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Justin Trudeau hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

I think a big takeaway from the US election is that the people really only care about what is in front of them, and right now it’s high prices and unaffordability. In the Canadian case, it would also include healthcare.

But, I would argue that even if Trump threatens to leave NATO and NORAD, Canadian defence and sovereignty wouldn’t be a big vote-changer. It would spark lots of articles and posts, but any of the major parties can probably slow-roll it and be politically fine.
 
My guess is the subs will die to buy more stuff from Canada and US production, unless you jump into AUKUS.

2% is the current floor, you guys are living in the parents basement.
I'm going out on the limb and saying that the subs go through, but, the numbers of F35's ordered goes up, (maybe another 36ish - "Oh, Mr. President, did you know that Canada has the 2nd biggest fleet of F35's after America of course"), the E-7's get confirmed, both in short order. Both of these cover off the Canada-US production checkbox.
Might even see an order for 150-160 Abrahams, so we have a full brigade.

That covers off - Ohio (red state) for the Abrahams, Texas for the F35 (red state) and unfortunately the E7s are out of Washington (blue state) but most go along way with the unionized workers of Boeing.

And Topshee gets his Corvette idea approved, at least on paper.
 
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Might even see an order for 150-160 Abrahams, so we have a full brigade.
Fun with math time.

The American "Army 2030" Armored Div has two armored bdes and one Stryker brigade. That totals 10 tank coys (at 14 tanks each for a total of 156 tanks including the ones in the cavalry troops) and 17 rifle coys (8 Bradley and 9 Stryker)

We have 18 LAV Coys and 9 light companies and while only 3 tanks squadrons, there are another 6 recce sqns just waiting to be reclassified to tank. (Type 14 tank coys only have roughly 65 black hats so 9 Cdn squadrons could roughly make 10 tank coys)

Long story short - and ignoring @KevinB's usual observation that a LAV is not a Bradley - we have enough mech coys and enough black
hatters so that 150-160 M1s are enough to form a full armored division. Yes, yes, we'd need more for the school, and 36 155mm SPs but we already have the 18 M777s in an armored div arty bde has as well as engrs and air defence on the way. We even have an aviation brigade - sort of.

For bonus points: the above does not include the three light battalions which could be regrouped into one brigade and assigned to round out the 11th Airborne Div in Alaska.

So for some 160 tanks and 36 SPs we could cobble together a reasonable armoured division and a light brigade (not to mention JTF2 and the SOR) The Americans would understand that and approve of (especially if we eventually buy 120 Bradleys to replace the LAVs in the combined arms battalions.)

🍻
 
Army 2030 is getting a revamp. So I wouldn’t put a lot of stock in the Strykers in the Armored Div’s surviving contact.
 
Shut up and take our money!

The level of pure, highly concentrated incompetence is absolutely mind boggling...just imagine this happening in the private sector...


Lady - "Hi, my name is so & so. I'm supposed to start work tomorrow for you guys, but I've actually had a change of heart and I can no longer accept the position...thank you though!"

Manager - "Hi, payroll? Yes this is Pat, can you go ahead and pay this lady all summer regardless of whether she signs into work or not? You can!? Great, thanks so much..."

Manager & Payroll Manager both - "We're still paying that applicant who changed her mind right before starting, right?"

"Yupp!"

"Excellent!"
 
Fun with math time.

The American "Army 2030" Armored Div has two armored bdes and one Stryker brigade. That totals 10 tank coys (at 14 tanks each for a total of 156 tanks including the ones in the cavalry troops) and 17 rifle coys (8 Bradley and 9 Stryker)

We have 18 LAV Coys and 9 light companies and while only 3 tanks squadrons, there are another 6 recce sqns just waiting to be reclassified to tank. (Type 14 tank coys only have roughly 65 black hats so 9 Cdn squadrons could roughly make 10 tank coys)

Long story short - and ignoring @KevinB's usual observation that a LAV is not a Bradley - we have enough mech coys and enough black
hatters so that 150-160 M1s are enough to form a full armored division. Yes, yes, we'd need more for the school, and 36 155mm SPs but we already have the 18 M777s in an armored div arty bde has as well as engrs and air defence on the way. We even have an aviation brigade - sort of.

