Re: NATO

by Skelter Tue 17 Aug 2021, 4:05 pm

17.08.2021

by **Spider** Sun 24 Oct 2021, 10:19 am

NATO still looking for 'lessons learned' on Afghanistan

Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Oct 23, 2021

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nato-afghanistan-stoltenberg-1.6222090

by **Oliver** Thu 03 Mar 2022, 6:17 am

Canada's troop commitment to Eastern Europe is exposing weak points in its military

Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Mar 03, 2022

CBC News

by Ranger Mon 07 Mar 2022, 6:57 pm

CF-18s headed to Romania this summer to bolster NATO

Author of the article: David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date:Mar 07, 2022

Canada will send CF-18 fighter jets to Romania starting this summer, the Romanian foreign affairs minister announced Monday.

Canada will resume the air policing activity in Romania in July, foreign affairs minister Bogdan Aurescu said Monday. He made the announcement after meeting with his Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly.

Six CF-18 fighter jets will be sent to Romania.

“We are bringing six CF-18s to Romania, for air patrol, starting in July,” Joly said at a joint press conference. “These (aircraft) will be there, with military personnel that can reach 200 people.”

Canada previously had six CF-18s and 140 personnel in Romania but they left in December. The fighter jets from that deployment were there from September to December 2021.

No timeline was released on how long the latest CF-18 fighter jet deployment would last in Romania.

But Joly pointed out the aircraft are part of Canada’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its support of NATO. “We have increased our presence on the eastern flank and we are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that the entire eastern flank and especially Romania are well protected,” she explained to journalists.

Joly’s announcement from this morning appears to have come as a surprise to the Royal Canadian Air Force. Even after Joly’s announcement, the RCAF released a statement to this newspaper that “while there is currently no request or requirement for CF-18 Hornets to deploy domestically or outside of Canada, we are managing our training commitments accordingly to be prepared for any potential missions in support of the Government of Canada.”

There were plans to send CF-18s, along with around 150 Canadian military personnel, later this month to Florida to take part in fighter jet training with U.S. forces. The exercise, which was to have involved 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron from 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alta., has now been cancelled, the RCAF confirmed to this newspaper Monday.

Canada is also sending an artillery battery and 120 soldiers to Latvia at the end of this month as part of efforts to contribute to NATO in response to the Russian invasion.

HMCS Halifax will also leave Canada to bolster NATO forces in the Mediterranean Sea but that frigate won’t leave until towards the end of March. It won’t be in the region until sometime in April, according to the Department of National Defence. However, defence officials say the ship will not venture into the Black Sea.

Twenty-five military personnel from an electronic warfare unit have also been assigned to Latvia. Members from 21 Electronic Warfare Regiment from Kingston, Ont., were already deployed to Latvia as part of a bi-annual technical assistance visit, which began in early January 2022, said National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier said. They were expected to finish their mission by the end of March. But they will continue to stay in Latvia for the foreseeable future, Le Bouthillier said.

The Canadian Forces has also earmarked two C-130J aircraft for NATO use in transporting equipment to Poland. The Canadian military will also be providing 100 anti-tank weapons plus 2,000 rounds of ammunition to Ukraine as well as more protective vests for troops. No details on when the equipment will reach Ukraine were released for security reasons.

In addition, Liberal cabinet ministers also announced that Canada would provide $25 million in non-lethal aid. But that gear, which includes helmets, gas masks and night vision goggles, won’t come from Canadian Forces equipment inventory. Instead, the Canadian government’s procurement system will buy the equipment from various companies and suppliers.

Global Affairs Canada has declined to answer questions on that donation but some industry officials say there are already problems buying the needed gear.

