Edit here. 90 days to deploy. 120 days to sustain any long term.
I know your the "expert" in all things Canadian Military and like to throw your weight around on the forums. I wonder what your thoughts are in condescending tones to others responses?
Based on your "expertise" what would a reasonable time line be to deploy 15 tanks, crews, parts, aux equipment, support, etc?
I will add my thoughts, which will obviously go against your special knowledge of the situation.
Based on the CF has a hard time deploying any sizable force quickly,(outside of the Navy) I guess it makes sense for planning to be over a year in time and span over a 3-10 year plan. The lack of spare parts, staff, aux equipment, support equipment, transport both in and to the theatre are lacking. It makes sense I guess.
No different then when we were toying the idea of sending Cf18s to Africa. Lots of planning for not much results. Mainly based on we could not sustain ourselves. We needed support from our Allies who did not want to provide.
I would assume that infrastructure in country is lacking for a larger contingent right now. Canada does not have the ability to provide temporary shelter for our soldiers to be deployed quickly. Nor do we have the equipment to do so.
We are more then likely short on staffing which may be a major part of the key, Afterall we can more then likely leverage our allies for spare parts and aux equipment. Poland seems to be pretty good at providing gear.
administratively Canada is more then likely trying to figure out how to swell the HQ level of the Deployment so more in Ottawa can get a service ribbon for deploying out of a hotel.
I wonder how long it would take for Canada to provide a QRF, Ready Reaction Force for our Troops anywhere in the world if they required it? I am guessing we can't. Or would it take a year to plan to get out the door?
This surge of equipment and Soldiers along with extension of commitment is definitely a good thing for the CF, it will give us a focused long term mission again. Might open minds and pockets books of the government.
But like most things liberals, they are committing us to a mission that the bulk of the money and commitment will happen after the next election.
A few observations & just random personal thoughts...
- Deploying a 6 pack of CF-18's as an air force QRFA (of sorts) is doable and has been done.
The decision to withdraw the CF-18's over Iraq & Syria was purely a political one.
(There were more fighters from various countries deployed there than was needed, so Canada rushed to be one of the first to downsize or withdraw aircraft from the air campaign to save money for a mission well covered by permanently stationed assets nearby)
We deployed JTF & CSOR teams once the ATF (air task force) had come home, so our committment in terms of personnel was roughly the same.
- The conflict you are thinking of where NATO allies started to run low on munitions was Libya. (A lot of EU countries that were participating ran low on munitions - I think the USAF took more of a back seat in order to prove a point...)
- You are right, a lot of the heavy lifting on this (practical and financial) will be after the next election. Good catch!
(Similar to how a bulk of the new funding for the CAF was earmarked for between 2030 & 2040... long after he'd be voted out...)
- I am still wondering what the point of it all is, if not just to have a forward deployed formation available to execute our foreign policy more easily? (QRF, faster NEO if that's ever a thing again, staging area for CANSOF, etc)
While never wise to underestimate one's adversary...Russia isn't in any shape to wage a conventional war with anybody right now, and their focus has to be on Ukraine. But as long as this conflict continues, I think Russia will have a difficult time presenting a conventional threat elsewhere in the region.