Defending Canadian Arctic Sovereignty

[Bert]

Referring to Arctic Sovereignty and Canadian Pride....

This may have not made the mainstream news but CFS Alert won the BoxTop1 Olympics
this year (Thule AFB being the only other competitor).  We're in-training for BoxTop2. 
If we win it all for 2005, maybe we can take a picture of the trophies and paste it to a
rock on Hans Island with a few empty beer cans to rub it in.  Then again,
10,000 years from now, post-modern humans will find it and think we're nuts.

 

[atticus]

Whats "Boxtop Olympics"?

 

[Edward Campbell]

Whats "Boxtop Olympics"?

Self-help amusements for the pooor sods posted to Thule and Alert.

 

[atticus]

Self-help amusements for the pooor sods posted to Thule and Alert.

So.... then what is it? What do you do? Make robots out of cardboard boxes?

 

[Reccesoldier]

Look here. http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/Feature_Story/2003/may03/15_f_e.asp

 

[Edward Campbell]

So.... then what is it? What do you do? Make robots out of cardboard boxes?

I have not been to Alert for the better part of 20 years â “ I was never posted there, not my part of the ship, as the saying goes.  I don't know what is involved, today, in the Boxtop Olympics but we have some denizens of CFS Alert here in army.ca, perhaps they can enlighten us.

There are some good Internet sites about Alert, none of which seem, to my memory, to be wildly inaccurate:

http://www.img.forces.gc.ca/adm_im/organization/CFIOG/CFS_Alert/index_e.htm
http://www.craigmarlatt.com/canada/security&defence/alert.html
http://www.ostgate.com/alert.html
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/TorontoSun/News/highalert.html

Alert remains a vital operational unit of the CF â “ war-fighting, day and night, 24/7 as what Churchill (I think) called war wizards.

 

[Bert]

Edward Campbell nailed it on the head.. self-help amusments for poor sods. Officially however,
the BoxTop Olympics are considered a morale activity.

During BoxTops, there are many flights between Thule AFB and CFS Alert.   A few people
volunteer to participate in various games like darts, floor hockey, basketball, and generally
have a good time.   Thule comes to Alert once, and Alert visits Thule.   Whoever wins the
most games, gets a coveted trophie and braggng rights.   Its all in good fun.   The Thule
team is made up of US military and Danish/Greenlander civilians working at the base.  

 

[Jungle]

How about you guys settle the Hans Island dispute through a game of darts with the Danes and settle this once and for all !!!  ;D

 

[Blakey]

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/07/28/hansisland050728.html

Defence Minister Bill Graham says Canada will assert its sovereignty over Hans Island in response to a letter of protest from the Danish government.

Denmark is upset because Graham made a visit to the tiny northern island which is claimed by both countries.

Graham says Canada needs to make its presence felt in the Arctic. But he wouldn't say exactly how the military will do that.

At a news conference in Montreal, Graham defended his visit to the island, saying its part of Canadian territory.

There is concern that global warming has made the Northwest Passage more accessible to shipping and Graham says Canada needs to act.

Canada does not have the ships, submarines or helicopters needed to prevent foreign vessels from travelling through its Arctic waters. The United States, for example, still considers them to be international waters.

Graham was not clear on exactly how Canada will assert its sovereignty without the equipment to keep foreign vessels out of Canadian waters.
 
                                                                                    Copyright © CBC 2005
 
Great, I can see it now. 2 VP may as well pack up their bags and draw their winter kit from the CQ's cause lord knows we aint going anywhere in the next....decade.

Says the Pl Comd to his WO " Have the troops inflate the 12 man assualt boat's, we have to go on another sovereignty patrol" 

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

"2 VP may as well pack up their bags and draw their winter kit from the CQ's cause lord knows we aint going anywhere in the next....decade"

Roger that.

I hate the cold.

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

Can we post Carolyn Parrish up there? Considering she would drive polar bears away there is no doubt she would do the same with the Royal Danish Navy...

 

[Blakey]

Id love to see her posted there...maybe as an ambassador?

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

Ambassadors are to facilitate good relations not make them worse lol

 

[Blakey]

Yes, but whom would she be able to make relations worse with there?
When the island does get invaded, maybe they will take her back with them.... *fingers crossed*

 

[Bert]

Hans Island is approximately 300 km S/SE of CFS Alert, and pretty well half way between
Ellesmere Island and Greenland.   If you were to take a Herc flight close to the island, you
would be able to see Ellesmere Island on once side of the window and Greenland on the
other from extreme view-points.    Hans Island, and other rocks along this border region,
lie in this narrow watery region.

In my view, the current diplomatic spat between Denmark and Canada represents two
issues:
1. Growing Canadian sensitivity to arctic sovereignty specific to Hans Island and Denmark;
2. Growing Canadian fears of future multi-national arctic intrusions.

Beyond politics, these issues are not the same.

