# "Canadian Army should take 2 yr Hiatus"



## sgtdixon (13 Nov 2002)

this is from  http://www2.alberta.com/news/fs.cfm?source_id=CP&id=1216833 

Two-year hiatus urged 
Senators: bring Forces back home, do complete overhaul 



full image
Canadian troops land on Towr Ghar in Tora Bora last May. (CP Archive/Stephen Thorne)--> 
OTTAWA (CP) - Canada should recall all its military forces from overseas duty within six months and then place a two-year moratorium on deployments while it overhauls defence capabilities, says a Senate committee report. 
The federal government should also budget an additional $4 billion a year for military expenditures, raising per capita defence spending by $130 to $525 per Canadian, the Senate defence committee said Tuesday. The figure is a quarter of what each American spends on defence and a third of what Britons spend, said the report. It would bump Canada up one notch on the NATO spending ladder, to 12th of 18 - just ahead of Portugal - and bring Canada‘s annual defence budget to $15.8 billion. 

Please see below for: 

How the Senate says the new money should be spent 

Canadian military deployments worldwide as of Sept. 4, 2002 

The report equated bringing Canadian troops home to a "strategic retreat," saying money alone won‘t solve problems in the Canadian Forces such as personnel shortages, training inadequacies and equipment needs. 

"The military now needs time almost as much as it needs money to revitalize itself for its obligations," said the 163-page report, entitled For an Extra 130 Bucks. 

"It needs a respite from its manifold overseas responsibilities, giving it time to recruit, time to train, time to re-equip itself, time to rethink its optimal role in the modern theatre of warfare." 

This should even preclude Canada‘s participation in any Iraq war, suggested the committee, which also urged expansion of military force to 75,000 from 52,000 after visiting 15 bases during the summer. 

The recommendation to recall the troops did not sit well with the Canadian Alliance, and the Conference of Defence Associations, a military think- tank. 

"It‘s very naive and irresponsible," said Alliance defence critic Leon Benoit. "We‘ve made commitments to NATO, to Norad, to other overseas operations and you can‘t just cancel them because the military is stretched." 

Alliance Leader Stephen Harper acknowledged Canada‘s military is spread thin but said recalling the troops is "an unacceptable option." 

"It would weaken us internationally and to suggest that the day after Remembrance Day . . . is kind of a cruel irony," said Harper. 

Retired colonel Alain Pellerin, head of the 70-year-old defence group, said the remedy is not realistic. 

"The world will not stop turning because Canada has a serious problem with its Armed Forces," said Pellerin, adding a break wouldn‘t solve all the problems. "Our allies will still expect us . . . to share responsibilities. 

"To pull out of the Balkans and not be involved in the Gulf, maybe in Iraq, will show Canada is not a serious country that cannot provide even minimal commitment abroad." 

Both backed the call for more money and more troops. 

Defence Minister John McCallum, who spent Remembrance Day with Canadian troops in Bosnia, has acknowledged the need for more money in the face of a $100-million to $200-million budgetary shortfall this year. 

McCallum is currently in the midst of a defence update and administrative review that he says will provide the basis for his submission to cabinet prior to a federal budget in February. 

Meanwhile, military operations have been cut in efforts to make up the difference. 

The Senate report comes on the heels of a national poll in which half of those surveyed believed the military‘s role should be expanded, and 75 per cent said its budget should be increased. 

Colin Kenny, the Liberal chairman of the Senate committee, said the military needs the money now. 

"Canadians are clearly spending more to insure their vehicles, their homes, and we would see some analogy with insuring their country," said Kenny. 

"The key is this next budget. If something doesn‘t happen in the February budget to address the funding shortfall, you‘re going to see very significant capability cuts in the Canadian military." 

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The Senate defence committee says the military needs an additional $4 billion annually, bringing the defence budget to $15.8 billion. Here‘s how it says the new money should be spent: 

- $1 billion for operations and maintenance, including training, better aerial surveillance for the air force, more sea days for the navy, more spare parts, better maintenance of equipment, offices and living quarters. 

- Up to $800 million to rebuild the personnel base to 75,000 from 52,000, boosting incentives, raising pay and improving morale. 

- Up to $2.25 billion for capital programs, including Sea King helicopter replacements, new strategic lift aircraft to move troops and equipment around the world, better intelligence gathering capabilities, more North American defence, new uniforms and refined allied recognition gear. 

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Canadian military deployments worldwide as of Sept. 4, 2002: 

- Coalition Operation Apollo (Afghanistan, Arabian Gulf; 1,068 personnel) 

- NATO Palladium (Bosnia-Herzegovina; 1,579) 

- NATO Forage (Macedonia; one) 

- UN Danaca (Golan Heights; 193) 

- UN Snowgoose (Cyprus; one) 

- UN Jade (Jerusalem; seven) 

- UN Calumet (Sinai; 30) 

- UN Reptile (Sierra Leone; five) 

- UN Crocodile (Congo; eight) 

- UN Addition (Ethiopia, Eritrea; six) 

- UN Sculpture (Sierra Leone; 11) 

Total deployed: 2,909 


Sorry for the length, just thought this should all be discussed here and now.

Dixon 55-22
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