CAF Takes Part in OP RENDER SAFE 2016

A member of a Canadian Armed Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal team is shown conducting training in this 2015 file photo. Photo courtesy DND

Canadian Forces personnel are taking part in Australia’s Operation RENDER SAFE 2016 to dispose of explosive remnants of the Second World War in Guadalcanal and the Russell Islands. The operation began today and involves 18 Canadian military personnel.

The Canadians will work under the leadership of the Australian Defence Force and alongside some 180 personnel from New Zealand, Solomon Islands, and the United Kingdom until October 7.

Op RENDER SAFE 2016 is Australia’s enduring biennial operation to dispose of unexploded ordnance in support to the nations of the South West Pacific, according to the Canadian Forces.

This year the operation is taking place from September 7 to October 7, 2016, on Guadalcanal Island and in the Russel Islands.

Approximately 200 personnel from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, and the United Kingdom are participating.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is deploying approximately 18 personnel:

• A task force commander;
• A deputy commander;
• A technical advisor;
• A supply technician;
• A team of combat engineers from the Canadian Army;
• A team of clearance divers from the Royal Canadian Navy;
• Two aviation technicians from the Royal Canadian Air Force; and
• Two health services specialists.

The clearance diving team is operating near the Russell Islands with an underwater explosive ordnance disposal team. The combat engineers and aviation technicians are part of a land explosive ordnance disposal team on Guadalcanal Island.

Irving facing significant challenges in building Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships

By: David Pugliese, Defence Watch with The Canadian Press

Assembly of Canada’s first Arctic offshore patrol ship on time and within budget is proving to be a “significant challenge” for the Irving Shipyard, though its top executive says a promised deadline will be met, the Canadian Press writes.

Here is the rest of the Canadian Press article:

Kevin McCoy said Wednesday his firm still plans to deliver the first of the ships designed to steam off Canada’s northern coasts in 2018, as originally announced.

However, he told reporters at a defence industry conference in Halifax that his firm’s efforts to create North America’s most modern shipyard from the ground up hasn’t been easy.

“Now I’ll tell you, starting a shipyard up from scratch … all new software, new training, over 700 new procedures in place, establishing a supply chain for shipbuilding in Canada, all of that is a significant challenge,” he said.

He also said he realizes that the new Liberal government is observing his company’s progress on the offshore patrol ships as precursor to the yet-to-be finalized contracts for the replacements for Canada’s aging warships.

That project could sustain the yard for the next two decades.

“Clearly it’s a confidence builder for the Canadian government. The Arctic ships are a great warmup to the Canadian surface combatant,” said McCoy, standing before a model of the ships conceived of by the Harper government.

Observers of the procurement process say the Liberal government has been looking for ways to curb costs on the Arctic patrol vessel program.

Michael Byers, a professor of political science at the University of British Columbia, says Ottawa will likely have to scale back on promises to create six to eight of the Arctic patrol vessels and 15 warships to replace much of Canada’s bluewater fleet.

The original 2011 shipbuilding strategy announced by the Harper government was an umbrella agreement that designated the Irving shipyard in Halifax and the Seaspan shipyard in British Columbia as the two locations.

However, the specific deals on how many ships will be completed is the subject of contracts being worked out between the yards and the Trudeau government.

Byers, who closely follows defence procurement, says the resurrection of the Davie shipyard in Levis, Que., has given National Defence a possible alternative where some of the shipbuilding work could be shared out – putting some pressure on the prime contractors to fulfil timelines and stay on budget.

Original projections put the cost of building 15 new vessels at $26 billion, but internal documents and reports published last fall suggest the bill could run as high as $40 billion, with the federal public works minister recently declining to provide updated figures.

Byers says the Arctic patrol ships are challenging because the Harper government chose to create a new type of vessel that no other country had built, which can lead to design challenges and delays.

“There will be real pressures to compromise on capabilities to keep costs down. The federal cabinet will be scrutinizing all of this closely,” he said.

Still, McCoy announced during his speech that the shipyard currently has 50 of the 64 modular pieces of the first Arctic patrol vessel, HMCS Harry Dewolf, in its facility, and it cut steel last month for the second vessel, HMCS Margaret Brooke.

The company has been trying to build public awareness of shipbuilding’s importance to the Canadian economy, billing itself as being the key to a sustainable national shipbuilding industry that will avoid previous boom and bust cycles.

The company handed out a glossy brochure Wednesday that highlights that the company has hired over 1,300 employees, and said the magazine will be distributed to every household in Halifax to increase awareness of progress at the yard.

Harper announced his plans for Arctic vessels during the 2006 federal election campaign, saying the Tories would build three armed icebreakers.

This promise was later transformed to six to eight Arctic offshore patrol vessels and a refueling berth in the Arctic.

(the above was written by the Canadian Press)

Peacekeeping in Africa: sober reflections

By: James Cox, CDA Institute 

Contrary to current media and public punditry, do not expect a major Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) deployment into Africa anytime soon. Some troops may go, as well as a few police and diplomats, but not enough to have any real effect.

