International military efforts to contain COVID-19 has prompted the Royal Canadian Navy to terminate deployments of four ships. HMCS Glace Bay and Shawinigan are returning from African waters after two international exercises were cancelled while HMCS Nanaimo and Whitehorse are enroute home from the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

The Department of National Defence has confirmed that it will not send two personnel to participate in Exercise Aurora 20 in Sweden later this spring. It said in an email to FrontLine 02 April that the decision was “due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” The four-week exercise, beginning May 04, was to involve some 3,000 air, land and naval personnel and even though Germany also is reported to have withdrawn, the U.S. and Finland evidently remain committed.

Sweden’s ministry of defence evidently doesn’t want to cancel an international exercise even though several allies, including Canada, are reported to have opted out due to COVID-19 concerns. The four-week Aurora 20 exercise, starting 04 May, was to involve some 3,000 air, land and naval personnel. A Swedish broadcaster reports that while Germany as well as Canada are opting out, Austria is considering following suit and Britain plans to reduce its involvement even as the U.S. and Finland remain committed for now.

Six countries have condemned North Korea’s latest series of ballistic missile tests. Belgium, Britain, Estonia, France, Germany and Poland say the tests undermine not only regional stability but also international peace and security, particularly at a time when the world is coping with COVID-19.

Up to 24,000 regular and reserve Canadian Armed Forces personnel will be available to assist other levels of government for help in dealing with their COVID-19 response. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says “rapid reaction” teams will be available for a range of assignments.

A contentious proposal to deploy U.S. troops near the Canadian as a COVID-19 countermeasure has been scrapped by the Department of Homeland Security. The decision followed vigorous opposition by the Canadian government which called it “entirely unnecessary” and potentially damaging to the bilateral relationship.

A federal wage subsidy announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is designed to cover 75 per cent of wages and salaries, is being made available to all employers which can demonstrate sharp drops in revenues attributable to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the PM warned 30 March that while the program largely relies on an honour system for eligibility, there would be “serious consequences” for employers who try to “game” the program.

In a letter to Department of Defense leaders, a group of major suppliers is warning that the DoD’s cybersecurity plan could actually create risks by creating an atmosphere of confusion. They contend that key elements of the plan lack sufficient clarity and predictability.

The U.S. Department of Justice says a United Technologist Corp.-Raytheon merger can proceed as long as divestitures already in the works move forward and Raytheon sells off its military airborne radio interests. A department anti-trust official says the merger as originally framed would have eliminated competition in the radio and GPS markets.

Domestic intercity or interprovincial airline or train travel by anyone exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms is prohibited as of noon 30 March. Announcing the federal government’s decision, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government’s preference is for Canadians to “stay home if it’s not absolutely essential” to travel. Interprovincial bus service is a provincial jurisdiction.

The Canadian Armed Forces are effectively on alert to be ready to assist civil authorities’ response to COVID-19. The Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen Jonathan Vance, says in a letter to personnel that planners are identifying which elements will be tasked and he also is encouraging personnel who are leaving to stay on for the time being and has reached out to retirees who might be considering a return to uniform.

Special pay and allowances have been set up for U.S. military personnel affected by COVID-19, whether involved in the response, quarantined after contracting the virus, or separated from their families due to assigned relocations. Service members can receive $100 a day for up to 15 days each month if they meet the requirements.

The Luftwaffe is reported to be ready to buy up to 90 more Eurofighter Typhoons as well as 30 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and 15 EA-18G Growlers as replacements for the remainder of its fleet of aging Panavia Tornados. The Super Hornets ostensibly would be used to meet a NATO requirement for aircraft capable of deploying the B61 variable-yield nuclear gravity bomb but a Boeing spokesman noted that the aircraft is not yet certified for that weapon.

Career diplomat Kirsten Hillman was confirmed 26 March as Canada’s new Ambassador to the U.S. A former assistant deputy minister at Global Affairs Canada, she was appointed Deputy Ambassador in 2017 and had been acting ambassador since the resignation last summer of her predecessor, David MacNaughton. Hillman was central in the 13 months of negotiations for the new North American trade pact.

The prospect of U.S. troops being stationed at the border with Canada is constrained by an 1878 act of Congress. The original Posse Comitatus Act limited federal use of the Army to enforce domestic policies at home and a 1956 amendment added the U.S. Air Force. Last updated in 1981, it does not apply to the Navy or Marine Corps nor does it prevent state-level use of National Guard personnel on home soil.

The U.S. Army announced 25 March that it is taking another run at getting a new attack reconnaissance platform to replace its fleets of Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters and Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. Sikorsky and Bell Textron have been chosen to build and fly prototypes.

