duties today. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)
Implementing everything in that report, which aimed to give defence less administrative tail and more operational teeth, was also a Liberal promise.
The letter does flesh out what the Liberals have in mind when it comes to re-engaging in United Nations peacekeeping.
The Trudeau government is prepared to make available "Canada's specialized capabilities — from mobile medical teams, to engineering support, to aircraft that can carry supplies and personnel — on a case by case basis."
Sajjan will also be expected to co-ordinate with Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion to help the United Nations "respond more quickly to emerging and escalating conflicts and providing well-trained personnel to international initiatives that can be quickly deployed, such as mission commanders, staff officers and headquarters units."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has given new defence minister his marching orders — and Harjitt Sajjan's top priority is to end Canada's combat mission in Iraq and Syria.
The Nov. 6 letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Canadian Press, was also notable for what it didn't say in terms of the other thorny issues facing the new Liberal government.
Sajjan was told to work with Public Services and Procurement Minister Judy Foote on an "open and transparent" competition to replace Canada's CF-18 fighter jets, but the letter makes no reference to excluding the F-35 — something Trudeau promised during the election.
The letter also makes no reference to overhauling National Defence along the lines of retired lieutenant-general — now Liberal MP — Andrew Leslie's transformation report.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has given his cabinet ministers their marching orders. Each new minister received a mandate letter outlining their priorities and duties today. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)
Implementing everything in that report, which aimed to give defence less administrative tail and more operational teeth, was also a Liberal promise.
The letter does flesh out what the Liberals have in mind when it comes to re-engaging in United Nations peacekeeping.
The Trudeau government is prepared to make available "Canada's specialized capabilities — from mobile medical teams, to engineering support, to aircraft that can carry supplies and personnel — on a case by case basis."
Sajjan will also be expected to co-ordinate with Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion to help the United Nations "respond more quickly to emerging and escalating conflicts and providing well-trained personnel to international initiatives that can be quickly deployed, such as mission commanders, staff officers and headquarters units."
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Canada in Iraq: No Timeline for Air Task Force Iraq
So while the Liberal Government promised to end Canada's participation in the Coalition bombings of ISIS in Iraq and Syria - no timeline has been set.
Written by CTVNews
Ending Canada’s participation in the combat mission against ISIS was one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s election campaign promises.
Trudeau has said that Canada would still be engaged “in a responsible way,” likely in a training capacity to improve local troops’ ability to fight ISIS.
After he was elected, Trudeau said he told U.S. President Barack Obama in their first telephone conversation that he would be pulling Canadian troops from the combat mission.
Canada’s contribution to the fight against ISIS includes six CF-18 Hornet fighter jets, two Aurora surveillance planes and approximately 600 Canadian Armed Forces personnel.
As of Nov. 8, the Canadian troops have conducted more than 1,700 sorties – or operational flights – over Iraq since the mission began more than a year ago.
Written by CTVNews
According to Canada’s top soldier says a timeline has not yet been set for the promised withdrawal of Canadian troops from the bombing mission against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
“We’re certainly working on it and all those details will come,” Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance told reporters at the Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on Wednesday.
Vance said he has discussed troop withdrawal with the new Liberal government. He said he has provided “confidential” advice to the cabinet and is “not in a position to share” details of those discussions.
“We’re certainly working on it and all those details will come,” Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance told reporters at the Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on Wednesday.
Vance said he has discussed troop withdrawal with the new Liberal government. He said he has provided “confidential” advice to the cabinet and is “not in a position to share” details of those discussions.
 |
| Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan and General Jonathan Vance at the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, ON. Photo: Canadian Press Adrian Wyld |
Ending Canada’s participation in the combat mission against ISIS was one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s election campaign promises.
Trudeau has said that Canada would still be engaged “in a responsible way,” likely in a training capacity to improve local troops’ ability to fight ISIS.
After he was elected, Trudeau said he told U.S. President Barack Obama in their first telephone conversation that he would be pulling Canadian troops from the combat mission.
