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Canadians deploying to AFG (early days, merged)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Spr Earl
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bin Laden ‘Dead or Alive‘...or is that a pipe dream? He probably is long gone or dead and buried already. They should at least be around until all the al-Qa‘ida (The Base) are eliminated. The US is already saying apartment buildings are the new targets for suicide bombers. The al-Qa‘ida need to stamped out. Gunner you make a good point when you say "will it ever be achieved?" Will it indeed?
 
It seems clear that bin Laden is probably still alive and well and living in a remote area in Pakistan, or, very probably, liberated and spirited away to Sudan or Yemen.

It seems, based on newspaper reports this week, that very probably he had a kidney transplant done, which should keep him healthy for a while.

Since al-Qaeda were so willing to send men to their certain deaths aboard airliners, it is entirely possible that bin Laden‘s kidney donor wasn‘t hard to find. All hypothetical of course.

In any event, terrorism may never be quashed, but it can at least be quashed in Afghanistan, and certainly forced back into obscurity. However, if the job ain‘t done right this time around, we will be doing it all over again in less time than we think.
 
For a long time, a lot of people have been asking, "When will the government admit that the military cannot continue doing everything it is doing or do anything more?" This is probably the closest thing we will see to such a statment.

Ottawa takes fire for ending mission
By JEFF SALLOT
With reports from Kim Lunman and Barrie McKenna
From Wednesday‘s Globe and Mail

Ottawa — The decision to pull Canadian infantry troops out of Afghanistan this summer is further evidence of just how stretched the military has become, former generals and military analysts say.

The announcement sends the wrong political signal to Washington at the wrong time, they say: that Canada is not taking the terrorism threat seriously, even as U.S. officials are warning of possible new attacks.

Defence Minister Art Eggleton said Ottawa is withdrawing 850 infantry soldiers in late July and early August even though the Pentagon wanted to keep the Canadians in Afghanistan longer.

Canadian Alliance defence critic Leon Benoit said the pullout from Afghanistan is the result of years of Liberal neglect of the Canadian Forces and budget cuts.

Canada should have quit the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia rather than the campaign in Afghanistan, said David Rudd, executive director of the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies.

"The government shut down the wrong mission."

Unlike the Bosnian operation, the war in Afghanistan directly affects Canadian national security, Mr. Rudd said.

The government cannot live up to its own defence policy commitment to be able to put two battle groups into the field at the same time, retired major-general Clive Addy said. "The bench is empty."

The strain is hitting master corporals and other non-commissioned officers particularly hard. The fast tempo of overseas deployments in recent years is putting so much stress on these middle ranks "it is bordering on abuse," Mr. Addy told CTV News.

Retired major-general Lewis Mackenzie, the former United Nations commander in Sarajevo, said the government is making a major political mistake, letting down Canada‘s most important ally.

The contributions of the navy and air force are not going to earn Canada the credit ground troops will, "and this game is about getting credit where it counts," Mr. Mackenzie said.

If the soldiers themselves could decide the issue, they would rather be on combat missions in Afghanistan and not "directing traffic in Bosnia," Mr. Mackenzie said.

The Canadian ground force will pack up this summer even though Mr. Eggleton and General Ray Henault, chief of the defence staff, acknowledged that the war against terrorism will continue for a long time.

U.S. commanders who are leading the Afghan operation asked if Canadian infantry troops would stay, "but they understood we couldn‘t stay," Mr. Eggleton told a news conference, acknowledging that the Canadian Forces are stretched to the limit.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, U.S. General Tommy Franks praised the work of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, calling the Princess Patricia‘s Canadian Light Infantry "a magnificent outfit."

Gen. Franks, commander of the U.S.-led Afghan campaign, denied a suggestion that the brigade‘s pullout signaled that the Canadian forces aren‘t up to par or that the enthusiasm of some of the coalition partners may be waning.

"Good for PPLI. They‘ve done an absolutely wonderful job," he said. "What we try to do in this coalition is to cycle our forces in and out for ther purpose or rearming, refitting and in fact resting."

Gen. Franks also suggested that the Canadian withdrawal might well be co-ordinated with the arrival of fresh troops from another coalition partner.

