Sept 2022 – Members of the Canadian, American and Romanian Armed Forces conduct a Crash Test exercise at the Romanian Air Base as part of Op Reassurance.
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IN THE NEWS
Oct 03
Ukraine’s fast-tracked application for NATO membership was supported October 2 by nine European members of the alliance which also urged all 30 members to ramp up their military aid in the face of Russian expansionism. The message of support was issued by the leaders of Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Oct 03
A draft resolution to condemn Russia’s annexation of four regions in eastern Ukraine was predictably vetoed by Russia when put to the UN Security Council. China and India, along with Brazil and India, abstained as the U.S.-Albania resolution was approved by all other council members.
Oct 03
Sharing information about space traffic is generally acknowledged as a critical international safety issue but a recent international meeting in Hawaii was told that China is uncooperative. “They’re just simply not sharing information,” said Richard DalBello of the U.S. National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration, echoed by a European Commission delegate. “We cannot safely operate in space if a major space participant isn’t actively engaged.”
Oct 03
The federal government has approved requests from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador for more assistance in dealing with the aftermath of the storm which ravaged the region a week ago. The Canadian Armed Forces, Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada are helping to remove debris and providing aerial imagery and mapping data as well as supporting roadworks.
Oct 03
General Wayne Eyre, the Chief of the Defence Staff, worries that his forces’ state of readiness might not be able to respond to pressures at home and abroad. “Our national prosperity is underpinned by our ability to defend the rules-based international order,” he said October 3. “But our national prosperity is also underpinned by our ability to fight these disasters at home.”
Sep 30
Two recent Iranian attempts to steal autonomous Saildrones at sea apparently don’t bother the California-based manufacturer. Rather, CEO Richard Jenkins calls the experience “incredibly valuable” and says any organization operating unmanned ships should expect hostility. “And if someone takes it, good luck,” he adds. “Keep it, it’s worthless. We’ve got hundreds.”
Sep 30
A proposed significant hike in U.S. security assistance for Taiwan currently before the U.S. Senate is being questioned by U.S. analysts who are focusing on civilian oversight of the island state’s military and how it recruits and trains personnel. “Weapons, tools, hardware, buying the right powerful platform — this is totally besides the question,” says Paul Huang, a Taipei-based fellow at the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation in Washington. “You’re looking at a military that is just totally stuck in the past, that is not adapting to new realities, the civil-military relations are completely outdated.”
Sep 30
The suicide last January of an RCAF officer and Afghanistan veteran, Major Cristian Hiestand, has eventually prompted a DND investigation of a Military Police officer’s handling of a sexual assault complaint against him. Hiestand was charged days after he had ended a brief relationship with the female complainant. The lawyer representing Hiestand’s family, retired Lieutenant Colonel Rory Fowler, said Hiestand was not interviewed before being charged and relieved of duty.
Sep 30
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston wants the Canadian Armed Forces to more than double its involvement in cleaning up the widespread dmage caused by last weekend’s post-tropical storm Fiona. There current are some 350 CAF personnel on the ground but Houston said September 29 that while he is “thankful to the federal government”, he would like that boosted to 1,000.
Sep 30
Increasingly concerned about China’s influence in the South Pacific, the U.S. signed an agreement with 14 states and announced $810 million in financial support. China proposed a sweeping trade and security deal with 10 countries in the region this summer only to shelve the plan when many rejected it.
Sep 30
Having signed degrees declaring the “independence” of four Ukrainian regions the night before, Russian President Vladimir used a ceremony in Moscow today to unleash a 37-minute diatribe against Ukraine’s allies. Lauding his own military despite its strategic failures in his invasion of Ukraine, he accused the “satanic” West of rejecting morality and religion and railed on the topic of gender identity.
Sep 30
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is applying for fast-track NATO membership and is ready to talk with anyone in the Kremlin except his counterpart. Committed to co-existence with Russia “on equal, dignified and fair conditions,” he said today that is impossible with Vladimir Putin because “he does not know what dignity and honesty are.”
Sep 29
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he wants Canada to head a “swift and large-scale” landmine removal effort to deal with munitions left by Russian forces. “I invited Prime Minister Trudeau to lead a global effort,” he said September 27. “Ukraine's territory has one of the greatest concentrations of mines in the world.” Canada has spearheaded global campaigns since the 1990s and was instrumental in the 1999 Ottawa Convention signed by 133 states (but neither the U.S. nor Russia) to outlaw the weapons.
Sep 29
Jeremy Mackenzie, leader of the right-wing Dioagolon movement, which also is said to include military personnel, was arrested September 27 by Halifax Regional Police on a Canada-wide warrant. His partner, also detained, said the couple “waited in the driveway for them and cooperated.”
Sep 29
Following up on a commitment this summer by Defence Minister Sebastian Lecornu, the French government today unveiled a €43.9-billion defence budget for 2023 in a move toward a “war economy.” That total would amount to a 7.2 per cent increase from 20220 and would be 36 per cent higher than in 2017. Equipment would account for €38 billion of next year’s budget but there also would be increase spending on cyber, space and seabed defence.
Sep 29
U.S. companies stand to benefit most from a Lithuanian government decision to increase its current military budget “in the context of the war started by Russia” in Ukraine. The additional funding paves the way for procurement of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems from Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control as well as Switchblade loitering munitions from AeroVironment in Virginia and light tactical vehicles from Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense.
Sep 29
Defence Minister Anita Anand today defended mandatory coronavirus vaccination for the Canadian Armed Forces after it was dismissed as “discriminatory and unscientific” by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. “It’s a force that must be ready at all times to conduct domestic and international military operations, sometimes in places with limited or no access to specialized medical care, sometimes in very close quarters with their fellow Canadian Armed Forces members,” Anand said today. She also said the Chief of the Defence Staff is reviewing the policy after the government lifted its mandate for other employees.