Defence Watch

by **Riverway** Wed 16 Mar 2022, 7:42 pm

NATO makes plans to boost its military presence in eastern Europe as Ukraine war grinds on

Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Mar 16, 2022

CBC News

by **Stargunner** Sun 20 Mar 2022, 7:54 pm

NATO head urges Canada, other allies to do more on defence commitments

Christian Paas-Lang · CBC News · Posted: Mar 20, 2022

CBC News

by **Spider** Wed 06 Apr 2022, 9:08 am

New NATO numbers cast doubt on Defence Minister Anand’s push for more funding

As the government prepares to release its budget Thursday, the public has been inundated with claims that Canada's military is desperate and starved for cash.

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Apr 06, 2022

New NATO figures show that Canada is sixth in military spending in actual dollars and 10th in defence spending per person.

The data paint a very different picture than one currently being promoted by retired generals and defence analysts of a Canadian military teetering on collapse.

The NATO figures released last week show Canada in a solid position when it comes to spending actual dollars on defence; it is ranked sixth in the 30-member alliance. When it comes to per capita defence spending, Canada is ranked 10th with an annual outlay of $592 U.S. dollars for every person.

As the Liberal government prepares to release its federal budget on Thursday, the Canadian public has been inundated with claims from analysts, opinion columnists and retired officers that the country’s military is desperate and starved for cash.

That public-relations campaign has been designed to support the push by Defence Minister Anita Anand for billions of dollars in extra military funding. Anand’s plan could see the defence budget almost double to an astounding $40 billion a year.

To make the argument for more cash, Anand and the retired generals point to NATO figures showing that, as a portion of the country’s gross domestic product, Canada spends 1.39 per cent. That figure is below the two per cent that NATO desires.

But Anand and the others carefully avoid the NATO data on actual defence spending or the global expenditure figures showing that Canada ranks 14th in the world when it comes to financing its military. Those sets of figures significantly undercut claims that the Canadian Forces is on the verge of collapse.

For good measure, retired generals and defence analysts throw in fantastical scenarios designed to generate fear among the public. Those include the possibility Russian troops could land in Iqaluit or the Russians might launch a sneak missile attack on Toronto’s electrical grid. Retired general Rick Hillier recently claimed the Canadian navy was so broke that every single one of its ships was confined to port because of a lack of fuel. That probably came as a surprise to the captains and crews of seven Canadian navy ships now at sea on operations in the Caribbean, Africa and in support of NATO.

Even Gen. Wayne Eyre, the head of the Canadian Forces, has embraced similar themes.

This is the same Eyre who in 2020 dismissed those analysts and retired officers who claimed the Canadian Army was teetering on irrelevance. “You could probably notice the Canadian proclivity to look at our navels and beat ourselves up,” Eyre responded at the time to such critics.

Projects are underway to buy new search and rescue aircraft, small arms, armed drones, fighter jets, new trucks, armoured vehicles and warships. Whether that money is being spent effectively and with proper oversight is another matter, but it is being spent or about to be spent.

The “Canadian Forces is on the verge of collapse” theme has materialized a number of times over the decades whenever military supporters think they can push governments into spending more.

In 1999, a senior Canadian Army officer told this newspaper that, to prevent a collapse of the entire military, the government needed to immediately boost defence spending from $8 billion to $16 billion a year. The budget wasn’t doubled and the military didn’t collapse.

In both 1999 and 2002, the military warned it would have to shut down the Snowbirds unless the Liberal government provided more money. Then Prime Minister Jean Chrétien called the military’s bluff and the Snowbirds have kept operating.

In 2004, retired generals claimed both the air force and navy might have to be scrapped entirely because of a lack of money. That same year Canwest News Service (now Postmedia) warned the Canadian military was headed for “bankruptcy” and collapse.

And so on.

This time, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is being used by defence supporters to push for more money. But the failed invasion has shown that Russia’s military isn’t the mighty force that analysts, retired generals and NATO militaries had claimed it was.

