Government hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

I have long said that you could fund the CAF to 4 percent of GDP, but we would still lag behind in NATO and be much the same where we are.

It's never the money, it's politics. It's procedures. It's the pork-barreling in our defence spending that makes us a paper tiger in NATO.

My only hope in all of this for the CAF and the GoC, whatever the political stripe that may be, is that it will rouse them out of the "Peace Dividend" slumber. The world has been unstable since 1945. We have used geography, proximity, and association as a Defence Policy ever since. ICBMs don't care how close to the U.S. or how far from Russia/China we are.

Don't give us a dime more, but let us spend money on defence like it matters. The fact we follow the same rules for purchasing a fighter aircraft as we do for buying office furniture for a Service Canada office is disgraceful. Don't treat defense procurement as a stimulus package for Canadian Industry. There I said it.

We spend so much money, time, and effort trying to get that money to stay in Canada; be it by awarding contracts to companies with no capability to produce items without first "retooling" and"developing the production lines", or by hamstringing perfectly competent and competitive bidders by forcing the project to be made in St. Margaret de Poutain de Champignon, QC because the ruling government either lost the seat in the election, or won it with promises.

We spend so much money and staff hours jumping through TBS regulations that are great for other departments, but are terrible for defence procurement. Some items you have to sole source, because there are technologies and capabilities no one else makes. By doing the bid process, you get companies clamoring for a project they can't deliver on, but because they tick the bright boxes on the score sheet....

I truly and honestly belief we need to split from PSPC and legislate that its not beholden to TBS, only to the PBO/PCO. The guiding principles of this new Defence Procurement department should be "Off the shelf, from somewhere else" if there isn't an industry in Canada.

BOOTFORGEN has demonstrated how well we do when we are able to actually get what we need, instead of lining the pockets of a Canadian company that got lucky.

That, but with tanks, fighters, ships, weapons systems....

 

[Halifax Tar]

If he feels like he isn't trusted, perhaps he could look inwardly at that and ask why fully trained and experienced MM Techs (formerly known as Sup Techs) in the Canadian Army aren't trusted to let out more than a $5000 competitive contract. Everyone talking about how we don't have enough people/capacity? Well guess what, we're doing it to ourselves when we've got a trade for this and we won't let them do what we trained them to do because we don't trust them.... because some idiots in Division and Army HQs think that a "contracting irregularity" is some huge institutional risk (it's not) and so we should just hamstring ourselves so we don't have to staff a fucking form to get signed.

I think it might be worth creating either a new trade for procurement or a sub occupation specialty in Supply; perhaps a duel stream for FSAs and MMTs ? The procurement world is big and complicated, we might do better with dedicated folks.

 

[MilEME09]

I think it might be worth creating either a new trade for procurement or a sub occupation specialty in Supply; perhaps a duel stream for FSAs and MMTs ? The procurement world is big and complicated, we might do better with dedicated folks.

Or perhaps procurement needs it's own trade?

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Or perhaps procurement needs it's own trade?

Why does it need to be a uniformed, CAF occupation?

 

[Halifax Tar]

Or perhaps procurement needs it's own trade?

That's what I said. Or a sub occ.

Why does it need to be a uniformed, CAF occupation?

Because we do procurement and contracting while deployed.

 

[Kirkhill]

Or perhaps procurement needs it's own trade?

Is that a FIN trade or a Supply Trade?

Does it start with the Bn Pay Clerk or the CQ? I think there is an argument that the CQ's shop is the one that should be taking the lead in "procurement". That job is to procure those things that the sub-unit needs to do its job. Does the CQ have a cash budget to make good shortfalls from the local economy if the official supply chain is found wanting?

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

That's what I said. Or a sub occ.



Because we do procurement and contracting while deployed.

Pretty big deal on Ship. So many Parts!

 

[Halifax Tar]

Is that a FIN trade or a Supply Trade?

Does it start with the Bn Pay Clerk or the CQ? I think there is an argument that the CQ's shop is the one that should be taking the lead in "procurement". That job is to procure those things that the sub-unit needs to do its job. Does the CQ have a cash budget to make good shortfalls from the local economy if the official supply chain is found wanting?

