Here's an article from the Toronto Star that goes into more details.
Military shopping list growing
Graham wants 5-year plan to buy big-ticket items
Equipment needed to exercise role may cost billions
BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH
OTTAWA BUREAU
OTTAWAâ â€Defence Minister Bill Graham wants the upcoming federal budget to lay out a five-year timetable for the purchase of big-ticket military items, everything from new transport aircraft and helicopters to army trucks and possibly even destroyers.
Graham said people on the street want to see the federal government invest more in the military and that the message has caught on in Ottawa.
The wish list â †requested by the Prime Minister â †would spell out a "coherent" strategy for dealing with some of the military's most urgent priorities, Graham said yesterday.
"The Prime Minister himself ... has an enthusiastic recognition of what Canada can do and he recognizes that the military capacity has to be a big part of that. So I think we're well on the way," he said in an interview in his constituency â †Toronto Centre â †office on Bloor St. E.
The long-awaited defence and foreign policy review â †now expected at the end of January â †is expected to sketch out a new vision for the Canadian Forces and the kind of equipment needed to do the job.
But already Graham acknowledges the military needs a replacement for the aging Hercules transports, new trucks for the army and new helicopters to haul soldiers and equipment.
The military's 19 Hercules are more than 40 years old, its 2,769 army trucks are 22 years old and its four destroyers are 35 years old.
Graham conceded that the heavy schedule of overseas commitments has taken its toll on the military.
"The forces over the last few years have been stretched. We've had what they call a very heavy operational tempo. It's like driving a car too long without replacing the bearings. There are some bearings that need to be replaced," he said.
Graham said one of his key priorities will be "persuading the finance minister that we should have the resources in the budget to enable us to deliver on what we're promising in the defence review." The wish list could cost billions of dollars.
But during a visit to Edmonton and more recent chats with Toronto businessmen, the defence minister said he was struck by the demands of Canadians that the government step up its support of the military.
"It was unbelievable. Young people with kids, young women coming up to me and saying, `Mr. Graham, it's so important we support our troops,'" he said of his Edmonton visit.
As a minimum, Ottawa must boost the military spending by at least $800 million just to meet its promise of recruiting thousands more troops, he said.
"It's very clear that if the government is going to be able to support the 5,000 new troops, it's going to have to be more than that. But not in the first year. It's going to be over time. Everything is going to be over time," he said.
"I think what's needed here is for people to sense that there's been a change in direction, that's there's a commitment to invest in the military.
"Everyone realizes you can't get it done in one day. ... People want to say, `Hey, five years from now here's where we're going to be."
Graham will see the work of Canadian troops firsthand next month when he visits the 700-strong contingent in Kabul. Graham said he also wants to talk to local officials about Canada's plan to send a new force of up to 500 troops to serve as part of a provincial reconstruction team in Kandahar.
On the topic of missile defence, Graham said he doubted Canada would suffer reprisals if the Liberal government decides not to participate in the U.S.-led program. But he said Canada can't ignore the fact that the U.S. administration considers this a priority.
"I do strongly believe that in terms of creating an atmosphere in Washington in which the Americans say we've got an ally to the north whose willing to work with us on the defence of North America ... is a benefit to us," he said.
"It's very hard to evaluate that, it's very hard to evaluate the negative consequences of not participating would be. But I don't think we should neglect that. It's very hard to quantify.
"We should approach these negotiations positively and seek to get the best deal for Canada," he said.
Another topic expected in the defence review is safeguarding Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic, an area where Graham admits the military should be doing more.
"I believe the military should be making more investments up north to be a part of the (government's vision of the Arctic)," he said.
"What I envisage is an increased presence. Exactly what form that will take I don't know ... We could be more active."
Graham said he'd like to see the use of unmanned aerial drones to help keep watch over the landscape, boost the ranks of the Canadian Ranger patrols and have the military exercise more often in the region.
"For some reasonable amounts of money we could increase our resources in certain areas and be very effective," he said.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1103669413935&call_pageid=968332188774&col=968350116467&DPL=IvsNDS%2f7ChAX&tacodalogin=yes
