Canada moves to 2% GDP end of FY25/26 - PMMC

[MilEME09]

The enrolment of PRs needs to be questioned as to whether the juice is worth the squeeze. Security clearance restrictions are such that they are ineligible for the majority of CAF occupations.

I think it depends on where those PRs are coming from, the middle east vs europe vs the Oceania. Certain areas would be less of a concern than others, that perhaps if we see continuous issues from one area we need to black list certain countries of origin

 

[dapaterson]

I think it depends on where those PRs are coming from, the middle east vs europe vs the Oceania. Certain areas would be less of a concern than others, that perhaps if we see continuous issues from one area we need to black list certain countries of origin

If you are not a Canadian citizen you are not permitted to handle crypto, including devices capable of crypto even if unloaded.

Regardless of country of origin.

Why spend the time and effort?

 

[daftandbarmy]

I think it depends on where those PRs are coming from, the middle east vs europe vs the Oceania. Certain areas would be less of a concern than others, that perhaps if we see continuous issues from one area we need to black list certain countries of origin

Meanwhile, at NASA...

Nasa bans Chinese nationals from working on its space programmes​

Chinese astronauts are already excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) because Washington has barred Nasa from sharing its data with China.

The latest restriction from Nasa only adds to the decline in scientific collaboration between the two sides because of national security concerns.

As they compete to gain a technological edge, Beijing and Washington have also grown increasingly wary of each other.

The suspicion has made it harder for some Chinese students, especially those studying science and tech, to get visas or even enter the US once they have secured a visa.

There have also been several cases in the US recently of alleged espionage by Chinese nationals, and scientists in particular have increasingly come under the microscope.

Nasa bans Chinese nationals from working on its space programmes

Earlier this month, Chinese nationals working with Nasa suddenly found themselves denied access.

www.bbc.com

 

[Czech_pivo]

Meanwhile, at NASA...

Nasa bans Chinese nationals from working on its space programmes​

Chinese astronauts are already excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) because Washington has barred Nasa from sharing its data with China.

The latest restriction from Nasa only adds to the decline in scientific collaboration between the two sides because of national security concerns.

As they compete to gain a technological edge, Beijing and Washington have also grown increasingly wary of each other.

The suspicion has made it harder for some Chinese students, especially those studying science and tech, to get visas or even enter the US once they have secured a visa.

There have also been several cases in the US recently of alleged espionage by Chinese nationals, and scientists in particular have increasingly come under the microscope.

Nasa bans Chinese nationals from working on its space programmes

Earlier this month, Chinese nationals working with Nasa suddenly found themselves denied access.

www.bbc.com

It’s ok, those Chinese students will just attend Uni here at Waterloo, Toronto, UBC, Queens, McGill.

 

[brihard]

It’s ok, those Chinese students will just attend Uni here at Waterloo, Toronto, UBC, Queens, McGill.

Anecdotally I've been reading stories of more Chinese students not receiving their student visas in time to start studies here, sometimes due to p[ending security screenings. I don't have enough to say if there's actually a shift in trend, but it's an interesting observation that I'm watching for more corroboration of.

 

[Kirkhill]

Funny, I am watching "The last Kingdom" on Netflix, about Alfred and his attempt to unify England. I am sure it has only a passing acquaintance with the true history, but entertaining.

The Home Counties types are still trying to "unify England". The "Heptarchy" still exists.

I find one of the best predictors of local culture is the word for "church".

In French the word is "eglise"
In German it is "kirk"

In Britain kirk towns are found south of the Highland line and north of the Wash and the Humber.

West of the Highland line, in the Islands, Wales, Cornwall and Ireland you will find "kil", as in Kilkenny, "cil" and "coille" instead.

Church is an obvious derivative of kirk. The Scandinavians also use the word kirk.

Eglise and its variants can be found in Spain and Portugal, as well as in Scots and Irish Gaelic. Kil predates eaglais and may be tied to pre-Roman and pre-Christian religious sites.

Eglise is also derivative. The Greek word for church is ekklesia from which we get ecclesiastical by way of church Latin.

Italian for church is chiesa. Make of that what you will.

My own sense of European history is that Roman influence ended in the Third Century Crisis when Rome was abandoned and the Empire recentered itself on Byzantium, later to become Constantinople, known today through its Turkish pronunciation as Istanbul (Con = I, stan = stan, ople = bul). Greek, and Androvian christianity, I believe, to have been the dominant culture across the entirety of Europe from at least 250 AD. Rome was ruled from Milan and then Ravenna which were both subordinate to Constantinople. Germans were still going into battle as late as the Siege of Weinsberg in 1140 yelling "Lord have mercy" in Greek as their battle cry - "Kyrie eleison".

Modern Europe, in my view, dates from circa 800.

