A major maritime patrol requirement was slowly progressing through the Definition phase, potentially heading toward Implementation, and most insiders believed there was only one real contender to replace the 40-year-old Aurora aircraft. Could Canada's Bombardier muscle in on a major defence procurement without a working prototype? Why not? It's been tried before, but with decidedly limited success.
Nov 08
(TIM DUNNE)
In 2019, Bill C-77 received Royal Assent to remove detention from the list of punishments that can be awarded in the Canadian military, but the practice continues due in part to JAG delay, forcing the Canadian Forces Detention Barracks and Service Prison to continue to be staffed – at a cost to the Canadian taxpayer of $2.2 million each year.
Oct 13
(CBC)
Major-General Dany Fortin has reached an undisclosed settlement in his $6-million lawsuit against the government and the Chief of the Defence Staff over his abrupt dismissal from running the government’s coronavirus vaccination program in May 2021.Under investigation at the time for an alleged assault while a student in 1988, he was acquitted last December.
Sep 14
(ALAN WILLIAMS)
Former ADM (materiel), Alan Williams, takes a critical look at the Canadian Surface Combatant procurement from the taxpayer's perspective. Comparing costs and quotes on similar projects from other countries, he finds that Canadian taxpayers are paying 2-3 times more for the CSC ships under the project management of Irving Shipbuilding.
Dec 06
(Ken Pole)
Announcing a year-long review of the culture and value of Canada’s two remaining military colleges after a series of scandals, Defence Minister Bill Blair called the project a “milestone in our work to build a Canadian Armed Forces where all members feel protected, respected, and empowered to serve.”
Dec 05
(Ken Pole)
A Statistics Canada report in collaboration with the Department of National Defence has found that the percentage of uniformed personnel who reported sexual assault by another member surged last year and that assaults against women were more than three times as high as among men.
Dec 04
(Ken Pole)
Five U.S. defence companies continued to lead global sales of arms and military services last year but despite an overall dip from 2021, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute expects revenues to rebound in 2023 and beyond.
Nov 30
(Ken Pole)
The federal government confirmed today that it has arranged to procure at least 14 Boeing P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft through an arrangement with the U.S. government
 Cleeve Technology Inc. |
 Collins Aerospace |
 Babcock Canada Inc |
22 November 2023 –
A major maritime patrol requirement was slowly progressing through the Definition phase, potentially heading toward Implementation, and most insiders believed there was only one real contender to replace the 40-year-old Aurora aircraft. Could Canada's Bombardier muscle in on a major defence procurement without a working prototype? Why not? It's been tried before, but with decidedly limited success.
8 November 2023 –
In 2019, Bill C-77 received Royal Assent to remove detention from the list of punishments that can be awarded in the Canadian military, but the practice continues due in part to JAG delay, forcing the Canadian Forces Detention Barracks and Service Prison to continue to be staffed – at a cost to the Canadian taxpayer of $2.2 million each year.
18 June 2023 –
Politicians, scholars and commentators have sought to explain or justify the apparent delinquency in Canada’s defence effort over the years. It remains unclear whether or how much the promised new defence policy update will address the matter of NATO's 2% minimum defence spending commitment.
18 June 2023 –
Former head of defence procurement at Canada's Department of National Defence, made the following remarks at the Standing Committee of National Defence hearing on 16 June 2023. He says the capital costs of Canada’s new fighter jets and surface combatant ships will exceed $100 billion dollars over a 10-year period, and could effectively bankrupt the Canadian Armed Forces unless new monies are injected.
8 December 2023
(Reuters)
The U.S. today vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Britain abstained from voting but the 13 other members voted in favour of it. Robert Wood, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the UN, said that while the U.S. “strongly supports a durable peace”, an unsustainable ceasefire “will only plant the seeds for the next war.”
8 December 2023
(Guardian)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, 71, confirmed today that he will seek re-election next March, moving him a step closer to a fifth term in office. He has won previous votes by landslides and while independent monitors cited widespread ballot fraud, a Putin official has said that he “will be re-elected next year with more than 90% of the vote.”
8 December 2023
(Breaking Defense)
The U.S. State Department has approved, subject to congressional approval, a $300-million sale of 80 RTX light-weight torpedoes and associated equipment to Germany for its Boeing P-8A ASW fleet. “The sale will improve Germany’s capability to meet current and future threats by upgrading Anti-Submarine Warfare capabilities,” the department said December 7, adding that it also supports U.S. foreign policy and national security “by improving the security of a NATO ally that is an important force for political and economic stability in Europe.”
8 December 2023
(Defense News)
The U.S. Defense Department has warned for months that it has been burning its way through Ukrainian aid funds but now it says the program is running on “fumes.” That’s how Bill LaPlante, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment, describes the current situation as a supplemental funding bill continues to face opposition in Congress.
7 December 2023
(Defense News)
Italy to train Swedish pilots More than 100 Swedish military pilots and a dozen instructors will soon begin training in southern Italy. “Finding agreements and synergies between countries that share spaces and orientations is always productive,” General Luca Goretti, the Italian air force’s chief of staff, said after signing a 10-year agreement with his Swedish counterpart, General Jonas Wikman. “Working with Swedish colleagues will represent a growth opportunity for both countries.”
7 December 2023
(Forbes)
Structural cracking “of varying degree” in the horizontal and vertical stabilizers on its 14 Italian C-27J Spartan twin-engine aircraft compelled the U.S. Coast Guard to ground the fleet last weekend. It was acting on a service bulletin issued by the Italian aerospace conglomerate Leonardo, which said repairs could be carried out by the USCG.
7 December 2023
(BBC)
Brazil is deploying troops along its northern border with Venezuela afger that coungry’s president announced plans to take over a petroleum-rich region controlled by their mutual neighbour. The Essequibo region has been in dispute since the 19th Century when Guyana was a British colony.
7 December 2023
(Defense News)
The chair of a U.S. House of Representatives panel says repeated delays in Lockheed Martin’s latest F-35 upgrades will have a cascading impact on modifications to the fighter. Software and integration problems have kept the upgrades from being accepted by program managers and they now are not expected to comply until next spring, a year later than planned.
7 December 2023
(Defense News)
The International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers union, which has a significant presence in Canada, says Congress has been asked to increase domestic content requirements on defence procurements. “The core of our nation’s defense and economic vitality hinges on our Buy American policy, which embodies our deepest values,” says Robert Martinez, the U.S.-based union’s president since 2016.
7 December 2023
(AP)
The U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps grounded all of their nearly 500 Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft December 6 after a fatal crash off the coast of Japan last week. “Preliminary investigation information indicates a potential materiel failure caused the mishap,” said Lieutenant-General Tony Bauernfeind, head of USAF Special Operations Command, “but the underlying cause of the failure is unknown.”