Canada to Send 450 Troops, Armored Vehicles, Frigates, and Jets to Lativia

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

WARSAW, Poland — Canada is sending hundreds of troops to Latvia for the long haul.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced at the NATO leaders' summit in Poland on Friday that Canada will take command of a 1,000-strong multinational force in Latvia, as the alliance beefs up its presence in the Baltics and Poland in response to recent Russian actions.

Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance revealed that Canada will send about 450 soldiers along with armoured vehicles to the Baltic state as part of an "enduring" NATO presence in Eastern Europe.

The Canadians will form the "nucleus" of a battlegroup in Latvia, Vance said, that with the addition of forces from other allies, is expected to grow to about 1,000 troops. Germany, the United States and Britain are leading similar forces in Lithuania, Poland and Estonia.

Allies are expected to begin announcing contributions at a conference next week, while officials indicated the first Canadian troops could begin arriving in Latvia early next year. Vance couldn't say how long they would stay.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg "has been clear this is an open-ended commitment," Vance said. "And so Canada has committed to that. We'll take it as it comes. But it is intended to be enduring."

There had already been fears NATO and Russia are on the brink of a new Cold War, if they aren't already in one. The lack of any clear timetable for when Canadian troops will come home from Eastern Europe may well add to those comparisons.

In addition to the troops, Canada will deploy up to six CF-18s to Europe on an occasional basis to help patrol allied airspace. It will also continue sending naval frigates to the region, as it has done since April 2014.

The combined efforts will bring the number of Canadian military personnel in Eastern Europe at any given time up to a maximum of 800, which the government says is Canada's largest sustained military deployment to the continent in over a decade.

Appearing with Vance, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan pushed back on the Cold War comparisons.

"This is about sending a right message of cohesion within NATO," he said, "giving confidence to member states, and showing how important deterrence is so we can get back to a responsible dialogue."

Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Stoltenberg said alliance members "don't want a new Cold War. The Cold War is history and it should remain history."

However, the NATO chief also said the world has seen a more assertive Russia that is willing to use military force, as exemplified by its annexations of Crimea and support for separatists in Ukraine. He said that is why the deployment of allied forces into Eastern Europe is necessary.

"They will send a clear message that an attack on one ally will be an attack on the whole alliance," Stoltenberg said. "I believe this approach, with defence and dialogue, is the only viable long-term approach to Russia."

Eastern Europe allies had been asking NATO to bolster its presence in the region as a deterrent against Russia trying to destabilize them in the same way it did Ukraine. That includes crossing into their territory, inciting Russian speakers within their borders and cyber attacks.

Russia has denied any such intentions, and instead has accused NATO of instigating the current standoff by expanding into former Soviet territory and trying to undermine its sphere of influence. It has also warned against any military build-up on its borders.

R22eR Soldiers pass on life-saving tips to Ukrainian troops

By: Mathew Fisher, National Post 

YAVORIV, Ukraine — Seven thousand kilometres from Quebec, but only 10 hours by road from the bloody battlefields of eastern Ukraine, about 200 soldiers mostly from Canada’s storied Royal 22nd Regiment, the Vandoos, are helping to prepare Ukrainian infantry, medics and combat engineers to defend their country against Russian-backed separatists.

More than anything, the Canadian training mission, which began last summer near the Slovak and Polish borders, tries to instil NATO fighting principles and western ethics.

“They are very highly motivated,” said Maj. Bruno Turmel, deputy commander of the Vandoo company which has been here since January. “What they are learning is to be inter-operable with us and the Americans and all the other partners that are here and to build their war fighting capacity and capability.

Turmel, who served twice as a military trainer to Afghan security forces, said he had learned “a lot from the Ukrainian officers and soldiers. They are patriotic and many of them have combat experience.”

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The Vandoos replaced mentors from the Ontario-based Royal Canadian Regiment, who started the mission last August, and will be succeeded next month by the western-based Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.

