Equipment

by **Apollo** Wed 06 Jun 2018, 7:05 am

Soldiers ordered to return sleeping bags, rucksacks due to 'shortfall of equipment'

Daniel Otis
CTVNews.ca Writer

Published Tuesday, June 5, 2018

CTV News

by **Oliver** Sun 10 Jun 2018, 3:54 pm

Search for equipment for new military recruits focused on Ottawa area

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen

Published Jun 10, 2018

The Canadian Forces is focusing on the Ottawa area with its plea for military personnel to give up their sleeping bags and rucksacks so new recruits can be outfitted.

The Canadian military says it currently has enough stocks of sleeping bags and rucksacks but with more recruits coming in there are worries about shortages in the future.

In addition, there are an estimated 4,000 individuals who have at least two rucksacks each, said Lt. Col. Robin Chenard, a staff officer working on logistics operations for the Canadian Army.

“Right now we do (have enough for recruits),” Chenard told Defence Watch. “But in the future as recruiting trends are going we want to make sure we can continue to do that.”

The Canadian military recently sent out an internal message to all personnel in what is known as a CANFORGEN. That request for sleeping bags and rucksacks to be turned over by those who don’t need them was published on Reddit and received wider coverage when CTV news reported on the message.

Chenard said the request for equipment is mainly focused on the Ottawa area since many headquarters personnel, including himself, don’t go into the field or on operations so have no immediate need for such gear.

The military personnel who are holding two or more rucksacks, however, are believed to be scattered across the country.

“It’s mainly an army issue,” Chenard explained.

Reserve and regular force army recruits receive a sleeping bag and rucksack.

Navy and air force recruits would also use such equipment but, for the most part, would only keep such gear if they are going to a high readiness unit or a training establishment.

There are approximately 63,000 military personnel who have such equipment but the Canadian Forces estimates about 15 per cent of those individuals would not need the gear since it is unlikely they are going on operations or in the field in the near future.

“There are staff officers in Ottawa, and I include myself as one of them,” Chenard said. “I haven’t taken my sleeping bag to the field since I have been in Ottawa.”

One Canadian Army public affairs officer at National Defence headquarters in Ottawa acknowledged to Defence Watch having two rucksacks and three sleeping bags even though he hasn’t gone into the field since 2010. He noted he will be returning the equipment.

Chenard said those giving up the gear would be reissued with the equipment later if they were required to go into the field.

Chenard said the Canadian Forces has also ordered more sleeping bags and rucksacks. “There are procurements that are ongoing,” he explained. “We don’t see those delivering until 2019. We see this a due diligence to rebuild our inventory to allow the procurement process to deliver in the next couple of years.”

Defence Watch

by Cypher Tue 12 Jun 2018, 6:13 pm

Canadian Forces wants its sleeping bags back

10,000 rucksacks and sleeping bags could be redistributed

Danielle d'Entremont · CBC News · Posted: Jun 12, 2018

Equipment 5th-canadian-division-support-base-gagetown-during-exercise

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/canadian-forces-sleeping-bag-rucksack-recall-1.4701905

by Cypher Tue 12 Jun 2018, 6:16 pm

Trudeau Has Soldiers Sharing Sleeping Bags

by **Victor** Thu 14 Jun 2018, 11:53 am

Where are those missing Canadian military sleeping bags? Try Ukraine

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen

Published Jun 14, 2018

The Canadian Forces wants its personnel to give up their sleeping bags and rucksacks to head off shortages of such equipment for new recruits in the future.

The recall got a lot of attention in the news media over the last two weeks, including comments from the Conservative Party about how the Liberals had yet again bungled supplying “our brave men and women” in uniform.

Lt. Col. Robin Chenard, a staff officer working on logistics operations for the Canadian Army, told Defence Watch that it is believed that around 4,000 individuals in the Canadian Forces have two or more rucksacks so it wants those military personnel to return them if they are not needed.

But what about the military sleeping bags?

Defence Watch suggests the Canadian Army might try looking in Ukraine.

In 2014 the Conservative government removed 735 sleeping bags from the Canadian Forces stock and donated them to Ukraine’s military.

Actually, a lot of Canadian military equipment can be found in Ukraine. In August 2014, Canada supplied 30,000 pairs of ballistic eyewear, 2,300 bullet-proof vests, 350 first aid kits, 7,000 helmets, 735 sleeping bags and 100 tents.

