DAVID PUGLIESE OTTAWA CITIZEN: NO CANADIAN MILITARY PLANS FOR AFGHANISTAN POST-2011

 

No plans for Afghanistan after 2011, top general affirms

 

 

By David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen

 

November 7, 2009

 

 

The Canadian military has no plans for troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond the summer of 2011, despite recent suggestions that soldiers could take part in training or support roles, says Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk. In this file photo Canadian Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance sits against a mud wall in the volatile Dand district of Afghanistan.

 

The Canadian military has no plans for troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond the summer of 2011, despite recent suggestions that soldiers could take part in training or support roles, says Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk. In this file photo Canadian Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance sits against a mud wall in the volatile Dand district of Afghanistan.

Photograph by: Craig Pearson, Canwest News Service

 

The Canadian military has no plans for troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond the summer of 2011, despite recent suggestions that soldiers could take part in training or support roles, says the Canadian Forces’ top officer.

 

Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk said Friday he has not made any recommendations to the government about a new role for the Canadian military and, until he’s told otherwise, he is strictly following the parliamentary motion that outlines a troop pullout by July 1, 2011.

 

“The guidance has been clear from Parliament, so let’s get on with it,” he said.

 

“Until I receive guidance that would change that, from the Canadian Forces standpoint, we are marching to the drum of that (Parliamentary) motion.”

 

Natynczyk acknowledged, however, that there is more than enough time to detail plans for a follow-on mission in Afghanistan for the Canadian Forces even if they end their combat mission.

 

“It’s still a year-and-a-half away; we’ve launched operations on less than that, but I can’t assume that,” he added.

 

In the meantime, Natynczyk has issued direction to commanders to begin planning to pull equipment from Kandahar. The first gear to be returned to Canada would be non-essential items but that would later be expanded to include everything from tanks to trucks.

 

There have been mixed messages on what role Canada will play in Afghanistan after summer 2011. Some opposition MPs have complained that statements by Defence Minister Peter MacKay have suggested soldiers will stay on in some role.

 

In addition, Dimitri Soudas, a spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, told CBS News last month there will be Canadian troops in Afghanistan after 2011, though “exponentially fewer.”

 

“I would caution you against saying dozens or hundreds or a thousand, there will be exponentially fewer,” Soudas said.

 

“Whether there’s 20 or 60 or 80 or 100, they will not be conducting combat operations.”

 

Harper later tried to clear up the confusion by noting that the military mission would be replaced by a civilian operation. Asked by Global News if there were a role for soldiers after 2011 or whether they would be pulled out, Harper said: “The plan is to move to a civilian, development, humanitarian mission.”

 

Natynczyk said it will take more than a year to get tons of equipment and supplies back to Canada. The military also has to figure out what, if anything, it intends to leave for the Afghan army and police

 

Natynczyk expects the contracts to hire companies to move the supplies and equipment back to Canada to be in place in early 2010. He, however, stressed that the Canadian Forces will continue to have a strong presence in Afghanistan right up until the pullout date of July 1, 2011.

 

Last month, International Trade Minister Stockwell Day indicated Parliament will have a major role in shaping Canada’s future commitment to Afghanistan. He called on the special House of Commons committee on Afghanistan to begin compiling ideas on what role Canada should have after 2011.

 

“I think the time is ripe for consideration by this committee, participants here, to give us your views, give us your direction, your suggestions,” Day said.

 

“I can well imagine another motion or another form of parliamentary direction. We’ve already indicated on the areas of social development, community development, human rights, institutional capacity; we are there for the long term.”

 

For more Canadian Forces and Defence Department news or articles by David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen go to David Pugliese’s Defence Watch at:

 

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/defencewatch/

 

 

 

DAVID PUGLIESE OTTAWA CITIZEN: THE KEVLAR COFFIN DEBATE

The Stryker armored vehicle a “Kevlar coffin”?

 

The Washington Times has an article today in which U.S. troops raise concerns about Strykers now in use in Afghanistan.

 

Soldiers call the Strykers “Kevlar coffins,” Staff Sgt. Daniel Paul Rabidou told the Washington Times.

 

More from the Times:

 

“ “Since they arrived at the outpost on Sept. 13, the Blackwatch unit – Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, with the 5th Stryker Brigade – had lost three soldiers and two civil affairs officers. IEDs had destroyed three of their four Stryker vehicles. Overall, 21 of 350 Strykers have been destroyed since the 5th Brigade deployed in southern Afghanistan in July; more than two dozen Americans have been killed and nearly 70 wounded.”

