I'll believe it when I see it.
Justin Trudeau hints at boosting Canada’s military spending
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GR66
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McG
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No. That chart inflates the relative equipment expenditure of every nation underspending on defence, because it presents their equipment spending relative to a threshold which itself is below target for those nations. Canada is not alone in the “quadrant of shame” but we are actually deeper into that quadrant than is reflected when comparing our inadequate equipment spending against our also inadequate over-all defence spending.
By underspending on defence, countries below the 2% target artificially deflate the equipment target. But they may only be spending 20% of 1%, which is well below the real agreed threshold. Instead of showing equipment expenditure against a benchmark that itself fails to meet a minimum threshold, my chart puts both axis relative to GDP.
20% of 2% is just 0.4%. We are at 0.19%. Not alone in the quadrant, but performing much worse than the info graphic that shows us alone.
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Terrorist watch list apprehensions at northern border continue to break records
(The Center Square) – The number of known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) apprehended at the northern border in the first six months of fiscal 2024 continue to outpace those apprehended
Sooner or later we will have to start mowing our own lawn. The alternatives are the neighbours do it for us or just put up a higher hedge.
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Paywall but the headline makes things clear enough.
There is War and then there is whatever that thing is when you try to apply rules to warfare.
FJAG
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LGen (retd) Andrew Leslie on the Trudeau government
'Our NATO allies are despairing': Retired general says Trudeau government failing on defence
Former soldier Andrew Leslie was once a Liberal MP who advised Trudeau on defence. These days, he's talking to Pierre Poilievre’s team.nationalpost.com
daftandbarmy
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LGen (retd) Andrew Leslie on the Trudeau government
Sounds like a bid for re-entry into the political realm...
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This confirms my wide held belief that Leslie lost out on Defence because he would have actually DONE something with the portfolio, vice kicked the ball around like past 3 defence ministers.LGen (retd) Andrew Leslie on the Trudeau government
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who swings the decision there?
FJAG
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A quick look at the last MND Mandate letter sets the tone. Just look at the top five priorities and then recollect that the SSE basically allocates much of its verbiage to the next four topics as well.
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The person with clout, charisma, and skin in the game. Trudeau may rule with an iron fist, but he is a fragile and vain leader (as shown by his treatment of those who disagree with him... JWR comes to mind, same with Bill Morneau). If you're confident and competent in your realm, you don't bend to the whims of amateurs as easily.
This is why the Cabinet has a career Police Officer as Defence Minister, a proficient attorney as the TB President, and an ecoterrorist as Environment Minister.
They all are subservient to the party line because they're intentionally out of their depth.
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I think Anand wanted to do something with the portfolio and was making inroads with it. Hence P-8, F-35, MQ-9B, etc - P-8 and MQ-9B may have been signed off by Blair, but the bulk of the project definition and OA were probably in Anand’s tenure.
I had never read that letter before. NO WONDER our Allies and especially the U.S. do not take us seriously and boy it will be easy to deliver some quick easy wins for the next Government. The Entire letter sounds like a mission statement for an under grad Sociology course.A quick look at the last MND Mandate letter sets the tone. Just look at the top five priorities and then recollect that the SSE basically allocates much of its verbiage to the next four topics as well.
daftandbarmy
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Or that no one could trust him maybe?
Viz, some bridge burning here...
Andrew Leslie hints he jilted the Conservatives
Andrew Leslie hints he jilted the Conservatives
In a speech full of irony and sly asides, retired lieutenant-general Andrew Leslie said he talked with ''other political parties'' when he left the military, and in the end chose to become a Liberal. CBCNews.ca is carrying Leslie's speech and subsequent scrum live.
OldSolduer
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If WE do not take care of this, like you said the neighbours and MAYBE another nation or two will. AND they will thumb their noses at us while the GoC harumphs and acts outraged.Terrorist watch list apprehensions at northern border continue to break records
(The Center Square) – The number of known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) apprehended at the northern border in the first six months of fiscal 2024 continue to outpace those apprehendedwww.thecentersquare.com
Sooner or later we will have to start mowing our own lawn. The alternatives are the neighbours do it for us or just put up a higher hedge.
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Good point. If we are too lax on immigration control and passports sooner or later "friends" will start demanding visas as well as passports.
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Doesn't Treasury get the final sign off on purchases like that in any case?
Seems to me she went from PWGSC to DND to TB.
F35 Jan 9 2023
| President of the Treasury Board |
|---|
| Incumbent |
| Assumed office July 26, 2023 |
P8 Nov 30 2023
MQ9 Dec 19 2023
McG
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I suspect the bulk of OA (if not all) was before Anand’s tenure.
Or that no one could trust him maybe?
Viz, some bridge burning here...
Andrew Leslie hints he jilted the Conservatives
Andrew Leslie hints he jilted the Conservatives
In a speech full of irony and sly asides, retired lieutenant-general Andrew Leslie said he talked with ''other political parties'' when he left the military, and in the end chose to become a Liberal. CBCNews.ca is carrying Leslie's speech and subsequent scrum live.ca.news.yahoo.com
Leslie already had a chance to transform the military, and I don't think it would have turned out much different if he tried again as the Minister. Ideas don't count for much if Cabinet won't give you the money, time or bureaucratic support that is needed.
The paper at the link discusses some of the reasons why Leslie's transformation report failed. I don't know if I agree with conclusions, but the author makes the case that Leslie (and others) couldn't impress upon others the need for decisive change. I think he would have found it even harder to achieve anything in a Liberal government that has little interest in security matters. https://www.cfc.forces.gc.ca/259/290/301/305/hopkins.pdf
FJAG
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That was certainly the case with Trudeau's first MND. Or perhaps its more accurate to say that he was at exactly the dep
He had his hand in some key matters - The Leo 2, the M777 (the first dozen and the last 26), the CCV and LRPF (cancelled after him), the TAPV (even if some folks hate it), and LAV UP. A fair bit of cash flowed for those.
I don't agree with much in that paper. I think you have one looks at it from several points then it adds up, not as a failure in the report, but failure within the bureaucracy to follow through with both the investigative process within the bureaucracy and implementing the final report itself. In short:
1) While there had originally been DM buy in, Leslie's scope of investigation had been curtailed early on "the team was directed to stop further
work on the civilian structures in late November. At that point we had only examined the senior levels - levels 1 and 2 - and had not yet had the chance to drill down below level 2. We have been told that this will be addressed in the future by the upcoming development of institutional
alignment options."
2) Leslie clearly recognized the foot dragging within the CAF - "... at a large meeting in December 2010 involving the generals, admirals and senior DND civil servants, and it became apparent that the tendency was to argue for the preservation of the status quo within any one particular
organization, which is perfectly natural. " ... "these interactions proved that consensus has not and will probably never be achieved on any significant change as we are large and complicated, and the different organizations that make up the whole do different things, each of which is believed to be very important by those who are in them."
3) The period 2004 to 2010 had seen growth by 18% or 20,493 people BUT, 4,803 of those were in headquarters above the brigade level an increase in their size by 46%. Civilian employees in the NCR grew by 3,368 or 61%. Senior mgmt grew by 19% which included a 25% increase in civilian EX membership. The report goes on and on about the excessive growth and spending.
4) senior bureaucrats were not about to take a hand in curbing this glut of spending within their own backyard. Bureaucracies do not willingly commit suicide but resort to maintaining the status quo, at least to the tune of how it impacts their own fiefdoms. Consolidating the several dotcoms into CJOC was a positive step but I don't have actual figures as to how much of a net manpower saving this actually created.
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And NASAMS for UKR, and one would argue the E-7s as well.
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