Our North - SSE Policy Update Megathread

[Kirkhill]

https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/SSQ/documents/Volume-13_Issue-3/Schuessler.pdf

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Reconsidering this submission I am brought to one phrase:

Perfidious Albion. Associated with one hundred years of the Pax Britannica.

Lord Palmerston 1784–1865
British statesman; Prime Minister, 1855–8, 1859–65​

1. We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.
   speech, House of Commons, 1 March 1848

 

[Kirkhill]

Murray Brewster on defence policies




I finally found a catchphrase to describe my view of the government's defence bureaucracy:

I've long felt that PWGSC saw this chap as a role model.

 

[GR66]

So...considering events in the Middle East today I'd say the Defence Policy Refresh hasn't aged too well...

 

[Fabius]

Na, we’re good. Still have 20 plus years to get our stuff together!

 

[MilEME09]

Na, we’re good. Still have 20 plus years to get our stuff together!

I don't know about that.... we are closest to war as we ever have been since the cold war

Russia could attack a Nato country within 3 to 5 years, Denmark warns

Danish defence minister is latest western official to sound the alarm about Moscow’s continued appetite for war

www.ft.com

 

[OldSolduer]

Na, we’re good. Still have 20 plus years to get our stuff together!

And I am sure that is what was said in 1933 as well

 

[Maxman1]

Sounds like a great task for FTSE...

Which is only available for the first four years.

 

[CBH99]

So...considering events in the Middle East today I'd say the Defence Policy Refresh hasn't aged too well...

At this rate the government might as well just start writing a new update as soon as they publish one, the geopolitics are changing so quickly...

 

[MilEME09]

At this rate the government might as well just start writing a new update as soon as they publish one, the geopolitics are changing so quickly...

All the more reason the policy needs to be more general and less specific

 

[CBH99]

I don't know about that.... we are closest to war as we ever have been since the cold war

Russia could attack a Nato country within 3 to 5 years, Denmark warns

Danish defence minister is latest western official to sound the alarm about Moscow’s continued appetite for war

www.ft.com

We were in better shape to contribute in a meaningful way a decade ago, frig almost 2 decades ago, than we are now... (holy crap time flies! I've hit that point in my life where I can now tell war stories from decades ago...wtf happened?)


Closest we've been to war since the Cold War isn't the best time to be 16,000+ people short...

The mission in Latvia isn't selling to the public like the mission in Afghanistan did.

 

[MilEME09]

We were in better shape to contribute in a meaningful way a decade ago, frig almost 2 decades ago, than we are now... (holy crap time flies! I've hit that point in my life where I can now tell war stories from decades ago...wtf happened?)


Closest we've been to war since the Cold War isn't the best time to be 16,000+ people short...

The mission in Latvia isn't selling to the public like the mission in Afghanistan did.

Our Latvia mission also isn't in the headlines daily. The CAF has been terrible at selling it self, and red tape is causing 75% of those interested to look elsewhere

 

[Happy Guy]

Gen. Rick Hillier says Canada faces ‘death by a thousand cuts’: Full Comment podcast​

Gen Hillier's thoughts about the upcoming Defence budget and the state of the CAF. My former boss and as candid as ever.

BLUF: The CAF, in its current state, is in dire straits. With the defence spending spaced our over decades, the CAF will be hard pressed to maintain its defence commitments and international obligations.

 

[brihard]

Hillier’s been making a lot of ‘running for a seat’ type noises.

 

[Quirky]

Gen Hillier's thoughts about the upcoming Defence budget and the state of the CAF. My former boss and as candid as ever.

BLUF: The CAF, in its current state, is in dire straits. With the defence spending spaced our over decades, the CAF will be hard pressed to maintain its defence commitments and international obligations.

Is there a gov department that isn't?

 

[dimsum]

Is there a gov department that isn't?

I’m sure there are some departments quietly doing just fine, regardless of party in government. Those are usually the ones where you wouldn’t even recognize their names.

 

[Quirky]

I’m sure there are some departments quietly doing just fine, regardless of party in government. Those are usually the ones where you wouldn’t even recognize their names.

You’re easily triggered by my posts, aren’t you?

 

[dimsum]

You’re easily triggered by my posts, aren’t you?

I was just answering the question you posed. Why would you say I’m triggered?

 

[quadrapiper]

BLUF: The CAF, in its current state, is in dire straits. With the defence spending spaced our over decades, the CAF will be hard pressed to maintain its defence commitments and international obligations.

Where in the defence realm would an immediate influx of $billions be spendable?

Go to the Germans or Koreans and put in an paid up front order for Tanks, Many, and all the other tracked things to make a true heavy brigade...

Financial incentives wherever they're actually useful for recruiting/retention.

Pay raise for juniorish NCMs and officers.

A "to hell with market rate" fee adjustment and a building spree for quarters; maybe dump the funds in a trust or something outside of the budget cycle?

Over-fund the parts budget, and buy a Ukraine-informed volume of ammunition of all natures.

What else?

 

[dapaterson]

Military equipment and materiel buys are all facing delays due to the world situation. Waiting for a shooting war in Europe before investing drives up cost and increases timelines - so that's not an immediate expenditure area, whether talking bullets, bombers or bosun training.

Base infra and military housing are important areas to invest, but in many areas the construction industry is already tapped out - a lack of skilled trades is creating delays and driving up costs. For some CAF construction, major companies are flying in teams because the local economy lacks a sufficiently large skilled workforce to do all the things DND/CAF want. (ADM IE looks at their overall portfolio demand to try to not overwhelm areas as a measure to prevent that, but can't always be successful).

So yes - there is lots of investment necessary, but capacity to execute (both internal and external to DND) are limiting factors.

re: Pay: Junior officers are already well (perhaps over) paid: A Reg F Capt IPC 2 is already grossing over $100K annually, before any allowances. Across the board increases may not be necessary, but instead focused on NCMs.

 

[KevinB]

It’s about 3 years too late to start immediate orders.

Most Tank lines have 5+ year waits — unless you want some of the 3,500+ older M1 Abram’s tanks we have mothballed.

IFV’s are in the nearly the same boat - with 2 year plus delivery times.

Artillery and Rocket systems are also not going to magically be available, nor at ATGM’s etc.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine changed that calculus for decades - on top of the COVID related (real and imagined) supply chain issues.

At this point one really needs to make a long term investment in Defence Infrastructure in Canada if one wants new equipment in the next decade.

Which would also require incentives to industry, including tax breaks to Defense Multinationals to create Canada production lines.