8 Billion dollars pledged to the forces... Martin

[PTE Gruending]

Military in line for billions

<snip>
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Paul Martin‘s government will announce Wednesday a major investment of between $6 billion and $8 billion in Canada‘s ailing military, including the purchase of new supply ships for the navy, and reaffirm the government‘s previous commitment to award the long-awaited contract to replace the Sea King helicopters.
<snip>

http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/story.asp?id=5F2D7015-E262-44E9-B3D4-2D214D12C039

 

[Slim]

Good if it happens.

 

[kaspacanada]

I have yet to see the actual announcement and not just newsmedia speculations about it.

 

[Spr.Earl]

If done properly those supply ships will take up a lot of the $8 Bil.
Modern ships are not cheap!!

Lets see what the Army gets.

 

[Slim]

Originally posted by Spr.Earl:
[qb] Lets see what the Army gets. [/qb]

A crappy gun system more than twice as expensive as the same amount of tanks and support vehicles, frought with problems and NOT AT ALL popular with the troops.

Slim

 

[tabernac]

A crappy gun system more than twice as expensive as the same amount of tanks and support vehicles, frought with problems and NOT AT ALL popular with the troops.

Any one know if the MGS has been field tested by any one? And is it really as bad is you say?

 

[scm77]

If were getting ships capable of sealift, why still get the strykers. I thought the problem with our Leopard tanks and other MBTs was that they are too heavy. Now we have means to transport tanks. IMO they should consider purchasing either Challenger 2s or M1A2(3)s, and scrap that Tankmobile Stryker.

 

[AlphaCharlie]

The Stryker is just a bad idea... nothing can replace a tried and true MBT such as the Challenger2 or the M1A2....

Even so the Leos are still fine. Instead of spending $2b on new Strykers toss $500mil of upgrades/new tanks and spend the rest on what‘s needed... equipment to fill the demand of stuff they‘ll need for the soldiers they want to recuit...

 

[Korus]

But tanks are too warlike

Heaven forbid that the military ever portray the image of being ready for war.

 

[AlphaCharlie]

I say ditch all government funded services and pump 90% of the annual budget into the military. We can have a super-army! We‘ll invade the USA and use their economy to make Canada socialist again, and put money back into healthcare and parks and whatever. It would take 10 years, maybe.

 

[scm77]

How much money does the government have to spend on everything? I bet if you took all our money we spend on everything the US would still have a bigger budget for military. US$400,000,000,000!!!

 

[Slim]

Originally posted by AlphaCharlie:
[qb] I say ditch all government funded services and pump 90% of the annual budget into the military. We can have a super-army! We‘ll invade the USA and use their economy to make Canada socialist again, and put money back into healthcare and parks and whatever. It would take 10 years, maybe. [/qb]

:blotto:

Not to mention that the U.S. Marines by themselves are double the size of our standing military ( the whole thing!)

Not bad in the abstract though...

 

[Da_man]

Originally posted by Slim:
[qb]

Originally posted by AlphaCharlie:
[qb] I say ditch all government funded services and pump 90% of the annual budget into the military. We can have a super-army! We‘ll invade the USA and use their economy to make Canada socialist again, and put money back into healthcare and parks and whatever. It would take 10 years, maybe. [/qb]

:blotto:

Not to mention that the U.S. Marines by themselves are double the size of our standing military ( the whole thing!)

Not bad in the abstract though... [/qb]

but they are all in Irak. we just need to sabotage their transportations first so they cant come back

 

[Brad Sallows]

Does anyone have anything which indicates any of this is new money? All I see so far amounts to an announcement of stuff that was already planned.

 

[Da_man]

I think the Stryker is a very good choice... You dont do peacekeeping missions with M1A2 tanks.

 

[jonsey]

Da_Man:

But, when the time comes, what would be better to fight a war with, the Stryker, or a tank?

Anyways, money is good, if it arrives.

 

[Infanteer]

You dont do peacekeeping missions with M1A2 tanks.

So what do you do them in; oversized, underarmoured support guns?

Check out the success of the Leo troop in Kosovo and re-evaluate that statement.

 

[dwild40]

I heard no mention of re-establishing our air lift capability. I mean outside of aging Hercs and contracting out to civil air what do we have right now?
However I am not complaining it‘s 7 billion we didn‘t have yesterday. One can only hope the money is spent wisely.

 

[Infanteer]

Bah...I‘m feeling generous today, so I‘ll let you skip some of the legwork.

Leo‘s in Kosovo

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Its not necessarily the money but how its spent.