As he delivered the hard sell pitch last spring for Canada to buy his submarines, Oliver Burkhard, the CEO of Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), used the phrase “strategic partnership” half a dozen times.
Canada would be part of “a family,” he said.
We will — perhaps — soon get a better sense whether that approach is music to the ears of Prime Minister Mark Carney and key members of his cabinet.
Gotta admit the Germans have practical experience.
When Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada would commit to NATO’s new defence spending target, he justified the steep increase by pointing to the heightened geopolitical threats facing the country.
But Mr. Carney’s government appears to see an economic opportunity in rearmament as well, suggesting that domestic industries and workers stand to benefit as Canada and its allies look to beef up their military capabilities.
OTTAWA — If war ever comes to Canada, it could appear as an enemy missile soaring over the vast Arctic.
One nightmare scenario goes like this. Russia, emboldened from its assault on Ukraine and intent on recovering more of its lost Soviet sphere, invades the Baltics. Allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) hold true to their vows of collective defence, and some 2,000 Canadian soldiers — stationed today as a deterrence force in Latvia — find themselves on the front line of a new great power conflict.
I do not think Canada is taken seriously as the steward of its own Arctic.
Recently, stories of radicalization and improper behaviour among military personnel have tainted the Canadian Forces’ public image. How can we expect people to sign up in defence of their country when this is what they see?
Yet even before these scandals, recruitment efforts generally have been flatlining. We need to find the right approach to attract young people looking for meaningful challenges.
I doubt pics of “Bad Ass” women soldiers is the right fix for what ails the CAF.
(Incognito)
OTTAWA — Canada only has two women from the military deployed on United Nations peacekeeping missions right now, raising concerns Ottawa is failing to lead by example and may be called out by the international body for missing its targets.
In 2017, former prime minister Justin Trudeau launched a big push to have Canada become a leader internationally promoting women in peacekeeping. It was part of the his government’s feminist foreign policy.
But statistics show the number of female Canadian Armed Forces members contributing to peacekeeping has dwindled so much it recently hit rock bottom.
The UN mandates 22% of “Peace Keepers” be Wimmins.
The second Trump administration has been worse than Canada’s worst nightmare. The largest military force in the history of the world, across a largely undefended border, is suddenly under the command of a president who has called for our annexation. Canada could not be less prepared. The possibility of American aggression has been so remote, for so long, that the idea has not been seriously considered in living memory. Donald Trump has focused on economic rather than military pressure, but the new tone in Washington is finally forcing Canada to ask itself the most basic question: how do we defend ourselves?
Dream on.
There was an interesting — albeit brief — recent eruption of clarity in the ongoing saga of whether Canada intends to proceed with the full order of American-made F-35 fighters.
It was courtesy of the U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, who perhaps spoke the quiet part out loud last week in an interview with Canadian independent podcaster Jasmin Laine.
Hoekstra, a no-nonsense Republican from Michigan, was asked about the Liberal government’s review of the $27.7-billion purchase of stealth fighters and the possibility that after delivery of the first tranche of jets, Canada could decide to fill the rest of its order with another type of aircraft.
The Canadian military has suspended five active members after a video emerged allegedly showing them with other individuals who gave Nazi salutes.
Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright, the head of the Canadian army, said in a statement issued Tuesday that he was “deeply disturbed and profoundly disappointed” by the contents of the video, which he said he was made aware of on Aug. 6.
Wright said soon after the video was shared with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) by a member of the public, five serving members were identified, who have now been suspended from military duties while a disciplinary investigation is underway. The matter was then referred to military police.
Was it just a bout of drunken silliness?
The Department of National Defence is spending $114,200 on a sole-sourced contract for psychometric training aimed at helping Canadian Armed Forces leaders “understand their core emotional motivations and fears.”
The work was awarded to Integrative Enneagram Solutions Ltd., a London-based consultant whose offerings also include workshops on self-esteem and romantic relationships.
Will they ever get round to being a real army as opposed to a woke therapy clinic?
Canada’s top military commander, however, says other measures will also be needed to keep people enlisted. – Code for more Trannies
On Friday I found myself in an oversize hangar with an even more imposing C-17 Globemaster cargo plane sitting outside of it. Prime Minister Mark Carney made his way to Canadian Forces Base Trenton to fill in the details of the boost of two billion Canadian dollars that will be given annually to the military’s payroll.
The Canadian military has witnessed a resurgence in hateful conduct and racism reports over the last year following several years of decline, according to data obtained by CBC News.
The detailed information comes as the army deals with a fresh set of extremism and disreputable conduct allegations.
The sudden turnaround has piqued the curiosity of far-right extremism experts, who say it’s no coincidence the numbers began to reverse in 2024 just as tumultuous political and social change was unleashed in the United States with the re-election of Donald Trump as president — and as the Canadian military is years deep into a mission to change its culture.
Sounds like they’re in a panic over the demise of woke and DEI etc.
As NATO nations, including Canada, ramp up rearmament, they are increasingly confronted with various ghosts of the Cold War, notably the resilience of Russian industry and its capacity to be able to deliver weapons — that while often technologically inferior to the West — are “good enough” to wage war.
Moscow’s ability to produce en masse drones, missiles, aircraft and other weapons of war has been hampered by sanctions and a long-term erosion of quality is taking place.
NATO?
What do the two words “national defence” really mean in Canada? What are our core values and vital interests today, and how can we invest responsibly in their promotion and protection going forward? These are core questions for all Canadians to debate. They speak to the security we must now strengthen at home, and the sacrifices that will be required to support these efforts. Canada needs a modernized strategic culture that reflects a renewed understanding of and approach to security and defence, and is firmly grounded in active public debate and clear national priorities.
I don’t think the defence of Canada is feasible without the US.
It’s been 24 years since what is widely considered the first lethal drone strike: a Predator UAV attack on an al-Qaeda vehicle convoy in Afghanistan just nine weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The strike killed Mohammed Atef, son-in-law of Osama bin Laden and head of the group’s military operations, and made clear to all that 21st century warfare was going to see a large role for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Large, expensive fixed-wing drones such as the Predator and Reaper still have their place. Canada has ordered a fleet of similar drones expected to be up and running in 2033.
Only about 300 Canadian Armed Forces members are responsible for patrolling the country’s northern territories — an area six times the size of France — according to a federal briefing note that also welcomes foreign military support in the Arctic.
Blacklock’s Reporter says the June 20 document, titled Arctic Sovereignty And Security, acknowledged that the regular military presence in Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut remains limited.