The training mission was set up by the Harper government in reply to a request for help from Kyiv, which does not have enough resources to defend itself from its much larger and wealthier neighbour, Russia.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who will be in Warsaw this weekend for the NATO leaders’ summit, will discuss whether to continue the training program when he meets Ukrainian leaders in Kyiv afterward.

The Canadians have seven different “lines of effort” taking place simultaneously at several locations around the country. But most of the troops work in a sprawling Ukrainian army base outside Yavoriv, where the training ground is nestled in green hills reminiscent of Quebec’s Eastern Townships.

The longest course offered by the Canadians lasts 55 days. It teaches basic and small unit fighting skills to infantry. There are also leadership courses for senior non-commissioned officers, courses for military police and anti-mining training.

One of the key areas is teaching Ukrainian medics battlefield emergency treatment practises. Such skills are urgently needed as the brutal war in the east grinds on.

Sgt. Yann Gauthier, who did three combat tours as a medic in Afghanistan, was amazed at how quickly some of his students applied the lessons he taught.

“Within a week after graduation, they can go directly to war,” he said.

About 70 per cent of the Canadian trainers — including three of the five medics teaching combat first aid and more specialized course — served in Afghanistan.

That experience “helps me a lot here,” Gauthier said. “It gives me credibility with the Ukrainians. Whether it is on the battlefield in Afghanistan or Ukraine, the body needs the same thing if it is bleeding to death. The techniques are almost the same so we can apply what we learned in Afghanistan.”

Instructor/soldier Arthur Woichenko describes the course offered by the Canadians as “priceless.”

“You can tell when a person already has some experience on the battlefield and has experienced that with his own blood. Looking him in the ey,e you feel it and understand why such methodologies and so important,” he said.

“I have participated in other courses before and we only got basic knowledge. Here, we get practical tasks. I have crossed out what I knew beforehand and absorbed all the information like a sponge because it was so important.”

Graduates are also given a combat first aid kid worth $350.

One of the goals of the 13 NATO nations training Ukrainian forces is to wean them from their top-down Soviet-style leadership and delegate more decisions to junior officers and sergeants.

“The culture is definitely different than what we are used to working with. The decision-making is more highly concentrated in the higher echelons,” said Maj. Jean-François Lamarche, a combat veteran in Kandahar who mostly works in the field with Ukrainian platoons during the 55-day courses.

Although the program had been “quite successful … of course there has been some resistance. It is a new way of thinking for them. But we are not teaching them this as ‘100 per cent the way to go.’ What we do is present them with a way to do things.”

Lt. Alexei Chebutav, who fought Russian-backed forces around the rebel-held city of Donetsk, said there was much to recommend the Canadian approach.

“In the Canadian Armed Forces the accent is on non-commissioned officers,” he said. “In the Ukrainian army a lot of instructors still act according to the rules of the Soviet time.”

“I always tell my soldiers that the experience we get with you can help to save our lives,” Chebutav told his mentor, Lamarche, as their course wound down Monday.

“You leave your souls here and our guys appreciate it very much.”

Canadian Navy modernizes and upgrades its training system

DND Press Release

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), in the midst of modernizing and upgrading its training, held a ceremony today in Esquimalt to officially mark the creation of the reconfigured Naval Training Development Centre (Pacific) and Naval Fleet School (Pacific) as a part of its Future Naval Training System (FNTS) initiative.

The FNTS will assist in developing RCN sailors, allowing them to operate Canada’s current and future warships. Over the last three years, all naval training elements have been brought together in order to provide the RCN with coherent, sustainable, and well-supported means of generating naval forces into the next decades. The new Technology Enabled Learning Strategy will increase the effectiveness and flexibility of the Naval Training System, while reducing the demand for infrastructure.

“We built this training system knowing future operations will be dynamic and complex," said Captain (N) Mike Knippel, Commander Naval Personnel and Training Group. "Using the latest technologies, we are preparing our sailors to effectively operate the new warships and deliver excellence at sea. The new training system is more cost effective, relevant, and capable of meeting the demands of the 21st century.”

