State of Canadian Armed Forces and those of other countries

[Malcolm]

Canada Undefended: Our military readiness is dangerously insufficient. Here’s how to fix it

Opinion by Special to National Post • 5h

 

A recent Defence Department results report provides a clear picture of the overall readiness of the CAF at barely 50 to 60 per cent.© Provided by National Post

Canada’s military is short 16,000 troops, its branches are operating below readiness thresholds half the time, and its budget is being cut as wars erupt worldwide. In this series, National Post examines the dangers of Undefended Canada, and how to regain our security.

In this instalment, Lt.-Gen. (retd) Michel Maisonneuve explains why restoring military readiness is critical right now. 

Much as the rest of Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are broken-down. The chief of defence staff, Gen. Wayne Eyre, is “ concerned about our overall readiness.” This spoken by a man used to doing the best he can with the little he is given; what we called in my time in the army a “can-do” attitude.

Other senior officers have also sounded the alarm recently. The Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, published a video in November that detailed how dire the situation was in the senior service. In December, Vice-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie, the commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command, what we called the top operator in the CAF, also decried the state of the CAF: in particular, the difficulty of dealing with emergencies at home at the same time as conducting international operations without enough forces.rewery

Readiness means the ability to undertake missions and tasks in support of government objectives. All CAF units are assigned a readiness level. The higher the readiness, the shorter the time it takes to deploy.

Our highest readiness force in the CAF can be found in Joint Task Force 2, the special forces unit prepared for hostage rescue and other high-priority missions who can deploy within minutes of being called upon. For obvious reasons, the readiness of that specific unit will be protected at all costs. Other forces are at a lower level of readiness but must still be able to deploy.

A second important issue is sustainability — that is how long can the CAF continue to perform the assigned mission through rotations and replacements; it speaks to the availability of replacements, be they trained units, individual personnel or equipment.

 

Many issues can degrade readiness, such as lack of personnel, lack of equipment and lack of training, not to mention a lack of leadership. We can therefore easily deduce the state of readiness of our Forces by looking in turn at just those issues, both separately and with regard to how they impact each other.

The recent Defence Department results report provides a clear picture of the overall readiness of the CAF at barely 50 to 60 per cent.

First, personnel. Units are established with a structure that enables efficient operation and success. A unit that loses 15 per cent of its personnel is deemed officially combat ineffective in wartime. Our CAF — regular and reserve — count some 100,000 positions.

Currently there are reports of 16,000 positions unfilled. So, on average, you could say that, missing 16 per cent of its personnel, our Forces are combat ineffective.

But the issue is not only the number of missing personnel, but the type of personnel. Those who leave the CAF are usually mid-level personnel — officers or non-commissioned members — who were trained over several years to attain their current rank.

New and raw recruits, if you can get them, will be unable to fill the empty slots for many years. Specific tradespeople and specialists, such as pilots, technicians and engineers, are often the ones who leave because they are highly sought by civilian firms who pay much higher wages.

The impact on unit readiness of missing personnel is therefore much greater than the percentage shows.

Amplified by budget cuts , lack of training and equipment, recruiting has been impacted by sexual misconduct problems and a perceived lack of inclusion. The CAF leadership has worked hard, with some success, to root out perpetrators of misbehaviour and to create misconduct reporting channels available to all rank levels.

The focus on gender and identity issues and the relaxation of dress codes and personal expression in an attempt to appeal to special interest groups has had little impact on recruiting. It is time to reinstate simple meritocracy into the recruiting process and to integrate cultural changes into regular business processes.

Personnel costs account for about half the total military expenditures; they need to be stabilized and restricted positions need to be filled.

Secondly, with respect to equipment, if you are using old pistols or your tank or ship or aircraft spends more time in the shop than operating, your readiness will suffer. This is where we are today: a lack of operational equipment makes it difficult to function in any scenario.

Our submarines spend more time being repaired than at sea; a huge percentage of our land fleet is undergoing repair; our troops are buying their own protective equipment . I could go on.

There are hundreds of projects in the pipeline to replace old or obsolete equipment, but deficiencies in the procurement process and lack of funding means new equipment does not get to the troops in time. The procurement process needs overhaul — quickly — including removing political meddling, which results in a decades-long acquisition processes.

For comparison purposes, the requirement to purchase Canada’s previous new generation of fighter aircraft was identified in 1977, the decision to procure the CF-18 was made in 1980, and the first aircraft was delivered in 1982, a mere five years later.

Thirdly, in training exercises, forces learn how to operate, how to fight and how to win. Training must be as realistic as possible, using real scenarios, and this training must take place before a crisis occurs.

Training impacts all personnel and leaders at all levels. It is developed in graduated phases up to the highest level of interoperability of our Forces or working with allies. Missing personnel, faulty equipment, and lack of funding can completely derail training.