Canada will replace 40 commandos from the elite Joint Task Force 2 with a fresh contingent of about the same size. But the 850-member battle group from the Edmonton-based Princess Patricia‘s Canadian Light Infantry will return at the end of its six-month tour of duty.

Six months has become the standard length for overseas operations deployment for Canadian troops since the Korean War in the early 1950s.

Extending the current tour for several months was an option, but the cabinet rejected the idea.

Mr. Eggleton said the deaths of four soldiers in Afghanistan last month when their unit was accidentally bombed by a U.S. warplane were tragic, but were not a factor in the decision to pull out the infantry.

"We‘re stretched [thin]. There‘s no doubt about it," Mr. Eggleton said, noting that Canada has a total of 3,800 service personnel on overseas missions from Bosnia to the Golan Heights.

Thousands of soldiers, including reservists, will be busy next month providing security for the Group of Eight summit meeting in Alberta.

Canada might also be asked to play some kind of military role in the Middle East if there is a peace agreement, Mr. Eggleton said.

Mr. Eggleton said Canada "will continue to make a significant contribution" to the U.S.-led coalition‘s war against terrorism by maintaining warships in the Arabian Sea and air transport for resupply flights. The number of air force and naval personnel involved will be about 1,300.

Canadian officers might also help to train a new Afghan national army, the minister said.

Mr. Eggleton said it is possible that Canadian ground troops could return to Afghanistan next year. Hundreds of Canadian soldiers may be freed up next spring as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization scales back its peacekeeping force in Bosnia. About 1,700 Canadian soldiers are serving there now.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-General Mike Jeffrey, the commander of the army, told the Commons defence committee Tuesday that the army needs more resources. "Clearly [more resources are] going to cost money," he said, when pressed for details on the costs. "I‘m not going to sit here and put a price tag on it."
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The following from The Times (of London) makes a lot of sense.
Yours,
Jock in Sydney
May 22, 2002

Mad dogs and our men go out in the Afghan sun
simon jenkins


The account ran: “Akbar Khan, heir to the Afghan throne, was forced by his British conquerors to wander the wilderness in exile, plotting his revenge . . . A swarthy horseman galloped towards him bringing news. The garrison of Kabul had been depleted. The Afghan tribes were in revolt. They had written their oaths in blood on the leaves of the Koran. Akbar’s dark eyes glowed. His powerful sensual mouth uttered fierce orders.” By the time he had driven the Infidel back through the Khyber, 20,000 Britons were dead.
We do not report wars like that any more. These days cynical journalists chase cynical spin-doctors round conference tables. But British troops still scramble over Afghan ravines, “denying” them to tribesmen for a month or two to keep London happy. I doubt if any expedition has ever been sent on a mission so militarily obscure and so politically blatant as the present Marine operation in Shah-i Kot.

What are these troops doing? The Taleban have been toppled, so easily as to amaze all but those who knew their Taleban. As long as the West is meddling, Afghan politics has returned to lawlessness, whether financed by drugs or aid. Al-Qaeda has shifted its headquarters to Pakistan and a dozen other places. The Marines can do no more than obey their covert orders. These are to find a proper firefight, take casualties as predicted by ministers, declare a victory and return home in glory.

Why? The Americans have all but given up the fight in Afghanistan. Their abortive bid to find Osama bin Laden ended in the same Shah-i Kot district now being scoured by British troops. They were badly shot up and left with eight dead. After the failure of Operation Anaconda, George Bush asked Tony Blair to take their place. He asked the Marines, who declined to move for a month.

The Americans are now openly saying they have “no dog in the Afghan fight”. Last October can be seen for what it always was, a punitive revenge raid for domestic consumption. Finding Osama bin Laden was not a priority, since Pakistani negotiations with the Taleban and Saudi Arabia on his extradition were then on a knife-edge. The story is told by Rohan Gunaratna of St Andrew’s University in his remarkable new study, Inside Al Qaeda (Hurst). The bombing wrecked the negotiations and abruptly cemented a weakening alliance between the unpopular al-Qaeda and the Taleban in Kabul. That did not matter to the Americans. Bombing mattered.

Today the reconstruction of Afghanistan is no longer America’s business. Nor are conditions in the appalling prisons of Britain’s so-called ally, General Dostum. Nor is the reopening of the opium warehouses and the falling price of European heroin. Nor is the fate of Kabul’s hapless Hamid Karzai, desperate for Western troops to hold territory outside his capital. Afghanistan may still be host to the world’s “special forces”, eager for bounty or glory.