Similar ceremonies were held on June 29, 2016, at Naval Fleet School (Quebec) and will be held on July 15, 2016, at the new Campus Atlantic in Halifax.

The mission of the RCN is to generate combat-capable, multipurpose maritime forces that support Canada’s efforts to participate in security operations anywhere in the world. Our training system is key to achieving a maritime force that is capable of effectively accomplishing this mission.

The Technology Enabled Learning Strategy is based on four design principles: distance and distributed learning technology, Multi-Purpose Reconfigurable Trainers, persistent access to learning and training devices, and networked training. This approach enables the use of universal classrooms and the campus model, resulting in reduced demand for single purpose training facilities.

The application of Multi-Purpose Reconfigurable Trainers, supported by reconfigurable training spaces at training campuses, is expected to reduce the overall costs of trainers, simulators, and training tools by enabling the re-use of hardware, software, and infrastructure to meet different training objectives. Through efficiencies gained from reconfigurable and mobile equipment, the physical footprint of the training system can be reduced.

As a part the modernization efforts, the Commandant of Canadian Forces Fleet School Esquimalt, Commander S.E. Hooper, relinquished command of his former school and immediately assumed command of the newly named Naval Training Development Center (Pacific). Simultaneously, the Commandant of the formerly named Naval Officer Training Center VENTURE, Commander Todd Bonnar, relinquished command and promptly assumed command of newly named Naval Fleet School (Pacific).

Campus Pacific (Esquimalt) reconfigured the Fleet School Esquimalt and the Naval Officer Training Center VENTURE into Naval Fleet School (Pacific) and the Naval Training Development Center (Pacific). Naval Fleet School (Pacific) will deliver individual and career courses, while the Naval Training Development Center (Pacific) will be the RCN’s Center of Excellence for engineering, damage control, command, leadership, and professional development curriculum and courseware development.

Campus Atlantic (Halifax) will reconfigure the Canadian Forces Naval Operations School and Canadian Forces Naval Engineering School into Naval Fleet School (Atlantic) and Naval Training Development Center (Atlantic). Naval Fleet School (Atlantic) will deliver individual training, with the addition of Submarine Training, while the Naval Training Development Center (Atlantic) will focus on combat, operations, and seamanship training curriculum and courseware development.

Naval Fleet School (Quebec), formerly Canadian Forces Fleet School Quebec, will continue its role as a training site, delivering various courses to the Naval Reserve.

For the complete version of the Future Naval Training System Strategy, please contact MARPAC Public Affairs.

Sajjan: CF-18 Replacement Still Undecided

By: Ian MacLeod, Ottawa Citizen

OTTAWA — Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan insists government must move “quickly” selecting a new fighter jet, but acknowledged Wednesday the procurement plan remains way up in the air.

“We need to look at options that can bring us the right capability, for the right price and that can suit for Canada. It’s important that we move quickly,” Sajjan told reporters before meeting with defence and aerospace industry executives to discuss the major restructuring of Canada’s military, including replacing the fleet of CF-18 jets. The new defence policy is expected in early 2017.

But Sajjan refused to detail when and how the government will proceed. Asked what he meant by “quickly,” he replied: “I can’t give you a timeline just yet.”

He was equally ambiguous when confronted with the Liberal’s 2015 election promised to scrap the former Conservative government’s planned purchase of 65 F-35 stealth fighters and, “immediately launch an open and transparent competition to replace the CF-18 fighter aircraft.”

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“No decision has been made on procurement,” Sajjan said when asked if government is reneging. “I want to make sure I have all the necessary information, the right data. Once I have all the information, then we’ll go down the path of making a decision.”

The shifting Liberal narrative on a fighter jet replacement reflects an internal government struggle over how to fulfill the election promise without triggering a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit by F-35 builder Lockheed Martin, the U.S. aerospace giant, a senior Defence Department official recently told the Ottawa Citizen.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons in June the stealth fighter “does not work, and is far from working.”

