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General seeks ‘Canadian Joint Task Force‘ with aircraft carrier
[QUOTE ] One of Canada‘s best-known generals says it is time we got back into the aircraft carrier business, calling on Ottawa to acquire a "mini-carrier" that can carry Canadian troops to almost any trouble spot on the globe and put them ashore with naval and air support.
Major-General Lewis MacKenzie told a Senate committee yesterday that only a carrier will provide Canada with the diplomatic and military clout it had when the navy sent HMCS Magnificent, with hundreds of army vehicles on board, to help resolve the Suez Crisis in the 1950s.
Maj.-Gen. MacKenzie told the Senate committee on national defence the Canadian Forces should establish three "rapid reaction forces" built around large amphibious assault ships or mini-aircraft carriers in what he called "a Canadian Joint Task Force."
"We should have a commando force, an elite joint force that is uniquely Canadian -- red and white all over," he said. "That could plug into a joint coalition with air, sea and land capabilities."
Maj.-Gen. MacKenzie proposed that Ottawa should buy or lease a U.S.-built San Antonio-class mini-carrier or even a much larger Wasp-class carrier to become the core of his expeditionary force.
"That would be the pointy end of the spear, to give the military some relevance and the government some more options ... to gain some international influence -- geopolitical brownie points, if you will."
While generals and military experts have called for a "respite" of two years or more to allow our overstretched military to rebuild, Maj.-Gen. MacKenzie said it is unrealistic to expect the government to keep the army, navy and air force at home for so long.
A Canadian task force built around a U.S.-built troop and aircraft carrier would win points in Washington, he said. "That would be a big geopolitical victory for the Americans to link us into that."
Canada‘s last aircraft carrier, HMCS Bonaventure, was sold for scrap in 1970, and with it went our ability to have a significant impact on international crises, said Dr. Richard Gimblett, a professor at Dalhousie University and a former naval officer.
"If the government is serious about increasing Canada‘s influence in the world and having the capability to be a major player on the world stage, then you need something like this," he said. "This sort of ship would be very handy."
"We‘ve been ‘penny packeting‘ our troops overseas -- sending a company here or a hundred troops there, just to show the Canadian flag in places like Haiti. To really have an influence, you need a battlegroup [about 1,000 soldiers]."
A Canadian aircraft carrier, either a light carrier like the U.S. Navy‘s Wasp class or an "amphibious assault" ship like the San Antonio class, would fit seamlessly into U.S. or British coalition operations.
"We show up at all the same places they do.... Now we‘ll be arriving fully equipped and ready to operate," Dr. Gimblett said.
While the bill for either class of ship proposed by Maj.-Gen. MacKenzie is high -- more than $1.5-billion for a Wasp-class carrier and up to $800-million for the San Antonio-class -- the ships would be expected to last up to 50 years, with periodic refits to modernize them.
"It‘s a whack of money," Dr. Gimblett said, "but it gives the government a capability to really influence a situation in a hot spot, rather than just show the flag."
And Dr. Gimblett said the carriers would save the Canadian Forces millions in the long term by saving the cost of transporting troops and equipment by civilian ships or aircraft.
The cash-strapped military would, however, need time to build up its numbers and expertise to fully man a Canadian carrier task force. "You don‘t snap your fingers and suddenly you have it," Dr. Gimblett said. "The Canadian Forces would have to train and equip themselves up to this.... Realistically, it will take a decade."
The Department of National Defence has announced a $2.1-billion plan to build three new joint support ships for the navy, which would have some transport and troop-carrying capacity.
But Maj.-Gen. MacKenzie said the new ships can only carry a relatively small number of troops and will be another 11 years in the making. "They‘re a good idea and they‘re certainly needed," he said. "But we‘ve got to be able to do something in less than 11 years."
The carriers he is proposing the navy acquire could accommodate 800 to 2,000 soldiers.