 

The Stryker is “essentially a paramilitary police vehicle,” said retired Army Col. Doug Macgregor, a specialist on tank warfare. “It’s designed to transfer American light infantry down a road,” not to fight an elusive enemy in treacherous terrain.

 

Col. Macgregor said the U.S. Army would do better to follow the example of Canada, which has bought German Leopard II tanks for use by ground forces in Afghanistan. “What you need in Afghanistan is tracked armor, off-the-road capability and a stable platform for large-caliber guns,” he said.

 

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said U.S. officials are “well aware of the fact that the Stryker brigade out of Fort Lewis [Wa.] has taken heavy casualties” in southern Afghanistan.”

 

 

At the same time, the latest issue of Defense Technology International has an article about how MRAPs are too bulky and because of that their effectiveness is limited in Afghanistan.

 

The U.S. Marine commander in the Garmsir region of Helmand province says 90 per cent of his combat patrols are dismounted. “To be amongst the people, you’ve got to walk out there,” said Lt.-Col. Christian Cabaniss, commander 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines.

 

DAVID PUGLIESE OTTAWA CITIZEN: FRENCH INTERESTED IN CLOSE COMBAT VEHICLE

 

Nexter Systems, the French armored vehicle firm, has thrown its hat into the ring for both the Canadian Forces Close Combat Vehicle (CCV) and the Tactical Armored Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) programs.

 

Nexter is offering the Canadian Army its Aravis vehicle for the TAPV program and (as noted here before) the VBCI armored vehicles for CCV,

 

The Hagglund’s CV90 from BAE Systems is being offered for CCV. I still haven’t heard whether Rheinmetall will be taking part in CCV.

 

Nexter officials will highlight its industrial benefits package by offering assembly in Canada of the vehicles.

 

Nexter Communications Director Jerome Dufour has noted that the company responded to the letter of interest issued in September by the Canadian government.

 

The Aravis is 12 metric tonnes while the VBCI is 28-tonnes.

 

The VBCI in the infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) version would be offered to Canada equipped with a 25 mm canon.

 

According to Pierre Tran, my colleague at Defense News, the VBCI production line, relying heavily on subassembly “kits,” is designed to be easily set up for local assembly in foreign markets.

 

More from Defense News:

 

Nexter is in talks with Canadian companies to assure a local supply chain for domestic production of the VBCI and Aravis.
The French Army in April ordered 15 Aravis vehicles for reconnaissance by engineers on potentially mined routes in Afghanistan. The Aravis offers NATO Stanag 4 protection against ballistic, mines, artillery and IED threats, Nexter said.
Nexter is under pressure to boost exports as domestic orders are drying up. France has ordered a total 630 VBCIs for 2.86 billion euros, down from an initial planned 700 units.

 

 

For more Canadian Forces and Defence Department news or articles by David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen go to David Pugliese’s Defence Watch at:

 

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/defencewatch/

DAVID PUGLIESE OTTAWA CITIZEN: NEW VETERANS CHARTER HURTS VETS

DOES THE LUMP SUM PAYMENT CONTAINED IN THE NEW VETERANS CHARTER SCREW DISABLED/INJURED CANADIAN SOLDIERS?

 

In my Ottawa Citizen article from earlier this week, Veterans Ombudsman, retired Col. Pat Stogran, outlined various problems with the New Veterans Charter.

 

One concern he had centered around the fact that Afghan veterans (and any future veterans) who are wounded now receive a lump-sum payment. In the past, former soldiers got a monthly disability pension, he noted.

 

“I have some significant misgivings about that,” said Stogran, a veteran of Afghanistan and missions in the former Yugoslavia. “Personally, my instincts tell me the last thing you want to do when a young soldier comes back from overseas, perhaps with an operational stress injury, or with a dependency on alcohol or drugs, is give him $250,000 to self-medicate.”

 

The money is meant to recognize and compensate Canadian Forces members, veterans and their families for a service-related disability. The award is a tax-free lump-sum payment with the amount depending on the extent of the injury. The maximum amount is slightly more than $267,000.

 

It’s a concern that I’ve heard a lot about from Defence Watch readers and Afghan veterans.