But the country is off the political map.

The truth is that America’s war aim, unlike Britain’s, was coherent. It was to hit hard and get out. Americans are not now whingeing about the Taleban “refusing to confront Our Boys and fight”. They are not complaining that we cannot tell “friend from foe” or that “they keep returning to their villages”, all reported comments of British Marines last week. Americans are not staying around to police the unpoliceable. Once it was clear that Osama bin Laden was not to be found, the US declared the battle won. Mr Blair can tell the Afghans that “Britain will not desert you” but President Bush has moved elsewhere.

In 1841 the British resident in Kabul, Sir William Macnaghten, was summoned by Akbar Khan and, much to his surprise, beheaded on the spot. This week Sir William’s successor, Brigadier Roger Lane, appeared to suffer a similar fate. Like him, the brigadier was trying to get his troops out of Afghanistan without loss of face to his political masters. Like Sir William, he was the victim of fiendish and treacherous tribal rivalry, albeit in Whitehall. Defence ministry officials have not forgiven the Marines for demanding a slice of the Afghan action and then failing to move. This was bad publicity for Britain’s much-vaunted “rapid reaction force”.

The Marines must now find a victory to cover their retreat. It is elusive. Afghan irregulars always refuse open combat. The Taleban were bound to disappear and bide their time. There is no territory for the British to capture and hold. Local warlords can only be “rented but not bought”. There is no political pacification to be engineered short of colonisation, which would be suicide. All outside troops can do is bomb suspect “al-Qaeda” villages and explode suspect arms dumps. This wins no friends and hardly rates a score on the regimental banner. Brigadier Lane’s chief engagement has been with the British press. But it too will not join battle. It flatters, feints, ambushes and decapitates.

Now Washington has sold the Afghan pass. The US Vice-President, **** Cheney, has warned Americans that “another September 11” is “not a matter of if but when”. His Homeland Security colleague, Colonel Randall Larsen, adds that the attack will be “much bigger than September 11”. It might involve cyanide in air-conditioning systems or bombs stuffed in apartment blocks. Al-Qaeda has not been curbed. Its networks have not been destroyed. The world is no safer today than it was before September 11. Nobody mentions Afghanistan.

Nobody even mentions Pakistan. If Afghanistan was so great a threat to the West when the bombing began last October, why is not Pakistan the same threat today? Waziristan and the North-West Frontier harbour the same warriors as protected al-Qaeda in the Afghan mountains. Eager to avenge the sons, fathers and brothers killed by Western bombs in Afghanistan, they have already fired missiles at the American base at Miram Shah. Are they not also plotting to undermine Western freedoms? Besides, Pakistan is a base for terrorism in Kashmir, much of it penetrated by al-Qaeda. Whatever the provocation and however much Islamabad may struggle to deny it, this terrorism is no less lethal than that of September 11 or the suicide bombers of Palestine. It is probably more dangerous since it has led a million troops to confront each other across the Kashmir partition line, both armed with “weapons of mass destruction”. Yet because Pakistan is a “friend” nobody talks of bombing Waziristan or of sending special forces to Kashmir.

No one reading Gunaratna’s book could be in any doubt that al-Qaeda is an awesome force. It is scattered not just across the Muslim world but had, and presumably still has, a corporate structure in states across the entire world. It is a sinister fundamentalist church in thrall to a charismatic leader. The attack on Afghanistan was like combating an international drugs cartel by bombing the boss’s house in Marbella. Many al-Qaeda leaders were killed, but the networks remain, together with the targets, the training, the young men eager for martyrdom.

I doubt if Mr Cheney was last week bluffing to divert attention from allegations of White House negligence prior to September 11. But his constant terrifying of hyper-sensitive Americans does al-Qaeda’s job for it. An al-Qaeda memorandum after September 11 gloated that Americans were now so scared that Intercontinental had to lay off 20,000 employees, “thanks to Allah’s grace”. Al-Qaeda can tax the American economy of billions of dollars merely by getting Mr Cheney to do its work for it, on pain of a “negligence” charge in Congress.

