HMCS Fredericton Deploys to the Black Sea on OP REASSURANCE

DND Press Release:

April 1, 2016 – Ottawa – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Fredericton begins operations in the Black Sea today as part of Operation REASSURANCE, the Canadian Armed Forces’ on-going mission to promote security and stability in Central and Eastern Europe.

HMCS Fredericton is the lead to Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) Task Unit 02 deployed to the Black Sea following the surveillance, reconnaissance and monitoring operations of migrant crossings in the Aegean Sea. During the month of April, the Royal Canadian Navy frigate will conduct operations in concert with Romanian Frigate ROS Regina Maria and other allied ships from Bulgaria and Turkey to enhance the Alliance’s maritime interoperability as participating nations develop familiarity, trust and confidence in each other.

While in the Black Sea, HMCS Fredericton will also conduct port visits to enhance diplomatic and defence relations with strategic partners in the region. Recurring naval operations in the Black Sea as part of NATO’s assurance measures to demonstrate solidarity towards our allies and partner nations.
Quotes

“HMCS Fredericton’s deployment to the Black Sea is one of many examples of Canada’s continued commitment to promoting security and stability in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as our resolute support for NATO’s collective defence. Canada’s participation in regional maritime security operations re-affirms that Canada’s Navy is a responsive, effective force in today’s maritime security environment.”Harjit S. Sajjan, Defence Minister

“Since joining Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG 2) in January, HMCS Fredericton has had the opportunity to operate alongside a number of our allies in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. Moving our operations into the Black Sea will not change our objectives but will give the HMCS Frederictonan opportunity to work with key Black Sea-based partners. Fredericton’s ship’s company is very much looking forward to operating in this complex region.”Commander Trevor JC MacLean, Commanding Officer, HMCS Fredericton

April 1, 2016, HMCS Fredericton enters the Black Sea on NATO-led Maritime Assurance Activities. (Photo credit: Leading Seaman Dan Bard, Formation Imaging Service)

Operation NUNALIVUT 2016 begins

DND Press Release:

April 1, 2016 – Yellowknife, Northwest Territories – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

Operation NUNALIVUT 2016 (Op NU 16) will take place in and around Resolute Bay and Alert, Nunavut from 1-22 April.

Commanded by Joint Task Force (North) (JTFN) and involving more than 230 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel from across Canada; Op NU 16 incorporates soldiers from 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (2 RCR), Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) divers from Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic, and personnel from across the Royal Canadian Air Force, including Yellowknife-based 440 (Transport) Squadron.

Op NU 16 will consist of two distinct activities. RCN divers will conduct ice dives near Alert, Nunavut, and Canadian Army personnel will conduct patrols and Arctic survival training on the sea ice near Resolute Bay, Nunavut. Throughout this operation, Canadian Rangers from 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group will guide and mentor participating troops. All activities will be commanded and controlled by the Task Force NUNALIVUT headquarters element, based in Resolute Bay, Nunavut.

“Operation NUNALIVUT is one of our most austere and challenging operations in the High Arctic. It enables all three elements to polish their Arctic skills in a collaborative operation. I am proud that our men and women in uniform deployed on Operation NUNALIVUT have the opportunity to experience the unique environment found only in the High Arctic, while demonstrating northern sovereignty.” Brigadier-General Mike Nixon, Commander, Joint Task Force (North).

Additional 200 CAF Still Waiting to Deploy to OP IMPACT

In a new report released this morning, David Pugliese, of The Ottawa Citizen, reported that despite it being almost two months since the Liberal's announced their new mission to Iraq - the extra 200 CAF personnel have yet to be deployed.

Here here is his report:

In the first week of February, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the changes in the Iraq mission. The CF-18s were to be withdrawn while the Auroras and refuelling aircraft would stay. Canada’s contribution would actually increase by more than 200 personnel, with those extra staff being assigned to the training mission, according to the government.

The CF-18s now are gone. There are still 600 Canadians overseas on the Iraq mission, according to the Department of National Defence. That figure includes the estimated 69 special forces personnel.

"But the promised extra personnel have yet to deploy. An exact timeline has yet to be determined,” Canadian military spokesman Capt. Kirk Sullivan told Defence Watch. “The Canadian Armed Forces is in the process of finalizing plans for the transitioning of the mission.
 
Deploying military capabilities over thousands of kilometers into a theatre of operations requires careful planning, which takes time."

CAF Army Generals will see Maple Leaf Insignia Return

Written by David Pugliese, Defence Watch - Ottawa Citizen 

The country’s army generals are getting their maple leaves back so that allies can identify them as Canadians.

Almost three years after the Conservative government ordered Canadian Army generals to abandon the maple leaf insignia in favour of British-style pips, the army is returning to its previous look.

The move was prompted by concerns that military allies were having trouble recognizing the generals as Canadians, sources say.

The diamond-shaped insignia — known as a pip — will be replaced by a gold-coloured metal maple leaf, Canadian Army spokesperson Capt. Susan Magill said.

