"O'Connor has $8B military 'wish list"

[MarkOttawa]

Quagmire: Quite.  Amazing that the lefties are so in love with the Arrow.  Goddamn Norwegians for not buying it.

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Will these contracts be available for the general public to look through?

 

[Cloud Cover]

What happened to the FWSAR project? I see Chinooks, C-17's, Hercs, Cyclones, rumours of maybe a few gunships but no FWSAR. 

 

[aesop081]

no FWSAR. 

and no news of the financing for AIMP......... :-[

 

[Chubbard]

With the Navy wanting to buy the BHS after they get their JSS's, when does it plan to replace the Iroquois-Class destroyers?

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

With the Navy wanting to buy the BHS after they get their JSS's, when does it plan to replace the Iroquois-Class destroyers?

Not even going to be seriously looked at until probably around the 2009 time frame

 

[Chubbard]

But arent the Iroquois Class supposed to last only until 2010? Would they just be expected to continue or would we have to get along without them?

 

[Sub_Guy]

I know lets buy off the shelf!  Ok I'll stop saying that, but I still don't get why have to build our ships here.  We aren't going to build the C-17s here, so whats the big deal.  I know the reasons for it though, keep our shipbuilding industry alive, and the money spent stays in Canada, blah blah blah..... I would like to see more bang for our buck.

Type 45  or Horizon

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Italian_destroyer_Andrea_Doria_%282008%29.jpg

 

[Chubbard]

Well couldn't we build off the shelf ships in our own shipyards? Much like the US building Harriers in North America. It might cost a bit more (getting rights and all that), but it would be an easier sell to voters, and give the military a proven piece of equipment. Unless there is something I'm missing here (which is highly probable).

 

[geo]

LAV's and 5.56 geo.

Mark the only way to keep the lefties at bay is to have MAJOR Canadian business involved.  Hopefully we get something built well and on time and budget.

5.56 is an ongoing expense - the LAVs are capital items that have, up until now, been bought in job lots.

 

[MarkOttawa]

CF procurement and expansion: Steve Madely of CFRA, Ottawa, speaks with National Defence Minister O'Connor.
http://www.cfra.com/chum_audio/Gordon_OConnor_June27.mp3

Note the larger plan supposed to go to Cabinet this fall, and the limits on increase in CF numbers caused by lack of trainers. Anyone have a plane to propose for the Hercules replacement and for the strategic lift requirement?
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2006/06/canadian-air-force-procurement-euro_20.html

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Jim Travers of the Toronto Star has a column today

For Harper, the price is right

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1151361017232&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795

which led me to write this letter to the editor:

Jim Travers, in dealing with the government's apparent intention to buy C-17 Globemaster strategic airlifters, writes that "...it's a help to both the Pentagon and Boeing as they try to extend the slowing Globemaster production run as far as possible."  Mr Travers also writes that "Among those Harper is pleasing...[is] George W. Bush..."

That is dead wrong.  The Bush adminstration has been trying to stop production of C-17s; it is Congress that is trying to extend procurement--as anyone who follows US defence policy would know.  But of course facts never stand in the way when one wants to try and discredit the government by dragging President Bush's name into the discussion.

Reference:

"Senate Appropriators Boost Funding For C-17, Osprey
By Michael Bruno/Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
04/05/2006 09:09:58 AM"
http://www.aviationow.com/avnow/search/autosuggest.jsp?docid=595427&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aviationnow.com%2Favnow%2Fnews%2Fchannel_defense_story.jsp%3Fview%3Dstory%26id%3Dnews%2FOSP04056.xml

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MdB]

Mark, to further your comment about this lame article, here's my worst quote:

It's easy to argue that those billions could be better spent on, say, health, education, the environment or finally doing something about squalid aboriginal life.

But by squeezing the military for so long, Liberals made it easy for Conservatives to justify the largest military procurement since Canada built new frigates.

Oh man, no credit due to the Conservatives. It's all Liberals fault that they allowed that to happen. What BS.

It's the damn other way around. The Convervatives have actually the guts to do it, before it all falls down. And even, this so much in need that virtually no one oppose the buying, only the BQ opposing the way it is done.

I was listening to Radio-Canada's radio, and even this left-leaning turf is not bashing the move. When it's rightly explained and put in context, people see the need for it. Communication and education of the public is the way to go.

 

[GAP]

Here we are in Canada having a full blown debate about spending 15 billion on much needed equipment..