Mr Cheney’s plea can only be for all citizens to show normal vigilance. But he reminds us that Afghanistan is a sideshow. Wiping its regime from the map made people feel better, but it did not diminish any threat. This terrorism is only territorial in its target, the sophisticated Western nations where its agents live, move and have their being.

The challenge is therefore the same as it was before September 11. It is to find and eliminate these agents in each and every Western state. This is difficult given the freedoms that the West holds sacred. To sacrifice these freedoms is to let the terrorist win. Not to sacrifice them is to risk another outrage. Democracy is always a balancing of evils.

But Afghanistan is nothing to do with the case. British troops should leave before they suffer any more decapitations.
 
Jock, excellent article... but we‘re only leaving because we‘re broke !!! If our government did not see Ahmed Ressam, they are certainly not seeing this...
 
Can someone fill me in on why we are unable to replace our battle group in Afghanistan? I realize we have a large group in the Balkans, plus a few understrength bns here at home (or are they all understrength?), but you would think that with 9 inf bns total we could replace one abroad. I mean, we can‘t have more than two in the Balkans, that would theoretically leave six here at home. Are all our inf bns that small and that worn out? It‘s a shame. I‘m beginning to think that fielding even just a brigade the next time a big war rolls around will be too much for us to manage.
 
G-8 Conference in Kananaskis. They are deploying ADATS, among other things. Looks like it will be bigger than RV.

Sad when internal security takes such a bite out of the army that it can‘t deploy anyone else for actual cbt ops.
 
Canadians in Afghanistan aired tonight on the History Channel. EXCELLENT documentry, I really enjoyed it.

Made me appreciate what you folks do even more and, of course, made me feel guilty for allowing you to do it for me :)

For those of you who missed it, no worries, I hooked up my digital cable box to my computer and recorded both episodes.

If you‘d like a copy I‘d be happy to send it. Just e-mail me at admin@pharaonicegypt.com and request it.

Cheers.
 
They‘re going to be there for a year? What‘s the rules on roto‘s, or do they change as the funding disappears?

=================

Canada sending troops back to Afghanistan
Last Updated Wed, 12 Feb 2003 16:47:58
OTTAWA - Canada will send troops to Afghanistan within months to take part in the Kabul-based international security force, Defence Minister John McCallum announced Wednesday.


INDEPTH: Target Terrorism: Canada‘s Military

McCallum said Canada would send a battle group to Kabul by the end of the summer. The troops and brigade-level headquarters will serve for one year.
"Canada has been approached by the international community for assistance in maintaining peace and security in Afghanistan to the UN-mandated mission in Kabul," McCallum told the House of Commons.

"We are currently in discussion with a number of potential partners."


BACKGROUNDER: Afghanistan: The continuing saga


The Canadian troops will take part in the UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force, which is currently headed by Germany.

Germany assumed command of the multinational force this week, saying either Canada or Spain could be next in the command rotation.


Written by CBC News Online staff
 
Being a peacekeeping mission, I‘d say there will be two ROTOs of the standard 6 months during the deployment.
 
Gotta hand it to Papa Jean, he sure knows how to weasel us out of having to make any firm commitment to going into Iraq.

"I be sorry, dere, Georgie, but our only ready troops is going to dat Sum-ting-gan-er-stan to do da peacekipping da Canadian pipples like so much."

Gets out of having to show any spine making a decision one way or the other on Iraq but still looks good to the peaceniks. Call him what you want (God knows I do), but he is one crafty sumbeech.
 
Marauder, you have to be insane!

Canada has no capability to field a combat worthy brigade in any desert op in Iraq(what would we equip them with - rusted out MLVWs and Iltises? Bright green combats?) How many brigade sized exercises have the regs conducted in the last ten years?

On the other hand, peacekeeping is supposed to be something we wrote the book on.

So why not send our troops to Afghanistan and release US combat troops to fight their war in Iraq (which still looks like it will not be UN backed)?

I personally feel that Canada is correct not to commit fighting troops to an American (vice UN) sanctioned military action in Iraq. For all the reasons cited above.

I do, however, wish this would be seen as the clarion call it should be - ie that we need to beef up our Forces and be prepared to field at least a brigade as a combat field force, should the need ever arise. Right now, it wouldn‘t make any sense to attempt such a deployment.

Would it?

We killed 900+ soldiers at Dieppe in order to make a point about our combat capability and willingness to shoulder a fair load. Why go down that road again?