 

A Citizen editorial in Thursday’s paper weighed in with this: “Master Cpl. Paul Franklin, a medic who lost both legs in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan, is among the veterans who have expressed these concerns. Indeed, he told Legion Magazine that he has heard from injured soldiers that there is real skepticism about in the new Veterans Charter. It’s easy to see why. Franklin was injured before the new system came into effect and therefore receives a monthly disability pension that, over 40 years, will amount to about $2 million. That’s four times as much as the maximum payment under the new system.

 

Veterans Affairs officials say they offer financial counselling to soldiers on how to deal with the lump sum, but surely soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder need more guidance than can be provided by an investment adviser. The federal government needs to reassure veterans that it had their best interests in mind when the benefits system was revamped, that it wasn’t simply a money-saving exercise.

 

Canadians who are risking their lives in Afghanistan and other places deserve nothing less than total confidence that their government is behind them — before, during and after every deployment.”

 

But Veterans Affairs has a different take.  During a recent Commons committee on Veterans Affairs, Brian Ferguson, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy, Programs and Partnerships, Veterans Affairs Canada noted this:

 

“There’s a component of the charter that offers financial

advice to the veterans, at their choice, where we encourage them to use the free financial service that is available from the department to actually assist them, particularly if it’s a fairly significant lump sum, because a significant lump sum gives many of these individuals a

unique opportunity to buy a home or to make a significant serious investment. We’re also very concerned about the potential for wasting that particular resource, and that’s why we introduced that particular component.

 

There’s a balancing act, obviously. If someone is mature enough to serve Canada in a military context, there’s a line that you don’t want to cross in terms of telling them how to live their personal lives. There’s also the issue around the old Pension Act, where we had similar circumstances arise from time to time as well. So it sort of transcends the kind of payment that you’re making. It’s an issue, and we’ve made an attempt in the charter to try to come to grips with it.”

 

 

Any thoughts out there on this issue?

 

 

 

For more Canadian Forces and Defence Department news or articles by David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen go to David Pugliese’s Defence Watch at:

 

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/defencewatch/

 

 

 

DAVID PUGLIESE OTTAWA CITIZEN: CANADIAN AFGHAN VETERANS

The New Veterans Charter might confuse those suffering from an operational stress injury, says Col. Pat Stogran.

 

Afghanistan vets fear for future care; Ombudsman has ‘misgivings’ about giving wounded lump-sum payments

 

The Ottawa Citizen

Tue Nov 3 2009

 

By David Pugliese

 

Canada’s Afghan veterans are raising serious concerns about their future and whether they will be taken care of by the government in the decades to come, says the country’s Veterans Ombudsman.

 

Retired Col. Pat Stogran says the problems revolve around the New Veterans Charter and some of the provisions in that legislation. One concern is that Afghan veterans who are wounded now receive a lump-sum payment. In the past, former soldiers got a monthly disability pension, he noted.

 

“I have some significant misgivings about that,” said Stogran, a veteran of Afghanistan and missions in the former Yugoslavia. “Personally, my instincts tell me the last thing you want to do when a young soldier comes back from overseas, perhaps with an operational stress injury, or with a dependency on alcohol or drugs, is give him $250,000 to self-medicate.”

 

The money is meant to recognize and compensate Canadian Forces members, veterans and their families for a service-related disability. The award is a tax-free lump-sum payment with the amount depending on the extent of the injury. The maximum amount is slightly more than $267,000.

 

Other veterans have complained that the Charter is mired in red tape, Stogran added. “This New Veterans Charter, especially for someone suffering from an operational stress injury, is going to be so confusing and frustrating,” he said.

 

“Another problem we’re seeing as well is that a lot of the benefits fall off the face of the earth when the veteran turns 65,” Stogran added.

 

The New Veterans Charter, started in April 2006, represents the most sweeping change to veterans’ benefits and services in years, according to Veterans Affairs.

 

Department spokeswoman Janice Summerby stressed that the disability award is one of several benefits available. “The New Veterans Charter is … part of a group of programs with a completely different focus which is the re-establishment (of the veteran) in civilian life,” she added.

 

Summerby noted that Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson has repeatedly said the legislation is a “living charter.”

 

“The department has been doing a lot to keep it current and there is a commitment to look at the input that other groups have provided,” she added.

 

But Stogran said while the Charter is a good first step, there doesn’t seem to have been too much effort to fix the problems. “There are (Afghan) veterans who are worried about the rest of their lives.