Canada’s contribution to the fight against ISIS includes six CF-18 Hornet fighter jets, two Aurora surveillance planes and approximately 600 Canadian Armed Forces personnel.
As of Nov. 8, the Canadian troops have conducted more than 1,700 sorties – or operational flights – over Iraq since the mission began more than a year ago.
Friday, November 6, 2015
Harjit Sajjan: New Minister of Defence
On Wednesday, Canada's new Defence Minister was announced. For the first time since Gordon O'Connor, the Defence Minister is a former member of the Canadian Forces - to some a great thing, while to others it could be problematic.
I think the new Defence Minister will usher in a new era for the CAF.
Meet Harjit Sajjan, the first Sikh Member of the Canadian Forces, who challenged the dress code book, to allow him to wear his turban, and keep his facial hair. Sajjan, went on to become the first Sikh Commander of a CAF Unit when he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Canadian Army Reserve.
Sajjan is a former police officer. He served as an office and detective for 11 years in the Vancouver area before joining the Army Reserve.
Cabinet position: Defence
Degree of difficulty: High
First challenge: Ending Canada’s combat mission in Iraq and Syria.
After that: The Minister will have to help oversee the process of withdrawing Canada from the U.S.-led F-35 stealth fighter jet program. That will also require the Canadian Forces and DND moving forward on a new project to purchase a replacement aircraft for the air force’s CF-18 fighter jets.
Also on the agenda: Dealing with the issue of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Forces and the implementation of the report by Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, since retired, and now a Liberal MP for Orleans. That report calls for cutting red tape at National Defence headquarters in Ottawa, finding savings that can be directed to key military roles and moving as many as 3,000 staff to jobs that support front-line operations.
I think the new Defence Minister will usher in a new era for the CAF.
Meet Harjit Sajjan, the first Sikh Member of the Canadian Forces, who challenged the dress code book, to allow him to wear his turban, and keep his facial hair. Sajjan, went on to become the first Sikh Commander of a CAF Unit when he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Canadian Army Reserve.
Sajjan is a former police officer. He served as an office and detective for 11 years in the Vancouver area before joining the Army Reserve.
During his time with the CAF he was deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina and served three separate deployments to Kandahar, Afghanistan. He received numerous recognition for his service, including the Meritorious Service Medal for reducing the Taliban’s influence in Kandahar Province.
Sajjan was asked directly by former CAF Commander in Afghanistan Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Andrew Leslie to deploy to Afghanistan where he became an invaluable asset in the fight against the Taliban. Due to his Indian heritage, and his religion, many of the locals trusted Sajjan, and he was instrumental in gaining intelligence on Taliban locations.
Sajjan's final deployment to Afghanistan came at the request of the United States. They had heard about his success with the locals, and Sajjan accepted a position as a Special Adviser to the American General in Kandahar. U.S sources say Sajjan is directly responsible for helping locate and in some cases eliminate close to 1,500 Taliban fighters.
Cabinet position: Defence
Degree of difficulty: High
First challenge: Ending Canada’s combat mission in Iraq and Syria.
After that: The Minister will have to help oversee the process of withdrawing Canada from the U.S.-led F-35 stealth fighter jet program. That will also require the Canadian Forces and DND moving forward on a new project to purchase a replacement aircraft for the air force’s CF-18 fighter jets.
Also on the agenda: Dealing with the issue of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Forces and the implementation of the report by Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, since retired, and now a Liberal MP for Orleans. That report calls for cutting red tape at National Defence headquarters in Ottawa, finding savings that can be directed to key military roles and moving as many as 3,000 staff to jobs that support front-line operations.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Canada in Iraq: CDS Vance to Provide Trudeau with Options
David Pugliese had a good piece today in the Ottawa Citizen, discussing Canada's possible future role in Iraq against the Islamic State (ISIS). The new Liberal government plans to end Canada's bombing campaign, but no end date has been determined yet.
 |
| General (Then Lt. Gen) Jonathan Vance (former Commander of Canadian Joint Operations Command) holds a technical briefing on combat strikes against ISIS at NDHQ in Ottawa in the fall of 2014.