As a side note - I‘m tickled that there is the possibility of Canadian soldiers being commanded on operations by a German commander. Kind of shows how much Europe and the west have grown up in the last 50 years. Pity the rest of the world can‘t keep up.
 
Here‘s national post article on it

http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?id={388D211A-7F6A-4EFB-8916-2487FD31EE72}

Canada to send troops to Kabul; Iraq role unlikely
1,500 to 2,000 soldiers

Sheldon Alberts, Deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief and Chris Wattie, with files from Bill Curry
National Post


Thursday, February 13, 2003
ADVERTISEMENT


Canada is sending up to 2,000 soldiers to Afghanistan to join a United Nations-mandated security force, a move that all but rules out a major Canadian contribution to a U.S.-led war in Iraq.

John McCallum, the Defence Minister, announced yesterday that Canada has agreed to join the International Security Assistance Force, based in Kabul, that was established after the fall of the Taliban in late 2001.

"Canada has been approached by the international community for assistance in maintaining peace and security in Afghanistan to the UN-mandated mission in Kabul," Mr. McCallum told the House of Commons. "Canada is willing to serve with a battle group and a brigade headquarters for a period of one year, starting late this summer."

It is expected Canada will join the 4,000-member force after Germany and the Netherlands complete their command rotation in August. Mr. McCallum said Canada is looking for another partner to take over joint command of the Kabul force.

While the force was formed under a UN mandate, it is not a UN peacekeeping operation and senior military sources warn its job is more counter-insurgency than keeping the peace.

Mr. McCallum would not confirm the exact number of soldiers who would be sent to Afghanistan, saying it would be "a sizeable contribution," but a spokesman for the Department of National Defence said it would be between 1,500 and 2,000 soldiers.

Canadian generals have said a shrinking budget and fewer soldiers have already over-extended the army and observers say the decision to send so many troops to Afghanistan means Canada will be unable to contribute any meaningful ground force to a war in Iraq.

"It allows the government to plausibly argue we are in no position to make a ground contribution to a ground war in Iraq," said David Rudd, director of the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies. "They can say that preparations for the deployment in Afghanistan preclude a ground contribution to any action in Iraq."

John Thompson, director of the Mackenzie Institute, said there are just not enough soldiers left in the army to send a unit to both Afghanistan and Iraq. "They don‘t have the troops any more -- the army‘s stretched absolutely thin."

Mr. McCallum said the deployment does not rule out a Canadian contribution to a possible war in Iraq. "We are not making any decision on the subject of Iraq," he said. "Now it is true that the more one sends to one place, the less one may have available for other places. But beyond that, I will not comment on this topic of Iraq."

But experts said that any contribution to an Iraq war would be limited to a handful of commandos from the elite JTF-2 and a few warships patrolling waters far from the war zone.

"They‘ll be floating flagpoles, to let the government say: ‘Look, we‘re here,‘ " Mr. Thompson said. "But that‘s about it.... It won‘t be a meaningful contribution and it won‘t get us much credit from the Americans. Basically, we‘ll get a pat on the head."

The announcement of Canada‘s role in the Afghanistan force came on the eve of a speech in Chicago tonight by Jean Chrétien, the Prime Minister, on Canada‘s commitment to multilateralism.

The deployment of Canadians in a peacekeeping role gives Mr. Chrétien valuable bragging rights in advance of the speech, in which he is expected to urge the United States to remain committed to solving the Iraq crisis through the United Nations Security Council. In an address to the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, Mr. Chrétien intends to re-affirm Canada‘s commitment to the UN and stress the importance of multilateralism in dealing with Saddam Hussein.

A senior official in the Prime Minister‘s Office, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mr. Chrétien plans to send the Bush administration a strong message about the importance of operating within international institutions.

"The Prime Minister‘s speech is going to emphasize the very strong relationship between the two countries, but what the Prime Minister believes is that everybody is better served with international institutions, not just the UN, but the WTO and NATO."

Senior Canadian Forces officers were leery yesterday about the prospect of sending troops into the maelstrom of Afghan factional fighting. "They‘ll be doing counter-insurgency, not peacekeeping," said one officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"If the situation blows up between the government in Kabul and the warlords in the countryside, guess who‘s going to be in the middle? It could be more dangerous than invading Iraq."

