RCN takes delivery of the second Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), HMCS Margaret Brooke.
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Sep 25
Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor are back in Canada nearly three years after being detained in China on alleged espionage charges in apparent retaliation for Canada detaining Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of the U.S. A legal deal between Meng and the U.S. Sept. 25 set the stage for mutual repatriation. Kovrig and Spavor arrived in Calgary early today aboard an RCAF CC-144 Bombardier Challenger transport; Kovrick was flown on to Toronto.
Sep 24
Britain’s Chief of the Defence Staff, Army Gen Sir Nick Carter, is “keen to cooperate . . . in terms of helping Canada do what Canada needs to do as an Arctic country.” He says this could include cold-weather exercises and working to improve surveillance and defence in the region. Both countries have participated in exercises in Norway and the British Army has a long history of training in Canada.
Sep 23
A Canadian resident allegedly involved in Nazi war crimes has died at the age of 97 even as the federal government was finalizing a 26-year effort to deport him. The government’s position was that Helmut Oberlander’s immigration was illegal because he had concealed his role as an interpreter for a Nazi death squad during Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union.
Sep 23
France’s outrage over Australia’s abrupt cancellation of a $66-billion submarine contract evidently is raising concerns about possible responses which could affect not only European defence sharing but also possible procurements from U.S. industry. As a participant in several multinational EU defence projects, France, which has veto power over other countries’ participation, is angered by U.S. involvement in the submarine controversy
Sep 23
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is calling on the international community to forestall catastrophic fallout from last February’s military coup in Myanmar. “The national consequences are terrible and tragicthe regional consequences could also be profound,” Michelle Bachelet said in a statement today. “The international community must redouble its efforts to restore democracy and prevent wider conflict before it is too late.”
Sep 22
The U.S. Air Force has chosen L3Harris Technologies to provide the latest in ordnance disposal systems. The contract for up to 170 of the company’s T7 units, modified from a design for the British Army, is said to be worth $85 million, including support, maintenance and training with first deliveries expected next year.
Sep 22
The U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen Mark Milley, met in Helsinki Sept. 21 with his Russian counterpart, Gen Valery Gerasimov. U.S. “basing rights” and other counterterrorism support in countries bordering Afghanistan were the key points of discussion against a backdrop of strong Russian opposition to an extended U.S. presence in the region.
Sep 22
The Secret Service is the latest U.S. agency to have bought drones from a Chinese company the Defense Department considers a potential national security. Manufactured by Shenzhen-based DJI, they have become a global stable for recreational and other applications. It’s reported that efforts to block other U.S. law enforcement agencies and the military from similar procurements have become stuck in bureaucratic red tape.
Sep 21
Australia’s recent politically-explosive cancellation of a nuclear submarine project involving France should not have come as a surprise, some politicians in Canberra said today. There had been long-standing concerns about delays, ballooning costs and an independent project oversight board headed by a former U.S. Navy Secretary had said two years ago that Australia should reconsider its options.
Sep 21
A hoped-for meeting at UN headquarters between Iran and British, European, Chinese and Russian officials did not take place. EU policy chief Josep Borrell, who has coordinated the 2015 nuclear deal from with the U.S. withdrew in 2019, said the tentative meeting to resurrect the deal was “not in the agenda” for the overall UN session. “The important thing is not this ministerial meeting, but the will of all parties to resume negotiations,” he said Sept. 20 in anticipation of a meeting with an Iranian official today.
Sep 21
Kevin Vuong, a navy reservist who had been running as a Liberal candidate in the Toronto riding of Spadina-Fort York in the Sept. 20 federal election, won the seat despite being dumped by the party after it was disclosed that he had been charged with sexual assault several years ago. The charge was eventually dropped but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the party’s decision was “the right thing to do.” Vuong is expected to sit as an Independent MP.
Sep 21
The Quebec civil trial of MGen. Dany Fortin, summarily ousted by the government from his job of overseeing Canada’s COVID-19 logistics effort in May, has been adjourned to Nov. 5. The development was announced Sept. 20 after his lawyers gave the prosecution documents they said are relevant to Fortin’s sexual assault case resulting from an alleged incident three decades ago.
Sep 21
Prime Minister Justin’s push for a parliamentary majority he said was needed for his government to address ongoing issues effectively has failed. With mailed ballots still to be counted today, his party was on track to take 157 of the 338 seats in the House of Commons. This was well short of the 170 needed for a majority and essentially left the Liberals in the same position as when Trudeau called the election in mid-August.
Sep 21
The USAF Special Operations Command has unveiled plans for an amphibious version of the Lockheed Martin MC-130J Hercules transport, which has a maximum takeoff weight of 74.4 tonnes. AFSOC Commander LGen Slife said Sept. 20 that “our plan is to conduct a demo by the 31st of December next year” in a bid to facilitate a broader range of missions in littoral regions.