Article Written by David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen, October 22, 2015 (page A13)
Military planners are working to come up with scenarios for the new Liberal government on how Canada can contribute troops to train Iraqi forces battling the Islamic State, even as Canada winds down the bombing campaign.
Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau this week reaffirmed his intention to have Canada pull out of the bombing against ISIL in Iraq and Syria, and instead focus on troops to train Iraqi soldiers.
Canada already has 69 special forces soldiers training Kurds in northern Iraq. It is unclear at this point whether an expanded training role would mean boosting the size of that special forces contingent or whether it would see regular troops helping improve Iraqi skills.
There have been initial discussions among planners at Department of National Defence headquarters but little can be done until a Trudeau government takes power. The cabinet will be sworn in Nov. 4.
“We would engage Canada’s military in something we’ve demonstrated tremendous ability at in Afghanistan and elsewhere: training up local troops doing the fighting on the ground,” Trudeau said during the election campaign.
The U.S. is conducting a training mission in Iraq and has more than 3,500 troops there. Troops from Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway and Finland all have been involved in training Kurdish forces.
Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper committed Canada to the Iraq war a year ago. Six CF-18 fighter jets, surveillance and refuelling aircraft, as well as 600 personnel are involved in the bombing mission.
It will be up to Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance to present the options to Trudeau’s government.
Just 10 months ago, Vance — then a lieutenant general and in charge of the Iraq operation — was asked by journalists what would happen if the Canadian bombing mission ended early.
Vance answered that the coalition would adapt. “They have the capacity to react if a partner in the coalition leaves the mission,” Vance said in January. “It is possible to set priorities but we are very important at the present time in the mission, very important in the coalition, but they can change their method, their targeting and the priority of targets if one partner or another leaves the mission.”
Defence analyst Martin Shadwick said the impact of Trudeau’s decision to leave the bombing campaign will be blunted by Canada’s decision to commit more training troops.
“If it had been a complete pullout from the mission, then our allies would not have been happy,” said Shadwick, who teaches strategic studies at York University.
There have been concerns in the U.S. that the bombing campaign has had a limited impact. ISIL has retreated from about 25 per cent of the territory it seized in Iraq but it still continues to hold large areas of the country.
In late August, Harper acknowledged the effect had been less than envisioned. “The intervention has had the effect of largely stopping the advance of (the Islamic State), particularly in the north of Iraq and to some degree in other parts of Iraq and Syria – not maybe as much we’d like,” he said.
The Conservatives also committed the RCAF to expanding the bombing mission to Syria starting in April. At the time, Defence Minister Jason Kenney incorrectly claimed Canada was needed because it was one of the few nations in the coalition that had smart bombs.
Canada has only conducted a small number of bombing missions in Syria because it doesn’t have enough information about targets on the ground.
|
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Canada in Syria: No Coalition Cooperation with Russia
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday the U.S.-led coalition has not agreed to cooperate with Russia in the fight against the Islamic State and no collaboration is possible as long as Moscow continues to strike other targets, the Associated Press writes.
Here is the rest of the Associated Press article:
He said the U.S. will conduct basic, technical talks with Russia about efforts to ensure that flights over Syria are conducted safely, and, “That’s it.”
Carter spoke during a press conference in Rome with Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti. A Russian official has called for broader talks on cooperation in the Syrian conflict.
The United States, Carter said, is not prepared to cooperate with a strategy of Russia’s that is “tragically flawed.”
“They continue to hit targets that are not ISIL,” Carter said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. “We believe that is a fundamental mistake.”
Carter said he is concerned about the Syrian ground offensive that began Wednesday backed by Russian airpower. Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar Assad, has hit Western-backed rebels fighting Assad. The U.S. maintains that the only route to peace in Syria is to remove Assad from power.
