Providing War Planners:
Canadian military â Å“war plannersâ ? have been working with US Central Command for months. Canada had planners working with US Central Command when it was located at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida. USCENTCOM is masterminding the entire war against Iraq. Then, on February 11, 2003, Canada disclosed that it had transferred about 25 of our â Å“military plannersâ ? from MacDill to the U.S. Military's forward command post in Qatar, in the Persian Gulf. This is now the â Å“command-and-control headquartersâ ? for the war. Having Canadian war planners helping to set up, prepare and organize this war for months leading up to its launch is a far more significant role than having a few soldiers fighting on the ground. Canada has helped to determine the whole strategy for fighting this war. We are continuing to help run this war from the inside. Canada is part of the brains behind the whole operation. It is unlikely that very many of the nations that are officially recognized as part of the â Å“Coalition of the Willingâ ? are part of the strategic and logistical planning effort coordinated by CENTCOM that has created the schedule for this war and is now pulling all the strings from behind the scenes.
Exchange Troops:
Canada admits having 31 â Å“exchange troopsâ ? engaged in the war against Iraq
These Canadian â Å“exchange troopsâ ? under the command of US and British armed forces are serving with combat troops on the ground in Iraq. This â Å“exchange programâ ? with the US and UK has been going on for many decades. It has allowed Canadian navy, air force and army personnel to engage in foreign wars that are not officially sanctioned by the Canadian government.
Airborne Warning and Control System:
Canadian Forces members are also part of crews on Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. These state of the art aircraft are essential to modern air war battles. They are the nerve centers that â Å“safelyâ ? guide fighter jets and bombers into battle so that they can â Å“deliverâ ? their destructive â Å“payloads.â ? Chrétien rationalized that the Canadians are on AWACS that oversee more than just Iraq or any single
country. "The people who are involved in flying in AWACS claim they are covering many countries in their surveillance, not only one country." he said. (Daniel Leblanc, March 27, 2003)
Providing Billions in Weapons and Military Equipment:
Canada is selling billions of dollars worth of military equipment to the US. US orders for Canadian military equipment are guaranteed to increase because of the war. Knowing, as we do, that the US is Canada's biggest military customer and that Canadian military production is thoroughly integrated into the US war machine, we can assume that virtually every major US weapons system, and weapons delivery system, includes at least some Canadian components. Many major components, like aircraft engines for warplanes, are made in Canada. Although Canada claims to have one of the world's strictest sets of guidelines to stop the export of our military goods, Canada has absolutely no restrictions whatsoever on any of our military exports to the US. No Canadian government permits are required. Canada's guidelines state that military exports to countries
at war, or preparing for war, are "closely controlled." However, in the case of the US-led war against Iraq, Canada's military exports will show a
â Å“closely controlledâ ? increase. No doubt, officials in Industry Canada, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Canadian Commercial Corporation and Export development Canada will be working overtime these days to help Canadian military-related corporations keep up with the increased demand for products that are required for this war..
Overflights of US Air Force:
Many US warplanes en route to Iraq are flying through Canadian air space. This may not seem significant but its is one of the things that the US has specifically requested from members to be counted among the
â Å“Coalition of the Willing.â ? Some countries have gained entry into the gang merely for letting the US to fly over.
Refueling US Military Aircraft:
US aircraft carrying many thousands troops to Iraq are being allowed to stop in St. John's and Stephenville, Newfoundland for refueling and crew changes. â Å“In recent weeks, as the U.S. has used Newfoundland as a refueling stop for military flights en route to the Middle East. 'We've been getting roughly 2 or 3 U.S. flights a day, with probably 1000 troops coming
through each day,' said Gary Vey, CEO of the Gander Airport Authorityâ ? (Ottawa Citizen, March 22).
Remember this?
The Liberals made Iraq their big hit in the election campaign. In television "attack" ads and during this week's leaders debates, Paul Martin has persistently charged that if Conservative Leader Stephen Harper had been prime minister a year ago, Canadian soldiers would have been sent to Iraq. But the attempts to link the Tories to the increasingly unpopular (even in the United States) occupation of Iraq, and the unstated implication that the Liberals "kept our boys out of the war," must be setting teeth grinding and heads shaking in the Canadian military. Because the Canadian military was already there!