After flying between Ellesmere Island and Greenland a few times, the distance between the
two land masses are relatively close and this is visually apparent in an aircraft.   Both Canada and
Denmark, (using a Greenlandic point of view), share the same challenges.   They both have
land in northern areas, sharing close proximity, are or will be challenged by other nations in the area,
and submersed or surfaced intrusions occur in Canadian and Danish waters too.   In fact, the
spat between Canada and Denmark over Hans Island suggests more common issues of
sovereignty than conflict.  

In the narrow strait between Ellesmere and Greenland, any multi-national resource collection in the
area  challenging the sovereignty of one will affect the other.   In that context, the Hans Island
spat seems to miss the point.

Canada is better to work with the Danes, create a manageable border agreement, and keep the
current disagreement light.   The real issue is how Canada will maintain arctic sovereignty when
the big boys come.

 

[Pfc_Norup]

A Danish point of view:

Hi, just to bring some balance to the Force I'll tell you a little about Hans Island and The Danish forces.... and what would happen if We went to war!

My background is The Danish Army where I started as a consript in The Royal Guards After September 11. I joined again and have so far had 2 tours in Iraq as an MG63 gunner in the Mech. Inf/ Airborne Inf. After the London Bombing i signed up again for a third tour....( my way of payback )... I love western civilitation and would die for any NATO country ( Including Canada ) if I had to :threat:!!!

Hans Island: "Hans Ø" ( It's Danish name ) comes after "Hans Hendrik" a Danish/Greenlandic arctic traveller and translator. It has been a part of the Danish Impire since the age of the Wikings, but in 1964 the Canadian Goverment wound't recognize it as Danish in the delimitation treaty about the Continental Shelf between Greenland and Canada.

Greenland: "Grønland" ( It's Danish name ) is 100% Danish.. So is The Faroe Islands... We Also used to own Norway, Sweden, Iceland, The Virgin Islands and The Baltics.. And just as Hans Island is a part of Greenland. Greenland is a part of... Bingo...Denmark!!!

A war: I found it exiting to read how some of you thought a war would go!

Part 1: Danish Forces would move in and raise our flag again ( After Bill Graham or your forces pulled the old Danish Flag from 1988-1995-2002-2003 down )!

Part2: If Canada would set foot on our Island again ( next spring...lol.. ;D) We would probably liberate our Island again and block the next Canadian attempt...

Part 3: If Canda was to react voilently against the Danish forces protecting the Island, we would probably defend ourself and sink the Canadian ships... and take P.O.W's

Part 4: If it after that escalated to war we would sink most of the canadian "east-cost" fleet and block the Canadian harbors... We would never be able to invade but our Special Forces would wreck havoc and small skimishes against oil,power and water facilities would halt any mobilizing of Canadian forces...
- as for Canadian Forces making it all the way to Mainland Denmark and Invading... HA HA HA!!!! That would never happen!!! Maybe the southern part of Greenland if they got a head start... But NEVER Denmark!!!!

Part 5: If the war didn't stop after us cripling your infrastructure and production we would invade New Foundland ( Also originally Danish "Vinland" ) and sell it to the US as we did with the Virgin Islands...Or maybe not!

A war would be stupid and it would ruin trade between us! And You guys would probably feel bad about beeing killed with Diemaco rifles and US bombs!!!

So lets keep it friendly and KEEP THE H**L AWAY FROM OUR ISLAND!!!

I know you guys feel it's yours but look at the fact and accept that in this case YOU have invaded a Danish Island and You're NOT welcome! ( Remember the Falklands?)

PS. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Island

PPS.Bill Graham is an idiot! :blotto:

PPPS. I would rather die than hear French spoken on Hans Ø

 

[Foxhound]

Well, now that THAT'S settled ... 

 

[Bert]

OK.  Fine.  Theres only one way to settle this.  A darts match, Canada vrs. Denmark.

The winner takes Hans Island, a case of beer opposing country's beer, and Carolyn Parrish
(a HOT Canadian Politico Extraordinaire). 




For Canadian readers only:  See, this is brilliant.

 

[atticus]

The winner takes Hans Island, a case of beer opposing country's beer, and Carolyn Parrish
(a HOT Canadian Politico Extraordinaire). 

What if we won? Thats like loosing cept we won ???

 

[Jungle]

So lets keep it friendly and KEEP THE H**L AWAY FROM OUR ISLAND!!!

I know you guys feel it's yours but look at the fact and accept that in this case YOU have invaded a Danish Island and You're NOT welcome! ( Remember the Falklands?)

PS. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Island

PPS.Bill Graham is an idiot! :blotto:

PPPS. I would rather die than hear French spoken on Hans Ø

Are you ready for that 3-km yomp across the island ?? 

1940
On April 9th, Germany occupies Denmark despite Denmark having declared itself neutral; the Danish government gives up military resistance.

Are you guys gonna do the same as in 1940: ignore trouble when it gets serious ??  While you guys were accepting German occupation, we sent 4 Divisions to liberate Europe...
Finally, I'll speak French wherever I damn want to... especially on a Canadian island !!!  ;D