The US was still waiting Wednesday for a formal response from Russia on a draft document laying out proposed technical safety procedures for the aircraft flights, said a senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t authorized to discuss the situation publicly.
Russia on Tuesday informed the United States that Moscow is willing to continue talks to ensure that the two countries’ aircraft don’t interfere with each other. But Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said the talks should be much broader and also cover potential international cooperation between Russia and the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group.
The Pentagon only wants talks aimed at making sure there are no conflicts, collisions or other problems as the U.S.-led coalition and the Russians fly over Syria. The U.S. side has proposed a number of safety measures, including using specific international radio frequencies for distress calls by military pilots flying in Syrian airspace.
Carter had called on Russian leaders to discuss Moscow’s military activities in Syria, reflecting urgent concerns about Russian aircraft violating Turkish airspace. NATO on Monday denounced Russia for “irresponsible behavior” for allowing its warplanes to cross into Turkey.
U.S. and Russian officials met once by video conference late last week, before the Russian incursion into Turkish airspace.
Carter and other NATO defense ministers are expected to discuss how to deal with the problem when they meet in Brussels Thursday.
The U.S.-led coalition has been routinely conducting airstrikes on Islamic State militants in Syria.
Russia says the airstrikes it began last week are directed against the Islamic State group, as well as al-Qaida’s Syrian affiliates. But the U.S. and France say at least some of the strikes appear to have hit Western-backed rebel factions fighting government troops, with the real goal of protecting Assad.
On a week long trip to Europe, Carter is focused on reassuring European allies of U.S. support as they face growing security threats from a more aggressive Russia and militant extremists from north Africa.
(the above was written by the Associated Press)
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Canada in Iraq: September RCAF Airstrikes Against ISIS
It was a busier start to September for the RCAF CF-18's in Iraq than August was. The six CF-18's were deployed on twenty airstrike sorties in Iraq. Despite an increase in coalition strikes in Syria; and France and Australia expanding into Syria - the RCAF did not conduct any airstrikes in Syria.
 |
| RCAF CF-18s in Kuwait. Photo: RCAF (Archive) |
On 1 September 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position in the vicinity of Sinjar using precision guided munitions.
2 Sept 2015
On 2 September 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position in the vicinity of Sinjar using precision guided munitions.
3 Sept 2015
On 3 September 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position in the vicinity of Sinjar using precision guided munitions.
4 Sept 2015
On 4 September 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position in the vicinity of Ramadi using precision guided munitions.
9 Sept 2015
On 9 September 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck two ISIS fighting positions in Sinjar using precision guided munitions.
10 Sept 2015
On 10 September 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position northeast of Mosul using precision guided munitions.
23 Sept 2015
On 23 September 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS Improvised Explosive Device (IED) factory in Mosul using precision guided munitions.
26 Sept 2015
On 26 September 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, four CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an Improvised Explosive Device factory in Hit using precision guided munitions.
On 26 September 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position in the vicinity of Mosul using precision guided munitions.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Harper Claims F-35s Needed to Defeat ISIS
Over the weekend the F-35 debate was brought into the 2015 Canadian election. Justin Trudeau said that the Liberal Party would scrap the plan to purchase the JSF F-35; whose budget continues to go overboard, and continues to prove not to be the aircraft it claims. The NDP have said they would reopen the bidding process, and if the F-35 wins that process, than it is fair game.
Prime Minister Stephen Haper shot back at the Liberals by saying Canada needs the F-35 to defeat ISIS, and replace the aging CF-18 Hornets that are currently being used against ISIS. (Lets rewind about a year) What happened to the Government shelving the replacement of the CF-18s until a later date, and committing to spend the hundreds of millions to upgrade them to fly until at least 2025? Obviously Harper is back peddling yet again...and his statement that the F-35s are needed to defeat ISIS is ridiculous.
