By: David Pugliese, National Post
Canada’s last destroyer will be taken out of service in the spring, leaving the country’s navy reliant on allies for longer-range air defence for at least the next seven years.
HMCS Athabaskan, and similar destroyers, provided command and control capabilities over the years for the Royal Canadian Navy as well as what was called area air defence.
But Athabaskan, Canada’s last destroyer, will be taken out of service within the next year, most likely in the spring, Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd, the new commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, told Postmedia Wednesday.
Canada’s warships still have the capability to protect themselves from direct, incoming air threats but will have to rely mainly on U.S. ships to deal with missiles and aircraft at longer ranges.
“We won’t be able to fill that long-range air defence gap,” Lloyd said. “You would be looking at your U.S. longrange air defence platforms for that coalition support as we go forward.”
The RCN won’t have that air defence capability back until about 2024 when the first of the new Canadian Surface Combatants is expected to be in the water.
Lloyd said some of the command and control functions that the destroyers had provided have been moved over to four existing Halifaxclass frigates. “We’re quite happy with the interim command and control capability we’ve put into the four modernized frigates,” he said.
The Navy will continue to ensure its training prepares sailors for area air defence capabilities so they are ready when those systems return in the new surface combatants.
Over the years, naval officers have continued to warn the Canadian government that a capability gap would emerge.
The first Canadian Surface Combatant was originally expected to be delivered in 2016 but problems with the Conservative government’s shipbuilding strategy derailed that plan.
In late 2007, Vice-Admiral Drew Robertson, then head of the navy, warned the Conservative government it needed to approve immediately a plan to replace the destroyers or face a gap in providing air defence and command and control for maritime task forces.
“Without both the force air defence and command capabilities these ships provide, Canada will not be able to safely operate a Task Group in contested waters — the key capability that provides to Canada the capacity for sovereign and independent action at sea, either at home or abroad, and from which derives the ability to lead international coalition or alliance operations,” Robertson wrote in the navy’s strategic assessment, obtained by Postmedia.
Lloyd noted that the Navy has more frigates available than it did several years ago, when many were in the process of being upgraded.
The multibillion-dollar modernization included a new combat management system and radars, a new electronic warfare system and upgraded communications and missiles.
“Now that we’re coming out of that extraordinarily successful modernization program, we have our capacity back so we have more ships available to go to sea,” Lloyd said.
He said at any one time the Navy has between nine to 10 frigates available.
Lloyd noted that the Navy also expects a return to refuelling capability when an interim supply ship becomes available in the fall of next year. A commercial vessel is being converted at Davie shipyards in Quebec and will be leased to the federal government for that role.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
CAF Land Task Force Returns to Romania to Train with Allies
By: Captain Mark Ruban, Public Affairs Officer, Operation REASSURANCE Land Task Force
Approximately 40 soldiers of the Operation REASSURANCE Land Task Force (LTF) have concluded yet another successful training exercise with NATO allies in Cincu, Romania. LTF personnel returned to Cincu for Exercise SABER GUARDIAN, which took place from July 27 to August 7, 2016, after having first deployed there in April for Exercise SCORPION FURY.
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| Canadian soldiers of the Operation REASSURANCE Land Task Force (LTF) (in green) demonstrate their mechanized advance-to-contact procedures to American soldiers of 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team during Exercise SABER GUARDIAN, a multinational exercise comprising 10 countries, in Cincu, Romania on August 3, 2016. Canadian soldiers are deployed to Central and Eastern Europe as part of the LTF to support NATO assurance and deterrence measures, and improve interoperability with allies. (Photo: Corporal Guillaume Gagnon, Liaison Officer Driver, Operation REASSURANCE Land Task Force) |
“Once again, it was a pleasure to be training alongside our Romanian and American allies here in Cincu,” said Captain Tom Jancarik, a platoon commander with the 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment (1 R22eR) deployed with the LTF. “It’s always a pleasure to find that, despite our differences in tactics and equipment, we are more alike than different. We are equally united in our desire to increase our interoperability and help defend Central and Eastern Europe.”