Check out this report on what the US is going to have to put out each year to replace wornout/damaged equipment

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0627/dailyUpdate.html

 

[MarkOttawa]

Tories OK Liberal military buys: $2B fleet of ships among purchases planned by Grits

In April 2004, then-prime minister Paul Martin launched the same program, with Liberal defence minister David Pratt announcing the exact details Mr. O'Connor outlined yesterday in Halifax...

...now, in a savvy public relations move, the Conservative government has embraced the Joint Support Ship program as its own, highlighting it as evidence of its commitment to rebuild the Canadian Forces...

Several of the military equipment announcements by the Conservative government over the next few days may be equally familiar.

Today in Valcartier, Que., it will announce the purchase of a new fleet of trucks, also originally outlined in the Liberals' defence policy paper last April, albeit with few details. The same goes for the plan to buy new medium-lift helicopters, an acquisition process the Harper government is to release tomorrow in Edmonton.

On Thursday, the Conservatives will announce the procurement of tactical airlift planes. Last fall, the Martin Liberals announced the same $5-billion program to buy a replacement for the aging Hercules aircraft, but didn't get far into the project before losing the January federal election.

The Harper government differs from its Liberal predecessor when it comes to long-range military transport planes. The Liberals decided those were too expensive to buy, especially since such aircraft could be quickly leased or obtained from NATO when needed..."

Fine and good. This is what the military has said it needed, not the Liberals. And the Liberals never actually bought one thing on the list.

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060627/trucks_military_060627/20060627?hub=TopStories

Feds unveil plan to purchase trucks for military
Updated Tue. Jun. 27 2006 11:59 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Ottawa unveiled a plan on Tuesday to spend $1.2 billion on the acquisition of 2,300 new medium-sized logistics trucks and associated equipment for the Canadian military.

"Without this, the Canadian Forces cannot accomplish their tasks at home or abroad. We must make the Forces self-reliant by giving them the tools they need to succeed," Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said at the Canadian Forces Base Val Cartier near Quebec City on Tuesday.

"It is only in this way that Canada can be more secure at home and have a greater impact abroad," he said.

The new vehicles, which will replace a fleet of trucks that came into service in the early 1980s, will be used by the regular and reserve forces.

The project aims to procure approximately:

1500 standard military pattern vehicles with up to 300 trailers;
800 commercial vehicles adapted for military use;
1000 specially equipped vehicles kits, such as mobile kitchens, offices and medical or dental stations;
300 armour protection systems.
"The introduction of these modern and reliant vehicles will dramatically improve the capability of our land forces," O'Connor said.

The defence minister was also quick to stress that Ottawa would follow a competitive procurement process to select the contractor for the new truck fleet.

"The entire procurement process will be fair, open and transparent and will be in line with the federal Accountability Act that was passed by the House of Commons last week," he said.

Lt.-Gen. Marc Dumais of Commander Canada Command welcomed the plan, which is the second of $15 billion in planned military spending announcements this week.

"These new trucks will ensure the lifeline of supply for front-line troops will continue," Dumais said. "This fleet will continue the extremely important support role when the current MLVW fleet reaches the end of its life cycle."

The Defence Ministry also added that for every contract dollar awarded, the contract will commit a corresponding dollar in economic activity in Canada.

"We expect contractors to deliver one dollar in high-quality economic activity in Canada for every dollar they are awarded as part of this project," Industry Minister Maxime Bernier said in a written statement.

"This economic benefits package will mean billions in long-term business activity in Canada."

Defence analyst Scott Taylor believes the acquisition is long overdue.

"The existing truck fleet is now up into its 24th or 25th year of service," said Taylor, editor in chief of military magazine Esprit de Corps.

Taylor told CTV Newsnet some of the aging trucks in the existing fleet underwent upgrades costing $35,000 to $80,000 so that they could remain in service.

"No one in their right mind puts 80,000 into a 25-year-old truck, knowing that you're about to replace it, so of course finally we've got a bit of common sense."

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Must be a good thing if Scott Taylor thinks so.

 

[MdB]

And the Liberals never actually bought one thing on the list.

+1

Really, I don't give a damn what they can or could say. That's what they do that counts, and what they do not count equally if not more.

Seems some journalists have lost that sense of getting things done rather than talking about getting it done.

 

[Haggis]

We should buy Russian trucks.  They would fit in the Russian airplanes.

No....?

 

[Cdn Blackshirt]

We should buy Russian trucks.  They would fit in the Russian airplanes.

No....?

I'll reserve judgement until CASR tells me it's a good idea.


Matthew.