Why is it ridiculous? There are NO F-35s currently deployed by any coalition member against ISIS. The F-22's have only just deployed on their first combat support roles in both Eastern Europe and Iraq/Syria. So how can one claim the F-35s are needed to defeat ISIS? Also, if the life extension of the CF-18s will allow them to fly until well past 2025, will we still be fighting ISIS in 10 years? If so, maybe that is the bigger problem.
If the Americans (or any other ally who has already agreed to purchase the JSF) were using the F-35s against ISIS with a higher success rate than our CF-18s then I could potentially agree - but there are none deployed.
For a list of coalition aircraft currently involved against ISIS, please see my previous post "Continue to Support Air Task Force Iraq"
Prime Minister Stephen Haper shot back at the Liberals by saying Canada needs the F-35 to defeat ISIS, and replace the aging CF-18 Hornets that are currently being used against ISIS. (Lets rewind about a year) What happened to the Government shelving the replacement of the CF-18s until a later date, and committing to spend the hundreds of millions to upgrade them to fly until at least 2025? Obviously Harper is back peddling yet again...and his statement that the F-35s are needed to defeat ISIS is ridiculous.
Why is it ridiculous? There are NO F-35s currently deployed by any coalition member against ISIS. The F-22's have only just deployed on their first combat support roles in both Eastern Europe and Iraq/Syria. So how can one claim the F-35s are needed to defeat ISIS? Also, if the life extension of the CF-18s will allow them to fly until well past 2025, will we still be fighting ISIS in 10 years? If so, maybe that is the bigger problem.
If the Americans (or any other ally who has already agreed to purchase the JSF) were using the F-35s against ISIS with a higher success rate than our CF-18s then I could potentially agree - but there are none deployed.
For a list of coalition aircraft currently involved against ISIS, please see my previous post "Continue to Support Air Task Force Iraq"
Thursday, June 11, 2015
RCAF continues to strike ISIS in Syria and Iraq
DND announced today that Two RCAF CF-18 Hornet jets successfully led their third airstrike against ISIS in Syria. Using precision guided munitions the CF-18's hit an ISIS compound near Al Hasakah, Syria on June 9th 2015. The Aircrew returned safely to base.
Furthermore, DND announced that on June 10, 2015, two CF-18s bombed an ISIS fighting position near Bayji, Iraq.
Furthermore, DND announced that on June 10, 2015, two CF-18s bombed an ISIS fighting position near Bayji, Iraq.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
RCAF surpasses 1000 sorties against ISIS and exceeds 100 Airstrikes
Yesterday DND announced that the RCAF has recently reached two milestones in the coalition campaign against ISIS.
The RCAF's contribution to OP IMPACT includes, 6 CF-18 Hornet fighter aircraft, a CC-150T Polaris Air-to-Air refuelling tankers, and 2 CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol Aircraft. This grouping of aircraft provide the coalition with intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, aerial refuelling capabilities, and airstrike capabilities using precision guided munitions.
As of June 6th 2015, the RCAF had surpassed the 1000 sortie mark, flying its 1016th sortie. This includes 661 sorties by CF-18s, 185 by the CP-140 Aurora, and 170 by the CC-150T Polaris.
Also attained this month, CF-18s have now delivered more than 100 airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria with their most recent strikes on June 8th.
 |
| RCAF CF-18 Hornets prepare for aerial refuelling over Iraq in February 2015. Photo: CF Combat Camera |
As of June 6th 2015, the RCAF had surpassed the 1000 sortie mark, flying its 1016th sortie. This includes 661 sorties by CF-18s, 185 by the CP-140 Aurora, and 170 by the CC-150T Polaris.
Also attained this month, CF-18s have now delivered more than 100 airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria with their most recent strikes on June 8th.
Monday, June 8, 2015
x15 RCAF CF-18 Airstrikes Against ISIS in Iraq and Syria
4 June 2015
On 4 June 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position northwest of Tal Afar using precision guided munitions.