[/QUOTE]
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Chris Wattie - National Post, 04 May 2004
[QUOTE ] One of Canada‘s best-known generals says it is time we got back into the aircraft carrier business, calling on Ottawa to acquire a "mini-carrier" that can carry Canadian troops to almost any trouble spot on the globe and put them ashore with naval and air support.
Major-General Lewis MacKenzie told a Senate committee yesterday that only a carrier will provide Canada with the diplomatic and military clout it had when the navy sent HMCS Magnificent, with hundreds of army vehicles on board, to help resolve the Suez Crisis in the 1950s.
Maj.-Gen. MacKenzie told the Senate committee on national defence the Canadian Forces should establish three "rapid reaction forces" built around large amphibious assault ships or mini-aircraft carriers in what he called "a Canadian Joint Task Force."
"We should have a commando force, an elite joint force that is uniquely Canadian -- red and white all over," he said. "That could plug into a joint coalition with air, sea and land capabilities."
Maj.-Gen. MacKenzie proposed that Ottawa should buy or lease a U.S.-built San Antonio-class mini-carrier or even a much larger Wasp-class carrier to become the core of his expeditionary force.
"That would be the pointy end of the spear, to give the military some relevance and the government some more options ... to gain some international influence -- geopolitical brownie points, if you will."
While generals and military experts have called for a "respite" of two years or more to allow our overstretched military to rebuild, Maj.-Gen. MacKenzie said it is unrealistic to expect the government to keep the army, navy and air force at home for so long.
A Canadian task force built around a U.S.-built troop and aircraft carrier would win points in Washington, he said. "That would be a big geopolitical victory for the Americans to link us into that."
Canada‘s last aircraft carrier, HMCS Bonaventure, was sold for scrap in 1970, and with it went our ability to have a significant impact on international crises, said Dr. Richard Gimblett, a professor at Dalhousie University and a former naval officer.
"If the government is serious about increasing Canada‘s influence in the world and having the capability to be a major player on the world stage, then you need something like this," he said. "This sort of ship would be very handy."
"We‘ve been ‘penny packeting‘ our troops overseas -- sending a company here or a hundred troops there, just to show the Canadian flag in places like Haiti. To really have an influence, you need a battlegroup [about 1,000 soldiers]."
A Canadian aircraft carrier, either a light carrier like the U.S. Navy‘s Wasp class or an "amphibious assault" ship like the San Antonio class, would fit seamlessly into U.S. or British coalition operations.
"We show up at all the same places they do.... Now we‘ll be arriving fully equipped and ready to operate," Dr. Gimblett said.
While the bill for either class of ship proposed by Maj.-Gen. MacKenzie is high -- more than $1.5-billion for a Wasp-class carrier and up to $800-million for the San Antonio-class -- the ships would be expected to last up to 50 years, with periodic refits to modernize them.
"It‘s a whack of money," Dr. Gimblett said, "but it gives the government a capability to really influence a situation in a hot spot, rather than just show the flag."
And Dr. Gimblett said the carriers would save the Canadian Forces millions in the long term by saving the cost of transporting troops and equipment by civilian ships or aircraft.
The cash-strapped military would, however, need time to build up its numbers and expertise to fully man a Canadian carrier task force. "You don‘t snap your fingers and suddenly you have it," Dr. Gimblett said. "The Canadian Forces would have to train and equip themselves up to this.... Realistically, it will take a decade."
The Department of National Defence has announced a $2.1-billion plan to build three new joint support ships for the navy, which would have some transport and troop-carrying capacity.
But Maj.-Gen. MacKenzie said the new ships can only carry a relatively small number of troops and will be another 11 years in the making. "They‘re a good idea and they‘re certainly needed," he said. "But we‘ve got to be able to do something in less than 11 years."
The carriers he is proposing the navy acquire could accommodate 800 to 2,000 soldiers.
[/QUOTE]
- 30 -
Chris Wattie - National Post, 04 May 2004