Media jumped on the recent government announcement about re-engaging in United Nations peace support operations and focussed on the related announcement that up to 600 military troops and 150 police personnel could be made available for deployment. Defence commentators were only too happy to raise the volume on the subject.

Let’s step back a bit. Some sober reflection is required.

First, its important to remember that one of the government’s central policy planks during the last election, confirmed in the 2015 Speech from the Throne, was its intention to re-engage in United Nations (UN) peace support operations. Now, one of its priority aims is to gain a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council. In March, 2016, Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion addressed the United Nations Security Council and said:

"After almost 20 years, it is time for Canada to be at the Security Council to address global peace and security challenges. […] We seek a seat at the Security Council precisely because the world finds itself at a time when there is a pressing need to prevent violent extremism, to manage conflict and to respond to humanitarian crises. We know Canada can make a difference."

So, the recent government announcement should have come as no surprise, but it was both less deep and less aggressive than reported.

What government really announced was simply an apparent recommitment to support UN peace operations, to be managed – under the auspices of a new Peace and Stabilization Operations Program (PSOP), with a budget of $450 million over three years – by Global Affairs Canada.

PSOP is Canada’s “comprehensive, coordinated approach to support Canadian interests and UN peace efforts.” The announced details reflect whole-of-government terminology, calling upon diplomatic, development, law-enforcement and other assets, including military. A backgrounder identifies three core PSOP responsibilities:
Leadership on stabilization;
Support coordinated responses by the Government of Canada to conflicts and crises abroad; and
Design and deliver catalytic stabilization initiatives.

PSOP is simply a newer (Liberal) version of the former Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force (START), however, the PSOP promotional text tends to shun militaristic hyperbole, stating its intent to “go beyond military roles and work closely with local authorities and a range of international and regional partners.”

The program aims to concentrate on early warning, conflict prevention, dialogue, mediation and peacebuilding, and the empowerment of women in decision making for peace and security. As stated in a government backgrounder, this whole-of-government effort combines diplomacy, deployment, training and capacity-building efforts, and includes conflict prevention, mediation, peace operations and peacebuilding efforts, all of which constitutes a comprehensive approach drawing on civilian, police and military resources, with protection of civilians as a core concern.

We need not be concerned about another large military deployment because, as PSOP notes, “The Canadian Armed Forces are prepared to contribute personnel across a range of available capabilities, which could [author’s emphasis] include ground troops, leadership for command and headquarters positions, air transport, engineering and medical expertise, military and police training, and capacity building, in order to make a meaningful contribution to peace operations.” This is hardly a call to arms. There is no hint of frontline action here.

Besides, much of Canada’s meagre combat power is committed elsewhere, most field units are disturbingly under-strength and many of the named capabilities do not exist in the Reserve Force. The cupboards, if not bare, are certainly lightly occupied.

Despite this, Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan said, “Canada is committed to re-engaging in a full spectrum of multilateral peace operations. This is why we are making a significant pledge of military personnel and related capabilities for possible deployment to UN peace operations. Minister Sajjan went on to identify his ‘significant’ pledge of 600 troops without any further detail.

Many commentators quickly assumed that all or most of the 600 troops will be deployed on one complex and dangerous peace support mission in Africa, probably in Mali, maybe in South Sudan (both exceedingly difficult to support logistically). However, government pronouncements are far more non-committal than that. Government press notices say that the “exact size and composition of any future CAF deployment to a UN mission will be based on discussions with the UN and Canada’s partner nations, as well as an assessment of where Canada can best make a meaningful impact.”

Where will we go? What will we do? Defence Minister Sajjan has told us that his recent information-gathering visit to Africa provided a variety of authoritative opinions on where Canadian capabilities might best be deployed to have impact. But here’s the rub. If Canada proceeds to simply plug holes where no one else wants to go, it is hard to see exactly what worthwhile impact might be had. Moreover, this government tends to prefer training and support contributions which, while helpful and perhaps gratifying, are never decisive.

Government aversion to anything remotely resembling a combat mission is a guarantee that no large Canadian military contingent will deploy within sound of the guns. In this way, any future Canadian mission will probably reflect, once again, Liberal government (present and past) habits of sprinkling Canadian missions across the globe, simply to show the Canadian flag and create the impression that Canada “is back.” Where a previous government refused to “go along to get along,” the motto of the current government could well be, “how do you like me now?” “Sunny ways” are simply stage lighting for a bit player.

Don’t get me wrong. Whether deployed singly or in small groups, Canadian military, law enforcement, diplomatic, development, or any other personnel will perform admirably, but let’s face it, even if all $450 million were spent on one mission, and all 600 military personnel and 150 troops were deployed on the same mission, it’s not big enough to have a decisive impact on any UN peace support operation. So one must wonder why government makes such a big thing out of not much at all. It’s not such a big deal.