Defence Watch

by Enforcer Thu 12 May 2022, 9:10 pm

Canada to deploy CAF general, staff officers to join NATO headquarters in Latvia

Published May 12, 2022

CTV News

by Covert Thu 19 May 2022, 8:00 am

Canada on 'upward trajectory' on NATO spending, modernizing Norad: defence minister

Published May 18, 2022

WASHINGTON - The federal government is on an "upward trajectory" when it comes to meeting NATO spending targets and modernizing Norad, but Defence Minister Anita Anand stopped well short Wednesday of committing Canada to any firm timelines.
Anand, who spoke at an online forum hosted by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, did promise to work with domestic contractors as she crafts the "unwritten chapter" of her department's overarching strategy: a comprehensive overhaul of bilateral continental defence.

But when pressed by chamber president Perrin Beatty on whether and when Canada might ever reach the elusive NATO spending target of two per cent of GDP, Anand was as noncommittal as ever.

"We will continue enhancing our capabilities in terms of the resources and support for the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as in terms of our commitments to NATO and Norad," Anand said.

"We are on an upward trajectory, which is very, very important, especially in terms of the changing global threat environment."

Anand said defence spending in Canada is on track to grow by 70 per cent over the nine years beginning in 2017, and that the most recent federal budget committed $8 billion in military funding over the next five years.

On the question of Norad, which Canadian military leaders have long decried as being woefully out-of-date and incapable of confronting the ever-evolving threats of the 21st century, Anand has only said that a detailed plan will be forthcoming in the "short term."

"We will continue to work closely with industry in our ongoing efforts to strengthen both domestic and continental defence, in conjunction with our capabilities," she said -- capabilities that depend on the Canadian Armed Forces having the equipment they need to do the job.

"Equipping the Canadian Armed Forces is ΓÇª an issue that I take extremely seriously in terms of what we are going to do, vis-a-vis the United States and working closely with them."

Anand said much the same thing during a meeting at the Pentagon last month with her U.S. counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a brief hour-long bilateral followed by a 20-minute news conference that was frustratingly short on details.

Defence experts were encouraged Wednesday to hear Anand say she intends to consult contractors in Canada as the Norad strategy comes together. But they worry that by dragging its heels, Canada risks letting the protectionist-minded U.S. capitalize on a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

"We have to compare ourselves here to what the Americans are up to. They are several steps ahead of us at this point," said Nicolas Todd, vice-president of government relations at the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries.

Canadian contractors and suppliers are looking for leaders within the federal government who are willing and able to lead what he called a more robust industrial approach to modernization, leveraging the know-how and expertise that exists within the industry.

"If nothing changes -- this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity -- it'll be primarily left in American hands, to the benefit of American companies and to the detriment of Canadian innovation, Canadian business investment and growth, and high-wage, high-skilled employment here in Canada."

Another complicating factor is the fact that while the Canada-U.S. relationship is clearly more civil and more stable than it was during the tenure of former president Donald Trump, his successor has clearly embraced the idea of domestic protectionism.

There was no suggestion of that during Anand's visit to the Pentagon; Austin was effusive in his praise for his Canadian counterpart and delivered all the usual diplomatic bromides that accompany such bilateral meetings.

But ties between Canada and the U.S. are clearly strained, said Meredith Lilly, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa who specializes in the trade relationship between the two countries.

"It's my view that our relationship with the Americans is not OK, that the Biden administration is protectionist, 'America First' and unapologetic about its goals of using dispute settlement and trade enforcement to restore jobs to the U.S.," Lilly said.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is sure to only exacerbate the worsening tremors in international geopolitical relations -- a "sea change" that she said could make the Trump era look calm by comparison.

"The world has changed," Lilly said.

"We can't expect things to return to normal in a few months -- not with trade, not with foreign policy, and not with defence. So it's really essential that Canada be tracking the developments that are happening and that Canadian businesses anticipate the changes that I know are coming."

CTV News

by **Rockarm** Sat 11 Jun 2022, 7:18 am

When Canada's military didn't suck

Tristin Hopper: We had aircraft carriers, we had foreign bases, and we didn't utterly phone in our defence spending

Tristin Hopper
Publishing date: Jun 10, 2022

A new report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer found that if Canada wanted to come close to meeting our minimum NATO commitments, we’d have to spend at least $13 billion more on defence per year. Canada has been neglecting its military for more than a generation at this point, with the inevitable result that the uniforms are threadbare, outdated ships are pushed into service until they catch fire, and allies are constantly on our case about being perennial freeloaders.

