Wonder if they work?
Ottawa Citizen- What can Ukraine possibly do with 80-year-old Canadian pistols?
As Long As It Takes
CBC- Canada’s plan to donate refurbished armour to Ukraine is still spinning its wheels
A plan to rebuild and modernize two dozen decommissioned Canadian light armoured vehicles for donation to Ukraine is stuck in bureaucratic limbo more than nine months after the defence department handed the vehicles over to an Ontario company that specializes in restoration, CBC News has learned.
Fulfilling Our NATO Commitment
Sun- DND paid $32K for ‘intersectional feminist’ report on space exploration
The report, entitled Hidden Harms: Human (In)security in Outer Space, was produced by Project Ploughshares — a Canadian “peace research institute” associated with the Canadian Council of Churches.
The Libranos: The Party Of Comfy Contracts
With 68K active duty regulars that’s $570 a bag.
Despite the defence department spending more than $34.8 million on new sleeping bags, the Canadian Army asked late last year that hundreds of soldiers headed to a joint northern exercise in Alaska with the Americans be issued with old, 1960s-vintage bedrolls.
Troops who had used the recently issued General Purpose Sleeping Bag System (GPSBS) late last fall in a preparatory exercise found “several critical issues,” according to an internal briefing note obtained by CBC News.
More than 350 soldiers belonging to the 3rd battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI) deployed to Ram Falls Provincial Park, west of Red Deer, Alta., in late November last year, where they spent several days training for northern operations.
Temperatures during the deployment ranged from – 5C during the day to – 20C at night.
Logistik Unicorp of Quebec got the contract.
Let’s Decolonize The Navy
National Security Journal- DEI Is Sinking the U.S. Navy
After persistent recruiting challenges since 2020, the Coast Guard—which is facing a 10% shortage in crews—last year took the remarkable step of sidelining 10 cutters and shuttering 29 boat stations. The Navy, meanwhile, missed its recruiting goals last year by 7,000 and has shrunk by 21,000 sailors since 2021. Then there’s the Army, which reduced its goals rather than acknowledge even larger recruitment gaps.
Take That Putin!
Spiked- Does the US need to ‘queer’ its nuclear arsenal?
According to Nair and her co-author, ‘diversity and inclusion’ are ‘especially important’ for nuclear policy. Apparently, ‘discrimination against queer people’ can ‘undermine nuclear security’ and increase the risk of nuclear war. They also lambast the nuclear-security community for being largely ‘cis-heteronormative’ – for those not up on the queer vocabulary, that means filled with straight men who identify with their birth sex.
G.I. Jane
Blacklock’s- First Data On Military Deaths
The Department of National Defence for the first time acknowledges above-average suicide rates in the armed forces, typically involving women volunteers.
“The number of regular force female suicides was higher with statistical significance from the number expected based on the suicide rate in the Canadian female population,” said a department report. Typical subjects were 33, single, with no combat experience but a history of depression, anxiety disorders and addiction. “There weren’t many who had a history of deployment,” it said.
“It was common for these members to have at least two active mental health problems at the time of death,” said the Report On Suicide Mortality In The Canadian Armed Forces. Suicide rates among men were similar to the national average for civilians, it said.
Today In Canadian Infrastructure
Blacklock’s- Military No Help On Housing
At least a quarter of Department of National Defence buildings and other infrastructure dates from the 1970s and requires “significant maintenance,” says an internal audit. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had proposed to recycle federal property for housing.
“Approximately 25 percent of existing infrastructure is greater than 50 years old and requires significant maintenance, repair and recapitalization to ensure it remains serviceable and compliant with health, safety and environment regulations,” said an Audit Of Defence Infrastructure.
Diversity Is Our Hustle
Trudeau cabinet minister Harjit Sajjan wanted to use Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel as a backdrop for Punjabi pop star Diljit Dosanjh. Dosanjh, a Sikh from the Punjab region of India, is a well-known entertainer in that country.
As first reported in The Globe and Mail, Sajjan, who was minister of national defense for six years, received a request in April for uniformed military personnel to participate as in Dosanjh’s Vancouver performance on Apr. 27.
It is unclear whether the CAF members were expected to sing or dance. As defense minister in 2017, Sajjan presented Dosanjh with a medal while the singer was touring Canada. […]
“Minister Sajjan agreed the concert would be a good opportunity for the Canadian Armed Forces to engage with and expand connect to a diverse community of young Canadians, along the lines of the CAF outreach and recruiting events at professional sporting events,” said Sajjan’s press secretary Joanna Kanga.