I think it might be worth creating either a new trade for procurement or a sub occupation specialty in Supply; perhaps a duel stream for FSAs and MMTs ? The procurement world is big and complicated, we might do better with dedicated folks.

 

[MilEME09]

Is that a FIN trade or a Supply Trade?

Does it start with the Bn Pay Clerk or the CQ? I think there is an argument that the CQ's shop is the one that should be taking the lead in "procurement". That job is to procure those things that the sub-unit needs to do its job. Does the CQ have a cash budget to make good shortfalls from the local economy if the official supply chain is found wanting?

Depends on SOAs, certain items the CAF has contracts for to use certain suppliers. If something is not in a SOA for a supplier, you can local purchase where ever you want.

It would need to be a hybrid of fin and supply.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Depends on SOAs, certain items the CAF has contracts for to use certain suppliers. If something is not in a SOA for a supplier, you can local purchase where ever you want.

It would need to be a hybrid of fin and supply.

Do you have experience in CAF contracting ? You're wildly inaccurate.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Pretty big deal on Ship. So many Parts!

Not parts. Units are not funded to buy their own spare parts. That is one of the the jobs of ADM(MAT), the CFSS is theirs to keep stocked.

 

[MilEME09]

Do you have experience in CAF contracting ? You're wildly inaccurate.

Working directly our LPO on several occasions for both purchasing for courses, and maintenance. This is how it was explained to me, so if my information is incorrect, my apologies

 

[Halifax Tar]

Working directly our LPO on several occasions for both purchasing for courses, and maintenance. This is how it was explained to me, so if my information is incorrect, my apologies

Non needed. Just a friendly conversation.

Depends on SOAs, certain items the CAF has contracts for to use certain suppliers. If something is not in a SOA for a supplier, you can local purchase where ever you want.

It would need to be a hybrid of fin and supply.

An SOA is only a preestablished agreement with a supplier for specific material or types of material.

A piece of material not being on an SOA does not equate it to buy where every you want. The only things that should be procured locally are consumable items, that wont have become a reoccurring contract and that aren't already supplied through the CFSS.

 

[McG]

I think it might be worth creating either a new trade for procurement or a sub occupation specialty in Supply; perhaps a duel stream for FSAs and MMTs ? The procurement world is big and complicated, we might do better with dedicated folks.

Or perhaps procurement needs it's own trade?

Why does it need to be a uniformed, CAF occupation?

We also send DCC into deployed theatres to do infrastructure planning and contracting. If the environment is stable enough that the local economy is a substantial source for our sustainment but causes a requirement for specialist procurement officers, then the environment is probably safe enough for us to send civilians.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

I think we should just outsource our entire Military to Halliburton and Kellogg Brown & Root. It would probably be more cost effective

 

[Halifax Tar]

We also send DCC into deployed theatres to do infrastructure planning and contracting. If the environment is stable enough that the local economy is a substantial source for our sustainment but causes a requirement for specialist procurement officers, then the environment is probably safe enough for us to send civilians.

I dunno. I suppose, if that's what you think.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

I dunno. I suppose, if that's what you think.

I like how the main suggestion is that we should do the same thing over again:

Outsource to civilian positions

When it is that exact thing which has made DND such an epic soup sandwich.

Clearly we need to keep doing that. I think we should make every single position a civilian, that will surely improve our combat performance

 

[Halifax Tar]

I like how the main suggestion is that we should do the same thing over again:

Outsource to civilian positions

When it is that exact thing which has made DND such an epic soup sandwich.

Clearly we need to keep doing that. I think we should make every single position a civilian, that will surely improve our combat performance

I agree, just not a position I'm interested in debating.

 

[McG]

There is a point between the extremes of everyone is civilian and “we need combat shoppers.”

 

[Underway]

Financial, intellectual, political, familial, criminal, financial.....

Australia is still way more in bed with China still than we ever will be. I used to live there. It dominates everything they do and their immigration as well.

Australia's Defence Policy Explained...

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

Australia is still way more in bed with China still than we ever will be. I used to live there. It dominates everything they do and their immigration as well.

Australia's Defence Policy Explained...

China doesn't have to fight Australia, they are simply going to buy the place.