Mr. Thompson said Ottawa is using the contribution to Afghanistan as a way out of sending the army into combat. "They don‘t want Canadian soldiers to be seen as fighting men; they want them to be seen as peacekeepers -- which they think of as Boy Scouts with rifles."

Canada sent an 800-member battalion group from the Princess Patricia‘s Canadian Light Infantry on a combat mission in southern Afghanistan last summer, but was forced to withdraw them after six months because the Canadian Forces could not supply enough soldiers to replace them.

The Prime Minister has also come under fire from the opposition for being slower than other U.S. allies such as Great Britain or Australia to back up diplomatic efforts with military muscle.

But Ottawa appears to be inching closer to the U.S. side, vowing last month Canada would make a military contribution if war is sanctioned by the UN. Mr. Chrétien has never ruled out joining a U.S.-led "coalition of the willing" if the UN cannot agree on a course of action.
 
And the Star‘s take...

http://www.thestar.ca/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1035777751252&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154

Feb. 13, 2003. 05:55 AM

Canada sending troops to Kabul
As many as 2,000 to join U.N. force


TONDA MACCHARLES
OTTAWA BUREAU

OTTAWA—Canada will send as many as 2,000 Canadian troops to Afghanistan this summer as peacekeepers, a move that makes it unlikely the military would send any significant forces to a war in Iraq.

Six months after Ottawa pulled its ground combat forces from Afghanistan, the government has agreed to contribute a battle group that could range between 800 to 1,000 people, plus a brigade-level headquarters that could mean another 500 to 1,000 troops as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force.

The 850-member battle group was withdrawn last year after working alongside American combat troops. Four Canadian soldiers were killed by U.S. friendly fire near Kandahar last April.

Defence Minister John McCallum, while stating the government has made no decision about what role the Canadian military would play in any Iraq war, said, "it is true that the more one sends to one place, the less one may have available for other places."

But Liberal MP Art Eggleton, McCallum‘s immediate predecessor as defence minister, was more categorical.

He said sending troops to Afghanistan effectively rules out making any significant ground troop contribution to Iraq.

"That‘s self-evident," Eggleton said. "There‘s only so many ground troops that we have and to send a battle group and a brigade headquarters, I think that‘s pretty well going to be the ground contribution.

"From my understanding of the number of troops we have available, it‘s either-or. And the decision is to send them into Afghanistan. I think it‘s a good decision.

"We can help in the rebuilding of that country and the establishment of a civil society."

The troops will replace a Dutch-German force based in Kabul that began a six-month tour there this week.

The United States has no troops assigned as part of the Afghanistan peacekeeping force. It has not yet been decided what other country will be Canada‘s partner in the joint command operation.

Although McCallum would not specify the number of troops to be deployed, government officials said it would likely number about 1,500, but could go as high as 2,000 depending on what other country participates and its capacity.

McCallum said the decision was made after a meeting last weekend at a Munich security conference with his American and German counterparts and NATO Secretary-General George Robertson.

Canadian troops would be committed for one year, starting in late summer.

The announcement caught opposition members off guard. The Canadian Alliance complained it was a politically expedient move that relegates Canadian soldiers to a "second-tier mission" and takes them out of the running for a contribution to Iraq.

McCallum denied it was a convenient way to get out of committing troops to Iraq, saying "we have not made any decision on the subject of Iraq."

"This is a tough and a dangerous mission but it is also in the peacekeeping tradition of Canadians."

He noted the Canadian government said last summer when it pulled its combat forces out of Afghanistan after one six-month tour that it would consider going back in at some point in the future.

"It indicates our commitment to the war against terrorism and the post-Sept. 11 war against terrorism began in Afghanistan," McCallum said.

The international force in Kabul, which now numbers about 4,000 soldiers, is dedicated to peacekeeping and the Canadians are not expected to see offensive military action.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
`This is a tough and a dangerous mission but it is also in the peacekeeping tradition of Canadians.‘

Defence Minister John McCallum

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


But it‘s still a dangerous mission. Peacekeepers have come under attack from rebels, and 14 have died on duty since the United Nations created the force — seven of them German soldiers killed in a helicopter crash.

It‘s clear the decision would leave Canada able to supply only small specialized forces teams such as Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2) or sniper specialist teams to any war in Iraq — should Ottawa decide to contribute.