Sep 29
In the 11 months since coronavirus vaccination became mandatory for the Canadian Armed Forces, 299 members have been discharged for non-compliance with a policy to “ensure operational readiness.” In addition, 108 requested to leave voluntarily, meaning that the total separations amounted to some 0.56 per cent of the total CAF membership.
Sep 28
A U.S. Navy nuclear engineer and his wife entered new guilty pleas September 27 to charges of plotting to sell secrets about nuclear-powered warships, a month after initial plea agreements were rejected. A U.S. District Court judge in West Virginia had ruled that the options available to the couple in the agreements were “strikingly deficient”, given the seriousness of the case.
Sep 28
A Chinese chemical manufacturer’s plan to build a US$700-million facility near a U.S. Air Force Base in North Dakota has prompted 51 members of Congress to warn the White House in a letter that the Fufeng Group, which has “close links” to the Chinese Communist Party, would be in an “ideal location to closely monitor and intercept military activity.”
Sep 28
The U.S. National Security Council’s defence policy coordinator says that Russia’s defence industry, hard-hit by sanctions over President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing war on Ukraine, is creating an “opportunity” for western countries’ defence sectors to capture a greater share of the global arms market. “Countries that have had to rely on Russian equipment are going to find it very difficult to get even basic supplies,” Cara Abercrombie explained September 27.
Sep 28
The Royal Canadian Navy is struggling with what its commander, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee calls a personnel “crisis” with vacancies in the ranks amidst a recruiting shortfall. He says the situation is partly due to having to move less-experienced sailors into leadership positions. He says he needs nearly 1,400 sailors to reach full strength.
Sep 28
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, already seen as Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler as deputy prime minister, has been promoted to prime minister, a post previously held by his father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who issued a royal decree today. The new PM also had been defence minister for more than seven years, but that role now has gone to his brother, Prince Khalid bin Salman.
Sep 28
The commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, worries that his ability to operate with only 12 frigates in recent years could be used to justify shrinking the fleet. “Fifteen is the requirement,” he says. “We’re seeing that right now with the limits that we have when you have only 12.” His comments come as the government reassesses the cost of building 15 replacements for the frigates and three retired destroyers.
Sep 28
The Canadian Army, in cooperation with Colt Canada, is addressing problems with many of the company’s C6A1 general purpose machine guns despite the fact that they’re based on a proven design used by more than 80 other countries. Defective parts and other issues have been found in more than 1,000 of the 3,331 weapons delivered to date under a contract for 4,774.
ISSUES & IDEAS
Chief of the Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre concluded the 2022 meeting of the Arctic Chiefs of Defence in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Canada hosted representatives from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and the United States to share lessons learned from ongoing Arctic operations and to coordinate enhanced cooperation.
Keeping Russia "at bay" is not a solution to the carnage happening in Ukraine. With Russia firing 10 times the amount of ammunition than Ukraine, Putin knows he will win, unless something changes.
It is now 11 years since I served in Afghanistan, and almost a year since those who helped us were abandoned to the increasing brutality of Taliban rule, it's time the govt cut the red tape and made good on its promises.
FEATURED ARTICLES 2022 |
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BY ALEXANDER LANDRY
As repercussions of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continue to grow, we recognize that these tensions are, ironically, dangerously intertwined with energy security, and further complicated by climate change.
30 May – In Halifax today, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee assumed the duties of Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy from VAdm Craig Baines in a change of command ceremony presided over by General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff.
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.
Two books are reviewed this month. One is a foundational review of the CAF and Canadian peacekeeping of interest to politicians and strategists alike. The other, a strong-worded narrative of American history, will be of particular interest to soldiers and officers of any Western military.
Hidden in the background of its many competing priorities is the exponential capability gap in the digital domain, an area where the rest of the world is adapting faster every year but the Canadian Armed Forces is struggling to keep up – a Digital Insurgency is needed.
BY ARIE EGOZI
Does Russia prefer cruise missiles over ballistic when targeting Ukrainian air force and ground based air defence assets? Israeli missile expert comments on Russia's targeting tactics in Ukraine. One thing is clear, either equal destruction of Ukraine assets, infrastructure, and lives.
BY ROBBIN LAIRD
It has been almost a year since Australia cancelled its diesel submarine contract with the French Naval Group, preparing to instead acquire nuclear powered attack submarines. The most significant aspect of that decision is that Australia had taken a path that has been quietly evolving for some time, launching its next phase of strategic development.
BY HUDSON ON THE HILL
Promises to keep and miles to go. The long and often frustrating overhaul of Canada’s military justice system continues. Even with the recent implementation of Bill C-77 (a package of amendments to the National Defence Act intended to protect vulnerable witnesses within the military justice system), the road ahead is long.
BY ANDREW KENDRICK
The National Shipbuilding Strategy has failed, is continuing to fail, and needs to be scrapped in order to prevent irreparable damage to the Canadian Navy and Coast Guard. An objective evaluation is urgently required.
BY EUGENE GERDEN
Amid the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the countries of Northern Europe, including the Baltic States, are putting serious effort into bolstering defence programs and activating procurement of new weapons and combat equipment – quickly increasing their military spending and expanding their military infrastructure, capacity and readiness – and NATO commitments.
BY MICHEL MAISONNEUVE
Although the West hopes not to have to put boots on the ground, hope is not an effective strategy. The U.S. is now fully engaged and will not let Ukraine lose.