Like many joint exercises, Exercise SABER GUARDIAN was an opportunity to practice new or unfamiliar skills with allies. Thanks to the Americans’ Blackhawk helicopters, the Canadians – who are mainly mechanized infanteers from 1 R22eR – were able to practice airmobile-assault drills with their U.S. counterparts. LTF soldiers had already learned the essentials while training at their base in Poland and they welcomed the opportunity to conduct helicopter-borne training again in Romania.
Having recently acquired Bradley armoured vehicles as part of a process to develop new capabilities, soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team are still refining their skills as mechanized infanteers. The Canadians were happy to share their knowledge and experiences with respect to the strategies and tactics of fighting, defending and patrolling with the support of armoured vehicles.
“It was great working with both the Romanians and Americans, who were very welcoming and who ensured that we integrated smoothly into the team,” said Corporal Rylan Moser, a signaller within the LTF. “They had a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with us, and they were also very open to take what knowledge we had to offer. Overall, this was an excellent training experience that helped us develop within our respective trades.”
Exercise SABER GUARDIAN was an important training opportunity that demonstrated the strength of allied solidarity in the region. Aside from the tactical field-training component, several countries collaborated in computer-based simulations to test the performance of various capabilities under different scenarios. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, visited soldiers during the exercise, as did a representative of the Canadian embassy in Bucharest, Romania.
Op REASSURANCE is the Canadian Armed Forces’ contribution to NATO assurance and deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe. Through the LTF, Canadian soldiers participate in training exercises alongside NATO allies in order to enhance interoperability and contribute to NATO’s readiness to respond to threats that may arise. Aside from Romania, soldiers of the current LTF rotation have also participated in such exercises in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
CAF Voices Concerns over Proposed Energy East Pipeline
By: CBC News
As hearings get underway on the proposed Energy East pipeline, documents obtained by the CBC's French-language service, Radio-Canada, show the Canadian military has expressed grave concerns about the possibility of an oil spill.
Memos released under Access to Information show officials at the Canadian Forces garrison in Petawawa, Ont., have been demanding answers from TransCanada Corp., the company behind the project, about a section of pipeline that passes through the base. The pipeline, which is already in place, is designed to transport natural gas, but would be switched to carrying oil if Energy East goes ahead.
In a series of emails dating back to 2014, Donald Megrath, the hazardous material officer for Petawawa, lays out his concerns about a potential pipeline breach on the nearby Petawawa River.
"A crude oil spill … is a significant environmental event," he writes in one note.
"What is their emergency response plan to cover, control and respond to this?"
Another email from January 2015 raises concerns about the possibility of "an epic, life, environmental and social altering spill."
The documents detail some of the correspondence between the military and TransCanada. The company wrote a letter in April 2014 to answer a series of specific questions posed by defence officials about what sort of emergency planning TransCanada had carried out to respond to a spill along the pipeline, especially near water sources.
In the letter, the company assures the military its pipeline can be shut down "within minutes" in the event of a breach. In further correspondence, the company clarifies just how close its pipeline would come to other military installations, revealing it would pass within 600 metres of the Canadian Forces base in North Bay, Ont., and just 200 metres from the base in Suffield, Alta.
Common concerns
Tim Duboyce, a spokesman for TransCanada, says the questions raised by the military echo those of other groups and individuals who are concerned about pipeline safety.
"Of course, security and safety is the most important issue, at front of mind for people," Duboyce said.
"It's the most important issue for us as well, as a company."
While Duboyce was not familiar with the documents outlining the military's issues with the proposed pipeline, he confirmed TransCanada has had discussions with officials at CFB Petawawa and will continue to do so if more questions arise.
Duboyce also repeated an argument pipeline proponents have made countless times that pipelines are "the safest way that we have at our disposal as a society to move oil to market."
Public hearings
Opponents of Energy East, however, are not convinced.
"National Defence is asking questions that everyone is asking," said Sidney Ribaux, director general of the environmental group Equiterre.
"Unfortunately, like National Defence, most of us are not getting those answers."
Ribaux accuses TransCanada of trying to push through its project without formulating a proper emergency response plan, calling it "very disappointing but not so surprising."
The National Energy Board launched public hearings on the $15-billion Energy East project in Saint John yesterday. If approved, it will transport diluted bitumen roughly 4,500 kilometres from the Alberta oilsands to refineries in Eastern Canada. The National Energy Board must hand in its report to the federal government by March 2018.
