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Yes and no. CANFORGEN 012/17 removed the requirement to have a valid medical category in order to be promoted. On the other hand, a valid FORCE test is still a promotion requirement. In theory, a disability that didn't affect your ability to do PT (a missing eye for example) wouldn’t affect your...

The new DEU 3 is appropriate for court martials and testifying in front of parliamentary committees, when full high collar scarlets/blues are considered a little too fancy for the occasion. The RCMP similarly have a service dress that is a step down from red serge. Now, whether everyone needs...

There’s also the Wing Commander with a relaxed approach to firearms and hunting regulations — that one’s being tried in the civilian courts.

While PP is a member of the Privy Council based on his previous service as a Cabinet Minister, it is customary to admit leaders of the opposition who lacked previous cabinet service. That is how the PC postnominal was granted to Michael Ignatieff, Tom Mulcair, Preston Manning and Andrew Scheer.

That’s not accurate. Pierre Poilievre has been a member of the Privy Council since 2013.

While 3D Tropical Service Dress has actually been removed from the CAF dress instructions, I can understand someone wearing it if in a tropical environment if they still have a closet full of the stuff. Still a little rebellious, but it is issued (if obselete) kit. That isn’t an option for most...

The degreed officer corps policy specifically does not apply to the CFR programme. So that shouldn’t be a hard disqualification.

Nick Glasnovic. PPCLI, then Foreign Legion, then Croatian Army. Ended up being a General, then a member of parliament for a while in Croatia. He was an HVO Brigade Commander during my first tour in Bosnia.

The most recent Canadian Military Journal includes some light criticism of the Arbour Report; this is perhaps a sign that it is now appropriate to point out some of the flaws in said document.

Not at all the same. CFB Halifax is commanded by a Capt(N) Base Commander. MARLANT is a Formation commanded by a Rear Admiral, whose headquarters is located within CFB Halifax. The Air Force structure, where the Base Commander is sometimes also the Wing Commander, but not always, is much more...

Yes, I also remember the Supplementary Ready Reserve back in the 90’s. As I recall, they were required to parade/work (and were paid for) 1 day a year, presumably to DAG. This was separate from the Supplementary Holding Reserve, who were more like today’s SuppRes who didn’t parade at all.

The Philippines and China probably had a bigger role. Once the US decided to become an imperial power in Asia, they needed to have an expeditionary army to enforce their claim.

The Chinese seem to believe that they can throw up a ring of steel (in the form of an anti-access/area denial bubble), seize and annex Taiwan, and then declare peace, with the red flag flying over Taipei and the ROC leadership already shipped off to the re-education camps. The Americans believe...

The C5 didn’t entitely disappear in the Reg Force, it still stayed around in niche roles. In Canada-based Armoured units it was the coax machine gun in the Cougar AVGP — I think that switching out that coax from C5 to C6 in Cougar didn’t happen until the Bosnia days. Canadian Leopard 1s were...

But wasn’t riding in trucks only in the 4CIBG days? I think the redesignation to 4CMBG went hand-in-hand with the acquisition of the APCs.

Well, the alternative to nuclear is the even more evil diesel fuel — and Canada, unlike Australia, already has a domestic nuclear power industry and wouldn’t be starting entirely from scratch. Nuclear power is the future — it’s a pity not everyone sees it that way.

I think it’s a perfectly fine thing to have separate standards between the CAF and Defence civil servants. Civilian employees have to meet direction imposed by the Clerk of the Privy Council, and to be compatible with the wider civil service, while members of the CAF report to the CDS. Besides...

Well, there was that RAF Phantom pilot that shot down a RAF Jaguar on exercise in Germany in 1982 because they brought live Sidewinders on a training event. The Jaguar pilot successfully ejected.

The 3rd Mechanized Commando — although slightly ridiculous in execution — was a well-intentioned attempt to prioritize the needs of the army (one M113-equipped mechanized infantry battalion in Baden-Soellingen) over the wants of the regimental system (It should be RCR! It should be PPCLI!) What...

For the first rotation to Korea, absolutely, with experience in the 1939-1945 unpleasantness. But the first West Germany rotation was mostly without such experience. I do wonder if we could do a Special Force style rotation to Latvia right now. All Pte positions in the brigade are enrolled on...