Government hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[Kirkhill]

Some things we could be spending money on.

Poland and Baltic states lift bans on landmines​

Poland and the Baltic states have announced they are withdrawing from the global ban on anti-personnel mines, over the growing threat from Russia.

Poland said it had quit the 1997 Ottawa Treaty – as had its fellow Nato members Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – in order to stockpile landmines to protect its borders.

The move is a blow to anti-landmine campaigners, whose cause was famously championed by Diana, the late Princess of Wales.

Anti-personnel mines are considered a particular risk to children who find them unexploded, because they can be mistaken for toys.

But since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they have been widely used by both sides and are acknowledged to be an effective way of slowing an enemy’s advance.

During the course of the Russo-Ukrainian War, objections have been raised by some NATO members which had signed the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, including Germany, France and the United Kingdom. However neither Ukraine nor the United States have signed the agreement. Several other NATO member states, including Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Turkey, are also not signatories of this agreement, nor is Russia. Human Rights Watch has reported that at least 10 types of cluster munitions are already being used on the battlefield, including munitions which were left over from USSR weapons stockpiles, and including the use of cluster munitions by Russia since 2014. It is reported, though officially denied, that Turkey has provided other types of cluster munitions to Ukraine in the past.

Dual-purpose improved conventional munition - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

...

Are we going to get serious?

 

[Brad Sallows]

I wouldn’t necessarily credit President Trump with that. Even with a stable America, the world is a lot more dangerous than the West has been willing to admit for a while.

The Axis of Evil is pushing as hard as they can, and the wants and desires of the West need to govern to the NEEDS.

Yet they didn't move on those things until Biden-era levels of US aid to Ukraine were threatened.

Usually when we see a sharp inflection, something relevant that happened just before the inflection has a lot to do with it.

 

[Blackadder1916]

GDLS London can be spun up to build whatever we want them to build.

For clarity, "whatever we PAY them to build".

Which would be dependent on GDLS' American parent maintaining the plant in London. One of the goals of Trump's "disruption" is to repatriate (patriate?) manufacturing to within its borders, specific among that, automotive. By tariffs (or even a more robust application of ITAR) the same pressure could be applied to US defense industry to consolidate their manufacturing in the USA.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Some things we could be spending money on.

Dual-purpose improved conventional munition - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Oh dear. A moral fracture in the alliance.

 

[KevinB]

Oh dear. A moral fracture in the alliance.

Again the reality hits people in the face.

Virtue signaling doesn’t seem to be able to repel hostile forces after all. Who knew…

 

[KevinB]

Which would be dependent on GDLS' American parent maintaining the plant in London. One of the goals of Trump's "disruption" is to repatriate (patriate?) manufacturing to within its borders, specific among that, automotive. By tariffs (or even a more robust application of ITAR) the same pressure could be applied to US defense industry to consolidate their manufacturing in the USA.

Especially since we already make Strykers down here with GDLS…

 

[Czech_pivo]

Which would be dependent on GDLS' American parent maintaining the plant in London. One of the goals of Trump's "disruption" is to repatriate (patriate?) manufacturing to within its borders, specific among that, automotive. By tariffs (or even a more robust application of ITAR) the same pressure could be applied to US defense industry to consolidate their manufacturing in the USA.

And that is why I asked about it being bought out by us.

Retool the facility to make AFV, tracked - both tanks and IFV as Kevin pointed out - working with the SK's gives us the possibility of K9 and the K2, just need the IFV side of things.

Location would be perfect because of the abundant tool & die expertise from Windsor to the GTA that would be available.

 

[Kirkhill]

Which would be dependent on GDLS' American parent maintaining the plant in London. One of the goals of Trump's "disruption" is to repatriate (patriate?) manufacturing to within its borders, specific among that, automotive. By tariffs (or even a more robust application of ITAR) the same pressure could be applied to US defense industry to consolidate their manufacturing in the USA.