A good example was our inability to participate in 2023 in NATO’s largest air exercise in history, Air Defender, involving 10,000 troops and 250 aircraft from 25 nations. The level of training available there only comes by every few years. Imagine a young Royal Canadian Air Force pilot who missed out on one of only very few chances at operating with other NATO aircraft.

As well, there is a significant loss of teamwork, credibility, and camaraderie that is missed each time the CAF are forced to stay home.

In today’s conflicts, Canada will never operate alone. So, not only must the CAF excel in its readiness and capability through realistic training at home, it must be able to integrate seamlessly into multi-national organizations.

So, how are we to address these readiness issues?

Canadians have never paid much attention to the CAF, except in times of crisis. The military is like an insurance policy: if you don’t contribute to the insurance policy, you will not be covered when an accident happens.

Even for domestic operations, such as fighting fires or floods, Canada needs military units ready to deploy. The time to look after the military is before it is needed. When a crisis comes, it is too late.

The young men and women who join and serve in the Forces are the best of Canada, but Canada is not giving them the opportunity to be the best they can be. They will surprise you with their energy, their enthusiasm and their ability. There is nothing they cannot do given the proper tools.

They follow in the steps of our veterans, the greatest generation in the Second World War for sure, but also all those who have come after.

They are our insurance policy and they need Canada to uphold its end of the moral contract out Forces have signed at the peril of their life.

The first issue to redress, therefore, is the attitude of government — and of Canadians — to the importance of defence. Not just on Remembrance Day in November, but with a comprehensive strategy, led by the prime minister and all of government that highlights the importance of defence, the honour of service, the importance and benefits of security and sovereignty and the need to prioritize defence and national security in the government program.

Secondly, these deficiencies, of course, are a result of the meagre funding accorded the CAF.

NATO members, including Canada, have agreed to spend two per cent of their country’s GDP on defence as a minimum. You will hear the arguments that a percentage of GDP should not be the only way to measure our commitment to NATO, that Canada’s defence budget is the sixth largest of all NATO nations, and that we support NATO operations fully.

 

However, the truth is that GDP is indeed one way to measure our defence commitment, and we are woefully lacking on that score.

A bigger problem is the constant instability of the meagre funding the government does spend on defence. As one of the few discretionary budgets in the government program, it is easy to cut when trying to reduce overall spending.

The recent announcement that the Department of Defence will be cut by nearly $1 billion over the next three years is a good example. Notwithstanding Minister of Defence Bill Blair’s preposterous statement in November that “there are savings to be had,” more cuts will impact readiness and capability.

Looking at the current annual deficits and the huge debt Canada is carrying, no government will likely have the will or ability to meet the two-per-cent target in the next few years.

 

However, the government needs a plan to get there.

A prudent and common-sense approach might be to commit to raising the current defence budget, which sits at some 1.3 per cent of GDP, by a certain amount (say 0.1 per cent) every year, and to protect the budget by making it non-discretionary and stable.

All government departments would need to be involved in this effort, as Defence should not have to compete for funds.

With stable and steadily increasing funding, recruiting goals might have more of a chance to be met and the personnel situation redressed. The reserves could also be reinforced, as another insurance policy aspect.

Equipment purchases could be planned over time with less chance of being de-scoped or delayed because of unplanned budget cuts.

Training expenses are one of the frequent casualties of budget cuts that impact readiness. With stable funding, training could be planned and conducted over the long term, and participation in international exercises could resume, thereby increasing readiness and interoperability.

 

Sustainability would increase with well-trained and equipped units ready to replace those on current missions.

There is at this very moment, an opportunity for the Canadian government to change its approach to defence.

The long-delayed Defence Policy Update (DPU) is ongoing, seeking to amend the 2017 “Strong, Secure, Engaged” defence policy released under former defence minister Harjit Sajjan. Although perfunctory public consultations closed at the end of April, work is now proceeding at the Defence Department to draft the update.

All the new initiatives could be rolled into the DPU.

Last of the issues I mentioned that affects readiness is leadership.

The chief of the defence staff (CDS) must not minimize the issue of readiness — or sustainability — of the CAF. I am glad to see Gen. Eyre, Vice-Admiral Topshee and Vice-Admiral Auchterlonie speak out.

 

I’m not sure the minister of defence and the government are as glad to see it, and we may not hear much from others from this point on. But our Forces need action to redress their obsolescence, and they need it now.

Leaders at all levels must protect their subordinates from the inaction of others and this starts at the very top with the government.

Our prime minister must become seized with the issue, he must seize his cabinet with the importance of the issue, and ministers must ensure the message is relayed within all departments.

As the commander of all military forces in Canada and the military adviser to government, the CDS must have a voice and he must exercise it loudly to ensure the security and defence of our country.