As hearings get underway on the proposed Energy East pipeline, documents obtained by the CBC's French-language service, Radio-Canada, show the Canadian military has expressed grave concerns about the possibility of an oil spill.
Memos released under Access to Information show officials at the Canadian Forces garrison in Petawawa, Ont., have been demanding answers from TransCanada Corp., the company behind the project, about a section of pipeline that passes through the base. The pipeline, which is already in place, is designed to transport natural gas, but would be switched to carrying oil if Energy East goes ahead.
In a series of emails dating back to 2014, Donald Megrath, the hazardous material officer for Petawawa, lays out his concerns about a potential pipeline breach on the nearby Petawawa River.
"A crude oil spill … is a significant environmental event," he writes in one note.
"What is their emergency response plan to cover, control and respond to this?"
Another email from January 2015 raises concerns about the possibility of "an epic, life, environmental and social altering spill."
The documents detail some of the correspondence between the military and TransCanada. The company wrote a letter in April 2014 to answer a series of specific questions posed by defence officials about what sort of emergency planning TransCanada had carried out to respond to a spill along the pipeline, especially near water sources.
In the letter, the company assures the military its pipeline can be shut down "within minutes" in the event of a breach. In further correspondence, the company clarifies just how close its pipeline would come to other military installations, revealing it would pass within 600 metres of the Canadian Forces base in North Bay, Ont., and just 200 metres from the base in Suffield, Alta.
Common concerns
Tim Duboyce, a spokesman for TransCanada, says the questions raised by the military echo those of other groups and individuals who are concerned about pipeline safety.
"Of course, security and safety is the most important issue, at front of mind for people," Duboyce said.
"It's the most important issue for us as well, as a company."
While Duboyce was not familiar with the documents outlining the military's issues with the proposed pipeline, he confirmed TransCanada has had discussions with officials at CFB Petawawa and will continue to do so if more questions arise.
Duboyce also repeated an argument pipeline proponents have made countless times that pipelines are "the safest way that we have at our disposal as a society to move oil to market."
Public hearings
Opponents of Energy East, however, are not convinced.
"National Defence is asking questions that everyone is asking," said Sidney Ribaux, director general of the environmental group Equiterre.
"Unfortunately, like National Defence, most of us are not getting those answers."
Ribaux accuses TransCanada of trying to push through its project without formulating a proper emergency response plan, calling it "very disappointing but not so surprising."
The National Energy Board launched public hearings on the $15-billion Energy East project in Saint John yesterday. If approved, it will transport diluted bitumen roughly 4,500 kilometres from the Alberta oilsands to refineries in Eastern Canada. The National Energy Board must hand in its report to the federal government by March 2018.
Friday, August 5, 2016
Former Bureaucrat: Canada’s new fighter jet should be chosen by open competition
By: Bruce Champion-Smith, The Toronto Star
OTTAWA—If the federal government is serious about finding a new fighter jet for Canada’s air force, it should launch an open competition immediately rather than continue the “nonsensical” process now underway, a former senior bureaucrat says.
Ottawa had set a Friday deadline for aerospace manufacturers to respond to a questionnaire seeking details about the costs and capabilities of their fighters that might serve as a potential replacement for the aging CF-18s.
But Alan Williams, who once oversaw defence procurement, dismissed that as a waste of time that belies the Liberals’ own claim that the air force needs new fighters fast.
“If you really think that there is some kind of urgency and there is a capability gap, the fastest way to solve it is to run a competition,” said Williams, who previously served as assistant deputy minister in charge of materiel for the defence department.
“If a competition was started tomorrow, within a year you’d have a winner picked,” he said Tuesday in an interview.
One of the possible contenders — the Lockheed Martin F-35A — got a boost Tuesday when the U.S. air force declared the new jet was combat ready. Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of air combat command, said the jet had met criteria for initial operational capability. That includes the capability to conduct basic close air support, interdiction and limited suppression and destruction of enemy air defences with a squadron of between 12 and 24 aircraft, the air force said in a news release.
It’s an important milestone for an aircraft that has been dogged by technical challenges during its development.