In November 2014 Canada announced another shipment from Canadian Forces stocks, including 30,000 coats, 30,000 pairs of pants, 70,000 pairs of boots and 4,500 pairs of gloves

The Canadian government spent $1.6 million to ship $5 million worth of equipment, according to figures obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.

Edmonton Journal

by Lucifer Mon 18 Jun 2018, 6:21 am

ON TARGET: EMBARRASSING SHORTFALL NOTHING NEW FOR CANADIAN MILITARY

June 18, 2018

By Scott Taylor

In the past few weeks, one of the media stories buzzing about in Canadian defence circles is the official plea put out for soldiers to turn in their spare gear. It turns out that the Canadian Army has a chronic shortage of rucksacks and sleeping bags.

Any soldier who has more than one of these items is being asked to voluntarily hand it back to the supply depot in order that it can be reissued to new recruits. Similarly, personnel who possesses this gear, but who are not currently in a job wherein field deployments are imminent, are also being asked to return these items.

Naturally enough, the opposition Conservative party used this equipment shortfall to bash the Trudeau Liberals for failing to provide the essentials to Canada’s “brave men and women” in uniform.

What makes the sleeping bag shortage even more embarrassing and the Conservative Party’s comments totally ironic, is that just four years ago the Harper government gave 795 sleeping bags to the Ukrainian armed forces.

At the time, the nearly $5 million in non-lethal military aid we gave to Ukraine – including the sleeping bags – was declared to be ‘surplus’ material. This was news to any close followers of the Canadian Military who were of course surprised to learn that our troops had a ‘surplus’ supply of anything.

Turns out that we didn’t, and in the subsequent four years the supply systems failed to adjust for the current shortfall of sleeping bags.

As embarrassing as this may seem, for those of us who keep close tabs on military affairs, shortages of essential equipment are really nothing new.

Back in 2002, Canada’s first battle group deployed into Afghanistan in dark green forest camouflage uniforms. The rest of the NATO alliance all had desert camouflage, as it better suits Afghanistan’s dust bowl environment.

The fact that the Canadian military did not have desert camouflage uniforms in stock made no sense as in the previous decade our troops had been deployed on three separate missions to desert theatres; Persian Gulf, Somalia and Eritrea.

Rather than simply admit the forest green uniforms were an embarrassing lapse in our supply system, the official apologists claimed that it was Canada’s intention to have our soldiers ‘stand out’ from the NATO crowd. Obviously the political spin-doctors were not clear on the concept behind military camouflage.

Things were even worse back in the mid 1990’s when the Canadian Army had about 4,500 troops committed to operational peacekeeping missions in all corners of the world. We had three separate forces in the Balkans, one in Cyprus, and in Cambodia and briefly a battle group in Somalia.

The tempo put a tremendous strain on the supply system and there was an acute shortage of combat uniforms. In order to equip the battle groups training to deploy overseas, at one point the military had to take out ads in the base newspapers asking soldiers to turn in any spare uniforms they had in their closets. The uniforms already issued were worn until they were completely threadbare.

On a more dangerous note, in 1992, when Canada first deployed troops into the war torn republics of the former Yugoslavia, there was often no peace to keep. With bullets and shells still flying, body armour and helmets were an essential piece of equipment for our soldiers.

The problem was that at that juncture, Canada simply did not have enough helmets or flak jackets to equip all soldiers. When there was a rotation among the battle groups, on occasion incoming soldiers would literally take these items from the soldier they were replacing as they stepped off the plane.

The frontline shortages of vital equipment was explained away by Ottawa bureaucrats as being a result of the rapid downsizing of the Canadian Armed Forces – from 90,000 personnel to 65,000 – at the end of the Cold War. We were to believe that a military theoretically equipped to wage World War Three in 1990, was too short of helmets, uniforms and flak vests to outfit a few hundred peacekeepers just two years later.

Now, it is rucksacks and sleeping bags. Embarrassing, yes. But nothing new.

ON TARGET

by Magnum Tue 28 Aug 2018, 2:02 pm

No need to ensure purchased military equipment actually works, government officials argue in procurement dispute

Officials admit they have never tested the latest search and rescue gear to be used by the military and coast guard

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen

Published Aug 28, 2018

Canada is under no obligation to ensure the military equipment it purchases can actually do the job, federal officials are arguing, as they admit they have never tested the latest search and rescue gear to be used by the military and coast guard.

