31 May, Kuwait - BGen Timothy Arsenault, presides over the Air Task Force - Impact transfer of command authority between LCol Curtis Wright, and incoming Commander, LCol Derek Mattinen.
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IN THE NEWS
Jun 23
The House of Commons adjourned for a two-month summer recess today with party leaders trading shots which some see as a harbinger of a fall election. The adjournment followed approval of several key minority Liberal government bills which now go before the Senate. A fall election would come only halfway through the Liberals’ 2019 mandate but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the current parliamentary session has become toxically unproductive.
Jun 23
Members of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command will be conducting routine training in the vicinity of the Connaught Ranges, West of Ottawa, on 25 June 2021, between the hours of 9:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Jun 23
Attempts by the U.S. Congress to take prosecution of sexual assaults and some other offences in the military out of the chain of command have the support of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a retired Army General. His June 22 announcement came only hours after the Joint Chiefs Chairman and each of the service heads warned that changing the Uniform Code of Military Justice could have unintended consequences for discipline.
Jun 23
The RCMP is investigating possible “serious terrorism offences” by a Canadian citizen who became known as the “voice of ISIS” for narrating execution videos. An RCMP affidavit unsealed in court June 22 says it had reason to believe that Mohamed Khalifa from Toronto, in custody in Syria after being captured in 2019 by Kurdish forces, had committed four offences.
Jun 23
U.S. Army scientists working primarily on COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics are warning that that an even deadlier pandemic is a distinct possibility. “If we try to chase the viruses after they emerge, we’re always going to be behind,” says Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, head of the Walter Reed infectious diseases program. The approach being taken now involves nanoparticles through which ”we can place parts of different coronaviruses on to the same vaccine to educate the immune system about different coronaviruses all at the same time.”
Jun 23
Despite increased ransomware and other cyberattacks, U.S. companies evidently are reluctant to invest in appropriate protection until they are directly affected. Concerned about the potential for economic and strategic harm, the National Security Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency say businesses need detailed resilience plans, including manual overrides when automated controls fail.
Jun 22
Gregory Lick, the National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman, is demanding that the government which appointed him in 2018 give him “full independence” from DND and the minister’s office. Presenting a position paper today, he slammed government for putting “political interests” ahead of dealing the ongoing misconduct problem which he said “is moving from crisis to tragedy.”
Jun 22
Tim Keating, Boeing’s top lobbyist as its head of government relations, has abruptly resigned with no immediate explanation. CEO David Calhoun says Marc Allen, the company’s chief strategy officer, would replace him for the time being.
Jun 22
There is an urgent need for the federal government to safeguard its reserves of rare earth minerals used in strategic and consumer applications, says a parliamentary committee. “This study should be a wake-up call,” it says. “It has been made abundantly clear that the overarching issue within this industry is the fact that the federal government has created a business environment where Canada will be unable to meet the growing global demand for critical minerals and, therefore, be reliant on other countries to meet our needs.”
Jun 21
The House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence adjourned for the summer today without issuing a report on the government's handling of alleged misconduct by senior military officers. involving senior military officers. A Liberal member of the committee spent 30 minutes of its last two-hour session faulting opposition parties for stalling the process.
Jun 21
Minnesota-based 3M has been found partly liable for an Army veteran’s hearing loss from using the company’s earplugs during active service. A federal jury in Florida concluded that while the products weren’t defective, the company had failed to provide warnings, so it found 3M 62 per cent liable in awarding damages in the third such case in the last few months.
Jun 21
Two German parliamentary committees are expected to consider this week a defence department request for nearly €4.5 billion to cover its share of developing a Future Combat Air System in collaboration with France and Spain. The funding would cover research and performance data through to 2027 while a technology demonstrator is tested.
Jun 21
The commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, USAF Gen Glen VanHerck, says Russia’s growing fleet of nuclear submarines are nearly on par with USN boats. He also has told Congress that the increasingly modernized Chinese navy poses an increasingly capable submarine threat.
Jun 21
Quarantine restrictions are to be eased, beginning, July 5 for fully-vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents returning to Canada as long as they test negative for COVID-19. Announcing the relaxation today, the government said that with few exceptions, vaccinated foreigners still would be quarantined.
Jun 21
The NATO Communication and Information Agency plans to procure new cyber defence systems as part of a sweeping upgrade. Starting in early 2022 and worth a projected €27 billion to contractors, the project includes new firewalls, penetration testing tools, and other defensive technologies.