Lockheed Martin was one of five aerospace manufacturers that responded to Ottawa’s call for more information about their fighter jets. The others were the Boeing Company, Dassault Aviation, Eurofighter and Saab Group.
The federal government says it will use the responses “to make an informed decision on the path forward to a future fighter fleet.”
But Williams is sharply critical of that exercise, saying the government is doing little more than treading water by seeking information that he said is largely already in the public domain.
“It really is totally, totally a waste of time,” he said. “Why they’re going through all this crap is really mind-boggling.”
He said the true capabilities of each aircraft would only be disclosed to government during a formal bidding process, when the manufacturers can be assured such details won’t be made public.
“All the secretive stuff on performance they will only convey in a competition where it’s all protected,” Williams said.
He said the Liberals should fulfil their election pledge for an “open and transparent” competition to replace CF-18s, especially since the government claims that the aging state of the existing fighters will leave the air force with an “unacceptable” gap in meeting operational demands.
“If we really do something, stop screwing around, go out and tell the world what you need, put out your statement of requirements in the public domain . . . and let people bid,” Williams said.
He said both Conservative and Liberals have bobbled the file. He said the Conservatives erred by committing to the F-35 at a time when the jet’s cost and capabilities were unknown. Indeed, that decision was later reversed after the federal auditor raised concerns about the swelling price tag for the sophisticated fighter.
Yet Williams said the Liberals have made missteps as well, notably when Trudeau pledged during the election that his government would never buy the F-35, a commitment that has them “all tied up in knots now,” Williams said.
“This jet may turn out to be the right jet for us. But the process is what’s critical here,” Williams said.
A defence department spokesperson said Tuesday that the responses to the questionnaire would not be released.
“Responses received through the consultation process are subject to commercial confidentiality and form advice to Ministers, and as such will not be publicly disclosed,” Daniel Le Bouthillier told the Star in an email.
Minister Sajjan to Visit Congo on Fact Finding Mission
Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan will visit the Democratic Republic of Congo next week as part of a trip to Africa to collect information for a potential future Canadian peacekeeping mission on the continent.
Officials have warned against jumping to any conclusions that Canada is preparing to send hundreds of troops to the DRC, where the United Nations has a major peacekeeping operation.
"This is an opportunity for him to go into a country that does have an ongoing peacekeeping mission and see what that looks like," said Sajjan's spokeswoman, Jordan Owens. "It's to see what an ongoing mission looks like."
But Walter Dorn, a peacekeeping expert at the Canadian Forces College, says despite its challenges, the DRC would be a "great mission" for Canada.
"There is the possibility of a major role there," he said. "And we could be looking at a force-commander position."
Former UN high commissioner for human rights Louise Arbour and retired general Romeo Dallaire, who commanded a peacekeeping mission during the Rwandan genocide in 1994, will accompany Sajjan as he visits the DRC as well as Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda during the week-long, fact-finding mission.
The Liberals promised during last year's election campaign to return Canada to peacekeeping and Sajjan and defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance both said last month that could involve a mission to Africa.
Owens said the defence minister undertook a similar fact-finding trip to Iraq before the Liberal government revamped Canada's military mission against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in February.
"It's a good way for him to see exactly when the African Union says it has this support, what does that actually look like?" Owens said. "When the UN says 'We're doing this,' what does that mean? So we're gathering information."
There had been speculation that the Liberal government was eyeing a role in the west African country of Mali, where a UN peacekeeping mission has been in place since April 2013. Hundreds of German and Dutch troops are among the roughly 13,000 blue helmets in the country.
But that mission, which is intended to assist a ceasefire between the government in the south and armed groups in the north, has been fraught with risk. Eighty-six peacekeepers have been killed as insurgents, some linked to terrorist groups, have launched ambushes and attacks.
While Owens insisted no decision on a new Canadian peacekeeping mission has been made, the fact Sajjan is heading to East and Central Africa suggests the government is considering a deployment to that part of the continent and not Mali.
Canada has contributed a handful of peacekeepers to the UN mission in the DRC for several years. However, the Conservative government rejected a request in 2010 for Canada to have then-lieutenant-general Andrew Leslie command the force. Leslie is now a Liberal MP and chief government whip.
