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Editorials  &  Opinion  ~  2008 FWSAR  ACAN  –  CC-115  Buffalo  –  Utility  Transport  Aircraft  –  December  2008 Under  Fiscal  Constraints,  DND is wisely Focusing on Core Tasks: Billions to Italy  or  Stimulate the  Canadian  Aerospace  Industry? Fixed - Wing  Search - and - Rescue  ( FWSAR )  and  Utility  Transport  –  Buy  Canadian! Our  Minister  of  National  Defence,  Peter MacKay, announced  a Christmas surprise for the Italian aerospace industry.  Instead of  the  competitive  process  promised  by his Assistant  Deputy Minister  (Materiel), Dan Ross, Mr. MacKay prefers to give the FWSAR order to Italy directly through an $3B  Advance Contract Award Notice  for 17 C-27J Spartans built by Alenia in Turin (or under licence in the US ). Very nice for Italy but didn't  the  Harper Conservatives promise Canadian  economic stimulation? In the past, Canadian aerospace could  do better than wait for industrial 'off-sets' and other hand-outs.  Canada built the original FWSAR aircraft, the Buffalo  –  and we can again. Read  editorial  on  the  choice  between  supporting  Italy  or  Canadian  Aerospace Army  Aviation  –  Tactical  Helicopters  –  Counterinsurgency  –  December 2008 Army  Aviation:  How Eight Canadian Griffons might Dovetail with New Plans for US Army Aviation Assets  in  Southern  Afghanistan Edited  excerpts  from  an  article  published  in  the  Washington  Post CF Griffons may  prove useful  –  considering changes to the priorities of  the US  military Ed :  US military leaders plan for a  'surge' of  their  forces to reinforce  NATO  troop levels and  boost  much - needed  tactical transport and reconnaissance capabilities in southern Afghanistan.  President-elect Barack Obama has already hinted  that he supports  the  idea of  sending more than 20,000  extra  US  troops  to  Afghanistan. This new push  is needed  to compensate for a  lack of  troops and  equipment  from traditional European allies, Germany, Italy, Spain,  and  others.  Currently,  US  forces are arrayed mostly along the 'Durand Line' the sketchy border between  Afghanistan and Pakistan ( RC-East).  In southern Afghanistan,  home turf  for  the  Taliban,  forces from the UK,  the Netherlands,  Canada, Denmark,  Australia,  and 'new NATO' allies are fighting. Read  edited  excerpts  from  an  article  published  in  the  Washington  Post Australian Defence Force  –  Afghan Mission  –  Land Vehicles  –  November  2008 Afghan  Mission  creates  Immediate  Needs  for  the  ADF Especially  Land  Vehicles  with  Protection  against  IEDs Edited  excerpts  from  two  articles  published  in  The  Australian  newspaper Defence  Minister  Joel  Fitzgibbon  focuses  on  equipment  for  current  Afghan  Mission  The UK's Special Operations Command troops, the SAS, will be  driving new  vehicles,  British-made  Supacat Jackals  ( known  Australian service, as the Nary in honour of  WO  David  Nary,  who died during a pre-deployment operation.)  Eight Nary trial  vehicles are scheduled  for  transfer  to the SASR  [ Special Air  Service Regiment ]  in November of  2008. Special  forces  have  been allocated  31 new  Nary patrol vehicles, which will replace  the SASR's current  fleet of  aging  Long Range Patrol Vehicles. Read  excerpts  of  the  articles  first  published  in  The  Australian  newspaper Defense Strategy  –  Counterinsurgency  –  Southern Afghanistan  –  August  2008 Counterinsurgency  –  Count  on  it :   Future  Forces  Require Agile,  Manoeuvre  Warfare  against  Non-State  Combatants Edited excerpts from the Defense Strategy paper by US Secretary Robert Gates Introduction  :  The  New  Strategic  Environment  facing  the  US  Department  of  Defense Over the next twenty years, physical pressures such as population growth, rivalry over resources, a race for energy reserves, chaotic climate change, and continuing environmental degradation [will