10 Oct – Naval Warfare Officers, Sub-Lieutenants Ashley Clark and Sara Dawe keep a close eye on the NATO allies ahead of them as HMCS Halifax sails in a group formation off the coast of Spain.
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IN THE NEWS
Nov 21
The Chinese government’s apparent success in recruiting U.S.-based scientists and researchers to work indirectly for Beijing has prompted the Senate to press the FBI to work with universities and federal research bodies which dole out billions in grant money. A bipartisan subcommittee has found that research results have been co-opted for China’s benefit since the early 2000s.
Nov 21
There’s a long-standing tradition that the captain of a vessel is ultimately responsible for the fate of his or her ship and its crew. U.S. Navy Cdr Bryce Benson acknowledged that by accepting responsibility for a fatal June 2017 collision between his destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, and a cargo ship off Japan even though he was asleep in his cabin at the time and the on-duty crew did not follow procedure. Last year, the USN -- responding to political pressure in Congress after another fatal collision between another USN destroyer and a tanker -- decided to court-martial both commanders in connection with their sailors’ deaths.
Nov 21
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance’s foreign ministers have for the first time formally declared space to be as much an “operational domain” as air, land, sea and cyberspace. He says this enables NATO planners to request allies’ capabilities and services such as hours of satellite time. He also says the ministers consider the domain essential to deterrence and defense, including the ability to navigate, gather intelligence and detect missile launches.
Nov 21
Global Affairs Canada evidently has not uncovered any credible evidence linking exports to Saudi Arabia of Light Armoured Vehicles to alleged human rights violations by the Saudi government. This has been disclosed in the details of a briefing note prepared earlier this year for Chrystia Freeland when she was still Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Nov 21
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-time rival, Benny Gantz, has failed to form a new government by a Nov. 20 deadline, potentially setting up the country for an unprecedented third election in less than a year. Gantz, a former military chief, was tapped as the prime minister-designate last month after Netanyahu failed to cobble together a coalition government in the wake of inconclusive September elections.
Nov 21
A young corporal alleges he faced reprisals after choosing to accompany a female colleague to report sexual assault incidents in 2013. Citing verified facts, an April 2016 report by a DND grievance analyst concluded that allegations subsequent to his support of the young woman were inaccurate and that his actions were properly justified, and yet everyone along the line, ultimately to General Vance's office, eventually looked the other way as the young man's integrity was destroyed.
Nov 20
Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence since he was appointed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s inaugural cabinet four years ago, has retained that responsibility in the Nov. 20 reshuffled cabinet. Sajjan, 49, a Vancouver MP and former Canadian Armed Forces officer, who was deployed three times to Afghanistan, stays on a time when the government continues to wrestle with overdue major procurement programs. Lawrence MacAuley, 73, a Prince Edward Island MP since 1988 and a minister in earlier cabinets, also is staying on as Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, appointed to those posts last March.
Nov 20
Sergei Chemezov, chief executive officer of Rostec, Russia's state-owned defence export company, says that despite U.S. sanctions, his country’s arms sales are on track to match last year’s revenues. It had confirmed the equivalent of US$11 billion in exports by the end of October and Chemezov is optimistic that 2019 will yield between $13.5 billion and $13.7 billion.
Nov 20
Nearly two decades of war in Iraq and Afghanistan have seen improvised explosive devices evolve as a major threat to western forces. However, all U.S. Marine Corps ordnance disposal specialists now have a new detector for finding buried IED command detonation wires.
Nov 20
BAE Systems Technology has a $104.7 million U.S. Navy contract to provide lifetime engineering and technical services aboard some naval and U.S. Coast Guard vessels. Work is expected to be completed by 2025 at yards in several states.
Nov 20
The U.S. Navy says it has accelerated processing of recruits by using fingerprinting rather than traditional signatures on their paperwork. Having gone into effect Oct. 1, biometrics enables recruiters to work digitally instead of printing pages for signatures which then had to be scanned into their system. Before the new approach was put in place, prospective sailors had an enlistment kit of about 150 pages, each requiring four copies.
Nov 20
Even though the Bell-Boeing CV-22 Osprey is relatively new to U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, a successor platform is already being considered. Its director of strategic plans, programs and requirements admits that the tilt-rotor has enhanced how special operations are mounted, he would like to see more cargo-carrying capacity, higher speed and stealthier capability.
Nov 20
Israeli says its continued missile strikes into Syria are in response to rocket attacks by an Iranian unit in the Damascus area. Syria officials say two civilians died and its air defences shot down most of the Israeli missiles. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since civil war erupted in 2011, saying it is trying counter Iran's “military entrenchment” and block shipments of Iranian weapons to Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
Nov 20
Iran’s deployment of military in support of allies across the Middle East is contributing to increased destabilization of the region, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency says in a report released Nov. 18. While it considers Iran’s extraterritorial capability “limited”, it has conducted operations as far afield as China, South Africa and the Mediterranean.
Nov 20
A perceived looming crisis from declining ranks of qualified and interested recruit apparently is prompting some to suggest that restoring compulsory service might be the solution. The Pentagon estimates that of the 30 per cent of the four million Americans who could age-qualify for military service every year, only a small percentage seem willing.
