RMC Wins US Sandhurst Military Skills Competition

By Steph Crosier, Kingston Whig-Standard

After hundreds of rounds fired and thousands of steps marched, the Royal Military College of Canada defeated 60 teams from 11 countries to win the United States Military Academy’s Sandhurst Military Skills Competition.

The event, which covered nearly 56 kilometres and more than 36 hours over the weekend, featured 13 stations including obstacle course navigation, functional fitness, raft paddling, a test of marksmanship and — of course — kilometres of rucksack marching. Officer Cadet Anton Humeniuk, second in command of the RMC team, said the final challenge included dragging an artillery piece, and other heavy kit, 400 metres through the centre of the West Point, N.Y., campus. A “gut check,” it was designed to push the teams to their absolute limits.

The Royal Military College of Canada competed and won the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. on Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9, 2016. Photo courtesy of RMC

“Everyone was tired, you could see it on everyone’s face, everyone was exhausted,” Humeniuk said. “But we just kept pushing. We had to dig deep and find that little bit of extra energy to surge through right to the end …

“As soon as we were done, all the families and friends came and just swarmed us. Everyone was just really happy to be done.”

Making the six-hour trek to the southern New York military campus to watch and support the RMC team was Brig.-Gen. Sean Friday, commandant of RMC. He said he could not have been more proud. When the team crossed the finish line, it didn’t really matter to him if they had won.

“We knew that (the team) had given it their all,” Friday said. “They had fantastic composure … The leadership inside the team was really quite remarkable to watch over the two days. That’s really what mattered. The winning at the end was certainly nice, but regardless of what the results were, they had already won.”

Capt. Justin Lystiuk, a squadron commander at RMC and the team’s coach this year, is familiar with how Humeniuk and the rest of his team is feeling. Lystiuk competed and won the competition in 2006 and 2007 when he attended the college as an officer cadet. The Nova Scotia native said cheering and watching on the sidelines was a difficult and rewarding experience.

“We’re hands-off during the competition and we had to leave them to their own devices,” Lystiuk said. “Sometimes you want to correct them or give them advice, or even let them know how other teams are doing, but then we had to remember that we had to let them focus on the competition and that this moment is for them, not for us.”

Friday said it was clear that the team stuck to their plans.

“They were conserving energy when it was the right time, they had a leader, they had a second in command, there was mutual respect in the team for everybody,” Friday said. “Watching them, incredibly, they represented themselves, the Royal Military College, the Canadian Forces and frankly Canada. I think Canadians can be very proud of what their young men and women just demonstrated.”

After winning three straight years from 2005 to 2007, then again in 2009, RMC had failed to win the competition since. Humeniuk, a Vancouver native in his fourth and final year at RMC, has been on the team for the past three years. For those three years, the case in the RMC cadet dining hall built to hold the Sandhurst Sword sat empty.

“It’ll finally be back in the case again,” Humeniuk said. “It’ll be really inspiring for all the guys to come back and train to defend it.”

Lystiuk said the team had to wait six hours before the awards ceremony. As they watched both of the United Kingdom’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst’s teams win second and third, RMC sat in quiet excitement.

“Everyone went crazy, got up and went on stage to shake hands with the big brass that were there,” Lystiuk said. “We won overall highest score and the top international team.”

While the team did celebrate loudly, Friday was impressed by how the team accepted the sword.

“Even when they went up on stage — they didn’t have to, they did this all by themselves — they marched up on to the stage,” Friday said. “They halted, and they turned in formation towards the Amercian general who was making the presentation. Even in that moment they were composed and honourable. I was very proud to see them do that.”

Friday said organizing the competition every year is a huge undertaking, even for the United States Army, but it is an important one.

“What it creates is an opportunity, very early in their careers as they’re learning to take on the role as officers and leaders, for an international connection,” Friday said. “We live in a world which is bigger than ourselves. When we go out the doors, as we are right now around the world in operations, we’re going to do it with allies and collations.

“There are countries here from as far as Taiwan and China, Australia, Brazil, the list goes on. Building those bonds early in their career, I think gives a very real opportunity to begin to understand what it is going to be like to represent Canada abroad.”

The 2016 competition was Humeniuk’s final year to compete. After graduating this spring, he’ll continue his training to become an armoured officer.

“Every year you watch the seniors on the team, it’s their last chance, you see it in their face and the way they carry themselves through the competition, always pushing hard and motivating the team,” Humeniuk said. “Now that it was my last chance, I’m so happy that this is the year that we won … we’re bringing the sword home.”

scrosier@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StephattheWhig

Was Canada Snubbed From ISIS Meeting?