But it didn’t use to be this way at all. Watch the Everything Should Be Better video or read the transcript below to learn about when Canada actually took “standing on guard for thee” seriously.

If you’re a Canadian, you’ve become accustomed to the notion that our military isn’t all that good at stuff.

Our only resupply vessel caught fire, so we had to slap together a replacement out of an old container ship. If our soldiers show up to a shooting competition, their WWII-era pistols jam up so badly they all have to share one.

But there was a time, not too long ago, when the Canadian Armed Forces weren’t a threadbare embarrassment.

And I’m not talking about the world wars. Yes, we’re all aware that Canada had the world’s third-largest navy at the close of World War II; that’s what happens when you sink most of the other ones.

I’m talking about the early Cold War. Canada was a founding partner in NATO in 1949 and for the first 20 years of the alliance, it was something we actually took really seriously.

This is HMCS Bonaventure, one of three aircraft carriers that Canada operated in the 1950s and 60s. We had a naval station in Bermuda and five air bases in Europe: Three in Germany, one in France and one in the U.K. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Americans asked Canada to patrol their eastern seaboard so they could focus on the Caribbean.

We also designed and built our own stuff. This is the Canadian-manufactured CF-100 Canuck, it was patrolling the Iron Curtain right up until 1981. And this is the Canadair Sabre: This one was good enough that we sold it to the UK, Germany, and the United States.

Even as countries around the world boost military spending as a counter to Russia, Canada still has one of the proportionally smallest defence budgets in NATO; even after some moderate boosts to the military budget we’re still spending only about 1.5 per cent of GDP . But back in the 1950s, the military budget was routinely 4 per cent of GDP or higher. In 1970, you had more than 100,000 serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Nowadays, Canada has 15 million more people, but the regular force is down to 68,000.

So what changed? It’s popular to blame Pierre Trudeau; although he kept most of Canada’s Cold War infrastructure intact, he did incrementally shrink military spending as a share of GDP.

But it was the 1990s where things really went south. The Cold War ended just in time for Canada to have a sovereign debt crisis. So, while frantically balancing the budget, we decided it would be okay if a lot of our armed forces held together with bungee cords (literally, in some cases). And honestly, Conservative Stephen Harper wasn’t all that different: He liked the military, but he liked fiscal restraint even more.

Anyways, a robust military might be part of why the world actually used to listen to Canada sometimes. We never get tired of romanticizing the time in 1956 when Prime Minister Lester Pearson proposed the use of peacekeepers to bring about an end to the Suez Crisis. But Pearson wasn’t just some schlub negotiator; he actually had a well-equipped military that was powerful enough to act as an intervenor in a major middle Eastern conflict.

It turns out world leaders are less inclined to return your calls when all you have are ideas about what their militaries could do because yours is too busy catching fire.

National Post

by Dragonforce Tue 14 Jun 2022, 7:48 pm

06.14.2022

by **Hammercore** Tue 28 Jun 2022, 4:12 pm

Bigger battle groups, more reinforcements: What overhauling NATO means to Canada

Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Jun 28, 2022

CBC News

by Geoman Thu 16 Feb 2023, 9:07 am

Canada faces fresh pressure on military spending as NATO chief eyes hard target

Published Feb. 15, 2023

The Canadian Press

by Mojave Fri 07 Apr 2023, 7:13 am

NATO is getting ready to twist Canada's arm on defence spending

The two per cent target is the bare minimum, says Sec. Gen. Jens Stoltenberg

Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Apr 07, 2023

CBC News

by **Colter** Mon 17 Apr 2023, 11:32 am

Dozens of political and military luminaries call on Ottawa to stop backsliding on national defence

Letter says 'business as usual' won't be enough to cope with a more dangerous world

Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Apr 17, 2023

CBC News

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