 

“All parties had a sense of urgency and agreed to put this thing through on the condition it was a living charter and it would be fixed where there were problems,” Stogran explained. “My position is; let’s fix it with the same sense of urgency that we brought it in with in the first place.”

 

He said that if problems with the charter aren’t fixed, he could see the various issues becoming a “political football” that will be played out on the floor of the House of Commons as problems emerge in the future.

 

Stogran also said any changes should be grandfathered to cover veterans who received such benefits starting in April 2006.

 

Some disabled Afghan veterans fall under the old system in which they receive the monthly pension and they have expressed their relief at being covered by that benefit, he added.

 

Both Senate and Commons committees looking into veterans’ issues have been examining the Charter. “There will be lots more to come on this subject,” added Summerby.

 

Several hundred Canadian soldiers have been physically injured during the Afghanistan war. In addition, there is the issue of post-traumatic stress syndrome or PTSD. Some specialists estimate about 20 per cent of those who served in Afghanistan will exhibit PTSD symptoms, ranging from anxiety to nightmares to suicidal tendencies.

 

A Commons committee recently released a report outlining how hard the problem is expected to hit the ranks in the future. Of the estimated 27,000 military personnel who have served in Afghanistan since 2002, the committee received estimates that slightly more than 3,600 could come down with some sort of mental health problem while, of those, 1,624 would have symptoms of PTSD and depression.

 

 

 

 

For more Canadian Forces and Defence Department news or articles by David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen go to David Pugliese’s Defence Watch at:

 

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/defencewatch/

 

 

 

DAVID PUGLIESE OTTAWA CITIZEN: NEW VETERANS CHARTER

 

Veteran Mountie says Canadian officers not fully protected in overseas missions

 

 

By David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen

 

November 3, 2009

 

 

 

An RCMP veteran of international missions is warning that Canadian police injured in Afghanistan and on other foreign deployments could be left high and dry by the organizations that sent them overseas.

 

Eric Rebiere, a retired RCMP constable, was on Parliament Hill earlier this week to protest what he calls the lack of action by the Mounties in taking care of its veterans and in the coming days will be in front of an RCMP detachment in Kingston, Ont., with the same message.

 

His concern about the lack of services for police officers injured overseas is supported by Veterans Ombudsman Pat Stogran.

 

“They’re continuing to send RCMP overseas who come back and have virtually no support when they get back,” said Stogran, a retired Canadian Forces colonel who served in Afghanistan and in the former Yugoslavia.

 

The RCMP disputes those claims and says police officers serving overseas have a full range of services similar to those offered to the Canadian Forces. Those services include counselling for post traumatic stress syndrome, or PTSD, as well as full medical coverage.

 

“When they are back in Canada, should an issue arise such as PTSD, of course all our officers have all the health services they would require,” said RCMP Supt. Paul Young, director of the international peace operations branch. “We have had officers return with PTSD and they have been off for lengthy periods of time and every medical service required has been provided to them.”

 

He said similar services are available to RCMP injured overseas and the federal force also requires municipal and provincial police who serve overseas to have insurance covering long-term disability and accidental death benefits.

 

“The RCMP have full services of the Department of Veterans Affairs, just like the military does upon returning from a mission,” said Young, who served in Afghanistan. In addition, those services are available to officers injured in Canada, he added.

 

But Rebiere disputes that.

 

As an RCMP officer who has been diagnosed with PTSD after serving in missions in Croatia and Kosovo, he can attend counselling at organized clinics being supported by Veterans Affairs.

 

But since the RCMP opted not to come under the New Veterans Charter, legislation brought in during the spring of 2006, their veterans, are not covered for a number of services, Rebiere said Tuesday. “There is no job retraining, no paid schooling, nothing to get them back on the street to start a new life,” he explained. “We are not under the Veterans Charter.”

 

He said an RCMP officer, with less than 20 years service, injured overseas and who could no longer work for the force would only receive their pension contributions plus whatever disability pension Veterans Affairs determines.

 

The RCMP is also not part of the what is known as the operational stress injury social support program, which helps those with PTSD, he added. RCMP veterans have been trying, without success, to acquire services under a federal program that provides payment for snow shovelling, allowing disabled veterans to continue to stay in their homes longer.

 

There are 182 Canadian police serving on international missions. Most are from municipal or provincial forces, while roughly 30 per cent are from the RCMP. Of the 182, 39 are serving as police officers in Afghanistan. Those 39 include municipal, provincial, RCMP and retired police officers, Young said.