She said the change brings the army generals in line with senior officers of the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force. Those officers have maple leaves on their epaulets. “There won’t be any confusion as everything will be harmonized,” Magill said.

Over the years Canada’s military allies have come to recognize the maple leaf as a symbol of the country and Canadian Forces. “To change it could have caused some confusion so we want to be sure (when) we’ve got higher ranking officers it’s very clear who is who,” Magill said.

The Conservative government announced in July 2013 that Canadian Army rank insignia, names and badges would revert to those used before 1968 when the military was unified. The army replaced the maple leaf rank designation on the uniforms of officers with pips and crowns. The ranks of non-commissioned officers returned to the original designations that were in place during the First and Second World Wars. Those were based on the British army.

The move followed the Conservative government’s push to re-introduce symbols of the British monarchy to Canadian military organizations. The cost of its 2011 move to reinstate the word “royal” back into the titles of the navy and air force, as well as changing the name of Land Force Command to Canadian Army was about $1 million.

The Conservatives also ordered the removal of gold braid bands on officers’ tunic cuffs. The army is reversing that decision.

“The sleeve braid will be restored to same braid as before 2013,” Magill said.

The Conservatives’ decision to revert to the traditional British military terminology and insignia for Canadian units was greeted enthusiastically by monarchists and some veterans.

But military sources say the changes were not universally welcomed by a generation of army officers who proudly served under the Canadian-oriented insignia and designations for almost 50 years. There was also confusion among some younger soldiers who were having difficulty identifying the ranks of army generals, sources said.

The army will keep the other changes brought in by the Conservatives.

Magill said the cost to replace the pips with the maple leaves was about $6,000.

When he announced the changes, then defence minister Peter MacKay said the Conservatives were committed to honouring the history of the Canadian Army. “The restoration of these historical features will encourage the esprit de corps of our soldiers and reinforce a rich military tradition that will continue to develop as they serve their country,” he said.

Perry: Our broken military procurement system

Written by David Perry, The National Post 

Every two years, apparently, the Department of Finance announces that Canada’s system for procuring military equipment is under-performing.

The 2016 budget had little to say about defence, but what it did say was depressing. A total of $3.716 billion in funding that was set aside for capital projects is being removed from the fiscal framework over the next five years, and reallocated out into the future. The funding, intended to buy ships, aircraft and vehicles for the military in the short term, has been shoved out into the distant future, to be used between 2021 and 2045.

Sadly, this is a reoccurring theme. The same thing happened in 2012 and again in 2014. In those years, the Harper government similarly pushed that exact same pot of funding into the future. In total, the Tories deferred $6.7 billion in funding pledged for major defence purchases. At the time, there was significant speculation then-prime minister Stephen Harper had done so as part of the effort to balance the budget.

Since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “modest” deficits will total $113 billion over five years, this shifting of procurement funds is certainly not part of an effort to curb spending. Rather, it reflects a system of procuring defence equipment that simply cannot deliver on schedule. The funds can be moved largely because they “cannot be spent due to unforeseen delays in planned projects.” In essence, no matter how badly the equipment is needed, the government just isn’t able to get this money out the door on schedule.

he Budget Plan contains at least a partial explanation why this is. The cumulative military recapitalization plans outlined by the Martin and Harper governments were extremely aggressive. They were intended to procure tens of billions worth of new equipment in a few years. But adhering to that schedule would have required a major expansion of the procurement system’s capacity.

Instead, a procurement workforce that lost a huge amount of capacity during the 1990s grew only marginally during the 2000s, and was then hammered by Harper’s attempts to balance the books. At the same time, longstanding problems defining and communicating military requirements and costing projects persisted, and new, more onerous policies regarding investment planning and managing major projects were introduced, which meant that procuring military equipment took more time and effort. Major problems with the procurement of military helicopters and fighter jets flagged by the auditor general contributed to a loss of trust in the bureaucracy, resulting in new governance regimes that added further steps to the procurement process. As a result, the aggressive schedules proved increasingly unrealistic.

This all drives home the importance of the commitment the budget makes to improving the process for making major defence purchases over the coming year. No matter what form the revised defence policy takes, it will require further, significant spending on military re-capitalization. Turning the available funding into actual military equipment requires sustained attention from the government.

The creation of an ad hoc cabinet committee for major procurement files is a positive indication of a commitment to improve the system. This needs to be matched by increasing the capacity of the system by growing the workforce and increasing its level of expertise. As part of the defence policy review, our true priorities need to be identified and have resources concentrated on moving them forward.

Finally, few areas of government stand to benefit more than defence procurement from the government’s pledge to reorient toward actual outcomes. Inordinate focus is placed at present on complying perfectly with policies interpreted to demand zero risk to the government, rather than the actual acquisition of military equipment.

If this situation doesn’t change, the 2018 budget will be telling the exact same story of a defence procurement system unable to deliver what Canada needs.

National Post

Dave Perry is a senior analyst at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.