I was the com/nav shop head at the time, and a Staff Sergeant. We walked into the hangars on the second of August, and there wasn’t a sound from the flight line or the shops. It was very weird, because normally it was buzzing and clanging. And then we were told to get our troops and muster on the hangar deck.
There, the skipper told the entire squadron that Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait that morning, and we would all be packing up to head back to El Toro in anticipation of something big going down, in line with precisely why we were there to begin with.
Everyone had half an hour to get to the barracks to get their gear and get back, because we had planes to launch and gear to embark as soon as they could scramble the 130s to come get us.
All the troops took off, but the SgtMaj held us shop heads back and said,
‘I don’t know HOW she did it, or got the number, but the phone rang on the CO’s desk first this morning, and it was LCpl Schmuckatelli’s wife. FROM EL TORO. She called to tell the Skipper that she was very sorry about the deployment to Saudi Arabia (!), but LCpl Schmuckatelli couldn’t go, because she has three children and doesn’t drive.’
New Governor, Same As The Old Governor
Recently Canada was selected to host what is being called a NATO bank. Its official name is Defence, Security, and Resilience Bank (DSRB) & its mission is to provide low cost loans to NATO members & allies (read Ukraine) to purchase weapons. No country has committed actual dollars to fund the bank other than Canada.
So the word on the street is that Carney gained the support of the EU based NATO members to become the host for the bank by assuring them that Canada would buy the joint Norwegian/Germany [submarine] bid. That’s $100 billion taxpayer dollars being used to gain a prestigious (in Carney’s mind) bank which inflates his status in NATO.
“My prime minister said we should not aim for perfection before launching this initiative, that we should rally the countries that are ready to be called founding members, and then the membership will stay open,” Hudon said.
The project’s fate remains uncertain without the backing of nations crucial to it securing a triple-A credit rating.
Things You’ll Never See On The CBC
Enjoy.
OMG 👀 The F-35b Lightening 2 just stole the show at the National Mall for America 250!!
Watch the most advanced war fighting aircraft come to complete hover mode!
Greatest military in the world 🫡 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/M6eCFDRkg9
— J (@JayTC53) July 4, 2026
Related: The United States has lived almost exactly half its life in the aerospace era.
Groundhog Day
Someone wake me up when this thing finally ends. In the meantime, any ideas out there as to how this script will be wrapped up?
President Donald Trump on social media accused Iran of violating the ceasefire and warned of a point where the U.S. may no longer be reasonable “and will be forced to militarily complete the job.”
“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Trump wrote.
The exchanges of fire began when an Iranian drone struck a merchant vessel off Oman on Thursday and the U.S. military retaliated with strikes.
15 Wing Moose Jaw
It appears we’ve been conquered.
Courtesy of reader GG: two gay pride flags outside quarters on base in Moose Jaw. Five poles are not in use. No time for Canada or Saskatchewan but they have these two.
“Vigilamus pro te”
A CAF juxtapose of sorts.
Brian Lilley: This wasn’t respectful to the troops, don’t think it followed protocol. Problem is, Carney doesn’t know this.
I’ve been on parade and been reviewed by high level dignitaries.
This wasn’t respectful to the troops, don’t think it followed protocol.
Problem is, Carney doesn’t know this.
There are people in Ottawa who know this. Why isn’t he listening to them? pic.twitter.com/8CaIHAL3v3— Brian Lilley (@brianlilley) June 24, 2026
The officer commanding one of the Canadian Army’s leading regular force battalions and the unit’s top non-commissioned officer have been removed from their position. Lt.-Col. Jason Hudson and Chief Warrant Officer Kim Doerr, of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, were apparently forced to step aside over the weekend, several military sources said Tuesday.
The Department of National Defence, in a written statement, confirmed to CBC News that action had taken place, but refused to explain why.
Reddit reveals: “Beers on a bus”
Keir Starmer’s Britain
Where the foxes caper unmolested, the government packs your school lunch and the Defence Secretary has resigned from Cabinet: “you have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats”.
Despite his departure, Healey asked defence ministers to stay in their posts.
But a few hours later, Armed Forces Minister Al Carns followed suit, saying the plan wasn’t “built for the threat we face” and wasn’t “sufficiently funded”.
The latest departures mean seven ministers have now stepped down from the government in the past month.
And another resignation: The pressure on Keir Starmer is intensifying by the hour.
Good comment by reader Orson here.
The UK Defence Secretary resigned not because Starmer refuses to appropriate the necessary funds. He resigned because the UK doesn’t have the funds to appropriate. The UK is very much like Canada in that it voluntarily dissolved industry. Instead they focussed on service and entitlement programs (their National Healthcare one of them). They voluntarily moved money away from Defence costs (including not making the threshold on NATO contributions). Now, the US, who has been making up the difference on all these European countries has drawn a line, and none of the EU countries are in a financial position to accomodate their own defense. It’s an embarrassment. It’s a hard lesson. And, it’s not being corrected because the “leader” of the UK realizes that to make significant changes negates all the “entitlement gifts” used by his Political party faction to bribe the electorate.
Flappy Flap Those Elbows!
Because that’s the only lift the Liberals have left.
McGuinty announced the Snowbirds’ Tutor jets will be replaced by CT-157 Siskin II turboprops but gave no completion date, other than they’re “expected to be operational in the early 2030s.”
Given Canada’s history of military procurement fiascoes, we’ll believe it when we see it.
They have no intention of replacing them.
1⃣ Bucky Belanger introduces David McGuinty. Belanger is the MP who thought the Iran war was in Libya. He describes the Snowbirds being grounded as “very joyous & happy event.”