 

 

For more Canadian Forces and Defence Department news or articles by David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen go to David Pugliese’s Defence Watch at:

 

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/defencewatch/

 

 

 

DAVID PUGLIESE OTTAWA CITIZEN: CANADIAN NAVY RECRUITING PROBLEMS

 

‘Hard-sell’ navy targets lagging military profile

 

Recruiting can’t keep up with attrition among sailors

 

By David Pugliese, The Ottawa Citizen

 

October 15, 2009

 

 

Canada’s top sailor says the country’s navy has bottomed out in its ongoing problems with recruiting, and he is cautiously optimistic about new initiatives to attract skilled personnel to the maritime force.

 

Military recruiting efforts have focused on the army and the need to bring in personnel for the Afghanistan war, leaving the navy’s ranks depleted and ships hurting for crews.

 

At the same time, attrition has taken its toll, creating what officers describe as a serious and worsening situation.

 

The navy’s commander, Vice Admiral Dean McFadden, says the force hasn’t yet turned the corner on its recruiting problems, but there are positive signs.

 

“The bit that keeps me reasonably comfortable is that I think we’ve bottomed out,” said McFadden, who was named as head of the navy in June. “I think people have come to understand the extent of the problem, and I’m seeing measures put in place to get it fixed.”

 

The navy has estimated that it will be short 1,000 full-time personnel by 2011. It now has 7,900 full-time personnel and 3,345 reservists.

 

McFadden said the focus at recruiting centres during the past several years had been on the army.

 

“There is no doubt that, in order to generate the land capabilities for what is the critical mission for us in Afghanistan, there are consequences in recruiting centres,” he said. “A great many of the folks there are recently back from Afghanistan, and, when a young man or woman comes in, they can’t help but be impressed by that individual.”

 

He said there needed to be a better understanding in the Canadian Forces, not only of the navy’s requirement for more sailors, but also of the necessity of technically qualified maritime recruits.

 

The navy has been trying to raise its profile lately, once again this summer undertaking a recruiting drive using one of its ships to visit ports in Quebec and Ontario. As well, a senior naval officer has been assigned to the Canadian Forces recruiting group, a move that McFadden hopes will raise the service’s profile in that area.

 

“We understand we need to be more specific and targeted in our recruiting,” he said.

 

In addition, the Canadian Forces is highlighting a subsidized education plan for naval technical occupations to interest students in community colleges.

 

The navy saw an increase in September in recruiting. McFadden, however, has said the overall progress of recruiting won’t be known until early next year.

 

The navy has put more resources into supporting recruiting efforts, but while it has been successful in attracting new personnel, it hasn’t been able to keep up with attrition. In addition, attrition for navy occupations is somewhat higher than those for the army or air force, a November 2008 Defence Department briefing report indicated.

 

“There is no doubt that the Navy, in terms of recruiting, was and remains a ‘hard sell,’” the briefing concluded. “While this can be said of a number of technical occupations across the CF, the cumulative impact of consistent under-recruiting, combined with a trend to increased attrition, are having disproportionate impacts on the relatively small Naval occupations.”

 

One of the main problems is that few Canadians know about the navy, officers say.

 

“Strategically, I believe that our major issue is a lack of public awareness of (the) Navy, what it does, how it does it and why it is a good life, one that Canadians should be considering actively and positively,” Col. Matthew Overton, commander of the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group at CFB Borden, Ont., wrote in November 2008.

 

McFadden has been meeting with media outlets in an attempt to raise the navy’s profile.

 

“We need to do a better job in explaining our purpose,” he said. “What is the value of predominately young Canadian men and women choosing service, and why should they be looking at the navy? I’ve got a big part to play in (explaining) that.”

 

Military officers said last year that the navy must routinely “borrow” sailors from other ships to send warships out to sea. For example, when HMCS Protecteur operated in the Indian Ocean last summer, 108 of the ship’s crew of 260 were not normally assigned to that supply vessel.

 

 

For more Canadian Forces and Defence Department news or articles by David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen go to David Pugliese’s Defence Watch at:

 

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/defencewatch/

 

 

 

DAVID PUGLIESE OTTAWA CITIZEN: CANADA’S JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER

CANADIAN AIR FORCE NEEDS COMPETITION ON NEXT GENERATION FIGHTER NEXT YEAR AT THE LATEST

 

By David Pugliese

Ottawa Citizen

 

Nov. 3, 2009

 

The Canadian Air Force’s timetable to obtain a Next Generation Fighter in time for replacement of the CF-18 fleet by 2015/2016 requires a competition to be run no later than next year, according to Air Force documents obtained by David Pugliese’s Defence Watch.