Canada’s role in the world and our international reputation have been shaken by the actions of our leaders and our disregard for our own security and sovereignty.

 

Strong Canadian Armed Forces with high readiness and the ability to participate successfully in operations and exercises will ensure our country is secure and sovereign and able to defend itself against any aggressor.

It will also demonstrate to our allies that Canada is no longer a free-rider — defined as one “who benefits from a good or service without paying for it.”

Canadians deserve it.

National Post

Lt.-Gen. (retd.) Michel Maisonneuve spent 35 years in the CAF and 10 more as academic director of Royal Military College Saint-Jean. He served as the last chief of staff of NATO’s Supreme Allied Command Atlantic and the first chief of staff of NATO’s Supreme Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Va. He was named the 30^th annual laureate of the Vimy Award in 2020.

[Malcolm]

Looks like Australia had removed it's head from the sand, too bad we have not:

The great re-arming: Australia to double the size of its Navy fleet to counter rising threat from China

 

• Australia to buy smaller warships
• New spend will total $54billion
•  

The navy's surface fleet will more than double in size, with Australia buying more smaller warships and boosting the strike ability of larger ones under a $54billion spend.

An additional $11.1 billion will be pumped into Australia's combat fleet over the next decade, which covers the acquisition of 11 new general-purpose frigates.

There will also be six 'optionally crewed' ships.

The troubled Hunter-class frigate program will be scaled back from nine ships to six to make way for general-purpose vessels.

The first Hunter will arrive in 2032 as scheduled but the general-purpose boats will be expedited to arrive this decade.

The first three general-purpose frigates will be built overseas so they're in the water faster before the rest are built in Perth.

The ANZAC-class frigates and Hobart-class destroyers will also get a facelift with new anti-ship and long range missiles as the Australian Defence Force looks to project itself deeper into the Pacific.

This includes replacing harpoon anti-ship missiles with naval strike missiles and installing tomahawks for long range.

 

An additional $11.1 billion will be pumped into Australia's combat fleet over the next decade, which covers the acquisition of 11 new general-purpose frigates© Provided by Daily Mail

But the government will not move to extend the life of the ANZACs, saying the new general-purpose frigates would be more lethal and cost effective given the navy can only crew less than six of the eight ships.

The first of the ageing class, the HMAS ANZAC, will be retired and not go back out to sea. The second will be mothballed in 2026, reducing the navy's total fleet in the near term until the early 2030s.Let's shift our focus to Australia now,

Larger warships will have a combat helicopter and undersea warfare capabilities with sonar and lightweight torpedos.

The overhaul will boost the combat fleet from 11 to 26 by the mid-2040s alongside a further 25 'minor war vessels'.

The latter includes 14 for the navy - including six Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels - and a further 11 for the Australian Border Force.

The shake up will be underpinned by 3700 jobs in South Australia and Western Australia. It includes the continuation of 2000 jobs in SA and 500 new ones, as well as 1200 new ones in WA.

 

The troubled Hunter-class frigate program will be scaled back from nine ships to six to make way for general-purpose vessels (pictured, aerial view of the HMAS Perth)© Provided by Daily Mail

A major review of the navy's surface fleet made 18 recommendations and implored the government to move quickly.

'Any delay will exacerbate the risk (and) lead to a level of unbalance,' the review said.

A continuous production line of ships will also be put in place to ensure there are no gaps in the future.

 

The changes would make the navy the most lethal it has ever been, Defence Minister Richard Marles said while unveiling the overhaul on Tuesday.

'Australia's modern society and economy rely on access to the high seas - trade routes for our imports and exports and the submarine cables for the data,' he said.

Mr Marles also chastised the former coalition government for a more than $25 billion budget black hole through unfunded projects.

The cash splash will take the defence spend up to 2.4 per cent of GDP by the early 2030s.

An upgraded naval shipbuilding and sustainment plan will be released later this year.

 

The changes would make the navy the most lethal it has ever been, Defence Minister Richard Marles said while unveiling the overhaul on Tuesday© Provided by Daily Mail

[Malcolm]

Tasha Kheiriddin: Liberals denigrate Canada, no wonder the military can't recruit

 

Who will fight for Canada? With all the sabre-rattling happening around the world, and the possibility of an isolationist president south of the border, it is a question Canadians must start asking themselves.

For decades, we’ve blithely basked under the U.S. defence umbrella. But should that shelter be withdrawn, we and other nations in the free world would be exposed to the icy whims of autocracies like Russia and China, whose war machines are ready to go. At last week’s Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of military and world leaders, the prevailing theme was not if there will be more conflict, but when. And how to prepare for it, starting with military capabilities.