2⃣ McGuinty asked how long Snowbirds will be grounded. Twice. Reporter mentions 2030’s was in the press release. McGuinty provides no specifics. “Moving as quickly as we can.”
3⃣ How many Siskins (the replacement aircraft, a prop plane, not a jet) to be procured? “That remains to be determined.”
4⃣ Snowbirds will stay in Moose Jaw. Personnel re-assignment? Lt Gen Speiser-Blanchet – “We don’t have a list of specific activities at this time.”
5⃣ Final show is scheduled in the US. Will this change? “We are looking at that now.”
New Governor, Same As The Old Governor
We need to tell you what happened with the National Afghanistan Monument groundbreaking on May 4th. And we are going to tell it straight.
When we were preparing for April 15th, Veterans Affairs Canada reached out to us. They had an outreach problem. We had dozens of Afghan veterans descending on Ottawa from across the country to present the petition. VAC asked us to help bring those veterans to the groundbreaking ceremony. We agreed. We were told it would happen between our press conference and luncheon on April 15th at 11 am.
Two days before April 15th VAC cancelled. We scrambled to tell the veterans we had invited that it was rescheduled. We were told May 4th. We were told Valour in the Presence of the Enemy would be invited. People personally assured us that email was coming. The week before May 4th we were told directly — “you will get that email, I made sure of it.”
That email never came. […]
And quietly, without explanation, we were removed from the list entirely. An organization led by the former Chief of the Defence Staff. A wounded veteran shot three times in Afghanistan. An original member of the advisory committee. Someone who chaired the Service Excellence Committee for over a decade. They did not want us there. They did not want questions about Jess. They did not want questions about the Victoria Cross. Look at the photos from that ceremony. Members of Parliament outnumber Afghan veterans five to one.
It does not feel like a lot of elbows are up more like a selfie. Not a lot of the people who actually fought that war.
And How Was Your Day?
Two EA-18G Growlers crashed today following a midair collision at the Gunfighter Skies Airshow at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. All pilots appear to have ejected safely. pic.twitter.com/b15tvJO0mm
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 17, 2026
Now Is The Time At SDA When We Juxtapose
May 4th, 2026: Today, we announced $270 million of new military support to Ukraine.
May 7th, 2026: Fraser Tolmie, the Conservative MP for Moose Jaw, Sask.—home to the Snowbirds—said the team is not accepting bookings for the summer of 2027 after completing a full slate of air shows this year.
Canada Strong
Gradually, then suddenly: Canada’s top general is shutting down a key operation keeping avalanches under control along the Trans-Canada Highway in the Rocky Mountains because of “significant resource pressures,” according to a letter obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.
Keir Starmer’s Britain
Where the foxes caper unmolested, the government packs your school lunch and Britannia monitors the waves.
Hormuz traffic has collapsed by 90% since conflict began, with fewer than 10 ships a day now transiting the strait.
Royal Navy-led monitors report 40+ incidents, with vessels attacked, damaged, or forced to turn back.
Read more: https://t.co/WifeJgtoQN pic.twitter.com/7zB65pMGxp
— Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) May 1, 2026
Now Is The Time At SDA When We Juxtapose…
Is Our Diversities Learing?
Our Managing Editor, Cosmin Dzsurdzsa has obtained a secret, internal bombshell report from the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School. This 15 page document exposes shocking military secrets that Mark Carney is not sharing with the public.
One critical platoon was revealed to be 83% non-citizen residents – many in Canada for just three months – and it descended into total dysfunction.
Cultural infighting between Cameroonian and Ivorian factions within the CANADIAN Armed Forces.
Repeated allegations of racism flying between squabbling tribes.
A shocking lack of respect toward female members and instructors.
Graduation rate? A catastrophic 48%.
New Rules
I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes tonight.
🚨🚨 FBI and our partners have arrested a former SOCOM employee, who supported our top-level military warfighters, for allegedly transmitting classified information to a member of the media.
Outstanding work by @FBICharlotte and the FBI Counterintelligence & Espionage Division…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) April 8, 2026
No Man Left Behind
This movie is going to be insane…
American WSO ejects over Iran and spends ~48 hours hiding in the mountains while the IRGC hunts him. We cover him with 24/7 air support until US Special Ops can get to him, only for their Plan A planes to get stuck on the rural airstrip we setup deep in Iranian territory. They blow up the planes so Iran can’t recover them, fly in 3 new ones for extract, and still manage to get everyone home alive.
No man left behind. 🇺🇸
New York Post has the details.
Update: Glenn Reynolds speculates.
Sleight Of Hand
Just think how much Canada could boost defense spending by shifting the budgets for all manner of random departments to National Defense.
Bartlett said one of the reasons Canadian GDP won’t get a boost is that shifting spending from other departments likely helped Canada hit its target. For example, the Coast Guard budget was moved from Fisheries and Oceans to Defence.
Elbows Up!
One of the best visuals of the US vs Canada's military strength.
I had no idea just how ill-equipped we really were. We should be incredibly thankful that they are our neighbors. pic.twitter.com/gUykBF7wdT— Ryan Gerritsen🇨🇦🇳🇱 (@ryangerritsen) March 28, 2026
Keir Starmer’s Britain
Where the foxes caper unmolested, the government packs your school lunch, and they have to make decisions with what they’ve got…
I kid you not. Defence Secretary John Healey *DOESN'T KNOW* how many frigates and destroyers the UK has at its disposal.
I have never seen anything like it. This interview should IMMEDIATELY end John Healey's political career.
Terrifying.
Absolute car crash. pic.twitter.com/NCYSlxdFba— Lee Harris (@LeeHarris) March 26, 2026
Related: Then why hasn’t my nephew flown his helicopter in 4 months because they can’t get parts for it?