Multiple sources have told the Citizen the government is intent on a sole-sourced purchase of Super Hornet fighters from Boeing as an “interim” measure. Sajjan recently visited Australia, which bought 24 of the aircraft about five years ago for $2.5 billion, to replace antiquated F-111 jets until newer F-35s were ready.

“We looked at the situation they were in, they provided us with good information, but we want to make sure we have a much wider perspective,” Sajjan said Wednesday of the trip.

A move to the Super Hornet would close what Sajjan began referring to this spring as a “capability gap” with the 77 CF-18s that are running full throttle to meet with Canada’s commitments to NATO and NORAD’s North American air defence.

We looked at the situation they were in, they provided us with good information, but we want to make sure we have a much wider perspective

“Between our NORAD and NATO commitments and how many jets are serviceable at one time, we cannot meet both those requirements simultaneously. That’s (what I mean) when I talk about capability gap,” he said.

“The Canadian Armed Forces have been risk-managing this problem for some time now and the previous government found it acceptable. I do not, and I want to make sure that we give all the tools necessary not to put the Canadian Armed Forces in a scenario to risk-manage.”

Sajjan then injected a new term into the debate: “(A) capability gap will lead to a capability loss. That’s exactly what’s happening with our navy right now. We require Spain and Chile to assist us with resupplying because we do not have ships right now to resupply us.

“I don’t want to go from a capability gap to a capability loss,” with fighter jets, too, he said.

Defence Minister to Make Announcement Regarding CF-18 Replacememt

By: Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan will shed some light on how the government plans to replace Canada's aging fighter jets in an address to defence and aerospace industry officials Wednesday.

The much-anticipated update will not include an announcement on what aircraft will replace Canada's CF-18s, said Sajjan's spokeswoman, Jordan Owens. The minister will instead lay out what "short-term next steps" the government intends to take on the file.

The Liberals have been under pressure to say something about the replacement plan since reports last month that they were considering buying Boeing Super Hornet fighter jets without a competition.

The government has insisted no decision has been made, but it also says new warplanes are urgently needed to address a "gap" in the air force's fighter jet capabilities. In particular, the Liberals have said there aren't enough CF-18s to meet all of Canada's defence commitments.

Critics, however, have pointed to Royal Canadian Air Force commander Lt.-Gen. Michael Hood's comments to the Commons defence committee in April as proof the Liberals are manufacturing a crisis.

Hood said the CF-18 fleet should be able to operate through 2025 thanks to a $500-million upgrade ordered by the Conservatives in 2014. Twenty-six out of 77 CF-18s have already undergone structural work to fly through the mid-2020s, and electronic upgrades are planned.

Owens said Sajjan's speech will provide more detail on the current state of the CF-18 fleet. The minister will also talk to industry representatives about other military procurement projects, many of which are facing delays and other problems.

The Liberals promised during last year's election that they would hold an open competition to replace the CF-18s. At the same time, they promised not to buy the F-35. This, however, created a potential legal situation if the government was seen to discriminate against the stealth fighter.

The F-35 has previously won competitions in South Korea, Japan and Denmark.

Postmedia reported in June that the government was considering whether to use an exemption in federal procurement laws to buy Super Hornets as an "interim" measure to address the capability gap. That would let it to sole-source the planes without fear of a lawsuit.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in the House of Commons last month that the F-35 "does not work and is far from working." A few weeks later, he refused to say whether his government remains committed to holding an open competition to replace the CF-18s.

"We are working very, very hard and thoughtfully to ensure that we deliver to our forces the right jets the right way at the right price," he told reporters at the time. "That's what Canadians expect of us, and that's what we are going to be doing."

The previous Conservative government announced in 2010 that Canada would be buying 65 F-35 stealth fighters without a competition. The Liberals, who at the time were in third place in the House of Commons, were critical of not holding a competition.

Both Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the U.S. defence giant behind the F-35, have engaged in fierce lobbying and public relations campaigns to convince Canadians and politicians that their fighter jet is best for the country.