Last month, UK Defence Forces Chief Gen. Patrick Saunders  said his country would need a “citizen army” of 120,000 soldiers to fight a war with a country like Russia. Sweden reintroduced conscription in 2018 . Recruitment is up 30 per cent this year, the armed forces’ budget is up by an almost equal amount, and Sweden plans to double the number of conscripts to 10,000 by 2030.

France implemented General National Service, a voluntary month-long program for all male and female citizens aged 16 to 25, in 2021. This year, the government plans to make it mandatory for high school students. While not directly designed to build an army, in the words of the French head of the national defence and armed forces committee, “The SNU encourages the youth to serve the public; joining the army can be one way of doing so.”

 

Defence minister ‘confident’ Canada will fulfil its military obligations to Ukraine

And then, there’s Canada. Our Armed Forces is short 16,000 troops in the regular and reserve forces. That means fully sixteen per cent of the 100,000 positions are unfilled . Another 10,000 soldiers reportedly do not have the training they need to be deployed. As for compulsory service for young people, it’s not even a conversation starter.

Part of the problem is money — as retired Lt.-Gen. Michel Maisonneuve recently wrote in the National Post, those who leave the forces are usually officers in mid-career, or specific tradespeople and specialists, such as pilots, technicians and engineers. They can get better pay and working conditions with civilian firms.

But for new recruits, it’s not necessarily about the paycheque. Study after study shows young people want to work for organizations with purpose. Yet for nearly a decade, the federal government has undermined the purpose of our armed forces, not just through underfunding, but by promoting negative narratives about the country it defends, notably the paradigm of Canada as a genocidal settler-colonial state.

In his speech to the United Nations in 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spent almost his entire speech describing how Canada had wronged Indigenous people. In 2021 he accepted the view that Canada committed genocide. The theme has echoed through the government’s pursuit of Indigenous reconciliation. Rather than finding common ground, it has focused on division, promoting a theme that now runs through academia, media, and multiple spheres of public life.

There is no question that the Canadian state mistreated Indigenous peoples. It passed discriminatory laws like the pass system and maintains the paternalistic Indian Act. But the path to reconciliation does not run through “othering” and the denigration of national history. It runs through the opposite, by emphasizing the positive values embodied by the nation Canada became. For over a hundred and fifty years, Canada and its military have defended human rights and freedom from tyranny. In today’s world, that is a more urgent purpose than ever.

It is no accident that states like China have been actively pushing the image of Canada as a genocidal colonial state, to deflect from its own abuses and undermine pride in our country.  When the Canadian Parliament called out China for committing genocide against millions of Uyghurs, its response was to ask the United Nations to investigate Canada for its treatment of Indigenous people .

Our enemies know that if a country constantly denigrates its history, its citizens won’t be proud of it. And if its people aren’t proud, they won’t sign up to fight for it. It’s a lesson Canada needs to learn, and teach, if we are to rebuild the forces we need to defend our nation.

Postmedia News

[Malcolm]

Canada must have a plan to meet defence spending obligations, U.S. NATO representative says

 

 

[Malcolm]

Canada is facing ‘irrelevance’ on world stage, ex-defence chief warns

By David Baxter  Global News

Posted February 25, 2024 9:30 am

 Updated February 25, 2024 8:00 am

Retired general Rick Hillier, Canada’s former chief of defence staff, says he believes the country risks facing “irrelevance” in an unstable geopolitical world.

In an interview on The West Block, host Mercedes Stephenson asked Hillier what he thought Canada’s biggest national security risk is amid the war in Ukraine entering its third year, conflict in the Middle East and aggression from China, Russia and Iran.

“Our irrelevance. The fact that nobody even bothers to phone us if they’re talking about doing something as a group of Three Eyes or a group of Five Eyes or things of that nature,” Hillier said.

“All those things you described are very real geopolitical and strategic threats and they can destabilize the world even more than it is now. And when the world is destabilized, it’s bad for Canada.”

His comments come as the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency casts doubt on the future American role in NATO, with Trump suggesting the U.S. wouldn’t defend partner nations that don’t meet the two per cent of GDP spending target.

Canada’s current NATO contributions are about 1.38 per cent of GDP.

In an interview on The West Block last week, Defence Minister Bill Blair said he is confident the U.S. will maintain NATO commitments but could not give a date on when Canada will hit the two per cent target.

The Washington Post reported last year that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had privately told NATO officials Canada would never hit the military alliance’s spending target.o Trump’s NATO threats?

“The way we are progressing right now, irrelevance in the international scene, I think is the greatest threat to Canada and I think we can change it in a variety of ways, but we have to have the leadership focus on it and do it,” Hillier said.

Hillier says the short-term solution is a significant amount of spending to update military equipment.

Blair has said he is pushing for more defence spending, and the long-promised defence policy update is being tied to ongoing budget deliberations ahead of the 2024-25 fiscal plan.

As for the current state of the Canadian Armed Forces, Hillier says he feels sorry for people currently serving.