 

According to a Sept. 25, 2008 Air Force briefing on the Next Generation Fighter Capability, the timetable for the purchase calls for a competition to be run next year and a contract with the winning aircraft manufacturer to be signed by 2012.

 

The timetable has prompted some in the Canadian Forces to push for a sole source deal with Lockheed Martin on the purchase of the Joint Strike Fighter. Those supporting such a process are worried that if a competition is held there would be delays and a Next Generation Fighter would not be procured to coincide with the phasing out of the CF-18 fleet.

 

According to the timetable obtained by Defence Watch, initial deliveries of the Next Generation Fighter would take place in 2015/2016 with the initial operating capability in 2018, according to the timetable. Full operating capability would be achieved by 2023.

 

Representatives with U.S. aerospace firm Boeing are arguing that it makes more sense to hold a competition and let the best aircraft win. It has been involved in meetings with Defence Department officials to promote that idea. In addition, Canadian industry representatives who support Boeing have approached government officials to question the idea of a sole source deal.

 

Boeing makes the Super Hornet, an improved variant of the F-18.

 

Canada has already invested $150 million (U.S.) in JSF. The government has also decided to take part in the next phase of the aircraft’s development, agreeing to invest around $500 million (U.S.) over the next 45 years. But according to government officials that investment does not automatically mean Canada will buy the plane.

 

That is enough for Boeing, BAE Systems and Saab Aerospace to begin marketing their aircraft to Canada. Over the last several months the firms have made presentations or provided information on their aircraft to Canada’s Defence Department. Boeing is offering Canada the F-18 Super Hornet, BAE is marketing the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab is highlighting the Gripen.

 

Ian Malin, head of Typhoon business development for BAE Systems, said the firm is looking to discuss teaming arrangements with Canadian firms who are not involved in JSF.

 

Defence Department spokeswoman Lianne LeBel has said no decision has been made by the government on the choice of a new fighter or on how the procurement will be handled.

 

 

 

For more Canadian Forces and Defence Department news or articles by David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen go to David Pugliese’s Defence Watch at:

 

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/defencewatch/

 

 

 

DAVID PUGLIESE OTTAWA CITIZEN: CYCLONE HELICOPTER

Defence Minister Peter MacKay says the first Canadian Forces CH-148 Cyclone will arrive in Canada shortly.

 

 

 

MacKay, recently in Halifax, said that a Cyclone helicopter is expected at 12 Wing Shearwater soon (some in the defence community have suggested it could possibly arrive within weeks).

 

 

 

Jay Paxton, MacKay’s press secretary confirmed that the minister said that the first Cyclone would “soon” arrive. However, Paxton said that MacKay did not outline a specific timetable for the delivery or mention that it could be “within weeks.” Paxton did not provide further details on the delivery schedule.

 

 

 

The government had originally announced in December 2008 that the first Cyclone helicopter would be delivered in November 2010.

 

 

 

That is still a year from now, so if this original schedule is maintained then MacKay is arguably stretching the phrase “soon.”

 

 

 

Sikorsky did not respond to a Defence Watch request for comment.

 

 

 

The first 19 helicopters delivered to the Canadian Forces will be designated as Interim Maritime Helicopters (IMH). These IMH aircraft will be fully functional and able to conduct testing and evaluation and training for MH maintenance and air crews, yet will not be fully compliant with the delivery contract, according to DND. Delivery of the first fully capable MH aircraft that meets all contract specifications will be in June 2012, at which point the previous IMH aircraft will then be retrofitted.

 

 

 

Training of MH air and ground crews to operate the Cyclone will begin in 2010, while operational testing and evaluation will be carried out with the new Cyclone aircraft in order to verify and validate the operational capabilities of the aircraft prior to its release to service, DND has noted in its backgrounder on the Cyclone.

 

 

 

The delivery has long been anticipated.

 

 

 

In July 5, 2007, Capt Erik Weigelin, Project Officer, HOTEF (Shearwater’s Helicopter Operational Test & Evaluation Facility) wrote this for the Air Force:

 

 

 

“The much-anticipated arrival of the CH148 Cyclone to 12 Wing draws ever nearer, and preparations for its delivery continue at a rapid pace at Shearwater’s Helicopter Operational Test & Evaluation Facility. HOTEF is charged with conducting Initial Operational Test and Evaluation of Sikorsky’s newest helicopter to ensure it is fully capable of meeting the needs of the operational frontline crews who will man it, as well as the needs of the training squadron who will prepare those crews.