It seems that narcissistic political leadership and partisan hubris, mixed with a reluctance to directly engage nasty adversaries will steer future Canadian contributions away from any really meaningful role. In these circumstances, one must wonder whether it is worthwhile to put Canadian lives in danger abroad, simply for appearances.

———
Dr. James Cox is a Research Fellow with the Conference of Defence Associations Institute. He is a former Canadian Armed Forces Brigadier-General with extensive UN and NATO operational experience. He now teaches civil-military relations in the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, at Carleton University.

Canadian Surveillance Aircraft feeding ISIL bombing campaign with info

By: Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Despite the withdrawal of Canada's fighter jets from Iraq and Syria last spring, a senior officer says Canadian military aircraft are providing vital intelligence to allies for air strikes and other operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The Liberal government announced in February that it was ending Canadian combat operations in Iraq by withdrawing six CF-18s that had been part of the U.S.-led bombing campaign against ISIL since October 2014.

But the Liberals left behind a Polaris air-to-air refueller and two Aurora surveillance aircraft. Those aircraft have continued to support the bombing campaign against ISIL, also known as Daesh, even as public attention has turned to the role of Canadian special forces operatives in northern Iraq.

National Defence says the Polaris has flown 544 missions and delivered more than 14,200 tonnes of fuel to allied aircraft over the last two years. The Auroras, meanwhile, have flown 575 reconnaissance missions over ISIL territory.

Brig.-Gen. Shane Brennan, commander of Canada's Joint Task Force-Iraq, says at the same time the number of Canadian intelligence officers assigned to the anti-ISIL effort has grown to 50. Their mission is to analyze the pictures taken by the Auroras so the coalition can plan air strikes and ground operations.

"What we do is gather the trends and the activities of what is happening with Daesh," Brennan said from the task force's headquarters in Kuwait. "That is used to support what you would call targeting, whether that's munitions-based or lethal targeting, or other types of targeting."

Brennan described the work of the Auroras and intelligence officers as a "critical contribution" to the fight against ISIL.

"In military operations, the planning and intelligence preparation is usually a key to success," he said. "In this way, we're actually feeding into the larger coalition process and making a significant difference."

U.S. and other coalition officials have credited the bombing campaign with helping to push ISIL back after it initially overran large swaths of Iraq and Syria in 2014. But there have also been concerns about civilian casualties, particularly following a series of U.S. strikes around the Syrian city of Manbij in July.

Brennan said the Auroras were not involved identifying targets in Manbij and have instead been flying over northern Iraq in support of the coming battle for the city of Mosul.

Preparations to liberate Mosul from ISIL have become the main focus for allied and Iraqi forces over the last few months, given that the city is the last major urban centre still controlled by the militant group in Iraq.

The approximately 2,000 Kurds trained by Canada over the last two years aren't expected to actually enter Mosul when the battle begins, but will instead secure territory to the north and east while the Iraqi military clears the city. At the same time, Brennan said Canada will be contributing in other ways.

An additional helicopter is being deployed into the area — bringing the total to four — to help transport troops and equipment. In addition, a field hospital is set to be deployed from Canadian Forces Base Petawawa.

But Brennan also acknowledged the many political challenges facing Iraq besides ISIL. Those include questions about the country's long-term stability, particularly given Kurdish desires for independence, and the surprise sacking of Iraq's minister of defence on corruption charges last month.

"It is a difficult time for the government of Iraq," he said. "Obviously there's all kinds of challenges that occur within a diverse country like that as well."

The good news, Brennan said, is that there are discussions between central Iraqi officials and the semi-autonomous Kurdish government in the north of the country. In addition, he said, the interim defence minister previously served with the Iraqi security forces.

"So we're very confident that we're not going to see this as a setback in the ongoing planning for Mosul. So there's good stability from that particular front," he said. "But all these things are of concern, that is true."

- Follow @leeberthiaume on Twitter.

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

HMCS Preserver to be paid off in ceremony Oct. 21

By: David Pugliese,

HMCS Preserver is currently being used for a “Harbour Replenishment Role.” But in May, the RCN confirmed to Defence Watch it intended to pay off the ship in the coming months. “The RCN’s intent is to pay off HMCS Preserver later in 2016, with an exact date yet to be determined,” Royal Canadian Navy spokesman Lt(N) Kelly Boyden said at the time. “Until such time, Preserver will continue its role of supporting the Atlantic Fleet by conducting alongside replenishment.”

Now Halifax Shipping News has more details. It says the ceremony will be held on Friday, October 21, 2016. The date for the paying off ceremony was revealed in the Halifax city council agenda as a request for a flypast, it reported.

The Royal Canadian Navy has also confirmed with Defence Watch on the Oct. 21 date. The event will happen at 1 p.m. As for the flypast, the RCN says those details are still being worked out. Defence Watch will update once more info becomes available.