Effective at midnight 25 March, most travellers returning home to Canada are legally required to self-quarantine for 14 days, the only exception being essential workers. Confirmed by Health Minister Patty Hajdu, the measure designed to curb the spread of COVID-19 is the government’s response to situations in which some returnees essentially ignored requests that they go into voluntary self-isolation.

A U.S. market analyst says defence sector stocks could take at least “a couple of years” to recover from the beating they have suffered since COVID-19 hit the markets and government efforts to address the overall economic impact take priority over defence spending. Byron Callan of Washington-based Capital Alpha Partners says a rebound in interest rates could mean “a world of hurt.”

The House of Commons has passed a bill to enact the government's $82-billion COVID-19 economic aid package and referred it to the Senate for approval. However, Bill C-13’s parliamentary progress wasn’t as smooth as the government had hoped because opposition parties objected to extraordinary powers it would have given the government through to 2021.

Having failed to convince feuding Afghan presidential foes to resolve an ongoing dispute over who should lead their country, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced a $1 billion cut in aid this year. He also said in a 23 March statement that a similar amount would be cut in 2021 and that all other programs and project funding would be reviewed.

A bipartisan coalition of 130 members of the House of Representatives One is urging congressional approval of the procurement of more Lockheed Martin F-35s. Calling for 24 per cent more than the Department of Defense has requested in its latest budget plan, the Representatives say a larger fleet is needed to maintain air dominance and to yield lower unit costs.

A former national security advisor to the British government is recommending that plans to complete an integrated review of defense, security, foreign policy and development should be put on hold. Peter Rickets echoes others in warning a parliamentary committee that the review, announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in December, will suffer from being rushed.

A quorum of approximately 30 Members of Parliament are being back to the House of Commons 24 March for a brief sitting to adopt a package of emergency measures designed to address the economic impact of COVID-19.

The Chief of the Defence Staff says the Canadian Armed Forces is preparing for continued outbreaks of COVID-19 for up to a year or more.  Gen Jonathan Vance says in a planning directive, which he calls a “worst-case scenario”, that calls for assistance will come from all levels of government and the private sector. He also says that rather than have the public think of armed troops during a crisis, “people need to see the response as more akin to a humanitarian response.”

LGen Jean-Marc Lanthier’s confirmation 19 March that he retire this summer as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff was an issue at a parliamentary committee later in the day. Conservative defence critic James Bezan expressed dismay about the “high turnover” in the Vice-Chief’s officer (Lanthier is the sixth VCDS since 2015) and said it was “not providing a morale boost to our troops.”

Two Royal Canadian Navy coastal defence vessels have been recalled early to their homeport in Victoria from operations in the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean as the COVID-19 outbreak spreads. They were deployed in February as part of U.S.-led Operation Caribbe.

The Department of Defense evidently is still storing out whether key suppliers need to shut down production as part of a U.S effort to contain the spreading COVID-19 outbreak. A market analyst says that by the time companies do their April earnings calls and review the initial weeks of the outbreak, they should have a better idea of how to proceed.

Details are still being finalized with the U.S. but the border is expected to be closed to tourism and other non-essential travel late Friday. In the meantime, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said 19 March, the government is working with airlines to facilitate Canadians’ return as soon as possible.

LGen Mike Rouleau, former commander of Canadian Joint Operations Command, will become Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff this summer. It was one of a series of promotions announced 16 March by Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan. He will replace LGen Jean-Marc Lanthier and is to be succeeded at CJOC by LGen Christopher Coates, Canada’s senior military representative at NORAD.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government is “not taking anything off the table” when it comes to tackling the spreading COVCID-19 outbreak. Closing the borders to international travellers and making self-isolation were among the options discussed at a weekend cabineg meeting.

The Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Jonathan Vance, is worried about anything that would give China easier access to Canadian military computer networks. However, he says, he is confident that any security risks from Huawei's participation in expanding 5G service in Canada can be addressed.

The prime contractor on the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s plan to ballistic and hypersonic weapons is still using “aggressive schedules and other risky practices” to fast-track the work. The Government Accountability says MDA, having been paid $174 billion since 2002, is asking for $9.2 billion more. The fiscal watchdog also says annual reviews have found MDA falling short of its goals partly because of its high-risk approach.

Elbit Systems of Israel has struck a deal with Rheinmetall Canada to provide mobile satellite communications for the Canadian Armed Forces. Part of an ongoing Land Command Support System Life Extension program, the recently-signed contract is for real-time broadband services using military and commercial satellites.

Effective at midnight 13 March, travel to the U.S. from Europe is being prohibited for 30 days in an attempt to curb the spread of Covid-19. Announcing the initiative 11 March, President Donald Trump said the restrictions would be subject to change depending on “conditions on the ground.”