The admission by staff of Public Services and Procurement Canada is among the evidence in a complaint by two defence firms that argue the government’s decision to award a contract to a rival company was unfair.

The complaint was filed on July 27 with the Canadian International Trade Tribunal by Kongsberg Geospatial of Ottawa on behalf of Critical Software, a Portuguese firm. The complaint centres on the government decision to name MDA Systems the winner of a $5.6 million contract to provide software to help in search and rescue missions.

Critical Software, which teamed with Kongsberg to bid on the project, had originally raised concerns with the government about why the two companies’ proposal was thrown out on a technicality. The Critical Software system is used by more than 1,000 organizations, such as coast guards, police and military in more than 30 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.

But because Critical Software and Kongsberg didn’t provide a percentage figure of how many systems were in use in each region, their bid was disqualified by the government.

We filed this complaint because, in our view, the evaluation did not follow the process defined, resulting in a competition that was neither open nor fair

The two companies questioned that decision and were stunned when federal officials admitted they have never tested the winning system and didn’t actually know whether it meets the requirements of the Canadian Forces or the Canadian Coast Guard.

Public Service and Procurement Canada officials stated “Canada may, but will have no obligation, to require that the top-ranked Bidder demonstrate any features, functionality and capabilities described in this bid solicitation or in its bid,” according to the federal response provided to Kongsberg/Critical Software and included in its complaint to the trade tribunal.

The government noted in its response that such an evaluation would be conducted after the contract was awarded and insisted the acquisition process was fair and open.

Public Services and Procurement Canada declined to comment because the complaint is before the trade tribunal. MDA also declined to comment.

Ranald McGillis, president of Kongsberg Geospatial, said in an email to Postmedia that the firm hopes the complaint will lead to improvements in the procurement system.

“We filed this complaint because, in our view, the evaluation did not follow the process defined, resulting in a competition that was neither open nor fair,” he noted. “We were concerned when we learned that at least one of the mandatory requirements for this project was not actually evaluated at all.”

In the meantime, coast guard officials have sought to purchase some of the technology that had been originally offered by Critical Software and Kongsberg, according to company officials. The software, which includes a mapping component, allows users to plan and supervise a search and rescue mission.

“We were further concerned when the end customer came back to us after the contract was awarded, trying to purchase basic components of the required technology — which suggests that the evaluation missed the mark in providing the end customer with what they need,” McGillis stated.

The complaint asks the tribunal to order the federal government to reimburse the two companies for the cost to prepare their bid as well as any lost profits. No financial figure was included.

Kongsberg and Critical Software have been pursuing the Canadian contract for years.

In 2011, the Department of National Defence announced it had an urgent need to buy a web-enabled search and rescue mission management system application for use by the military and the Canadian Coast Guard. In 2013, the government published a notice to industry that it was looking for companies to bid on what it stated would be a commercial, off-the-shelf project.

Kongsberg expressed interest in bidding and defence officials suggested the firm might want to partner with Critical Software since that company was known for producing a top-notch system for maritime rescue.

There was little movement on the project until 2017 when Public Services and Procurement Canada issued a request for bids. But Kongsberg noted the request was also significantly different than what the government had originally sought.

The trade tribunal has acknowledged receiving the complaint but it is unclear at this point how it will proceed.

National Post

by **Accer** Fri 31 Aug 2018, 3:11 pm

Canadian Military Spending Rightfully Questioned

Staff — August 31, 2018

https://debatereport.com/canada/canadian-military-spending-rightfully-questioned/7172

by **Rockarm** Mon 03 Sep 2018, 9:32 pm

$5.6M “bidding brouhaha” exposes how Canada’s military ends up with “crap” equipment
DAVID MENZIES
MISSION SPECIALIST
Sept 03, 2018

https://www.therebel.media/_5_6m_bidding_brouhaha_exposes_how_canada_s_military_ends_up_with_crap_equipment

by **Forcell** Thu 06 Feb 2020, 8:31 am

Industry representatives meet with Canadian Army staff on clothing, equipment modernization