David Rudd, president of the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies, said yesterday the timing of Ottawa‘s decision "is awfully convenient because it allows the government a way out of the Iraq box."

"It precludes our making any sizable ground contribution to any action in Iraq, either a conflict or post-conflict role in Iraq."

Rudd said in light of the commitment, Canada should pull its peacekeepers out of the Balkans, leaving operations in Bosnia to other allied European forces.

"Doing both, and going (to Afghanistan) for 12 months? That‘s not an insignificant task," he said. But he added, "there is more at stake for Canada in Afghanistan than there is in the Balkans.

"If the Balkans goes to **** in a handbasket, neither the Canadian land mass nor Canadian lives are threatened. But if the Taliban make a second run for power, if Afghanistan descends into warlordism allowing the Taliban to come back, if Al Qaeda is able to regain a foothold, then once again they‘ve got their base from which they can launch terror attacks."

There are already about 950 members of the Canadian forces, mostly on two frigates, in the Arabian Gulf region, with another 1,500 deployed in other operations overseas, such as in the Balkans.

With the Afghanistan commitment, the number of Canadian troops deployed overseas could reach more than 4,000.

For planning purposes, however, military strategists must always account for triple the actual number deployed, to factor in those in the field who must return after a six-month tour, the forces who are preparing to leave to replace them, and those who have just come off a mission.

Most observers believe that is close to the current peak deployment capacity of the Canadian armed forces.

Yesterday, there was speculation that the troops could come from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment based in Petawawa, Ont., which is currently the designated rapid reaction force.

But the battalion‘s six-month tour as the rapid reaction force would be up by late summer, and with six months‘ lead time to prepare, there‘s no guarantee it will be the Petawawa group.

A government source said it could just as easily be the Royal 22nd Regiment out of Quebec, or another group. "Those are literally the staffing decisions that now have to be made," he said. McCallum insisted the deployment will be "significant" and will combine diplomatic and foreign aid efforts of the departments of Foreign Affairs and International Development.

"Everybody is very conscious of the need to continue this mission. It‘s a very important mission. Some of these counterparts suggested to me Canada could play a role, and yes, we have decided to serve."

He also dismissed any concern that Canadian forces who fought as combatants in Afghanistan would have any difficulties working there as peacekeepers, noting the British have also served in the peacekeeping force.

"The operation in Afghanistan is in Kabul, the capital city. Before, we were a long way away from Kabul in Kandahar. I think Canada is respected around the world as a peacekeeping force since the days of Lester Pearson, and I‘m sure that the performance of our people there will be something in which Canadians can take great pride," he said.

Alliance MP and defence critic Leon Benoit said the Chrétien government should have found ways to contribute to efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He added it will disappoint many in the armed forces who would want to contribute to any war in Iraq.

"For soldiers that are as good as any in the world, they expect to be on the front lines. They don‘t expect to be relegated to a second-tier mission."

Tory Leader Joe Clark said he viewed the decision as separate from the Iraq situation, and supported it for now.
 
Err. re: equipment for desert ops, I agree. except for the cadpat.

We have supposedly taken delivery of enough ARID pattern CADPAT for at least one battlegroup, probably two, and that was as of last summer (after we came back from ‘ghani.)

IF we were really screwed, Im sure we‘d just "borrow" some american suits, like what was offered for ghani...

OUtside of that, I think a UN mission to afghanistan is a smarter choice. Canada shouldnt be thinking Combat for at least 5 years, until the new liberal governement decides to give us procurement money, instead of oay-for-our-commitments-last-year defecit clean up money.
 
Theatre Activation Team Departs for Afghanistan


OTTAWA, May 23 /CNW/ - The Honourable John McCallum, Minister of National
Defence, announced today that the Theatre Activation Team (TAT), comprising
about 150 Canadian Forces (CF) members, will depart for Kabul, Afghanistan
between May 23 and June 1, 2003. The TAT deployment is crucial to the planning
of Operation ATHENA, the Canadian contribution to the International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

The TAT is made up of soldiers from the Canadian Forces Joint Operations
Group based in Kingston, Ontario, and a defence and security platoon from the
2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, which is based at Gagetown, New
Brunswick.

