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Brutal summer heat may force Canadian army to park its tanks in Afghanistan
John Cotter, Canadian Press, 3 Apr 07
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Canada may park its force of 17 Leopard tanks in Afghanistan this summer to avoid losing any crew members to the brutal heat. By August the temperature inside the 42-tonne steel monsters, which aren't air-conditioned, could climb as high as 65 degrees Celsius, Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie said Tuesday. "We don't have a solution that is outside the scope of a newer, more modern machine," said Leslie, commander of the Army branch of the Canadian Forces. "We will have to restrict their operations because we are not going to lose soldiers because they overheat." Asked if the tanks may not be used at all during the summer, Leslie said it is an option the army will consider based on the temperature. Leslie has told Canadian troops in Afghanistan that Prime Minister Stephen Harper will make a decision later this month on the future of the 30-year-old Leopard 2 tanks, which were designed to fight on European battlefields. The military began sending the tanks to Afghanistan last fall to give added punch to Canada's battle group in Kandahar. Most of the Leopards have been operating as part of a 250-soldier task force in the Maywand district in support of Operation Achilles, NATO's offensive to drive the Taliban out of the northern part of Helmand province ....
CP exclusive: Canada to lease new tanks for Afghanistan
Murray Brewster, Canadian Press, 3 Apr 07
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A federal cabinet committee has given the green light to the lease of 20 state-of-the-art tanks to replace aging armoured vehicles in Afghanistan, The Canadian Press has learned.
The cabinet priorities and planning committee approved the lease of the German-built Leopard A6M tanks last week, said a Defence Department source, who asked not to be named.
The recommendation, which is unlikely to be overturned, is now on Prime Minister Stephen Harper's desk for final approval.
The news Tuesday came as Gen. Andrew Leslie, the country's top army officer, said he might have to consider pulling existing tanks - which don't have air conditioning - out of service in Afghanistan this summer because of the heat.
He also told troops in Kandahar to expect a decision from the prime minister on the new tanks within a week.
The new tanks have air conditioning, as well as improved protection against road-side bombs and suicide vehicles, both of which have been packing progressively bigger punches lately.
The army has a handful of older Leopard tanks, which are currently doing duty in western Kandahar as part of NATO's Operation Achilles.
The deal, which apparently includes access to ample spare parts, also gives Canada the option to purchase an unspecified number of additional tanks at a later date.
Reports last winter suggested that in addition to a lease, the army wanted to purchase 80 new Leopards, but the source said that number is likely to be scaled back.
Harper wouldn't bite on questions about the future of the vehicles.
"Cabinet has been discussing the tank issue and we'll have an announcement on that shortly," he said in Kitchener, Ont.
Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor, in Montreal for a speech, said he wasn't aware the issue was resolved.
A Defence Department spokesman didn't deny that a lease arrangement has been struck.
"We are exploring a number of options to address an operational requirement," said Lt. Adam Thomson. "However, we have nothing to announce at this moment."
The defence source could not say how much the arrangement was worth, but brand new Leopard tanks cost roughly US $6 million each.
Currently, the army has 17 of its old 45-tonne tanks patrolling the desert and dirt roadways of rural Kandahar. The biggest drawback to the vehicles is their lack of air conditioning in a climate where daytime summer temperatures soar above 50C.
Defence Department researchers have looked at installing air conditioners in the vehicles but that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per vehicle.
Another idea proposes to give tank crew cooling vests - the same kind used by professional race car drivers - but they would be cumbersome when layered along with existing body armour.
Aside from the comfort factor, the lease of new tanks is seen as a more cost-effective solution, said the defence source.
Alex Morrison of the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies said buying new equipment is better than retrofitting.
"It just makes more sense," he said. "This is a decision that's been in the mill for at least the last seven months."
New Democrat defence critic Dawn Black said she's not opposed to the lease arrangement, but only because it means tank crews won't have to roast.
"I think it was irresponsible to deploy them, knowing they weren't suitable for the climate," she said.
In February, a policy think-tank produced a report that criticized Canada's deployment of tanks to Afghanistan, saying the 1970s vintage Leopard-C2 vehicles were vulnerable to insurgent attacks.
Researcher Michael Wallace, of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, argued that new Leopard A6Ms would also be vulnerable to road-side bombs and rocket-propelled grenades. He said the introduction of tanks had the potential to spark an "arms race" with insurgents, prompting the Taliban to build bigger bombs.
Morrison dismissed the arguments, calling them ridiculous.