Dorn says for that reason, there would be some important symbolism if the Liberal government agreed to dramatically increase its involvement in the DRC mission. Canada also has a national interest in the country, he said, with large investments in mining.
The UN mission in the DRC has been sharply criticized for not doing enough to protect civilians from the country's various armed groups. The political situation is also uncertain due to upcoming elections. But Dorn said Canada could make a significant contribution to peace and stability in that part of the world.
Another possibility is the UN mission in South Sudan.
Owens said one of Sajjan's objectives is to determine where a Canadian contribution would be most effective. "He's focused on the meaningful impact part," she said. "If we were to deploy a peacekeeping mission to Africa, is it one that's meaningful?"
Arthur Boutellis, director of the New York-based Center for Peace Operations, said that describes the mission in South Sudan, where peacekeepers have been tasked with protecting civilians from opposing forces loyal to the president and vice-president.
"Really there's a need there," he said. "And if you want to make a difference and prevent mass atrocities, they definitely need qualified troops."
OTTAWA — Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan will visit the Democratic Republic of Congo next week as part of a trip to Africa to collect information for a potential future Canadian peacekeeping mission on the continent.
Officials have warned against jumping to any conclusions that Canada is preparing to send hundreds of troops to the DRC, where the United Nations has a major peacekeeping operation.
"This is an opportunity for him to go into a country that does have an ongoing peacekeeping mission and see what that looks like," said Sajjan's spokeswoman, Jordan Owens. "It's to see what an ongoing mission looks like."
But Walter Dorn, a peacekeeping expert at the Canadian Forces College, says despite its challenges, the DRC would be a "great mission" for Canada.
"There is the possibility of a major role there," he said. "And we could be looking at a force-commander position."
Former UN high commissioner for human rights Louise Arbour and retired general Romeo Dallaire, who commanded a peacekeeping mission during the Rwandan genocide in 1994, will accompany Sajjan as he visits the DRC as well as Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda during the week-long, fact-finding mission.
The Liberals promised during last year's election campaign to return Canada to peacekeeping and Sajjan and defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance both said last month that could involve a mission to Africa.
Owens said the defence minister undertook a similar fact-finding trip to Iraq before the Liberal government revamped Canada's military mission against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in February.
"It's a good way for him to see exactly when the African Union says it has this support, what does that actually look like?" Owens said. "When the UN says 'We're doing this,' what does that mean? So we're gathering information."
There had been speculation that the Liberal government was eyeing a role in the west African country of Mali, where a UN peacekeeping mission has been in place since April 2013. Hundreds of German and Dutch troops are among the roughly 13,000 blue helmets in the country.
But that mission, which is intended to assist a ceasefire between the government in the south and armed groups in the north, has been fraught with risk. Eighty-six peacekeepers have been killed as insurgents, some linked to terrorist groups, have launched ambushes and attacks.
While Owens insisted no decision on a new Canadian peacekeeping mission has been made, the fact Sajjan is heading to East and Central Africa suggests the government is considering a deployment to that part of the continent and not Mali.
Canada has contributed a handful of peacekeepers to the UN mission in the DRC for several years. However, the Conservative government rejected a request in 2010 for Canada to have then-lieutenant-general Andrew Leslie command the force. Leslie is now a Liberal MP and chief government whip.
Dorn says for that reason, there would be some important symbolism if the Liberal government agreed to dramatically increase its involvement in the DRC mission. Canada also has a national interest in the country, he said, with large investments in mining.
The UN mission in the DRC has been sharply criticized for not doing enough to protect civilians from the country's various armed groups. The political situation is also uncertain due to upcoming elections. But Dorn said Canada could make a significant contribution to peace and stability in that part of the world.
Another possibility is the UN mission in South Sudan.
Owens said one of Sajjan's objectives is to determine where a Canadian contribution would be most effective. "He's focused on the meaningful impact part," she said. "If we were to deploy a peacekeeping mission to Africa, is it one that's meaningful?"
Arthur Boutellis, director of the New York-based Center for Peace Operations, said that describes the mission in South Sudan, where peacekeepers have been tasked with protecting civilians from opposing forces loyal to the president and vice-president.
"Really there's a need there," he said. "And if you want to make a difference and prevent mass atrocities, they definitely need qualified troops."
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