Royal Canadian Air Force headed to mission in Africa ‘very soon’: top general

[OldSolduer]

:Tin-Foil-Hat:

you sir have made me giggle!!

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

If anyone is interested in how this is playing in the Quebec based Laurentian Elites, here is the title of "Le Devoir" front page article on the deployment to Mali (my translation). Please note that the well balanced article actually fits the description in the title:

"Blue Helmets: Canada to go on Mission in Mali - The Government is Incapable of Providing Any Details of Its Undertaking"

My view: That's not gonna help the Libs in Quebec.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Pointy end was down (that's the sharp end, right?)...that Ka-bar model is a little heavy, was more worried it would fall out (I modified the sheath that came with it).  Still seemed a better option that my issued SHTF knife, pictured below.

But, to get back on track...hopefully the 'required kit' is available for the air and ground pers heading out and people aren't raiding their personal gear to make ends meet.

Find a new place for your knife. You're going to smash yourself in the chin. Makes it hard to draw also.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Find a new place for your knife. You're going to smash yourself in the chin. Makes it hard to draw also.

Knives are misogynist and represent rape culture.  :tsktsk:

 

[daftandbarmy]

Knives are misogynist and represent rape culture.  :tsktsk:

If they're Swiss, they're neutral though, right?

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I have a big bowie I made from a chain saw bar. It identifies as Swiss though, so it's OK too?

 

[Loachman]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/mali-mission-1.4585038

Canada's peacekeeping mission in Africa is destined to become the folly in Mali

Whether we send 250 or 2,500 personnel, we'll be sending them into quicksand

David Krayden · for CBC News · Posted: Mar 21, 2018 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 11 hours ago

Canada's upcoming contribution to a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali - announced by the Trudeau government on Monday -  is destined to become the folly in Mali. It is exactly where Canada and the Canadian military does not need to be. 


First of all, the Canadian military has been unequivocal in issuing warnings of deploying to African nations that are in the midst of civil war, rife with Islamic extremism and replete with child soldiers - and all three conditions exist in Mali. It's become one of the deadlier UN missions in history as a result.


A military briefing note on potential peacekeeping missions to Africa, published before the Mali announcement this week, warned that "child soldiers … are likely to be encountered on an increasing basis," which can lead to severe psychological trauma for deployed personnel. The document noted that combat encounters between Canadian soldiers and Mali children could become a public affairs nightmare if the engagement "is not well-handled, and communicated effectively." In fact, the authors continue, "there is a strong potential for significant negative impact on the mission."

 

[Cloud Cover]

What are the chances this guy gets to send another opinion piece to the cbc for publication after this little gem:

"Instead of playing gender politics and demonstrating his sycophantic love of the UN, Trudeau should be ensuring that we have a military that is capable of fulfilling its basic obligations to NATO and NORAD."

"David Krayden has worked in print, radio and television journalism. He served in the Canadian Armed Forces as a public affairs officer and was employed for almost a decade as a communications specialist on Parliament Hill. He is currently the Ottawa Bureau Chief for The Daily Caller, a Washington-based news service."

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Find a new place for your knife. You're going to smash yourself in the chin. Makes it hard to draw also.

I don't want to keep talking about the knife, but...

1.  Ka-bars are great knives but their sheaths aren't the greatest.  I ordered the KaBar MOLLE one I used in theatre because it would attach to my TV (the stock one would not).  Once I got it, I realized it did not have a tight grip on the knife like others (such as the Gerber LMF to guy to the my left has on his), it just slid inside a lose plastic blade protector inside the sheath.  The snaps on my *new and improved* MOLLE sheath from Ka-Bar didn't actually stay snapped.  I had to replace them with a Velcro wrap holder. 

2.  Because of the shitty sheath and no time left to order a good Kydex one or something before my ride over the pond, and after some trials and stuff, the best option was to mount it 'tip down';  I was more worried about it falling out "on the run" and it being "not there!" if I really needed it.  The TV wasn't worn constantly, it was something I would have grabbed if things went really sideways and I was on the run (or perhaps a reasonably paced shuffle...situation depending).  My Camelback sternum strap kept it in place pretty nicely (by luck, not design).
 
3.  It actually rode a little lower than the Gerber LMF, as buddy next to me (on the right in the pic below) has strapped onto his TV.  I could have dealt with it tapping me on the chin easier than I could deal with it falling out.  Again, if I'd of known the 2nd KaBar sheath was going to be crappy in the way it was, I'd of gone straight for the $XXX Kydex one vice the $25 USD one.  Time ran out, I dealt with what I had.

4.  It was an interim, self-funded solution to a problem that never should have happened in the first place, but we did what (some of us) felt we needed to do.  I also carried a smaller CRKT Triumph NECK knife in my leg pocket (I still didn't 100% trust that sheath even after I modified it).  If anyone wonders what the issued "knife" we carried was:  http://www.eickhorn-solingen.de/epages/62631327.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/62631327/Products/102205/SubProducts/102205

Some us wanted something more beefy than a strap-cutter. 

Now, back to the Mali mission...

 

[overwatch]

Any idea which Air Force trades will be going? AEC a no go I’m assuming?

 

[PuckChaser]

Any idea which Air Force trades will be going?

The ones that are required to support helicopter operations?

I don't even think the CDS knows what's up yet. This government has been shown to disregard military advice to gain political points, so I doubt the CAF even had an idea what was deploying until the MND told them.

 

[overwatch]

The ones that are required to support helicopter operations?

I don't even think the CDS knows what's up yet. This government has been shown to disregard military advice to gain political points, so I doubt the CAF even had an idea what was deploying until the MND told them.

I see, kinda terrible of them to do that but I haven’t heard the best things regarding the relationship between liberals and the CAF. On a side note, there is a specific squadron of AEC that deploy with helos (EATM, at Wainright). Curious if these guys will go.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

It'll be a CJOC show;  for 6 helicopters they'll send about 800 support pers.  You have a decent chance of going.   

 

[Zoomie]

Hopefully they just deploy an ATF with a SC as support... no need for JTF overhead.

 

[Jarnhamar]

It'll be a CJOC show;  for 6 helicopters they'll send about 800 support pers.  You have a decent chance of going.   

Oh don't you know it.  Better get 3 or 4 TOCs or whatever for those 6 birds lol

 

[overwatch]

It'll be a CJOC show;  for 6 helicopters they'll send about 800 support pers.  You have a decent chance of going.   

Not AEC (yet, hopefully ). Just doing some due diligence about the roles and expectations of the trade.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

In all seriousness, there could be a role for AEC and AC Op;  air ops are air ops afterall, right? 

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Oh don't you know it.  Better get 3 or 4 TOCs or whatever for those 6 birds lol

An Air Ops Center, then a Combined Air Ops Center, and then a Joint Air Ops Center...and then....

 

[Colin Parkinson]

So the media experts are claiming things aren't so bad there, I bet they won't volunteer to quickly for a tour...

http://www.news1130.com/2018/03/22/baloney-meter-tories-dish-out-a-lot-of-baloney-on-mali-peacekeeping-mission/

 

[Jarnhamar]

So the media experts are claiming things aren't so bad there, I bet they won't volunteer to quickly for a tour...

http://www.news1130.com/2018/03/22/baloney-meter-tories-dish-out-a-lot-of-baloney-on-mali-peacekeeping-mission/

So by a rough estimate one UN peacekeeper dies there every 9.5 days?

Thats not so bad, it's not like someone's dying every week.