likely] combine with social, cultural, geopolitical, and technological changes, to create a growing sense of uncertainty. It will be exacerbated by the speed and scale of these changes, and the complex and unpredictable interactions among these world- wide currents. Globalization and economic inter- dependence, while creating new opportunities, have also created a web of vulnerabilities, and have spread the risk [of conflict to far-flung regions]. Read excerpts of a new defence strategy by US Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates Buffalo Replacement  –  Fixed Wing Search & Rescue  –  FWSAR Project  –  June  2008 Air Force must focus on core missions  —  Time  to calve off  SAR Local  Civilian  Agencies  may  prove  to be  more  Cost-Effective Dianne  DeMille ,  Editor ,  Canadian  American  Strategic  Review  ( CASR ) Regional  civilian  agencies  can do the job  more  efficiently,  more  flexibly,  at  lower  cost Our  nation  covers an  enormous  geographical  area  with  three  distinct  coastlines. The challenges of monitoring  the West Coast are very different from those on the East Coast. This means trying to coordinate a common fleet of military aircraft to perform a wide range of aerial search-and-rescue tasks which are decidedly non-military in nature. Time for a change. Using regional, civilian contractors would allow for a range of aircraft types and  sizes. No commonality of aircraft type between regions is needed – aircraft can be tailored to the specific requirements of a region or mixed-fleets employed for a layered approach to SAR as well as  day-to-day monitoring of  the sovereignty and security of  our maritime approaches (as is currently done by Provincial Airlines, above). Overview of the possibility of giving SAR responsibilities to civilian agencies NATO in Afghanistan  –  Medium Helicopters  –  Southern Afghanistan  –  April  2008 Burden-Sharing Summit  Begets  a  NATO  Helicopter  Trust Fund Brown's  Dating  Service  for  Available  Medium - Lift Helicopters Stephen  Priestley,  Researcher,   Canadian  American  Strategic  Review  ( CASR ) How It's Done  –  UK Prime Minister  Gordon Brown  Works Corridors and  Back-Rooms In contrast to Canadian political efforts in Bucharest,  UK  Prime  Minister,  Gordon  Brown, "had been talking in the margins" on behalf of  an  Anglo - French  scheme  to increase the number of available medium-lift helicopters in southern Afghanistan as quickly as possible. Some  £ 3  to 5 M  was already ear-marked to ensure the success of  the  proposed  scheme.  British forces already have Chinooks  and other  helicopters  in southern Afghanistan.  There are just not enough. Brown  was trying to extract  British forces  from  Iraq,  but was told  it would be almost a year before additional Chinooks would  be  available  for  service  in  Afghanistan.  As a  stop - gap,  Sea Kings were sent to support  Royal Marines in Helmand.  For  Brown,  this was still  not enough.  UK efforts to re-take  Musa Qala showed that  more helos  were urgently required. Brief overview of the setting up of the Anglo-French helicopter trust fund Chinook CH-47D  –  Used Helicopters  –  Southern Afghanistan  –  22  March  2008 Defence  Minister  Hook'd  &  Hoodwinked  Again  —  All  Because Arrogant Air Staff  Refuse  to Yield  in  the  Interest of Our Nation Dianne  DeMille ,  Editor ,  Canadian  American  Strategic  Review  ( CASR ) Our  defence  minister,  Peter  Mackay,  slinks  home with  some  'tails'  between  his  legs According  to a  report in  Jane's Defence Weekly, the Canadian government  has agreed  to buy  six used Chinooks – 'D models' –  from the US Army. The six  ex-US Army  helicopters in question were selected  by the vendor. This is a little like walking into a used car lot and asking the salesman to pick out six  'previously-owned'  vehicles for your fleet. Read editorial on the efforts of the defence minister to acquire Chinooks Afghan Mission  –  Helicopters Resupply  –  Dec 2007  (updated Feb 2008) We Leased Leopard Tanks before buying Used Tanks  –  Why not Lease  Medium-Lift  Helicopters while Waiting for New Chinooks? A  Dangerous  Mission  made  Worse  because  still  our  soldiers  have  No  Helicopters A select number of our Allies have been generous with their Chinooks –  the US, Dutch, British,  and  Australians  –  have  all  shared  their  Chinooks  in  southern  Afghanistan. Other  NATO  allies  have been less willing to help.  