Charlemagne and his father Pippin.
Alfred of Wessex.
Popes Stephen, Paul I and Gregory.
Winfrid of Crediton, Alcuin and the Venerable Bede, chronicler not just of the English but of Western history. Winfrid and Alcuin were the preferred religious advisers for Pippin and Charlemagne. All were from Alfred's kingdoms.

A palimpsest is a parchment that has been used and then erased and reused. The practice was quite common during Bede's time due to the lack of paper and parchment.
Bede was very good at writing history on palimpsests.

 

[FJAG]

For citizens its the issue of understaffing at the office from what ive heard and no one seems wanting to fix it. For PRs, CSIS and CBSA keep pointing fingers at each other as to whos supposed to to the out of country security checks. Which adds massive delays to the process because the normal security checks only look in canada. For PRs we gotta look at their country of origin too, a few less than savy people have already been caught and released

The enrolment of PRs needs to be questioned as to whether the juice is worth the squeeze. Security clearance restrictions are such that they are ineligible for the majority of CAF occupations.

I know, I know, I'm talking olden times again.

I joined the Militia in 1965. I doubt that I ever had a security clearance at the time, I surely didn't need it to operate a 105mm C1 or a 42 set. There was zero delay in getting me enrolled and on training.

Fast forward to 1969 when I transferred to the RegF as an OCTP officer candidate. Zero delay in getting me enrolled and on training. Somewhere in the process I was given a "Confidential" security classification so that I was able to do all the pers admin that I had to. Again, as a cadet and later a lieutenant on the gun line, I needed nothing more as neither the L5 nor the 25 sets and 524 sets we were using were an issue.

My security clearance to secret was delayed for two years because I was born in West Berlin, which of course was an enclave behind the Iron Curtain and because I had several relatives in East Germany which I, as a child, visited often. The wall went up after we immigrated to Canada. My understanding is that whatever spooks Canada uses for this actually contacted my extended family in Germany.

At some point later on, we received add-on equipment for our radios that facilitated encryption to Secret and for which a key device was needed. I never had to handle these devices. We had a Sigs Sgt and designated signallers who did that every day. The vast majority of the people in each battery did not have a Secret clearance. Once keyed, the radios functioned as per normal. We simply restricted access to the keying devices and the CEOIs to people cleared to use them. It was great and simpler than the manual encoding we had to do before that.

I really don't know how today's comms gear operates as to setting it's crypto. I presume it's probably easier than what we had to do to key a radio. The question is how is the keying done down to the lowest level of operator. A second question is the information being transmitted. Is it really secret or just routine traffic travelling through a secured channel. And then its does the No 5 on an M777 need a secret clearance because the No 7 may need to use a crypto fuze setter on an Excalibur round some day?

What part of all this is risk aversion so as to reduce a possible breach possibility to 0.001 instead of 0.003?

And if it truly is necessary to clear everyone, then set up a system to make it work well for the 98 percentile.

 

[dapaterson]

Believe it or not, since 1965 there have been some minor upgrades to technology.

 

[FJAG]

Believe it or not, since 1965 there have been some minor upgrades to technology.

That's understandable.

The question is, have those made it easier or added layers of complexity which require these policies? Does one restrict the need for a certain level of clearance with those who must key devices or use data of that level every day? Or require the clearance for anyone who might, in passing, hear something?

In the meantime - summer's back!!!

 

[Remius]

Believe it or not, since 1965 there have been some minor upgrades to technology.

I try to stay positive and think that every time I sign a frozen in time pay sheet

 

[dapaterson]

I try to stay positive and think that every time I sign a frozen in time pay sheet

There is a "scan this QR Code to log in for the class A activity" tool that has foundered on the ability to interface it with the somewhat ancient payroll software in use... Programmer time is better spent keeping the systems in legal compliance and keeping them from crashing, unfortunately.

 

[McG]

I take a different view than you on this.

You are grouping wildly unrelated issues trying to force a bad solution for them. But these are not all problems:

• The CAF needs better full time security.
• The CAF needs more people.
• Some CAF members want continuing full time employment without the obligation of moving.

The first two items on that list are problems. The third item is not a problem - the CAF is not a make work agency, and it does not owe anyone full time employment. That third item is an opportunity.

The third bullet is an opportunity that can ameliorate the problem at the second bullet. We should not solve the first bullet by existentially tying it to the wants of the people in the third bullet. It is unnecessary, and it introduces a risky failure mechanism for every unpopular location that requires security.

 

[McG]

The enrolment of PRs needs to be questioned as to whether the juice is worth the squeeze. Security clearance restrictions are such that they are ineligible for the majority of CAF occupations.

It can be worth the effort if we limit enrolment to the occupations where it can work … even if that is limited to air force cooks and musicians of all environments. If we bring back PERI because it is a function that actually deploys, that might be able to take PRs too.