OTTAWA — Canada has not been invited to a meeting of defence ministers in Paris this week to discuss the fight against ISIL militants, media reports say.

Jan 20th Globe and Mail Cartoon

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan’s office has confirmed to CBC News and the Globe and Mail that he won’t attend Wednesday’s meeting.

The reports say defence ministers from the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and the Netherlands will take part in the talks.

Sajjan spokesman Renee Filiatrault told the Globe that Canada’s plan to pull its CF-18s from the fight against ISIL had nothing to do with Canada’s exclusion from the meeting.

Omar Alghabra, the parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion, told the CBC it wasn’t a surprise as those seven countries meet regularly without Canada and the only thing different this time it that defence ministers will be there.

But Conservative defence critic James Bezan said the apparent snub shows Canada is no longer seen as a valuable ally.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan is brushing off suggestions Canada was snubbed from an anti-ISIS coalition meeting that several other countries, including Australia and the Netherlands, were invited to attend on Wednesday in Paris.

“Meetings happen all the time,” Sajjan told reporters Tuesday in Saint Andrews, N.B.

However, sources inside the Department of National Defence told CTV’s Mercedes Stephenson they were surprised by the lack of an invitation, initially thinking it was a mistake.

Retired Maj.-Gen. David Fraser told CTV’s Power Play he believes the lack of an invitation is a result of the Trudeau government’s plan to pull Canada’s CF-18 fighter jets from the mission against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

“The United States are the ones who determine who comes to the meeting and (we’re) considered now, apparently … not a significant contributor and they don’t want to hear what we have to say,” he said.

Fraser said the Americans view Canada’s current contribution of CF-18s “as very significant,” adding that they are currently making a difference on the ground.

“If you don’t come to the game standing shoulder to shoulder, sharing the burden and the risk of the hard fighting, you will not be included in the conversation,” he added.

Former defence minister Peter MacKay told Power Play he sees the lack of an invitation as “downgrading of Canada’s perception and our role in the world.”

“Any way you want to try and spin it, it signals a diminished role for Canada in this mission and in the world,” he said.

MacKay urged the Liberals to “put aside the partisan campaign promise” to pull the six jets.

Conservative defence critic James Bezan said earlier Tuesday that the omission was “predictable,” because of the Liberals’ promise to pull CF-18 fighter jets from the bombing mission against ISIS.

“It is important that Canada be part of these discussions,”Bezan told CTV News Channel Tuesday. “We have a role to play and we have things to say, but unfortunately, under this government, nobody is taking us seriously.”

Conservative interim leader Rona Ambrose echoed Bezan’s comments in a speech to the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce.

“Six months ago we hosted the (anti-ISIS coalition) meeting,” she said. “Enter Trudeau, we’re not even invited to the meeting.”

“These kinds of signals matter.”

Ambrose told reporters after her speech that it’s “obvious” why Canada wasn’t invited.

“When you’re not a full partner, you don’t get invited to the table,” she said. “We were asked to join by the United States and other partners and now we’ve said we’re pulling out of that bombing mission,” she added.

“I’ve called on the prime minister to keep our CF-18s in the fight against ISIS and stand resolutely with our allies,” Ambrose said.

But Sajjan brushed off suggestions that Canada has been sidelined in the fight against terror.

“Meetings happen all the time,” Sajjan told reporters Tuesday in Saint Andrews, N.B.

Although Canada won’t participate in Wednesday’s meeting, Sajjan said he is actively engaged in anti-terror talks and will be discussing ISIS with Canada’s allies at two other upcoming meetings.

That includes another coalition meeting of defence ministers on Feb. 11.

Sajjan also said that Canada is contributing to anti-terror efforts around the globe, including the aftermath of the November attacks in Paris and the more recent attack in Burkina Faso.

“We are actively participating on a meaningful basis,” he said. “We’re not just looking at the current situation in Syria and Iraq, we’re actually looking at the overall threats around the world as well.”

But Bezan said that the Liberals have been sending “confusing messages” about Canada’s role in the fight against ISIS. Despite the promise to withdraw fighter jets from the bombing missions in Iraq and Syria, a timeline has not yet been given.

Bezan said the Tories “firmly believe” that Canada’s CF-18s should stay in the battle. The party also supports a more robust training mission for local troops on the ground, he said.

“Prime Minister Trudeau wants to talk about his sunny ways and that Canada is back on the international scene, and quite the opposite is true,” he said.