On the other hand

New Milestone: Roshel Delivers 1700th Senator Armored Vehicle to the Ukrainian Defense Forces

Roshel, the Canadian armored vehicle manufacturer, has delivered its 1700th Senator to Ukraine.

mil.in.ua

I'm not sure but I think I read some time ago that the actual armour package is designed by Plasan of Israel.

 

[Kirkhill]

Especially since we already make Strykers down here with GDLS…

And GDLS also owns MOWAG - couldn't even revert to Grizzlies and Cougars.

 

[KevinB]

And that is why I asked about it being bought out by us.

Retool the facility to make AFV, tracked - both tanks and IFV as Kevin pointed out - working with the SK's gives us the possibility of K9 and the K2, just need the IFV side of things.

Location would be perfect because of the abundant tool & die expertise from Windsor to the GTA that would be available.

Windsor wouldn’t be where I’d put a tracked armored vehicle site.

Montreal near Mirabel, or Saskatoon. Somewhere that has rail, and not near the border…

 

[KevinB]

And GDLS also owns MOWAG - couldn't even revert to Grizzlies and Cougars.

The patents on those are long gone, and any IP claims would be impossible to claim given they’ve been all over the world.

Canada has a lot of LAV’s. Missing are Tracked IFV’s, Tracked SPA, Tanks (or missing a decent number at least) ADA systems etc.

 

[Czech_pivo]

Windsor wouldn’t be where I’d put a tracked armored vehicle site.

Montreal near Mirabel, or Saskatoon. Somewhere that has rail, and not near the border…

London, not Windsor and spin up the Woolsey barracks.....

 

[medicineman]

Windsor wouldn’t be where I’d put a tracked armored vehicle site.

Montreal near Mirabel, or Saskatoon. Somewhere that has rail, and not near the border…

Seem to recall they were doing the up-armouring of the Bison fleet out on the old base in Chatham, NB - myself, a buddy and the Surg Gen received the first ambulance variant on behalf of the CAF there I want to say in 2005 or 6 (all I remember I was interviewed for CTV news and they spelled my name wrong) - not saying the factory doing the work is still there, but it is definitely out of the way, there appears to be a VIA Rail station still in Miramichi...the vehicles can be taken down to Gagetown for testing...NB could use some money...

 

[KevinB]

London, not Windsor and spin up the Woolsey barracks.....

Meh same vein.

 

[ytz]

Anyone have Australia on their Bingo card? I certainly did not.

I had an inkling. They have a ton of long range radars. And their work on quantum computing and data processing paired with some radar work is decent. So I was not surprised by this.

 

[lenaitch]

Nothing. That's what national security exceptions are for. The whole company can be expropriated if necessary. Or they co-operate and build what we want and enjoy their profits. Which is what they will do.

I'm genuinely curious where the authority lies for the State to commandeer a business. The Expropriations Act is for the government to gain possession of "and and immovable real assets" (buildings) for a public good. Ok, so they do that and GDLS takes their toys, plans and tools and goes home, leaving their employees behind; the government doesn't get to "expropriate the company". Who's going to run the factory? National security exceptions are for the government to short-circuit its in-house rules, not end-run the law.

I'm not exactly sure they could even do that under the Emergencies Act but, even if they could, I don't think the conditions exist to satisfy the Act.

 

[ytz]

Who is this federal government of whom they speak? What authority do they have to rewrite the budget?

No department will start new projects during a writ period. But projects that are already up and running, and have allocations will keep running. This was also specifically committed towards in ONSF.

 

[ytz]

Windsor wouldn’t be where I’d put a tracked armored vehicle site.

Montreal near Mirabel, or Saskatoon. Somewhere that has rail, and not near the border…

Manufacturing tanks doesn't have to necessarily be close to rail head. It's a pain. But not an insurmountable problem. More relevant are the facilities available. See Rheinmetall's proposal to convert underused auto plants to armour production.