 

 

For more Canadian Forces and Defence Department news or articles by David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen go to David Pugliese’s Defence Watch at:

 

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/defencewatch/

 

 

DAVID PUGLIESE OTTAWA CITIZEN: CANADIAN AFGHAN PULLOUT PLANS

 

Military planning afoot for drawdown of Afghan deployment.

Fri Nov 6 2009

By David Pugliese

Ottawa Citizen

 

Canada’s top soldier has issued instructions for his officers to start making their plans to pull out of Afghanistan.

 

Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk’s direction to units for a “drawdown” of forces in Afghanistan lays the groundwork for what will be a lengthy process of transporting tonnes of equipment and supplies back home.

 

Canada’s military mission in Kandahar is scheduled to end in the summer of 2011.

 

“It’s a directive that people start the planning,” Natynczyk said in an interview Thursday night. “Based on the (Parliamentary) mandate we have to make the preparations right now in terms of the plans with our allies (and) all of the logistics because we have so much stuff there, you can only imagine. It’s going to be more than a year process to haul it all out.”

 

Natynczyk said he issued his directive in August. He expects the contracts to hire companies to move the supplies and equipment back to Canada to be put in place in early 2010.

 

Natynczyk said the Canadian Forces will keep enough equipment in Afghanistan to “maintain a strong capability until the first of July, 2011.”

 

Parliament has set 2011 as the end of the mission. “You have to put an end date on these things,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper told reporters last year.

 

The Canadian government wants to shift the focus of the Afghan mission from military operations to civilian aid and support.

 

Harper reiterated the 2011 withdrawal in September and pointed out that he took that same message to U.S. leaders during recent meetings in Washington.

 

“In 2011, we will have been in Afghanistan almost as long as we were in the two world wars combined,” Harper said. “I think in this time frame we’ve just got to see some results from the Afghan government on the ground as it pertains to their own security.”

 

In interviews, Harper noted that the Canadian public does not have the appetite to keep soldiers in Afghanistan past that date.

 

“Canada’s government and public is suffering from Afghanistan fatigue,” said Allen Sens, a political scientist at the University of British Columbia. “There’s been a lack of progress, and I think the public has a sense that it’s time for other countries to step up and move into the south, where the fighting has been the toughest.”

 

The winding down of Canada’s combat mission is expected to be a major logistical exercise. Some of the gear, ranging from trucks to tanks, will have to be prepared for being shipped home. While the Canadian Forces has its own large transport aircraft, it will likely have to augment that with leased aircraft. Transport ships will also have to be arranged to carry vehicles and materiel back to Canada.

 

Earlier this year, U.S. forces in Iraq began drawing down its units and equipment in preparation for its large-scale reduction of forces in that country in 2011. It has removed some 14,000 pieces of equipment from Iraq so far, in some cases redistributing the gear to its troops in Afghanistan.

 

Last month, Defence Minister Peter MacKay suggested to a Commons committee that Canadian troops may stay on in Afghanistan in a non-combat role. MacKay said that soldiers could be involved in development and reconstruction but did not provide specific details.

 

The debate over the way ahead in Afghanistan has been heated over the last several months.

 

Retired Gen. Rick Hillier has said it will be difficult for Canadian troops to be in Afghanistan without taking part in combat operations. “If you stay in the south and try to do something like training, you will still be in combat,” said Hillier.

 

But some politicians, such as Liberal Senator Colin Kenny, chairman of the senate defence committee, have voiced concern that Canada cannot accomplish what it hoped to in Afghanistan and it is time to withdraw. He noted that Canada had as its goal the building of 50 schools by 2011, but only five have been constructed so far because of the worsening security situation.

 

“We are not achieving anything close to our objectives in Afghanistan, and there is no sign that we will,” Kenny wrote in a recent opinion piece in the Citizen. “Why would we continue to risk lives under the pretence that there is good news around the corner? We are hurtling toward a Vietnam ending,” he added.

 

Ottawa Citizen

 

 

 

For more Canadian Forces and Defence Department news or articles by David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen go to David Pugliese’s Defence Watch at:

 

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/defencewatch/