Re: NATO

by **Spider** Wed 09 Jan 2019, 7:43 am

9 JANUARY 2019

Canada concludes Nato enhanced air policing mission in Romania

The Canadian Air Task Force (ATF) has concluded its four-month deployment in Romania in support of Nato’s enhanced air policing mission.

ATF-Romania is part of Operation Reassurance, the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) mission supporting Nato’s deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe.

It comprised approximately 135 CAF personnel and five CF-18 Hornets, with members mainly drawn from 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron, supported by personnel from 2 Air Expeditionary Wing and 3 Wing Bagotville.

Canadian Joint Operations Command commander lieutenant-general Michael Rouleau said: “The Canadian Armed Forces has been actively participating alongside our Nato Allies in measures to maintain security and stability in Central and Eastern Europe.

“As a member of Nato, Canada contributes in keeping the alliance’s airspace safe and secure, and once again fulfilled its commitment to the Nato air policing mission through the hard work of ATF Romania members.”

The ATF also participated in regular training with their Romanian counterparts. The training exercise included flight operations, medical support, flight safety, aircraft maintenance, command and control, and military policing.

ATF-Romania commander lieutenant-colonel Tim Woods said: “The region around the Black Sea is very active for air defence, and our air task force was proud to assist the Romanian Air Force and Nato with air policing in this busy region.

“We were able to share some best practices with our Romanian allies and to train for potential future operations together.”

This is the third time Canada’s ATF has been deployed to Romania as part of Operation Reassurance.

The previous two deployments took place in 2014 to the Romanian Air Force 71st Air Base in Campia Turzii, and in 2017 to Constanta.

As part of Operation Reassurance, the CAF provides military capabilities for training, exercises, demonstrations of collective resolve and assigned Nato tasks.

Nato’s enhanced air policing is a peacetime mission aimed at protecting the alliance’s airspace.

The collective task involves round the clock presence of fighter aircraft and crews, which are ready to respond to airspace violations in the region.

https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/canada-nato-air-policing-mission-romania/

by Garrison Mon 04 Mar 2019, 9:06 am

Feds to again underspend on new military kit, threatening NATO target

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press
Published Monday, March 4, 2019 4:15AM EST

OTTAWA -- The federal government will invest billions of dollars less in new military equipment than promised this year, raising concerns about the readiness of the Canadian Forces and the prospect that Canada will fall short on another NATO spending target.

The Trudeau government in 2017 released a defence policy that included dramatic increases in the amount of money to be spent on new aircraft, ships, armoured vehicles and other military equipment each year for the next two decades.

The investments are considered vital to replacing the Canadian Forces' aging fighter jets, ships and other equipment with state-of-the-art kit.

Yet while the government is on track to invest more in new equipment for the second year in a row, budget documents show the Defence Department will still fall short more than $2 billion on the government's plan to spend $6.5 billion.

The government spent $2.3 billion less than planned last year, largely because of delays in projects such as the government's huge plan to buy new warships, though also because some things ended up costing less than expected.

The department's top civil servant, deputy minister Jody Thomas, told a House of Commons committee last week that about $700 million was because some projects came in underbudget and other "efficiencies, so we didn't need that money."

But Thomas acknowledged the department was to blame for some of the other underspending and industry has also faced challenges in delivering on projects -- though she said it shouldn't be a surprise there have been some problems given the number of projects underway.

"There are going to be some slowdowns by us," she said, adding: "If money isn't moving quite quickly enough because of a problem with a particular supply chain, a particular supplier, a contract, the way we've defined a project, we work with industry to try to resolve that."

While the fact the department saved money on some projects was seen as a positive development, Conservative defence critic James Bezan said he is nonetheless concerned that hundreds of millions of dollars in promised new investments aren't being realized.

"Despite the explanation that was given by officials at committee, we still feel projects are falling behind, promises are going to be broken and ultimately the Canadian Armed Forces will not get the equipment that it needs in a timely manner," Bezan told The Canadian Press.

"The whole idea that they're finding efficiencies is good news. But at the same time, those dollars should be getting re-invested in other capital projects that aren't off the books yet."

Thomas did not say which projects will be affected by the underspending.

And the underspending doesn't just mean delivery of some promised equipment will be delayed, said defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute; it also threatens Canada's ability to meet a key NATO spending target.

All members of the military alliance agreed in 2014 to spend two per cent of their gross domestic products on the military within a decade -- a commitment that has since taken on new importance with U.S. President Donald Trump's demanding all NATO allies spend more.

While Canada has long resisted that target and the Liberal defence policy shows spending only reaching 1.4 per cent of GDP by 2024-25, the Liberal government has said it will achieve another NATO target to direct 20 per cent of defence spending to new equipment.