"Canadian Forces personnel are currently deployed in the ISAF area of
operations to effect the initial preparations for the arrival of the Op ATHENA
units. The Theatre Activation Team will establish the necessary in-theatre
support infrastructure for Operation ATHENA," said Minister McCallum.

Canada has made a commitment to deploy a battle group, a brigade group
headquarters, and some additional CF elements to Kabul in support of ISAF by
late summer 2003. The vehicles and equipment to be used by the Canadian
contingent in ISAF are currently being loaded aboard cargo ships in the Port
of Montreal, and are expected to arrive in Turkey in late June. From Turkey,
the vehicles and equipment will be flown by chartered airlift directly to
Afghanistan. The delivery of the entire shipment to Kabul is expected to be
complete by early August.

"The deployment of the Theatre Activation Team is part of the on-going
process, and a necessary step in preparing the CF to fulfill its mission,"
said General Ray Henault, Chief of the Defence Staff. "The TAT will facilitate
reception, staging and onward movement of materiel, advance parties, and the
Operation ATHENA main body."

ISAF comprises about 5,000 troops representing 29 nations, currently led
by Germany and the Netherlands in co-operation. The mission of ISAF is to help
maintain security in Kabul and the surrounding areas so the Afghan
Transitional Authority and UN agencies can function. It also includes liaison
with political, social and religious leaders to ensure that ISAF operations
appropriately respect religious, ethnic and cultural sensitivities in
Afghanistan.

NR-03.049
One question: is it common for military forces to employ "chartered aircraft" for equipment delivery in OOW?

Cheers.
Tim
 
Theatre Activation Team Departs for Afghanistan


OTTAWA, May 23 /CNW/ - The Honourable John McCallum, Minister of National
Defence, announced today that the Theatre Activation Team (TAT), comprising
about 150 Canadian Forces (CF) members, will depart for Kabul, Afghanistan
between May 23 and June 1, 2003. The TAT deployment is crucial to the planning
of Operation ATHENA, the Canadian contribution to the International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

The TAT is made up of soldiers from the Canadian Forces Joint Operations
Group based in Kingston, Ontario, and a defence and security platoon from the
2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, which is based at Gagetown, New
Brunswick.

"Canadian Forces personnel are currently deployed in the ISAF area of
operations to effect the initial preparations for the arrival of the Op ATHENA
units. The Theatre Activation Team will establish the necessary in-theatre
support infrastructure for Operation ATHENA," said Minister McCallum.

Canada has made a commitment to deploy a battle group, a brigade group
headquarters, and some additional CF elements to Kabul in support of ISAF by
late summer 2003. The vehicles and equipment to be used by the Canadian
contingent in ISAF are currently being loaded aboard cargo ships in the Port
of Montreal, and are expected to arrive in Turkey in late June. From Turkey,
the vehicles and equipment will be flown by chartered airlift directly to
Afghanistan. The delivery of the entire shipment to Kabul is expected to be
complete by early August.

"The deployment of the Theatre Activation Team is part of the on-going
process, and a necessary step in preparing the CF to fulfill its mission,"
said General Ray Henault, Chief of the Defence Staff. "The TAT will facilitate
reception, staging and onward movement of materiel, advance parties, and the
Operation ATHENA main body."

ISAF comprises about 5,000 troops representing 29 nations, currently led
by Germany and the Netherlands in co-operation. The mission of ISAF is to help
maintain security in Kabul and the surrounding areas so the Afghan
Transitional Authority and UN agencies can function. It also includes liaison
with political, social and religious leaders to ensure that ISAF operations
appropriately respect religious, ethnic and cultural sensitivities in
Afghanistan.

NR-03.049
One question: is it common for military forces to employ "chartered aircraft" for equipment delivery in OOW?

Cheers.
Tim
 
Any reserve unit‘s out there receive a warning order for volunteer‘s yet?
 
We‘ve already got three members on predeployment trg for Roto 0.
 
Chartering of aircraft has become a necessity due to our lack of transport aircraft larger than the CC-130 Hercs. Canada has chartered planes for a DART mission to Turkey and to move troops from Bosnia to Macedonia in Aug 2001. I‘m not sure how they got the troops to Afganistan last yr. But the CF did charter planes from civil airlines (Air Transit for one...) to help move tps to Wainwright for Ex Resolute Warrior this spring...
 
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