“Their equipment has been relegated to sort of broken equipment parked by the fence. Our fighting ships are on limitations to the speed that they can sail or the waves that they can sail in. Our aircraft, until they’re replaced, they’re old and sort of not in that kind of fight anymore. And so, I feel sorry for the men and women who are serving there right now,” Hillier said.

“I am so thankful that we still have them, and I hope that there are better days ahead. I think there is some potential of that, but at present, we’re in a world of hurt.”

The world marks 2 years since Ukraine invasion

As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, Hillier says that nation is now more vulnerable than it has been in the last two years as western support shows signs of waning.

“The war and Ukraine itself is at the most fragile, most vulnerable period during this past two years. Their morale is sagging certainly, as they see them disappear from the headlines in the West, if you will. They see a lack of support from western countries who have been supporting them up until now,” Hillier said.

The retired general currently serves as the chair of the Ukrainian World Congress’ strategic advisory council.

Coming out of the winter, Hillier sees Ukraine on the back foot as he sees Russia preparing for a renewed spring offensive.

This is compounded by decreasing military aid, most notably from the United States as measures to support Ukraine face opposition from the Republican-controlled Congress.

“They’re vulnerable. They’re fragile. This could go really badly very quickly. And there’s not much the West can do about it in that short term, except give them munitions and the things that Ukraine needs to fight,” Hillier said.

In the longer term, Hillier says the Ukrainian forces need better training on how to operate in larger battlegroups of thousands as opposed to smaller strike teams.

 

An Angus Reid poll from Feb. 6 found that 25 per cent of Canadians now feel Canada is doing too much to support Ukraine, compared with 13 per cent when Russia first invaded.

As the conflict stretches on and public support for assisting Ukraine declines, Hillier says there is a greater cost to not helping Ukraine.

“If we don’t help Ukraine succeed and Russia wins, and we have Putin with his military standing on the border of the Czech Republic, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. All of those countries believe that they would be next as a target, and none of them have complete confidence that NATO would come to their support if something occurred,” Hillier said.

“Think of the cost of that of what it would do to our economy, the price of energy around the world and all of the things that would impact from that. So by helping Ukraine, we are defending ourselves.”

[Malcolm]

Only 58 per cent of the Canadian Armed Forces would be able to respond if called upon in a crisis by NATO, a recent internal Department of National Defence presentation says. The document, obtained by CBC News, also says almost half of the military's equipment is considered "unavailable and unserviceable." The overview paints an alarming picture of the forces' decline in readiness — one that's even worse than the figures presented in last year's federal budget documents. "In an increasingly dangerous world, where demand for the CAF is increasing, our readiness is decreasing," says the document. The biggest challenge, according to the presentation, is "people shortfalls — technicians and support" as well as "funding shortfalls — spare parts and ammo." While visiting Edmonton on Monday, Defence Minister Bill Blair was asked how he assessed the state of readiness in the military. "We've got some work to do," he replied. Read more about Canada's lack of military readiness here.

 

[Malcolm]

Canada’s military facing ‘death spiral’ on recruitment, minister says

By Aaron D'Andrea  Global News

Posted March 7, 2024 9:17 am

 Updated March 7, 2024 9:28 am

 

The Canadian Forces is facing “a death spiral” when it comes to recruitment, even as the government is “constrained” on more defence spending, Defence Minister Bill Blair says.

Blair made those remarks after speaking to a crowd attending the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence on Thursday, though stressed the government’s commitment to spend more on defence.

“If what you have been doing for decades is no longer working for you, you can’t just keep doing it,” he said.

“Over the past three years, more people have left than have entered. That is, frankly, a death spiral for the Canadian Armed Forces. We cannot afford to continue at that pace. We’ve got to do something differently.”

At the same time, Blair said calls to boost defence spending face challenges.

We’re also constrained a little bit in our ability to make those dollar commitments by the current fiscal environment,” Blair said.

“The facts are before us, but at the same time, we have to spend more on defence.”0:45Feds pledge $45.3M for Edmonton military base upgrades to cut energy costs

Blair’s comments come as NATO allies push Canada to meet the military alliance’s request for defence spending to be at least two per cent of GDP, and ahead of the federal budget set to come April 16.

When announcing the budget date this week, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland gave an idea of what challenges the government wants to address.

“Our economic plan is about building more homes, faster, making life more affordable, and creating more good jobs,” she said.

This plan will unlock pathways to a good middle class life for the next generation — because Canada is stronger when everyone has an equal chance to succeed. Together, we are going to unlock and build a brighter, more prosperous future.”

ing scrutiny

Internal government polling obtained by Global News last year found barely one in four believe the government should reduce overall spending, and it showed strong support — 42.5 per cent — to increase spending on housing, even if that means rising deficits.