For bonus points: the above does not include the three light battalions which could be regrouped into one brigade and assigned to round out the 11th Airborne Div in Alaska.

So for some 160 tanks and 36 SPs we could cobble together a reasonable armoured division and a light brigade (not to mention JTF2 and the SOR) The Americans would understand that and approve of (especially if we eventually buy 120 Bradleys to replace the LAVs in the combined arms battalions.)

🍻
Why not 200 M1's? Take 100 (and variants arrv etc) immediately "as is" to start the training/conversion and have the next 100 be sent for upgrades to the "M2 or M3" standard. When the upgraded ones start to arrive send the first batch for the same upgrades.
Ship all the Leos and their variants and parts to Ukraine who could do with them as they wish. Ignore Germany's whining.
Use the same formula for 200 Bradleys.
Raise your military spending and "buy American", 2 birds.
 
The level of pure, highly concentrated incompetence is absolutely mind boggling...just imagine this happening in the private sector...


Lady - "Hi, my name is so & so. I'm supposed to start work tomorrow for you guys, but I've actually had a change of heart and I can no longer accept the position...thank you though!"

Manager - "Hi, payroll? Yes this is Pat, can you go ahead and pay this lady all summer regardless of whether she signs into work or not? You can!? Great, thanks so much..."

Manager & Payroll Manager both - "We're still paying that applicant who changed her mind right before starting, right?"

"Yupp!"

"Excellent!"
it happens in the private sector dont kid yourself
 
Why not 200 M1's? Take 100 (and variants arrv etc) immediately "as is" to start the training/conversion and have the next 100 be sent for upgrades to the "M2 or M3" standard. When the upgraded ones start to arrive send the first batch for the same upgrades.
Ship all the Leos and their variants and parts to Ukraine who could do with them as they wish. Ignore Germany's whining.
Use the same formula for 200 Bradleys.
Raise your military spending and "buy American", 2 birds.

With just about an piece of Mil hardware if we aren't buying American there should be a bloody great reason.

Not that their kit is the best, but they have the best sustainment ability. And once your kit it is in use, its all about sustaining that use.
 
And notably, even during the first "decade of darkness" from 72-82 it was never as low as it has been since around 1995 onward.
I know folks think I’m joking, but a realistic assessment of the CAF needs would see a 5% GDP budget for 3-5 years focused on infrastructure and recapitalization, with a 2-2.5% being a maintenance number after that.

Due to the rust out issues from many fleets not being replaced until too late, you’re in a pretty bad spot.
 
Let’s all be very clear eyed about all of this. The current government and every other follow on government will lie, cheat, obscure, fudge and frig around the books but they will not go past 2% and I doubt they will actually even get that far.

And they will get away with it even with Trump and he will let them. They’ll figure out a way to give him some ego boosting win on another matter and lie to him about defence.

Edit: unless he hands the file to Vance, in which case even Melanie Joly will be reporting to the Armour School.
 
I know folks think I’m joking, but a realistic assessment of the CAF needs would see a 5% GDP budget for 3-5 years focused on infrastructure and recapitalization, with a 2-2.5% being a maintenance number after that.

Due to the rust out issues from many fleets not being replaced until too late, you’re in a pretty bad spot.
We have no desire or political will to do that. That is in part because we have been favouring butter over guns for half a century; in spite of the increasing cost of guns due to regular and defence industry inflation.

CPC or LPC, we're never spending that kind of dough unless the butter is threatened. I imagine tariffs will be more of a motivator than common sense....
 
Let’s all be very clear eyed about all of this. The current government and every other follow on government will lie, cheat, obscure, fudge and frig around the books but they will not go past 2% and I doubt they will actually even get that far.

And they will get away with it even with Trump and he will let them. They’ll figure out a way to give him some ego boosting win on another matter and lie to him about defence.

Edit: unless he hands the file to Vance, in which case even Melanie Joly will be reporting to the Armour School.
Mon Dieu, Madame Joly a zipperhead?
 
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