"What would they have us do?" he asked. "Take the tanks home and then the insurgents won't use whatever weapon they have? What will happen in the end is the insurgents would control the whole country."
Canada to lease 20 modern tanks from Germany for Afghan mission
Leopard A6M equipped with much-needed air conditioning
CanWest News Service, Ottawa Citizen, 4 Apr 07
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The Canadian government is proceeding with the lease of 20 of some of the most modern Leopard tanks on the market as it boosts its equipment stocks in Afghanistan.
Defence sources told the Citizen that Canada will lease the 20 Leopard A6M tanks from Germany. The tanks, which have improved protection against landmines and other enemy weapons, could be shipped to Afghanistan direct from Germany, sources said.
Krauss-Maffei, the original German manufacturer of the Leopard tanks, also has a maintenance team in Kandahar working on other equipment for multinational forces there so there would be a built-in support system for the tanks, sources said. In addition, the new Leopards are outfitted with an air conditioning system so they could operate in Afghanistan's stifling summer heat.
Canada's older Leopard tanks now in Kandahar do not have air conditioning and there have been concerns the heat would limit their usefulness on the battlefield. Temperatures inside the vehicles would soar beyond 60C.
The lease was approved last week by the cabinet priorities and planning committee.
The Citizen first outlined the details of the tank lease arrangement in February when Canadian Forces officers started initial discussions with German officials in regards to the deal. The arrangement has now received Canadian government approval.
Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor wasn't releasing details about the Leopard tank lease yesterday. But he did say that the tanks were a necessity for the Afghan mission. "Our experience in Afghan has proven we need main battle tanks," he said. "It's really to offer security to our soldiers."
Mr. O'Connor suggested that the decrease in the number of Canadian casualties in the last six months was due to increased use of heavier armoured vehicles, including the tanks.
But Canadian Forces officials have acknowledged that the terrain in Afghanistan is also taking its toll on the military's vehicles. Army commander Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie said in Kandahar that some of the service's light armoured vehicles will have to be replaced because of the excessive wear and tear.
Mr. O'Connor explained that meant the vehicles will be sent back to Canada for repair and they will be replaced from the existing inventory. He said there is no need to buy new light armoured vehicles. The same thing will happen to the Nyala armoured vehicles that wear out over time, he added.
Lt.-Gen. Leslie said yesterday in Kandahar that the 17 Leopard tanks currently in use there are "at the end of their legs" and are in need of being replaced. In an address to troops earlier this week, Lt.-Gen. Leslie said Prime Minister Stephen Harper is considering the acquisition of new tanks and that there could be a decision on the matter within the coming days.
But when asked if the army will have to park the older Leopards altogether during the hottest parts of the Afghan summer, Lt.-Gen. Leslie said that's "an option which we'll have to consider."
"We are not going to lose soldiers because they overheat," Lt.-Gen. Leslie said. "We will have to restrict their operations," he added, saying the tank issue was the greatest concern raised by troops in his recent tour of the battlefield.
Lt.-Gen. Leslie said the interior of the Leopard tanks in use here can reach as high as 65 C during hot summer months.
Over the past year there has been a major about-turn in the Canadian military's view of the usefulness of tanks. The Leopards were originally scheduled to be destroyed or sold off, but the army put a halt to that program. It sent the Leopards to Afghanistan in the fall and began its search for newer tanks to purchase or lease.
Three years ago, however, Gen. Rick Hillier, then army commander, labelled the Leopards as a "millstone" around the neck of the service. Several months later, Gen. Hillier wrote an article for the Citizen criticizing retired officers who wanted to keep the Leopard tanks in the army's inventory. He called those officers "armchair strategists" who didn't understand the changing face of warfare.
But as they came to grips with the war in Afghanistan, senior military leaders changed their minds and turned to the tank to provide increased firepower and protection.
Yesterday, the second-in-command of Canada's tank squadron in Afghanistan agreed heat is a significant problem in the tanks -- explaining that because of the combination of air temperature, internal hydraulics and engine heat the tank compartments are already reaching temperatures of about 48 C.
"Having somebody work in above 50 to 60 C is a huge challenge," said Capt. Craig Volstad.
Canada's army has been trying to find solutions to make the tanks cooler -- testing options such as heat shields for the outside of the tanks or cooling vests for the troops to wear inside -- though Lt.-Gen. Leslie conceded yesterday that none of those are likely to bring the relief that is needed.
"We don't have a solution that's outside the scope of a newer more modern machine," he said, adding there are currently tanks available from other countries that could be in Afghanistan and ready for use by the summer.