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN - February 6, 2020

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/industry-representatives-meet-with-canadian-army-staff-on-clothing-equipment-modernization

by Rekert Thu 23 Jul 2020, 3:28 pm

Forces buy new equipment to transport people with infectious diseases

Published Thursday, July 23, 2020

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/forces-buy-new-equipment-to-transport-people-with-infectious-diseases-1.5036260

by **Spider** Thu 20 Jan 2022, 10:06 am

DND temporarily halts purchase of 5G network equipment

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Jan 20, 2022

Defence Watch

by **Accer** Sat 07 Jan 2023, 1:34 pm

More than a decade ago, the army had a plan to rebuild. It went nowhere

Canada is still standing in line for equipment it planned to buy 12 years ago

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

CBC News

by Kingway Mon 05 Jun 2023, 11:27 am

An 'embarrassing' gear shortage has Canadian troops in Latvia buying their own helmets

Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Jun 05, 2023

CBC News

by Rigger Fri 14 Jul 2023, 4:58 pm

DND confirms military officers used govt resources without permission on private Ukraine equipment deals

The Ottawa-based charity Mriya Aid has faced allegations of mismanagement, including providing Ukrainian troops with inadequate equipment.

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen

Published Jul 14, 2023

Canadian Forces officers used federal government resources without permission to help establish a charity that set up private side deals with defence firms and that has faced allegations of mismanagement, including providing Ukrainian troops with inadequate equipment.

Defence Minister Anita Anand and Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre, as well as senior military leaders, were unaware the officers were directly dealing with military equipment suppliers or engaged in behind-the-scenes discussions with Ukraine’s government.

In addition, senior Canadian leaders say they had no inkling the officers had conducted briefings on the side with U.S. politicians and other agencies about aid to Ukraine.

Military personnel also used their Canadian Forces email accounts to discuss getting Canadian government-issued export control permits so the privately-acquired equipment could be shipped overseas.

Seventeen Canadian Forces personnel were involved in the various efforts throughout March 2022 for what was known at first as Trident Aid and then later became Mriya Aid, according to documents obtained by this newspaper.

It’s unclear how many such deals were arranged using Canadian Forces resources.

National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier said senior leaders weren’t aware military officers were using Canadian Forces emails for private ventures, which were being operated out of various Canadian military locations, including Garrison Petawawa and CFB Borden, both in Ontario. He stated the Canadian Forces has no involvement in Trident Aid, Mriya Aid or the Mriya Report, an online organization that supports Mriya Aid by raising donations.

“While we are now aware there were some Mriya Aid-based exchanges made using DND/CAF digital resources, these interactions were not approved by the Chain of Command, nor are they sanctioned or supported,” Le Bouthillier said. “The involved members have since been counselled on this specific matter.”

No charges have been laid, he added.

The Canadian Forces did not release the names of the officers who had been counselled.

Le Bouthillier also acknowledged the Canadian Forces leadership was kept in the dark about the efforts of the officers to directly deal with the Ukrainian government and military, as well as U.S. government officials.

“We are also aware that CAF members have interacted with foreign officials on behalf of Mriya Aid, Mriya Report and/or related organizations. DND/CAF, including the Chain of Command, was not aware of these activities at the time they occurred,” Le Bouthillier confirmed. “These engagements were conducted by CAF members in their personal capacity, and not on behalf of DND/CAF, and were unsanctioned by DND/CAF or members in the Chain of Command.”

Le Bouthillier said the Canadian Forces has no liaison officers assigned to help Mriya Aid, nor has it provided logistic or diplomatic support for the group or its affiliates.

Interviews were requested with Canadian Army commander Lt. Gen. Joe Paul, Lt.-Gen. Lise Bourgon, head of military personnel command, and Lt. Gen. Jennie Carignan, chief of professional conduct. They did not respond nor answer questions about the activities of Canadian Forces officers linked to Mriya Aid or the Mriya Report.

Lt. Col. Melanie Lake, who was the chairperson of Mriya Aid, noted in a Nov. 16, 2022 statement to this newspaper she did not use government resources or her military position to assist with her volunteer work.

But a review of Canadian Forces emails shows that Lake did use her government email which included reference to her military position for the private venture. She signed off on some of those emails using her then-position as commanding officer of 2 Canadian Engineering Regiment at CFB Petawawa.

Lake did not respond to requests for further comment about her use of government resources for Trident Aid or Mriya Aid.

Some Ukrainians raised concerns online in the summer of 2022 about Mriya Aid, citing problems with the night vision systems the charity had acquired for Ukrainian troops. Those issues were reported by this newspaper as well as the New York Times.

Kateryna Halushka, a Ukrainian who provides medical assistance on the front lines of the war, complained in February 2023 that Mriya Aid raised more than $20,000 for tourniquets for a specific medical group in Ukraine but those were initially not delivered.