The results also showed strong approval for boosting income support programs for low-income Canadians with disabilities, as well as for the national dental care program, a key demand of the supply-and-confidence agreement that the NDP signed with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority Liberal government.

However, even though the country’s military leaders have been loudly warning that the Canadian Forces do not have adequate equipment or personnel, the polling showed there are low levels of support for increasing defence spending.ending, Ukraine war aid

Blair reiterated Thursday the government will meet NATO’s two per cent target, as well as Ottawa’s contributions to defence spending in policies such as “Strong, Secure, Engaged” and Canada’s NORAD Modernization Plan.

Trending Now

[Malcolm]

How to fix Canada’s military recruiting crunch? Pay more: ex-defence chief

General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, speaks at a news conference in Ottawa on April 30, 2015.© Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press

One potential solution to the Canadian Armed Force’s recruitment issues is to simply pay people more, says former chief of the defence staff retired Gen. Tom Lawson.

“Nobody complains about what the Canadian Air Forces are being paid, nobody says the Canadian Air Forces are overpaid,” Lawson told The West Block host Mercedes Stephenson.

 

“So, I think that there's an opening there to make the armed forces not only okay paid, but remarkably well-paid with remarkable benefits, so that you can compete with any organization, outstrip other organizations out there.”

This comes on the heels of Defence Minister Bill Blair telling Stephenson that the CAF is in a “death spiral” over recruitment issues at the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence on Thursday.

Blair stressed that the government is committed to spending more on defence.

In Lawson’s view, he sees a pay raise for service members as a solution to two issues plaguing the military — recruitment challenges and being under the two per cent of GDP defence funding commitment as a NATO member.

Currently, Canada’s defence spending is equivalent to about 1.38 per cent of GDP.There are major reductions in spending coming to Canada's Department

 

Latvian Defence Minister Andris Sprūds, tells The West Block that his country’s defence spending is approaching three per cent of GDP.

With the war in Ukraine now in its third year, and Latvia’s geographically vulnerable position sharing a border with Belarus, Sprūds stressed the importance of more NATO countries hitting the two per cent commitment.

 

“It’s important because it shows that there is solidarity and threat assessment and understanding that there are common things that we should do together actively. And of course, burden sharing is very important,” Sprūds said.

“It is also about credibility. If we take commitments, we should, of course, deal with those commitments very seriously.”

The Latvian minister adds he is encouraged by trends among NATO members of increased defence spending, saying he believes 18 to 20 of the 32 NATO member countries will reach the two per cent threshold by the end of the year.

 

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will table the federal budget on April 16, with a focus on reigning in spending across government.

While Blair says Canada is committed to meeting its NATO spending commitments he acknowledged Thursday that there are constraints by “the current fiscal environment."

 

Gen. Wayne Eyre, Canada's current chief of the defence staff, has not been shy about talking about the recruitment and equipment challenges the CAF currently faces.

As a former defence chief, Lawson said it is good to see this level of candour from top officials, and says a top issue to help stop the CAF from shedding members faster than it can recruit is ensuring troops have the equipment they need to do their jobs.

“Your morale isn't really based on what's happening in Ottawa and strategic decisions. You need to have equipment that works and an ability to train or deploy, to ply your trade. If you can do that, you'll stay with the armed forces no matter what happens to be happening in Ottawa,” Lawson said.

[Malcolm]

NP View: Canada must support its troops if the troops are to support us

Opinion by National Post View

 • 4h • 4 min read

 

1 Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) Charlie Company(C Coy) walks back to their vehicle after one of their training stands during Exercise Maple Guardian at Fort Irwin, Calif., U.S.© Provided by National Post

In its century-plus of life, the Canadian Armed Forces have upheld a strong tradition of humbly, and valiantly, defending the freedom of Canada and its allies. Our soldiers have always stood up for Canada, and it’s time Canada stood up for them.

Since Confederation, the Canadian tradition of service has brought about many acts of extreme bravery. The Boer War  saw five Canadians decorated with the highest military decoration in the British Empire, the Victoria Cross; the First World War, another 73; the Second, another 16. Later, our soldiers shipped off to Korea, where, in the 1950s, they repelled relentless attacks in remote mountains by waves of communist Chinese forces at night, often outnumbered and sometimes cut off from supply lines.

 

Entering the 1990s, they joined the Gulf War, our fighter pilots unfazed in escorting American bombers. They went to Kosovo in 1999, where Canadian pilots made precision bombing runs and disproportionately took on high-risk missions — risking their safety and that of their families, who faced “very real threats of retribution threatened by elements sympathetic to the Serbian cause, in Canada and abroad,” according to a 2000 Canadian Military Journal account.