“We should be sitting at the table. We have made significant contributions until now.”

The Globe and Mail reported that Wednesday’s meeting is for “significant contributors” to the anti-ISIS coalition, including the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and the Netherlands.

8 Arctic Countries to Sign Coast Guard Treaty

Article Written by By Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

All eight Arctic nations — including Canada and Russia — are to sign a historic deal next week for their coast guards to work together in the treacherous and increasingly accessible waters of the North.

Creating the Arctic Coast Guard Forum is considered a significant step forward for international co-operation in the region and will flesh out previous search and rescue agreements.

"(The forum) will be an operationally focused organization that strengthens maritime co-operation and co-ordination in the Arctic," said an emailed statement from the United States Coast Guard.

"The impetus for creating (it) grew out of the concerns of Arctic Council member countries over the increasing need to ensure safety, security, and stewardship of Arctic waters."

Canadian Coast Guard Ship Des Groseilliers in Canadian Arctic Waters in this undated photo.
Photo (Canadian Coast Guard)

The forum will also discuss emergency response, icebreaking and collaboration, said a statement from the Canadian government.

"The heads of the eight coast guard agencies, including Canada, have agreed that collaboration on such operational matters is to everyone's benefit," said Carole Swaindon of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which runs the Canadian Coast Guard.

The forum was to have been created in Canada in March 2014.

An agreement in principle had been reached and the final deal was supposed to have been signed. But negotiations were delayed when the Harper government refused to allow Russian officials to take part.

"The (Prime Minister's Office) insisted the Russians not be invited because of the Ukraine," said John Higginbotham, who attended that meeting as a fellow of Carleton University's Centre for International Governance Innovation.

Canada's allies were not pleased at the refusal, Higginbotham said.

"That really put the cat among the pigeons."

Russians were allowed into the U.S. to complete the talks after the Americans assumed the lead. The deal will be signed at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., at a meeting between the leaders of all eight services.

The signatories include Canada, the U.S., Russia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The meeting takes place next Wednesday through Friday.

In most countries, coast guards are a branch of the military. That means the new forum will also provide a venue for high-ranking officers from different countries to meet regularly and open channels of communication, say experts.

"It will create another channel of communication, especially between the United States and Russia," said international law professor Michael Byers. "This is part of a larger Russian and American strategy to maintain and build these back channels so as to provide some stability to the larger relationship."

Under the deal, the coast guard heads are to meet yearly.

The deal also puts meat on the bones of the 2011 treaty on Arctic search and rescue, negotiated through the Arctic Council. That treaty committed signatories to providing search and rescue in their sector of the North.

One of the forum's first actions next week in Connecticut will be to run a tabletop search and rescue simulation. That will establish communications protocols and determine who responds to what.

The head of the U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Paul Zukunft, has said an actual exercise could be mounted as early as next year.

The forum, although it will involve military personnel, will steer clear of security issues. That will follow the lead of other coast guard forums that already exist, such as those for the North Atlantic and North Pacific.

The forum is separate from the Arctic Council, the chief international diplomatic body on northern issues. However, its leadership will rotate in concert with the council, which is now led by the U.S.

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:

"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

CAF Says "NO" to another Libyan Intervention

As Canada and the coalition continues to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria, ISIS is starting to take a hold of parts of Libya.

Egypt recently deployed air strikes against ISIS positions in Libya as retaliation against the murder of 21 Coptic Christians. With the Libyan Civil War wagging, and continually getting worse, ISIS is advancing through the country. Egypt has approached the United Nations for an international coalition against ISIS in Libya. Italy has seconded the call, for fears that refugees running from the civil war will include ISIS members looking to get into Europe.

Canada, and the CAF will not be part of any military coalition to Libya it seems. The 2011 ousting of Gadhafi was Canada's effort to help Libya, but that military intervention only seems to have propelled the country deeper into a Tribal war, which is turning into a full blow civil war.

Canada is not alone in standing this possible military coalition out - The United States, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom have all called for a diplomatic solution to the problem, and not a military intervention.

The 2011 ousting of Gadhafi was a major political win for NATO and Canada, who touted its role in the victory, which saw CF-18s in combat for the first time since the Gulf War (1990-1991). Perhaps the political situation that Libya has fallen into since the previous military intervention is causing some doubts about limited military (aerial) interventions.

Despite France's call for a diplomatic solution, France has recently announced several large military sales to Egypt, including its Rafael fighter jet - perhaps this is France's way of helping fight ISIS in Egypt, indirectly.


Original Article:
Ottawa Citizen/National Post