Jordan Peterson: In Defense of Canada
This video has little to do with energy and everything to do with how this country’s military has gone to hell in a handbasket. Dr. Jordan Peterson speaks with retired a retired three-star admiral and former head of the Royal Canadian Navy, a three-star army general and a retired air force major. They tear apart DEI and the woke reality in the military today.
If you care at all about the Canadian Armed Forces, or ever served, you should watch or listen to this.
Also, on the nuclear front:
‘Ontario’s moment:’ Minister says Canada building blueprint for nuclear energy future
And it turns out pipelines make money. Who’da thunk it?
Enbridge makes progress on utility purchases; raises earnings forecast
Man The Canoes
Sun- New Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship out of action because of flooding, mechanical problems
The incident is the latest of a number of issues plaguing the new ships, which are costing almost $5 billion.
The ships only have a one-year warranty, Canadian military personnel have also pointed out, which means the taxpayer is footing the bill for most of the repairs.
Administrative Bloat
Blacklocks- More Staffers For Fewer Vets
The departmental payroll since 2015 has grown from 2,907 employees to 3,676, an increase of 769 staff or 26 percent.
“The 2021 Census counted 461,240 Canadian veterans,” said the note. “This is lower than the department’s estimate of 617,800 veterans published in the department’s yearly Facts And Figures.”
The department in a 2009 report New Veterans Charter Evaluation acknowledged it had more employees managing fewer programs than either the United Kingdom or Australia. Canada’s payroll of 3,676 employees compared to 2,100 each in the U.K. and Australia.
Critics have complained other federal agencies are also overstaffed.
An Historical Examination of NATO
Prior to the Soviet Union falling apart in 1991, the presence of NATO made complete sense. But after that, why did it grow and not contract?
Empty Promises
I’ll believe it when I see it. “Senior government officials” were likely waiting to backpedal at precisely the moment the announcement was made.
Canada definitely plans to move forward with the purchase of new submarines, the federal government announced on the margins of the NATO Summit on Wednesday.
Up to now, the government has spoken only about the possibility of replacing the aging Victoria-class boats. But in the face of mounting criticism of Canada’s defence spending by allies — notably the United States — Ottawa has given the proposal the green light.
A senior government official, speaking on background, said they could not confirm how much the plan will cost, how many boats will be purchased or when they will arrive.
Nickels and Dimes
Blacklocks- Blair Figures Inflated: Report
Defence Minister Bill Blair inflated numbers on military spending, says a Budget Office report.
“The Budget Office forecasts Canada’s military expenditure will rise from 1.29 percent of GDP in 2025 to a peak of 1.49 percent of GDP in 2026 before falling and stabilizing at 1.42 percent by 2030.
The defence department in an April 8 budget note Addendum: National Defence Spending predicted military expenditures would grow to 1.76 percent of GDP by 2030. NATO mandates a two percent target.
A Crack in Trudeau’s Rainbow-coloured Iron Curtain
NATO is not happy with Lil’ Justin:
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Canada’s failure to hit the NATO target came up in meetings Trudeau held Monday and Tuesday with American politicians, and that the government was aware that Canada is being “called out” for falling short as the alliance gathered in Washington to mark its 75th anniversary at a time of global tensions and war in Europe.
The discussions were taking place as the Canadian delegation fielded criticism over the lack of a clear plan to increase Ottawa’s military spending to at least two per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP). With Russia’s war in Ukraine, American pressure and increasing competition between the West and China fuelling a drive across the alliance towards military expansion, a growing number of NATO’s 32 members are hitting that two-per-cent target — more than 20 by the end of this year, according to NATO’s most recent estimate. But Canada remains near the bottom of the list, with military spending equivalent to 1.37 per cent of its GDP, the NATO estimate says.
The Decline And Fall Of The American Empire
More Like Austin Powers Than James Bond
I’m sure the Russkies were shaking in their boots.
Blacklocks- Claims It Was Secret Mission
Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the visit of the Margaret Brooke was a routine courtesy call “on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of our uninterrupted diplomatic relations” with Canada. Minister Blair yesterday insisted there was a secret military purpose.
“How could the Margaret Brooke be a deterrent?” asked a reporter. “Presence is deterrence,” replied Blair. “We were present.”
I, Napoleon