On 4 June 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position in the vicinity of Sinjar using precision guided munitions.
3 June 2015
On June 3, 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position south of Haditha using precision guided munitions.
2 June 2015
On 2 June 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck two ISIS fighting positions in the vicinity of Mosul using precision guided munitions.
31 May 2015
On 31 May 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position in the vicinity of Bayji using precision guided munitions.
30 May 2015
On 30 May 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position in the vicinity of Sinjar using precision guided munitions.
On 30 May 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position south east of Mosul using precision guided munitions.
29 May 2015
On 29 May 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck two ISIS fighting positions northwest of Tal Afar using precision guided munitions.
On 29 May 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position northwest of Mosul using precision guided munitions.
27 May 2015
On 27 May 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position south of Mosul using precision guided munitions.
26 May 2015
On 26 May 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position north of Bayji using precision guided munitions.
On 26 May 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck two ISIS fighting positions west of Mosul using precision guided munitions.
23 May 2015
On 23 May 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position east of Mosul using precision guided munitions.
22 May 2015
On 22 May 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position southeast of Mosul using precision guided munitions.
20 May 2015
On 20 May 2015, while taking part in coalition operations against ISIS, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS staging area north of Ar-Raqqah, Syria, using precision guided munitions.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
RCAF Bomb ISIS Target in Syria
The Royal Canadian Air Force has bombed more ISIS targets in Syria. This is only the second time since the extention and expansion of Canada's mission that CF-18s have engaged targets in Syria.
On Wednesday May 20, 2015, two RCAF CF-18s bombed an ISIS staging area north of Ar-Raqqah, Syria. No further details were released, other than the two fighter jets returned to base safely without incident.
On Wednesday May 20, 2015, two RCAF CF-18s bombed an ISIS staging area north of Ar-Raqqah, Syria. No further details were released, other than the two fighter jets returned to base safely without incident.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Canada in Syria: CF-18's Conduct First Strike in Syria
DND today informed Canadians that two RCAF CF-18's conducted their first air strikes against ISIS in Syria.
Two CF-18's used precision-guided munitions to strike an ISIS garrison near Ar Raqqah, Syria. Following the strike, the CF-18s returned safely to their base in Kuwait.
A total of 10 coalition aircraft, including 6 from the US were involved in today's strikes.
DND also released that while this was the first air strike - it was not the first air sortie. Three previous sorties have been flown over Syria.
Two CF-18's used precision-guided munitions to strike an ISIS garrison near Ar Raqqah, Syria. Following the strike, the CF-18s returned safely to their base in Kuwait.
A total of 10 coalition aircraft, including 6 from the US were involved in today's strikes.
DND also released that while this was the first air strike - it was not the first air sortie. Three previous sorties have been flown over Syria.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Canada's Mission Costs Partly Revealed
Following yesterday's announcement that the Conservative Government would classify OP IMPACT and OP REASSURANCE's budget as classified, for the purpose of National Security. This caused both opposition parties to cry foul.
Today, Defence Minister Jason Kenney, announced that Canada's one year extension in Iraq and expansion into Syria will cost tax payers $406 million, and has instructed DND to include the figure in federal budget reports.
But the remaining details for the price of the missions may still be classified - which would be the first time since 1996/97 that such figures have been classified.
OP IMPACT has 600 troops in Kuwait, 6 CF-18s, 1 CC-150 Polaris, and 2 CP-140 Aurora Aircraft.
OP REASSURANCE has seen CF-18s patrol the Baltic's, RCN frigates deployed to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, as well as several rotations of troops preforming training with Baltic States as well as the Polish Army.
Today, Defence Minister Jason Kenney, announced that Canada's one year extension in Iraq and expansion into Syria will cost tax payers $406 million, and has instructed DND to include the figure in federal budget reports.