Nov 20
In a significant departure from years of abstention, Canada voted Nov. 19 in favour of a United Nations resolution which supports Palestinians' right to self-determination. The initiative was opposed by the U.S. and Israel as well as three small Pacific island nations dependent on U.S. support. A Global Affairs Canada official says the Canadian vote is a message that it Canada disagrees with the Nov. 18 announcement by Washington that Israeli settlements in the contested West Bank are not “per se” inconsistent with international law.
Nov 19
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper says more U.S. patrols in the South China Sea are proof of his country’s determination to maintain freedom in a region crucial for global trade. He told reporters the U.S. “rejects attempts by any nation to use coercion or intimidation to advance international interests at the expense of others.” A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman countered by accusing the U.S. of having long sought to “fan the flames” in the region.
Nov 19
Amid widespread discussion about NATO’s long-term viability, Prime Minister Trudeau and key ministers are preparing to attend 70th anniversary celebrations in London next month. Robert Baines, president of the NATO Association of Canada, credits the alliance with having maintained decades of relative peace and security. While concerned about its future and the implications for Canada, he says Trudeau could play the “Canadian archetype of the peacemaker and the bridge-builder” between the U.S. and Europe.
Nov 19
A widely-anticipated U.S. Air Force contract for military space launches has been successfully challenged by Blue Origin – set up by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos – before a contract has even been issued. The Government Accountability Organization upheld the challenge to how the USAF had structured the contract which is expected to lead to the selection of two launch-providers next year.
Nov 19
Fresh off a general election which renewed his mandate, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says any moves to question NATO’s collective defenses are a threat to the future of the European Union and the military alliance. French President Emmanuel Macron had said earlier this month that NATO was experiencing “brain death” due to U.S. unpredictability and a lack of coordination.
Nov 19
Lockheed Martin has received a sole-source $3.3 billion contract for operations, logistics and support of three U.S. Air Force six-satellite constellations. The Canadian Armed Forces and its British and Dutch counterparts also use data from the satellites. LM has been the preferred contractor on the programs since 2009.
Nov 19
A former U.S. Marine who holds Canadian, British and Irish passports in addition to his U.S. documentation, remains in custody in Russia on espionage charges. A court has rejected Paul Whelan’s appeal of the extension of his detention until late December. Detained 11 months, he says he was set up for political reasons.
Nov 19
While it continues to learn from its experience with the Lockheed Martin F-35, the U.S. Air Force ism’t ready to commit to a next-generation fighter design. LGen David Nahom, USAF deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, points out that ongoing F-35 deliveries and the still relatively young LM F-22 Raptor fleet means “we’re not in a hurry.”
Nov 19
The U.S. Department of Defense evidently is considering mothballing 21 of its 35 Northgrop Grumman RA-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial systems as part of a shift toward other capabilities. The proposal has been submitted to the Office of the Secretary of Defense for review.
Nov 19
Saab’s fast-paced development of its GlobalEye airborne early warning and control platform, based on a Bombardier Global 6000, is being set up for imminent delivery. The Swedish company rolled out the first aircraft in 2018, flew it a month later, and expects to deliver to its launch customer, the United Arab Emirates, in 2020.
ISSUES & IDEAS
As preparations continue for the forthcoming NATO summit in London, Canada once again is considered as a “defence freeloader”.
Registration is still open for the Canadian Global Affairs Institute’s upcoming conference, "Defence Procurement in the 43rd Parliament" taking place on Wednesday, November 20th at the Chateau Laurier. Finalized program now available.
How does thousands in compensation for a tortured Canadian Veteran, crippled for life from his commitment to serve the will of the Canadian govt, compare to the millions in payouts to Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati, Muayyed Nureddin, Omar Khadr, and Maher Arar. After years of indifference by his own government, the soldier remarked: “It may be the law, but it isn’t fair and it isn’t just.”
FEATURED ARTICLES 2019 |
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For this year's selection of Top Global Innovators, FrontLine has gathered a select group of organizations that take their Public Safety, Defence and National Security innovative priorities seriously.
The Royal Canadian Navy’s “Canadian Leaders at Sea” is a unique recruiting tool. We need to make sure that our youth know of the opportunities and possibilities that await onboard Canadian ships.
BY KEN POLE
After more than a year of operations, Canada's Air Task Force involved in Operation Presence-Mali has almost completed its mission. All that’s left is to ship eight helicopters and other sensitive materiel safely home.
BY HUDSON ON THE HILL
The Arctic and Northern Policy Framework was quietly released the day before an election was called. What does that signify about priorities for the Arctic?
BY EUGENE GERDEN
With 2020 budget projections in place, Japan is steadily increasing its national defence spending and building aircraft carriers.
What do you do after an 18-year career in the Armed Forces? One answer is consider a career in the cyber security sector.
BY GARRY W.G. CLEMENT
Is ethics at risk in Canada? To understand the public outcry and decision by the Ethics Commissioner, let’s delve into the allegations against SNC-Lavalin and examine related actions taken by the government.
With a federal election underway, what better time to discuss the consequences of incentivizing regional distribution in this Value Prop era?
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 these critical sectors.