"So the military is not getting re-equipped as fast as intended when the defence policy was published," Perry said in an interview. "And we had basically reassured NATO that we were going to really do a good job at spending on recapitalization, and we're not nearly as far ahead as we should be on that."

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/feds-to-again-underspend-on-new-military-kit-threatening-nato-target-1.4320938

by **Spider** Tue 05 Mar 2019, 7:10 am

Feds to underspend on military equipment again, threatening NATO target

THE CANADIAN PRESS March 4, 2019

https://montrealgazette.com/news/politics/feds-to-again-underspend-on-new-military-kit-threatening-nato-target/wcm/d52444a4-2e93-440a-af25-45a6458b70a5

by **Replica** Thu 04 Apr 2019, 9:50 pm

DT News: the 70th anniversary of NATO

https://ml-fd.caf-fac.ca/en/2019/04/26452

by Silveray Mon 08 Apr 2019, 4:45 pm

**Journal print only: Year-long deployments: Edmonton-based soldiers sharpening skills for Middle East, Ukraine, Latvia ops

ANNA JUNKER Updated: April 8, 2019/size]

Lieutenant-Colonel James Thamer (1 Canadian Mechanized Bridge Group, Chief of Staff) at Edmonton Garrison on March 21, 2019.

Roughly 1,500 Edmonton-based soldiers are poised to deploy starting this summer to battle ISIS in the Middle East, train counterparts in Ukraine and support NATO in Latvia.

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/military-year-ender

by RevForce Wed 10 Apr 2019, 9:24 pm

Committee calls on Canada to co-operate with NATO to respond to Russia in Arctic

Ice floes float in Baffin Bay above the Arctic circle in this 2008 file photo. (Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press
Published Wednesday, April 10, 2019 6:29PM EDT

OTTAWA -- A House of Commons committee is urging the government to work with NATO to determine Russia's military intentions in the North and get help to protect the country's Arctic sovereignty.

That was the top recommendation of a report tabled Wednesday by the Commons foreign-affairs committee based on a study it began last June.

It arrived one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined an ambitious plan to increase Russia's Arctic presence, including expanding its fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers and building new ports and other infrastructure.

With Arctic sea ice melting, Putin said he plans to dramatically increase Russian cargo-ship traffic in northern shipping lanes.

Russia, the U.S., Canada, Denmark and Norway are trying to settle jurisdictions in the vast territory as disappearing polar ice opens new and lucrative possibilities for oil and gas exploration as well as shipping.

The Russian leader invited foreign companies to invest in projects at both ends of the Arctic shipping route, from Murmansk in Russia's northwest to the Kamchatka Peninsula in the east.

In contrast, Wednesday's report says that the "Canadian Arctic continues to suffer from an infrastructure deficit" and that "vigilant foreign and defence policies are not, on their own, enough."

"There is also the national imperative of ensuring vibrant communities," the report says. It says a "direct line" can be drawn "between Northern and Indigenous empowerment and the assertion of Arctic sovereignty."

The report urges Canada to work with its partners in NATO's governing body, the North Atlantic Council, to better understand Russia's military intentions in the Arctic and to consider the most appropriate and "measured response."

It makes clear this is about "deterring and defending against any threat to the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization."

"Russia has been rebuilding and modernizing its military capabilities and has demonstrated a willingness to challenge the international rules-based order. Perhaps most alarming, with new missile technology, Russian aircraft and submarines can now strike targets at great distances, including from launch points well outside of North American airspace and waters," the report says. "There is a need for deterrence through the collective will of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization."

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland's office said Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic is "well-established" and the government will respond to the report in detail in due course.

"Canada co-operates with all Arctic Council members, including Russia, to advance shared interests such as sustainable development and environmental protection, the role of Indigenous peoples, oceans, climate change adaptation and scientific research," said spokesperson Adam Austen. "Canada is firmly asserting its presence in the North, ensuring we have the capability and capacity to protect and patrol the land, sea and sky in our sovereign Arctic territory. We remain firm and steadfast in defending Canada's interests in the Arctic."

The Arctic Council is a bloc of eight northern countries that also includes the United States.

On Tuesday, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said he "can't talk about Russia's actions and reasons" for its Arctic behaviour but he said the North forms a significant part of the Liberal government's new defence policy.

Six Arctic patrol vessels will be undergoing trials shortly and the Canadian Forces have done Arctic exercises with NATO partners, including the United States, he noted.

"We are taking our Arctic sovereignty very seriously," he said. "We're sending a very strong message."

In the past, the Liberals have tried to work with Russia within the Arctic Council. But Russia's aggressive posture elsewhere -- its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, fomenting of separatism in eastern Ukraine, and allegations of cybermeddling and foreign election interference -- have strained co-operation on the Arctic.

