Y
Yard Ape
Guest
Well, this is no surprise to anybody farmiliar with the military. Hopefully people will listen to the warnings this time . . . it never seemed important when tax cuts were available in the past.
Yard Ape
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Canadian Forces underfunded, lobby group says
By JEFF SALLOT
With a report from Jeff Gray
Globe and Mail Update
Thursday, September 27
Ottawa — A report by a defence lobby group says the cash-starved Canadian Forces cannot meet basic commitments to help protect the United States, even as Defence Minister Art Eggleton offers military assistance to Washington‘s antiterrorist campaign.
The report, released Thursday by the Conference of Defence Associations, says the Canadian Forces‘ major weapons systems face "mass extinction" from rust.
"Our study concludes that, due to insufficient funds in the defence budget, the Canadian Forces cannot fulfill their commitments beyond a marginal level," Lieutenant-General (ret.) Charles Belzile told a news conference in Ottawa on Thursday.
As for Canada‘s basic duty to help defend the United States, the report states that the Canadian Forces "are simply not operationally ready to do so — in terms of manpower, doctrine, training, equipment and logistics."
The Conference of Defence Associations is an umbrella group with a reported membership of 600,000 Canadians with connections to the military. The report was prepared by former military officers.
The report, which was in the works well before the attacks on New York and Washington two weeks ago, does not deal directly with countering terrorist threats. But it argues that Canada cannot carry out its commitment to help defend North America.
The group‘s report will likely fuel the debate, in full force since the Sept. 11 attacks, about the ability of the Canadian military to help in antiterrorist operations.
Mr. Eggleton said Wednesday that Canada is ready to make forces available to the antiterrorist campaign, but he repeated Prime Minister Jean Chrétien‘s caveat that the United States won‘t be handed a "blank cheque."
The Defence Department will need at least an additional $1-billion each year to meet all of its commitments, the report states.
In a telephone interview from Brussels, where he and other NATO ministers were briefed on the antiterrorist campaign by U.S. officials, Mr. Eggleton noted that the government restored some of the defence budget in the last federal budget, and his department may get additional money because of the terrorist attacks.
The report states that cuts to military personnel, from a Cold War level of 85,000 to an effective fighting force of 53,000, have opened a gap between Canada‘s commitments and its abilities.
Six of Canada‘s 12 coastal-defence vessels are not available because of crew shortages, and a destroyer had to be docked earlier this year for the same reason, the report states, adding that Canada can keep only one ship off each coast on short-notice standby.
The air-force fleet of 122 front-line CF-18 fighters has been cut to 80 and there‘s a pilot shortage; a situation that will likely get worse over the next three years, the report says.
The army has only enough modern armoured vehicles to transport 18 of its 27 infantry companies. Shortcomings in radio and other communications equipment in those vehicles raise questions about whether they could operate in tandem with U.S. forces, the report continues.
Looking to the future, the picture only gets worse, the report states. Cuts to capital budgets mean many ships, warplanes and other weapons systems will reach the end of their life cycles in five to 15 years with no replacements in sight.
Anticipating the criticism, Mr. Eggleton said the nature of security threats has changed radically since the Cold War, when countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization needed tanks and large brigades to deter a Soviet attack in Central Europe.
Maybe more emphasis will have to be put on military intelligence and small, highly mobile special forces that can operate covertly to attack terrorist hideouts, Mr. Eggleton said.
He said the United States has not yet asked Canada or any of its other NATO allies for any specific form of military assistance.
Yard Ape
------------------------------------------------------------------
Canadian Forces underfunded, lobby group says
By JEFF SALLOT
With a report from Jeff Gray
Globe and Mail Update
Thursday, September 27
Ottawa — A report by a defence lobby group says the cash-starved Canadian Forces cannot meet basic commitments to help protect the United States, even as Defence Minister Art Eggleton offers military assistance to Washington‘s antiterrorist campaign.
The report, released Thursday by the Conference of Defence Associations, says the Canadian Forces‘ major weapons systems face "mass extinction" from rust.
"Our study concludes that, due to insufficient funds in the defence budget, the Canadian Forces cannot fulfill their commitments beyond a marginal level," Lieutenant-General (ret.) Charles Belzile told a news conference in Ottawa on Thursday.
As for Canada‘s basic duty to help defend the United States, the report states that the Canadian Forces "are simply not operationally ready to do so — in terms of manpower, doctrine, training, equipment and logistics."
The Conference of Defence Associations is an umbrella group with a reported membership of 600,000 Canadians with connections to the military. The report was prepared by former military officers.
The report, which was in the works well before the attacks on New York and Washington two weeks ago, does not deal directly with countering terrorist threats. But it argues that Canada cannot carry out its commitment to help defend North America.
The group‘s report will likely fuel the debate, in full force since the Sept. 11 attacks, about the ability of the Canadian military to help in antiterrorist operations.
Mr. Eggleton said Wednesday that Canada is ready to make forces available to the antiterrorist campaign, but he repeated Prime Minister Jean Chrétien‘s caveat that the United States won‘t be handed a "blank cheque."
The Defence Department will need at least an additional $1-billion each year to meet all of its commitments, the report states.
In a telephone interview from Brussels, where he and other NATO ministers were briefed on the antiterrorist campaign by U.S. officials, Mr. Eggleton noted that the government restored some of the defence budget in the last federal budget, and his department may get additional money because of the terrorist attacks.
The report states that cuts to military personnel, from a Cold War level of 85,000 to an effective fighting force of 53,000, have opened a gap between Canada‘s commitments and its abilities.
Six of Canada‘s 12 coastal-defence vessels are not available because of crew shortages, and a destroyer had to be docked earlier this year for the same reason, the report states, adding that Canada can keep only one ship off each coast on short-notice standby.
The air-force fleet of 122 front-line CF-18 fighters has been cut to 80 and there‘s a pilot shortage; a situation that will likely get worse over the next three years, the report says.
The army has only enough modern armoured vehicles to transport 18 of its 27 infantry companies. Shortcomings in radio and other communications equipment in those vehicles raise questions about whether they could operate in tandem with U.S. forces, the report continues.
Looking to the future, the picture only gets worse, the report states. Cuts to capital budgets mean many ships, warplanes and other weapons systems will reach the end of their life cycles in five to 15 years with no replacements in sight.
Anticipating the criticism, Mr. Eggleton said the nature of security threats has changed radically since the Cold War, when countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization needed tanks and large brigades to deter a Soviet attack in Central Europe.
Maybe more emphasis will have to be put on military intelligence and small, highly mobile special forces that can operate covertly to attack terrorist hideouts, Mr. Eggleton said.
He said the United States has not yet asked Canada or any of its other NATO allies for any specific form of military assistance.