Sep 20
At a time when Russia and Belarus have been holding large-scale exercises, Ukraine today began a joint exercise of its own with military forces from 14 countries, including the U.S., Canada and other NATO members. Exercise Rapid Trident 2021 involves 4,00 Ukrainian and 2,000 foreign troops.
Sep 20
United Russia, which is loyal to President Vladimir Putin, has won the latest election but with a slightly-reduced margin of victory, taking nearly half the vote compared with 54 per cent in 2016. However, there have been allegations of widespread fraud and one video has surfaced of a ballot box apparently being stuffed.
Sep 20
A variant of the Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport is being offered by Lockheed Martin for the USAF’s upcoming “bridge tanker” competition, which could involve up to 160 aircraft by 2029. Up against Boeing’s incumbent 767-based KC-46 Pegasus platform, the LMXT includes an upgraded communications suite for joint all-domain command and control as well as enhanced range and tanking capabilities.
Sep 20
Gregory Ford, whose lengthy career includes more than 16 years as a Special Agent with the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service as well as time on the FBI Terrorism Task Force, has been sworn in as the first civilian director of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command. His appointment comes on the heels of controversy about the military’s handling of the murder last year of a female Army Specialist in Texas.
Sep 20
The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen Mark Milley, says that calls to his Chinese counterpart in the dying days of President Donald Trump’s administration were “perfectly within the duties and responsibilities” of his job. Some critics have said the calls were inappropriate but Milley says they were a “routine” measure “to reassure both allies and adversaries in this case in order to ensure strategic stability.”
Sep 20
Having recalled its ambassadors to Australia and the U.S. after the two had announced a nuclear submarine deal last week, France has cancelled a meeting this week between Defence Minister Florence Parly and her British counterpart, Ben Wallace. While the deal resulted in Australia’s abrupt cancellation of a contract for French subs, it also involve security and intelligence cooperation measures seen as a key to countering China’s growing influence in the South China
Sep 20
Kevin Vuong, a navy reservist who had been running as a Liberal candidate in Toronto in today’s federal election, has been effectively dumped by the party after it was reported that he had been charged with sexual assault several years ago – a charge which was eventually dropped. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau justified the decision, saying on the weekend that “it’s the right thing to do.”
Sep 20
U.S. Army ordnance disposal troops have begun a deployment to Canadian Armed Forces Base Borden in Ontario for Exercise Ardent Defender. The five-week exercise with military and law enforcement personnel from 11 countries is designed to share best practices and techniques pertaining to what the lead CAF planner, Maj Atif Rizvi, calls “current and emerging threats.”
Sep 20
The U.S. military has admitted that 10 civilians, mostly children, were killed by a U.S. air strike even as its 20-year mission in Afghanistan was being wound down. There were initial claims that the principal target was associated with a terrorist group but it has subsequently been shown that he was an aid worker. Families of the victims now are seeking “justice” and the U.S. says it is considering reparations in a “very difficult” environment.
Sep 20
The trial of the former Chief of the Defence Staff on a charge of obstruction of justice has been adjourned to Oct. 15 by Ontario provincial court. Retired Gen Jonathan Vance was charged by military police in July in relation to an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
Sep 17
A senior Chinese military officer is reported to have collaborated on virus research as recently as last year with one of two expatriate scientists fired in 2019 from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. Their dismissal remains a political issue for the Canadian government due to public health agency officials’ lack of cooperation with a parliamentary inquiry.
ISSUES & IDEAS
What are economists in Canada saying about efforts to guide a strong recovery? What are epidemiologists around the globe saying about the swing towards vaccine-resistant mutations that will render current vaccines ineffective?
As the Taliban sweeps across Afghanistan, it is important to appreciate how the dire situation faced by Afghan interpreters is re-traumatizing Canadian Veterans and causing distress to their families.
Afghans once put their lives and those of their families at risk to assist the Canadian Forces mission in Afghanistan in the hopes of a better future. While the Taliban threatens to make grisly examples of those left behind, our govt demands a lengthy documentation and validation process. Something is wrong with this picture.
FEATURED ARTICLES 2021 |
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BY FRONTLINE
FrontLine has gathered the key industry leaders in the defence and national security sectors. These are the project primes and specialized subcontractors that provide Top Quality solutions for the critical missions of the Canadian Armed Forces.
BY PAUL MANSON
The history of military equipment acquisition in Canada includes some notable failures, but also some solid success stories. Can any of these lessons be applied effectively in the struggle to reverse the continuing decline in Canada’s defence procurement situation today?
BY CHRIS MACLEAN
There are so many areas where disruptive change is long, long overdue. And there is a solution (probably the only truly workable one) to the deep-rooted problem of disrespect for all minorities – in government, in industry, and the in uniformed services.
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.
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...
The art of deception and misdirection, particularly in the cyber domain, is being widely practiced and diligently perfected by others. The dangers of social media deception are real, but are we countering?