Camp Mirage Superthread

[OldSolduer]

Your lack of knowledge as the "purpose" of CM is quite evident, and quite insulting to the thousands of personnel (your zombies) who have served there with minimal allowances under extreme heat conditions. There is no tax break there, personnel miss their families just as much as anywhere else, and when compared to the Golan, very little difference in conditions, despite the Golan tour getting the tax break. Having done a tour there, as well as Kaf, and Cyprus, I can tell you I have a lot of respect for those who have served in CM. They are certainly not there for the "allowances" as it would not be worth it. I have also served at the TSE in Cyprus during the 1st Gulf War, and would go back there in a flash.

Don't presume to lecture me. I've been there, done that and have several T Shirts. I mean what I say. At CM I saw several self absorbed people doing not much of anything.
Been to hot places with no tax breaks either. Or HLTA. Or the NATO allowances people receive.

 

[CombatDoc]

I was personally impressed by the speed and efficiency of the rip process at CM. I half expected it to be just like the 3 DAG "cattle lines" I went through in Valcartier, where they never had the information right.

+1.  I've also been impressed by the efficiency, no matter what time of day or night.  My thanks to all who served at TSE, your contribution and service to the mission are valued.

 

[Arsenal]

I don't care for the locals either. Whenever we get into their airspace the first things they do is make sure we know who is in control.
The Rips don't suck. Its a few hours of hard work by MAMS and the clerks to get people sorted out and ff to where they need to go.  What sucks is the attitudes of the one or ten guys off of each plane load that think the world is owed to them. 154 people on a flight and 5 dickheads with attitudes. They are the ones pissing on the floor in the bathroom of the 17 and spitting their chewing tobacco on the floor.

There is my rant. I am done now.

BTW I hate going it CM.

farewell BE-NO Ops

Maybe those five guys spent the last six months sleeping on the ground, eating rats, getting shot at and blown up.. So what if there are a few "bad" attitudes?

 

[armyvern]

Maybe those five guys spent the last six months sleeping on the ground, eating rats, getting shot at and blown up.. So what if there are a few "bad" attitudes?

Pissing and spitting on the floor of the aircraft is beyond "bad" attitude. They're being dickheads.

 

[4Feathers]

Don't presume to lecture me. I've been there, done that and have several T Shirts. I mean what I say. At CM I saw several self absorbed people doing not much of anything.
Been to hot places with no tax breaks either. Or HLTA. Or the NATO allowances people receive.

Not a lecture, just responding to your less than kind comment "Too many "zombies" who seem to have no purpose other than to collect a pay cheque and the overseas allowance" I find it innappropriate to paint everyone there with the same brush, knowing personally that most of them care about the support they are providing and work long and hard hours. Most of the comments in this thread about the support they provide speak volumes of the professionalism and pride with which they provide a support service.

 

[PuckChaser]

Back from the us v them.... sources are now reporting that the base will be closed in less than a month:

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20101010/canada-dubai-base-101010/

 

[Edward Campbell]

This, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from the Globe and Mail, is breaking news:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/uae-closes-airpsace-to-mackay-blocks-his-flight-from-afghanistan/article1752151/

UAE closes airpsace to MacKay, blocks his flight from Afghanistan

JANE TABER AND DANIEL LEBLANC

Ottawa— Globe and Mail Update

Published Monday, Oct. 11, 2010


The United Arab Emirates has closed its airspace to Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Chief of the Defence Staff General Walt Natynczyk as they were on their way back from a visit in Afghanistan, according to a senior government source.

The pair had landed at Camp Mirage in the UAE as they were on their way to Kandahar on Thursday. But as they prepared to return, Mr. MacKay and Gen. Natynczyk were informed that they could not land at Camp Mirage or even fly over the UAE, according to a senior government official.

The incident is the latest in a diplomatic spat between Canada and the UAE.

UAE and its state-owned carriers, including Emirates Airline, have been seeking dozens of new landing slots in Canada in return for letting the Canadian Forces continue using a base called Camp Mirage, near Dubai, on their way to Afghanistan.

Air Canada  and Transport Canada oppose the idea of linking air negotiations to geopolitics.
The fear is that UAE is more interested in stealing lucrative international traffic from Air Canada to cities such as Frankfurt than simply flying more customers to its domestic airports.

We cannot leave a minute too soon. These pissant little countries are not worth the effort – as will soon be seen when e.g. Dubai defaults on its loans.



Edit: spelling  - thanks dapaterson 

 

[Franko]

Quite a bold move on their part though.

Regards

 

[ModlrMike]

They're only playing hard ball because they know that in a year, their time is up. Once we leave Afg and no longer have a need for Dubai, then they're out of bargaining chips. I applaud the Government's standing up to them.

