Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first two of a total of six H145 helicopters to Swiss Air-Rescue Rega. These will replace Rega’s existing fleet of EC145 helicopters, which will be phased out by mid-2019. The first H145 helicopter is expected to be deployed at the Bern base in October.

Irving Shipbuilding has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with the union building Royal Canadian Navy warships at its Halifax shipyard. No details will be released until employees vote on the new deal.

Conservative MP James Bezan writes, "An Andrew Scheer Conservative government will provide Ukraine with lethal defensive aid by supplying Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons previously intended for the Kurdish Peshmerga, which Canadian forces had been assisting through training and mentoring."

The Royal Canadian Regiment has announced His Excellency, The Right Honourable David Johnston, the 28th Governor-General of Canada, will become the next Colonel of The Regiment of The RCR.

Representatives from industry and government joined Seaspan Shipyards as they celebrated the start of construction on the first Joint Support Ship for the Royal Canadian Navy. Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan participated in a steel-cutting ceremony.

The widely publicized shortfall of rucksacks and sleeping bags for Canadian soldiers may be embarrassing to the government but it is just the latest example of a continuing problem.

After eight months of negotiations, members of Marine Workers Federation Local 1 have voted to reject a contract offer from Irving’s Halifax Shipyard.The union gave 48-hour strike notice and picket lines could go up Saturday morning, halting work on warships for the Royal Canadian Navy.

Lieutenant-General Michael Rouleau assumed command of the Canadian Joint Operations Command from Lieutenant-General Stephen Bowes at a ceremony at Cartier Square Drill Hall in Ottawa.

With billions of dollars in cross-border defence sales in the balance, threats by President Donald Trump to punish Canada could backfire against American defence companies trying to sell weapons to the Canadian military.

David Fraser was both the senior Canadian commander in the region and overall commander of NATO forces in southern Afghanistan and is now a retired major-general. Fraser and Brian Hanington have produced a most interesting and readable account of this highlight of recent Canadian military history.

The hiring of a U.S. firm to advise the Department of National Defence on how to improve security at its installations across the country has sparked complaints that the job could have been done for cheaper by local firms or by the military’s own police force. Details of the almost $2-million contract to Watermark, a risk management firm in Virginia, were recently released under the Access to Information law.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Jonathan Vance said Monday it was not likely that Canada would carry through with plans to arm Iraqi Kurds. The federal government had previously announced it would supply light weapons to Kurdish forces for the fight against Islamic State.

Exercise Maple Flag, the Royal Canadian Air Force’s largest and most complex international training event of the year, begins next week in Cold Lake, Alberta. Taking place from June 11 – 22, Exercise Maple Flag will bring together nearly 1200 CAF personnel in participant or supporting roles, along with 540 personnel from allied nations along with multiple aircraft types.

With legal marijuana expected in Canada this summer, the chief of military personnel, LGen Chuck Lamarre said there will be more restrictions on members' use than there are for alcohol, but it will not be able to impose an outright ban. "But at the same time, I think Canadians are expecting our operational readiness and our ability to do our business must never be compromised," Lamarre said.

In 2007, the U.S. Navy set a goal for a fleet of 330 ships. Since then it has fallen 50 ships short, gone $11 billion over budget, seen years of schedule delays, and delivered ships with less capability and lower quality than expected. According to this recent GAO report, these poor outcomes persist because policy and processes enable the Navy to deviate from shipbuilding best practices.

As he arrives for the G7 leaders' meeting in Quebec, President Trump will be able to see the “national security threat” cited in the US trade action against Canada - aluminum smelters, power lines and port facilities of the global mining firm Rio Tinto.

The defence minister, Harjit Sajjan says the report of an investigation into the unexplained deaths of three male Royal Military College students in 2016 has not been released because his department wants it to be thorough and complete.Some relatives of the dead students have said they are concerned the report is being edited to protect officials and officers.

For the first time, the government has published the Defence Investment Plan. The Investment Plan provides Canadians with important information about how the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces spends public funds.

A year after announcing a gender-focused defence policy, the Liberal government is not recruiting women into the military at the rate it had hoped. The goals was to have 25 percent of women in the Canadian forces by 2025-26 but a slight increase in female recruits will not change overall representation.

The federal procurement minister Carla Qualtrough confirmed work will begin on the Royal Canadian Navy's new supply ships next month in Vancouver. The federal government still does not how much the two ships will cost.

Michael Ferguson, the federal auditor general reports that the Canadian military justice system has failed to end persistent and unnecessary delays. Ten court-martial cases have been dropped since January 2016 because they moved too slowly. Ferguson assigned responsibility for the unacceptable pace to military police, prosecutors, commanding officers and the Judge Advocate General.

At a ceremony held at Cartier Square Drill Hall in Ottawa, Brigadier-General Simon Trudeau was appointed the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal and assumed command of the Canadian Forces Military Police Group from Brigadier-General Rob Delaney.

Despite the legends, none of the Canadian Army Leopard tanks sent to Afghanistan were decommissioned units resurrected from display stands at military bases. However, the preceding battle to replace Leopard tanks with the Stryker Mobile Gun System was very real.

Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan participated in the Change of Command ceremony for the incoming Commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), United States Air Force General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy. General O'Shaughnessy will replace outgoing Commander General Lori Robinson, who has provided exemplary leadership as Commander NORAD and USNORTHCOM since 2016.

Leonardo congratulates the Royal Canadian Air Force crew of search and rescue helicopter “Rescue 901” for winning this year’s Cormorant Trophy for the rescue of five crewmen forced to abandon a fishing vessel 250 km offshore in fierce weather and rough seas.

The government may send more helicopters to Mali in support of United Nations peacekeeping operations. At present, the Canadian contribution comprises two Chinooks and four Griffon escorts but additional assets are being considered.

Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan will be in Colorado Springs to attend the NORAD and U.S. Northern Command  (USNORTHCOM) Change of Command ceremony. USAF General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy will replace outgoing Commander General Lori Robinson, who has provided exemplary leadership since 2016.

In preparation for the eventual deployment of a Royal Canadian Air Force helicopter task force to Mali, personnel from 450 and 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadrons completed an exercise Tuesday to validate their capabilities. The training took place during the Maple Resolve exercise in Wainwright, Alberta.

Rushad Bharda, the 22-year old Mississauga man who risked his own life to rescue a trucker credits his service with the Canadian Forces for training him to "run towards danger". Bharda, who received a Community Hero Award, now works in law enforcement.

A nest of baby falcons on a ledge at Hamilton's Sheraton Hotel forced the cancellation of RCAF urban environments helicopter training in the downtown area after a concerned citizen notified authorities. A spokesperson said the air force did achieve its minimum training objectives before the exercise was halted.

The new Ottawa operational headquarters, to be constructed in the mid-to-late 2020s, will be located close to the Nortel site and will be home to various commands including the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command and the Canadian Joint Operations Command, DND spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier confirmed.

Monday marked the deadliest day in Gaza since a 2014 war there, and was part of a high-stakes campaign by Gaza's Hamas rulers to break a decade-long border blockade. Israeli forces killed 59 Palestinians, most by gunfire, and injured more than 2,700 on Monday, Gaza Health Ministry said.

The Commander of the Canadian Army, Lieutenant-General Paul Wynnyk, travelled to Latvia, Ukraine and Germany this past week to meet with deployed Canadian soldiers and conduct senior-level military engagements with our international partners.