Alison LeClaire, the senior Arctic official at Global Affairs Canada, told the Commons foreign-affairs committee last June that Russia's contributions at the Arctic Council were "important and worthwhile" but she said its behaviour elsewhere in the world hasn't helped.

"With respect to co-operation with Russia, one need only look at a map of the circumpolar north to understand why working with them is in our interest. Together we share 75 per cent of the Arctic area," she said.

Canada is well aware of Russia's increased military activities in the North, including military drills, the reopening of bases, investments in its northern fleet and increased surveillance capabilities, said LeClaire.

"However, Russia's military presence in the Arctic is still much more modest than it was in the 1980s," she testified. "Canada sees no immediate military threat in the Arctic, but we remain vigilant and are working with our allies and partners to keep the Arctic as a zone of peace and co-operation, a goal we share with Russia."

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/committee-calls-on-canada-to-co-operate-with-nato-to-respond-to-russia-in-arctic-1.4374591

by Ringo Thu 11 Apr 2019, 8:22 am

Challenges to Canada's Arctic sovereignty

CBC News
Published on Apr 10, 2019

by Tazzer Thu 11 Apr 2019, 3:12 pm

How is Canada modernising armed forces training?

Defence IQ Editor

04/11/2019

NATO - Page 4 Canadian_military

Canadian modernisation programme

https://www.defenceiq.com/defence-technology/articles/how-is-canada-modernising-armed-forces-training

by **Zoneforce** Wed 03 Jul 2019, 4:41 pm

Russian Navy starts tracking NATO warships in Black Sea

July 3, 2019

British Royal Navy HMS Duncan destroyer

https://tass.com/defense/1066866

by Zapper Wed 10 Jul 2019, 5:51 pm

NATO and European leaders to meet with Trudeau in Ontario

By The Canadian Press
Wed., July 10, 2019

OTTAWA—NATO’s secretary-general and two top European Union officials are visiting Canada next week, the Prime Minister’s Office says.

First, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NATO’s Jens Stoltenberg will meet at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in Ontario on Monday. Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway, will then go on to Toronto for a speech.

Trudeau’s office says that meeting is a chance to speak up for the rules-based international order that relies on treaties and multinational organizations like NATO to keep individual countries from throwing their weight around.

NATO has been challenged by President Donald Trump’s reluctance to support the alliance and by the rise of non-traditional warfare.

Canada has hundreds of military members on a NATO mission in Latvia, which is a fellow member of the alliance worried about expansionism from neighbouring Russia. There are more Canadian troops in Iraq, as part of a NATO training mission to strengthen and professionalize that country’s military.

On Thursday and Friday, the EU’s Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker are to be in Montreal for a summit. Tusk, a former prime minister of Poland, represents the leaders of the European Union’s member states as president of the European Council; Juncker leads the EU’s administration as president of the European Commission.

The PMO says Trudeau will talk to them about economic growth, climate change, gender equality and, again, “defending the rules-based international order.”

They’ll also talk about CETA, the free-trade deal between Canada and Europe.

The agreement is in force provisionally and won’t be permanent until each EU country ratifies it.

The agreement has run into opposition in several European countries, such as with Italy’s conservative government, which has said it has no intention of signing on.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2019/07/10/nato-and-european-leaders-to-meet-with-trudeau-in-ontario.html

by Viper Fri 12 Jul 2019, 5:14 pm

NATO - Page 4 5d28b593023d1607e4917f4fjpeg

NATO and European leaders to visit Canada for meetings with Trudeau

Jul 12, 2019

https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2019/07/12/nato-and-european-leaders-to-visit-canada-for-meetings-with-trudeau/

by Glideon Mon 15 Jul 2019, 6:51 pm

NATO secretary general visits Canada for Trudeau meeting, base tour

The Canadian Press · Posted: Jul 15, 2019

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nato-secretary-visit-trudeau-1.5211858

by Garrison Tue 16 Jul 2019, 7:47 am

Trudeau urged to increase military spending during NATO secretary-general visit to Ottawa

July 15, 2019

https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/nato-secretary-general-visits-canada-for-trudeau-meeting-base-tour

by Tazzer Fri 19 Jul 2019, 5:42 pm

National Post View: Canada should be proud of our defence of the West ... but not complacent

National Post View
July 19, 2019

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/national-post-view-canada-should-be-proud-of-our-defence-of-the-west-but-not-complacent

by Matrix Wed 31 Jul 2019, 9:46 pm

'A tremendous opportunity': Canadian officer becomes first woman to command standing NATO fleet

The Canadian Press
Keith Doucette
July 31, 2019

NATO - Page 4 Cpt124-the-canadian-press-7

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-officer-first-woman-to-command-standing-nato-naval-group

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