But the remaining details for the price of the missions may still be classified - which would be the first time since 1996/97 that such figures have been classified.
OP IMPACT has 600 troops in Kuwait, 6 CF-18s, 1 CC-150 Polaris, and 2 CP-140 Aurora Aircraft.
OP REASSURANCE has seen CF-18s patrol the Baltic's, RCN frigates deployed to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, as well as several rotations of troops preforming training with Baltic States as well as the Polish Army.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Canada to begin Bombing Campaign in Syria
Yesterday, after several hours of debate in the House of Commons in Ottawa, the Conservative majority voted in favour (142-129) to extend Canada's mission against ISIS for one year (until the end of March 2016) and to expand our aerial campaign into neighbouring Syria.
Much of the debate centred around the international legal issues with conducting bombing in a sovereign country. Canada says it is following the same legal authority the United States is using to bomb ISIS positions in Syria. The opposition NDP, who are against the mission, believe that the campaign will indirectly aid the Syrian dictator in continuing his civil war. The 3rd party Liberals, believe that Canada should be doing more humanitarian aid, and accept another 25,000 refugees. One former Liberal, who was expelled from Caucus late last year, broke ranks with his former party and voted with the Conservatives.
The United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs praised Canada's actions in the Middle East, and Canada's expansion against ISIS in Syria. He said however, the UK would not be expanding into Syria, as they are conducting the most aerial attacks in Iraq behind the US.
Much of the debate centred around the international legal issues with conducting bombing in a sovereign country. Canada says it is following the same legal authority the United States is using to bomb ISIS positions in Syria. The opposition NDP, who are against the mission, believe that the campaign will indirectly aid the Syrian dictator in continuing his civil war. The 3rd party Liberals, believe that Canada should be doing more humanitarian aid, and accept another 25,000 refugees. One former Liberal, who was expelled from Caucus late last year, broke ranks with his former party and voted with the Conservatives.
The United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs praised Canada's actions in the Middle East, and Canada's expansion against ISIS in Syria. He said however, the UK would not be expanding into Syria, as they are conducting the most aerial attacks in Iraq behind the US.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Canada in Syria: Correcting Minister Kenney's Comments
I posted last week - as many other news agencies posted, that the United States had pushed for Canada to join the air campaign in Syria because of our precision-guided munitions that our Arab allies do not have - this is false. Both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been deploying precision-guided munitions in Syria against ISIS.
The comments made by Defence Minister Jason Kenney have been shown to be false, and members of DND have no idea why he made them.
Over the weekend, DND released the following statement, now published on the DND/CF site:
The comments made by Defence Minister Jason Kenney have been shown to be false, and members of DND have no idea why he made them.
Over the weekend, DND released the following statement, now published on the DND/CF site:
"As stated by the Minister of National Defence, the Royal Canadian Air Force’s precision targeting capabilities make Canada a valuable partner in the fight against ISIL. The weapons that will be employed will be amongst the most advanced precision-guided munitions in the world. These weapons are equipped with laser and GPS guidance systems, giving Canada the ability to strike targets in all types of weather. Currently, only the United States uses these advanced precision-guided munitions in Syria.
Our highly trained pilots can use these advanced precision-guided munitions to strike targets either deliberately, or dynamically. Deliberate targeting occurs where targets are static, while dynamic targets can be identified while flying a mission, and could include, for instance, an ISIL military vehicle or weapon that is moving. This is a significant capability which, currently, only the US employs in Syria.
I applaud the contributions of all our allies in the coalition, and I agree with US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey’s assertion that our allies operate with skill and precision, and take extensive measures to minimize civilian casualties.
Canadians can be proud of the contribution that their Armed Forces bring to the coalition – both in terms of advanced weaponry, and our expertise deploying it. Our contributions make Canada a highly valued and respected ally in the coalition effort to defeat ISIL."
Statement by:
General Tom Lawson,
Chief of the Defence Staff
Chief of the Defence Staff
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)