 

[old medic]

MacKay confirms Forces to leave UAE base
Matthew Fisher, Postmedia News · Monday, Oct. 11, 2010

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/MacKay+confirms+Forces+leave+base/3653881/story.html

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Defence minister Peter MacKay confirmed Monday that the United Arab Emirates has ordered Canada to abandon an important staging base known as Camp Mirage that Canada used to sustain its combat mission in Afghanistan.

“At this point we will abide by the wishes of the Emirates and that is that we will be leaving the base,” Mr. MacKay said at the end of three-day trip to Afghanistan.

The Emirates government severed a memorandum of understanding with Canada last Tuesday, triggering a clause that requires Canada to pack up and leave within 30 days. That means that Canadian troops now have 24 days left to make alternate arrangements to supply the troops in Afghanistan.

The dispute between Canada and the UAE arose from a request by the Emirates for more landing rights in Canada for its two national carriers, Dubai-based Emirates Airlines and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways. Canada balked at the proposal after strong complaints from Air Canada and Transport Canada.

Senior military sources have told Postmedia News that Canada is now looking closely at sending cargo through a NATO base in Germany and transiting most troops through Cyprus, which some soldiers travel through already. Other options include neighbouring Gulf states and Turkey.

“One thing I know about the Canadian Forces is they are very adaptable,” Mr. MacKay said after serving Thanksgiving dinner to troops at a remote forward base alongside Canada’s top general, Walter Natynczyk, and Jean-Pierre Blackburn, the Veterans Affairs minister.

“They have alternatives and contingency plans. With that in mind, we are going through the various options before us right now. We will continue to do our mission, primarily, and we will find ways to support this mission through other hubs.”

The trio of Mr. MacKay, Gen. Natynczyk and Mr. Blackburn were on a three-day visit to Kabul and Kandahar.

 

[PuckChaser]

The Americans have a huge base in Qatar, perhaps we can use their airspace?

 

[dapaterson]

This, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from the Globe and Mail, is breaking news:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/uae-closes-airpsace-to-mackay-blocks-his-flight-from-afghanistan/article1752151/

We cannot leave a minute too soon. These puissant little countries are not worth the effort – as will soon be seen when e.g. Dubai defaults on its loans.

You've made a typo, and included a U in pissant.

 

[ProudNewfoundlander]

CTV has just said the UAE has just closed their airspace to Canadian aircraft

 

[Edward Campbell]

You've made a typo, and included a U in pissant.

Thanks; and to make it worse the words are antonyms!  :-[

 

[PiperDown]

I am glad we are not bowing to the demands of the UAE. But slightly worried about where ( or IF ) I will be flying to next week when I am ( currently) scheduled to fly into theatre.

 

[PuckChaser]

I am glad we are not bowing to the demands of the UAE. But slightly worried about where ( or IF ) I will be flying to next week when I am ( currently) scheduled to fly into theatre.

Wherever it is, it won't be like walking off the plane into a wall of hot salt water.

 

[The Bread Guy]

CTV has just said the UAE has just closed their airspace to Canadian aircraft

More on that from CTV.ca:

A diplomatic spat over aviation landing rights has sent Canada packing its bags from a Dubai-area military base and has reportedly seen the United Arab Emirates close down its airspace to a plane carrying Canadian officials.

The UAE government had threatened to kick Canada out of Camp Mirage -- a military base located near Dubai -- if Ottawa did not approve new Canadian landing rights for national carriers Emirate and Etihad ....

....and from CP:

A plane carrying two cabinet ministers and the head of the Canadian military was denied the right to land in the United Arab Emirates on Monday in a diplomatic rebuke from the wealthy Gulf country.

The UAE closed its airspace to Defence Minister Peter MacKay, Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn and Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Walt Natynczyk, who were on their way from a three-day visit to Afghanistan, a military source in Ottawa confirmed to The Canadian Press ....

 

[dapaterson]

Tomorrow should be interesting; I could see our ambassador being recalled over this, and I also suspect some other airlines may get enhanced Canadian landing rights - who are the biggest competitors of Emirates Air?

 

[Edward Campbell]

Tomorrow should be interesting; I could see our ambassador being recalled over this, and I also suspect some other airlines may get enhanced Canadian landing rights - who are the biggest competitors of Emirates Air?

That might be Qatar Airways - they are moving, very aggressively, to expand they market share. But Qatar, like UAE and Dubai is sitting on fiscal quicksand.

 

[ModlrMike]

Then again, we probably don't have to wager much if we ask the Brits for permission to transit through Akrotiri in Cyprus.