>After 9/11, they served in Afghanistan for more than a decade. More than 40,000 Canadians joined the mission, battling Taliban fighters throughout dusty, 50C summers as NATO attempted to stabilize a region governed by terrorists and torn by tribal warfare. Platoons faced firefights that could escalate into fatal ambushes and witnessed horrors as the enemy rained mortar on local children. The CAF lost 158 soldiers in those years.

After 2014, we continued to serve in the Middle East in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Canadian pilots conducted more than 200 airstrikes against terrorist fighting positions from 2014 to 2016. Canadian special ops soldiers even made the then- record-longest sniper kill of 3,540 metres sometime during the Iraq mission, a shot that was taken to protect partner Iraqi forces on the ground as they faced trouble.

They serve humbly; no questions asked, and no need for honours or awards. An incredible example is that of Pte. Jess Larochelle , who in 2006 defended his outnumbered company with a broken back and detached retina. He was never awarded the Canadian Victoria Cross despite campaigns to convince the government to do so, appreciative of the recognition he had received already. He died last summer of his injuries at age 40.

 

That’s the military in Canada: an incredible record of brave service, but humble. And, unfortunately, underappreciated at home.

That’s one of the reasons the National Post has launched the Heroes Among Us series, profiling Pte. Larochelle and nine other brave men who could become the first to be awarded the Canadian Victoria Cross, our highest medal for bravery in the presence of the enemy. These stories aim to remind Canadians what we’re capable of.

Neglect isn’t a partisan issue. It’s endemic in Canadian culture, no matter who is in charge. The reasons for this likely come from a number of different places. School is one, as military history is often lacking from study beyond the World Wars, relegating the CAF to the past in the minds of students.

Media is another, as the fear of glorifying violence easily crosses over into refusal to tell stories of pride and valour. We’re not like the Americans, who make their military history accessible to the masses through film and TV. Sure, we have Passchendaele , but we don’t have much else.

 

Then there’s the general declining state of the military — which the public sees — and the military’s hesitance to boast. We see the lack of funds, the members without homes , the outdated equipment. The dignity and prowess of the 1940s CAF just isn’t provided for today.

The military’s current dilapidation is a product of successive governments, all complacent in its well-being, all unwilling to have the courage to fix it. Public funds were always thought best spent elsewhere. Major, multi-billion-dollar purchases necessary for our security were put off, for years, to keep accusations of overspending at bay.

Meanwhile, barriers to operations simply weren’t fixed — take the CAF’s honourable hunt for Somali pirates in the aughts, which was constrained by an ineffective “catch and release” policy.

 

New threats are rising on the horizon. At home is an undefended Arctic , lacking in ice-capable ships and deep-water ports. It’s a strategic zone that we continue to ignore as Russia builds up its own capacity to act in the North, and as China describes itself as a “near-Arctic” country while building icebreakers .

Overseas, Russia can carry on a war of attrition in Ukraine for many more years if it needs, which is a luxury that Ukraine’s smaller population does not have. France readies for war. China bides its time for a destabilized West, a stretched-thin United States military and an under-defended Taiwan. Hamas refuses to end its fight with Israel as Islamists sabre-rattle from Iran, eager to join. Canadian allies are in a precarious position worldwide.

 

There may soon come a time when Canadian soldiers will be asked to do more than they are already. When that time comes, we will need to be a nation that truly appreciates its military, culturally and financially. Service members need support in the present if they are to support us in the future.

National Post

[Malcolm]

 

 

Demands of defence policy almost double military's recruitment gap, top soldier warns

CBC

Fri, April 19, 2024 at 2:00 a.m. MDT·4 min read

 

An F-35 prepares for takeoff at the Bagotville International Air Show in Quebec on June 22, 2019. One defence expert warns the F-35s Canada plans to purchase could be grounded if the air force can't hire enough pilots. (Staff Sgt. Jensen Stidham/U.S. Air Force/Reuters - image credit)

The recruiting hole in which the Canadian military finds itself is deeper and potentially more serious than it might appear at first glance — in part because of all the new equipment the federal government has ordered, or plans to order in the near future.

Just recently, Defence Minister Bill Blair estimated the military is short up to 16,500 members and said the Armed Forces' failure to boost recruitment is leading it into a "death spiral."

But the country's top military commander, Gen. Wayne Eyre, told CBC News in a recent interview that the problem is actually bigger than the numbers cited by the minister suggest.

The shortfall cited by Blair is the gap between the Armed Forces' current size and its authorized strength, he said — it doesn't reflect what the military needs to carry out the new defence policy, or the demands of modernizing continental defence under NORAD.

To meet those demands, Eyre said, the Armed Forces needs to take on an additional 14,500 people on top of the 16,500 required to bring the military up to authorized strength.