Germany  has  CH-53  Sea  Stallions in-theatre, but will not fly them in the south.  Likewise,  Italy,  the  largest  European user of  Chinooks,  has been unwilling to send any of  these highly sought - after helicopters out of  the relative safety of  northern Afghanistan.  None of  the other  NATO  Chinook users  –  Spain  with  18 Chinooks,  or  Greece  with  15  CH-47Ds  ( including ten Italian - built  Chinooks)  –  is  willing  to  spare  any of  their  helicopters  for  the  joint  NATO ~ ISAF  operation  in  southern  Afghanistan. CF Soldiers Re-Supply FOBs in Vehicles Vulnerable to IEDs   By the summer of  2006, warnings were coming from Canada's   top soldiers in Afghanistan.  Not  having  assured  access  to   medium-lift  helicopters was  increasing  the rate of  Canadian   casualties. According to  LCol  Ian Hope, then commander of   'Task  Force Orion '  in  southern  Afghanistan,  being forced   to re-supply  the CF  by  road  had  likely  "cost  limbs,  if  not   more".  The  situation  was  becoming  critical. Read commentary on Chinook procurement alternatives for Afghan Mission Tactical Transport Aircraft – Resupply by Air – Dec 2007  (updated Jan 2008) Rumour Mills & On Again/Off Again Hercules [now confirmed] “You may ask yourself: Well, how did I get here?” C-130J Buy,  a Potted History   When the Harper Conservatives took power, a   freeze on all defence procurement was imposed   to allow  time  to  review  Liberal  decisions and   contracts. Having attacked the Liberal’s C-130J   deal  while in  Opposition,  it was not surprising that  the  November 2005 Hercules plan was one casualty of  those defence reviews. In its place,  the new  Conservative government  initiated a new  “Airlift  Capability Project – Tactical ”.  In  July of  2006,  a  Letter of  Interest  Notice  was issued with the intention of  eliminating any unsuitable candidates.  This would include  Snow Aviation’s  rebuild proposal and,  more controversially,  the as-yet-unbuilt A400M. ACP-T would require 17 new Hercules-replacement aircraft at a cost of $4.9B. Some $3.2B was for  the aircraft  themselves –  the rest, $1.7B, was for a 20-year In-Service Support contract. Deliveries would begin in 2010. With all other ACP-T competition eliminated, it was obvious that  the contract would go to  Lockheed Martin  for their C-130J once again.  The only remaining question:  When would the order be placed. CASR commentary on Hercules replacement, ACP-T, and media coverage Arctic  Sovereignty  –  Icebreakers  –  Canadian  Coast  Guard  –  July  2007 New  Icebreakers  Should  be  Given  to the  Coast  Guard Senate  Committee  on  National   Security  and   Defence Edited  excerpts  from  Senate  report ,  Canadian  Security  Guide  Book The  New  Icebreakers  and  the  Need  to  Assert  Sovereignty  in  the  Arctic Sovereignty  in  the North  is  not  going  to  be  defended  by  force.  Can  anyone imagine  Canadian  guns  firing  on  US  or  British  vessels  going  through  the Northwest Passage?  It  would  also  be  an  inappropriate  application of available resources.  Nobody in the Navy  –  no one in a position of command  –  wants to take on this role.  However,  part  of  the  current  mandate of  the Canadian Coast Guard  [CCG]  is  icebreaking.  So  why  shouldn't  the  CCG  continue  to  play  this essential  role  in  the  Arctic? Excerpts  of  ' Coasts  –  Canadian  Security  Guide  Book  –  2007  Edition '