Jun 21
Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line veteran of Iran’s judiciary, has been elected as the country’s next president, effective in August when the moderate leader Hassan Rouhani’s term expires. Raisi, who oversaw the abduction and secret execution of political prisoners, also is seen as a likely successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Jun 21
When Donald Trump arbitrarily withdrew the U.S. from a multinational nuclear accord with Iran in 2018 and imposed crushing economic sanctions, there were suggestions that it would backfire, entrenching conservative hard-liners in Tehran for years to come. Their concerns evidently were justified.
Jun 21
Israel’s new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, is calling on the U.S. and its allies to “wake up” to the threat still posed by Iran even as talks continue about reviving a nuclear agreement. He says Iran’s “regime of brutal hangmen” is determined to have nuclear weapons despite repeated denials out of Tehran.
Jun 18
Canada’s border with the U.S. will remain closed to non-essential travel until July 21and restrictions on visitors from other countries also are being extended by an additional month. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair used social media today to confirm the government’s decision, adding that more details would be forthcoming June 21 on easing restrictions for fully vaccinated Canadians and others currently unable to return to or visit Canada.
Jun 18
European and U.S. rotorcraft companies are expected to go head-to-head in a NATO-led effort to field a new multi-role helicopter by 2035. Many of the alliance’s member states are launching a joint effort to develop common requirements and develop a timeline for designing, developing and deploying the new aircraft.
Jun 18
A class action lawsuit has been filed in Alberta against the federal government over its handling of a Canadian Armed Forces chaplain’s sexual abuse of children over nearly two decades. Vancouver resident Bobbie Bees, a victim of abuse at CFB Edmonton, said June 17 he decided to proceed because DND and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan were “unwilling to assist military dependants who were sexually abused on military bases” in the 1970s and 1980s.
Jun 18
An Opposition motion to censure Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan for his handling of the misconduct crisis in the Canadian Armed Forces, among other things, was approved by a vote of 169-151 in the House of Commons June 17. The motion has no legal ramifications but Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, a former RCAF officer, had called earlier in the week for the minister’s resignation.
Jun 18
The UN General Assembly today appointed António Guterres to a second five-year term as Secretary General, effective next January. The Security Council had already recommended reappointment of the former Portugese prime minister.
Jun 17
An all-party House of Commons committee says the government should give more weight to national security than costs of information technology and security hardware procurements. In its report to Parliament, the committee expressed concerns about Chinese state-owned enterprises and recommended more rigorous screening of contractors who install and maintain equipment in sensitive facilities such as embassies.
Jun 17
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has dismissed as premature a suggestion on social media by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that his country had been “confirmed” as an alliance member. While the U.S. and others affirmed support for Ukraine during the recent NATO, Stoltenberg pointed out that “you need consensus among 30 allies” and “this was not the focus of this summit.”
ISSUES & IDEAS
In a fiery speech, Major Barbara Maisonneuve (retired) addressed the Cadet Wing and staff at RMC Saint-Jean in 2018. Her cautionary "common sense approach" to human relations is even more relevant today.
DND alerted media Friday evening that MGen Dany Fortin, the public face of the federal vaccine rollout, is under investigation. Zero details. Short and cryptic. CTV News jumped into action and the details they uncovered highlight how damaging unnamed allegations can be.
It is most unfortunate that the recent MND announcement about sexual misconduct left us with the impression that this is another study to study previous studies! It did not explain well.
FEATURED ARTICLES 2021 |
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BY PAUL CHURCH
When the Government awards contracts for defence-related projects, it is keen to see supply chain work done in Canada, as much as possible. In theory, this prioritizes economic investment within Canada as a quid pro quo for the large and lucrative defence contracts. But in practice...
BY CHRIS MACLEAN
The Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff, who holds authority over the Provost Marshall, submitted his resignation Monday following criticism over his decision to golf with former CDS General Vance who is currently under military police investigation for misconduct. His judgement was short-sighted, but is it enough to ruin a career?
As acting CDS, Lieutenant-General Wayne Eyre has just announced additions to the 2021 list of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) General and Flag Officer senior appointments and promotions.
BY ROBBIN LAIRD
The North Atlantic is a core part of the global defence challenge. Under the leadership of U.S. Vice-Admiral Lewis and his Canadian Vice Commander, the "new" U.S. 2nd fleet is breaking the mold to create a reconfigurable force that can seamlessly integrate with other fleets. This includes forging strong relationships, utilizing new technologies, and building innovative concepts of operations.