 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shakes hands with Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre following a press conference about Canada's new defence policy at CFB Trenton, in Trenton, Ont., on Monday, April 8, 2024.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shakes hands with Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre following a press conference about Canada's new defence policy at CFB Trenton, in Trenton, Ont., on Monday, April 8, 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

"Otherwise," he said, "we're going to have to strip those people from some other capability in the Armed Forces."

The military hasn't yet calculated how many additional reservists, or part-time members, it needs to implement the new defence policy, Eyre said, adding that reserve forces are the Armed Forces' insurance policy.

In total, he said, the military will have to recruit and retain an additional 30,000 members.

Eyre insisted he's "cautiously optimistic" and noted that the number of people leaving the military, the attrition rate, is lower than the number of new recruits, leaving the Forces with a small surplus.

The new defence policy proposes a series of measures to fix the slow pace of recruitment, including the introduction of a probationary period which would allow the military to enrol new members faster.

In 2022, the federal government began allowing permanent residents to apply to join the Armed Forces. Within a year of that policy change, the Armed Forces had received more than 21,000 applications from permanent residents — but less than 100 had been accepted by early this year.

One of the major concerns for the Department of National Defence (DND) is that many foreign-born applicants must pass enhanced security screening.

The defence and immigration departments have signed a new information-sharing agreement that should accelerate the process of obtaining security clearances, Eyre said.

DND also has signed a contract for new security screening software.

The new recruitment plan for the military proposes a probationary period on all recruits while screening and other aspects are reviewed.

Despite all of that effort, the new defence policy does not foresee the military returning to its current authorized strength of 71,000 regular and 30,000 reserve forces until 2032.

 

Permanent resident Jamal Ludin ahead of his aptitude test at the Canadian Armed Forces recruitment office in Ottawa.

Permanent resident Jamal Ludin prepares for his aptitude test at the Canadian Armed Forces recruitment office in Ottawa. (Jean-François Benoit/CBC)

Eyre described that timeline as a "case of under-promising and over-delivering" and said he's confident the recruitment crisis will be solved well before then.

Defence analyst Richard Shimooka said the implications of the recruitment gap are profound because much of the Liberal government's new defence policy is based on enhanced capabilities — such as an expanded submarine fleet — and new equipment the military hasn't operated before, such as drones and ground-based missiles.

Shimooka pointed to the fact that the federal government is buying new F-35 fighters for an air force that struggles to recruit and retain pilots.

He said that unless the recruitment crisis is reversed, taxpayers may end up buying some planes and warships that could be parked because there aren't enough people to crew them efficiently.

"With fighter aircraft, that's quite possible," said Shmooka, a fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. "Certainly in other areas [such as submarines and ground-based air defence], there's a real possibility that would be a likely outcome, if not the most likely outcome, just because it's really difficult."

Canada currently operates a fleet of four conventionally-powered submarines; the navy has proposed to expand that fleet to between eight and 12 boats. Shmooka said each boat would have to have at least one crew, and possibly two or more, to operate a rotation.

[Malcolm]

Britain shows 'most lethal' tank in history

Story by Oleksandra Zimko

 • 1h • 

 

The British showed off their newest tank, the Challenger 3 (photo: twitter.com/BritishArmy)© RBC-Ukraine (CA)

The last prototype of the latest Challenger 3 tank has rolled off the assembly line in Britain. It will be the most powerful combat vehicle in the history of the British Army, states British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps.

"This is the first fully British-built tank in 22 years - the Challenger 3. Cutting-edge upgrades are now underway in Telford to make this the most lethal tank in British Army history - giving our soldiers the firepower they need to defend Britain," Shapps wrote on his X (Twitter).

This is the first fully British built tank in 22 years - the Challenger 3 Cutting-edge upgrades are now underway in Telford to make this the most lethal tank in @BritishArmy history - giving our soldiers the firepower they need to defend Britain. pic.twitter.com/S7pyffG8zx

— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) April 18, 2024

At the same time, the British Army said that this is the last of eight Challenger 3 prototypes. The first prototype is already demonstrating its capabilities in tests, but all prototypes will have to pass the tests. Only then will Britain produce another 140 Challenger 3 tanks for its own army.

 

The British army is confident that the Challenger 3 will become the "apex predator" of modern warfare, as it will dominate the battlefield with "unmatched cutting-edge firepower, protection and mobility."

The Challenger 3 tank can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h and is armed with a 120-mm smoothbore gun with a higher muzzle velocity and greater penetration than its predecessor, the Challenger 2.

"Its new modular armor and Active Protection System, which can detect and destroy rocket and missile attacks in seconds, will make it one of the best protected tanks in Europe," the British Army added.

British tanks in Ukraine

Ukraine is currently armed with the Challenger 3's predecessor, the Challenger 2 tank. It is known that the Ukrainian army has received 14 units.

British tanks have already proven themselves on the battlefield. In particular, they are used by Ukrainian paratroopers