In addition, some Ukrainians have questioned the need for the Canadian Forces officers to raise money when members of the public can donate directly through a charity founded by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

A not-for-profit organization registered in Ontario, Mriya Aid describes itself as a network of experts dedicated to helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression.

Mriya Aid officials have denied any wrongdoing and have noted the charity is making a difference with its donations to Ukraine.

Lake had previously acknowledged there were issues with the night vision systems sent to the Ukrainians. She also told this newspaper in February that communication issues with the Ukrainian medical volunteers were behind the problems with the delivery of tourniquets to them. The medical supplies have since been delivered but that only happened after the Ukrainian medical volunteers complained about Mriya Aid on social media.

Some volunteers originally associated with Mriya Aid, including Betsy Mullen, a fundraiser with U.S. government connections, said they became involved with the charity because they thought it was connected with the Canadian Forces, an organization they saw as professional and respected. Those individuals have since left because of their concerns over how Mriya Aid was being run.

The records obtained by this newspaper also show messages were exchanged between Canadian Forces Capt. Joseph Friedberg and Salman Arif, director of operations in the office of Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly. Arif responded to Friedberg at his Canadian Forces email, thanking him for a Zoom call link for the group organizing the private initiative for Ukraine.

Joly’s spokesman Adrien Blanchard told this newspaper the minister’s staff did not take part in the Zoom call. Instead, those contacting Joly’s staff were advised to use a Canadian government initiative which directed donations for Ukraine to well-established organizations such as those run by the United Nations, he added.

Friedberg, a grievance analyst with the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group at CFB Borden, did not respond to requests for comment about who authorized him to contact Joly’s office. Col. Nickolas Roby, commander of the recruiting group, didn’t respond to a request for an interview nor respond to questions.

Friedberg previously told this newspaper his charity work is done as a private individual, although he acknowledged for some of his meetings he has appeared in his Canadian Army uniform. Friedberg also acknowledged that on at least one occasion he used his military email for charity-related work. The records, however, show Friedberg’s military email was used multiple times.

A June 2022 presentation deck prepared for U.S. medical officials on behalf of Mriya Aid introduced Friedberg as a Canadian Forces captain and noted he had given briefings to the U.S. State Department as well as a congressional briefing with the staff of U.S. senators. The presentation also noted he was coordinating a second briefing with other Republican and Democrat politicians in the U.S.

Friedberg did not provide comment on questions related to that material.

National Defence spokesman Le Bouthillier said Canadian Forces members wanting to participate in any outside activity are required to obtain approval from their supervisor or commanding officer before submitting a confidential report to the department’s Assistant Deputy Minister for Review Services for a conflict-of-interest assessment.

Le Bouthillier said no Canadian Forces personnel have ever been authorized to take part in Trident Aid or the Mriya Report.

He said four Canadian Forces members were authorized to take part in Mriya Aid, but those approvals weren’t issued until May and June 2022. The military personnel, whose identities are protected under the Privacy law, were informed “it would be inappropriate, and against regulations, to use any DND or CAF facilities, materiel or equipment for any matter related to your outside activity,” Le Bouthillier said. “This includes the use of Defence Wide Area Network or other government systems to communicate with external individuals or entities and to advertise this outside activity.”

The four military members were told their outside activities were to be conducted on their own time and in a manner that would not “compromise the integrity of DND or the CAF,” Le Bouthillier added.

In addition, they were not to represent themselves as members of the Canadian Forces.

It is the responsibility of the Canadian military member and their commanding officer to ensure rules are followed, Le Bouthillier added.

In a March 13 statement to this newspaper, Friedberg stated he was a volunteer and not paid for his work. “The Conflict of Interest form references paid employment outside CAF employment,” he added.

Lake had previously stated she is strict about not associating her involvement in charity work with the Canadian Forces. But Lake acknowledged she took part in virtual meeting in April 2022 with staff from the offices of two U.S. senators.

Lake appeared in uniform during the meeting and acknowledged she did not seek permission from the Canadian Forces leadership. She noted that she emphasized during her appearance that her presence had nothing to do with the Canadian military.

Records also show Lake used her military email account on March 9, 2022 to send out a message to Canadian Forces personnel and other volunteers about a Zoom meeting with a military supply company.

She signed off on that email in her role as commanding officer 2 Combat Engineer Regiment.

Defence Watch

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