ANALYSIS | Canada needs to ditch the complacency and get serious about national security, experts say | CBC News

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  April 29, 2021 | Local, Naval

  BNH's ADVISOR Enterprise Selected to Manage Training Requirements for the Canadian Surface Combatant Program

  MONTREAL, QC -- April 28, 2021 -- BNH Expert Software Inc. proudly announced today their contribution to the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) design contract by Irving Shipbuilding. BNH flagship product ADVISOR Enterprise will support Irving Shipbuilding in managing the training requirements of the largest, most complex procurement project ever undertaken by the Government of Canada to-date. As the Prime Contractor for CSC, Irving Shipbuilding will bring their modern and innovative approach to the construction of 15 ships at Halifax Shipyard. These state-of-the-art vessels will replace the Royal Canadian Navy's Halifax-Class frigates and Iroquois-Class destroyers. BNH Training Management System ADVISOR Enterprise accelerates and simplifies Training Needs Analysis by continually realigning training courses and activities with operational requirements; and keep pace with changes to missions, systems, jobs, policies, and technologies. By quickly identifying gaps, duplications or inefficiencies, training for the Royal Canadian Navy can be streamlined while uncovering cost drivers, improving resource allocation, mitigating bottlenecks, and optimizing training delivery. ADVISOR conducts daily top-down and bottom-up analyses to examine training requirements and activities throughout the organization. The results are presented in clear, concise, and actionable Dashboards to quickly convey critical information to users. “ADVISOR Enterprise is the definitive Training Management System to support the Canadian Surface Combatant project,” said President of BNH Expert Software Inc. J. (Jay) Bahlis, Ph.D., P. Eng. “As the missions and systems for these multifaceted ships change over the course of the next thirty years, ADVISOR will continually realign training to operational requirements to forecast the impact of change and uncover areas of improvement.” ADVISOR preserves training integrity by quickly identifying how changes to missions, systems, policies, or guides can impact jobs, tasks, courses, lessons, and objectives. With its centralized database that can be accessed in real-time, ADVISOR simplifies data manipulation and report generation, reducing the time needed to conduct training needs analysis by up to 50%. About BNH Since 1987, hundreds of military, corporate and government agencies worldwide have relied on BNH to continually improve their training effectiveness and efficiency. By identifying and managing training requirements, along with forecasting training budgets, personnel, and resources, BNH seamlessly streamlines training needs analysis for any organization. For more information, visit www.bnhexpertsoft.com. Plan better... Achieve more! About ADVISOR Enterprise ADVISOR has a proven track record. It supports multiple military standards, is recognized by CFITES, and has been successfully implemented on multiple projects in Canada, US, UK, Australia, Netherlands, Singapore and Brazil, including: Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), Tactical Airlift (C130J), Operational System Training Provider (OTSP), Medium Heavy Lift Helicopter (MHLH), Air Force Technical Training Renewal (ATTR), Polar Icebreaker (PIB), Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), Army Land Vehicle Crew (LVC) Training, Basic Wing Course (BWC), Military Flying Training System (MFTS), Defence Training Review (DTR), Maritime Helicopter (CH148), Blackhawk (H-60), King Stallion (CH-53K), Poseidon (P-8) and Future Pilot Training (FPT) Program (http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/our-clients/). ADVISOR Enterprise is a web based platform that can be accessed through the Cloud or installed on a local Server, consists of 8 modules that can be used separately or in combination to meet various needs and can be customized in line with requirements (http://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/products/). Video with Dr. Jay Bahlis: https://youtu.be/6kBmrE_u4wQ Contact: Teresa Madigan 1-514-745-4010 x 1039 madigan@bnhexpertsoft.com Source: BNH Expert Software

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  March 1, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  Budget officer says used Australian fighter jets will cost Canada over $1 billion — far more than DND claimed

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The purchase of used Australian jets to boost Canada's current fleet of fighter planes could cost taxpayers more than $1 billion, a figure 22-per-cent higher than the Department of National Defence is claiming, according to a new report from parliament's financial watchdog. Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux examined the cost of buying and upgrading 18 used Australian F-18s and flying them to 2032. His report, released Wednesday, puts the final price tag at between $1.09 billion and $1.15 billion — considerably more than the $895.5 million estimate from DND. “We considered the entire life-cycle cost, from project management up until the very end of the disposal phase,” Giroux said in an interview with Postmedia. “We didn't look at whether it was a good deal.” The PBO's costing included weapons, upgrades needed for the aircraft, annual maintenance fees and the fuel that would be needed over the years of flying the aircraft. We didn't look at whether it was a good deal The Royal Canadian Air Force is using the jets as interim fighters to boost the capability of the current fleet of CF-18s until the purchase of a new generation of aircraft. The RCAF will fly 18 of the Australian jets and use the other seven for parts and testing. The RCAF received its first two used Australian fighter jets at 4 Wing Cold Lake in Alta. on Feb. 16. Deliveries of the jets will continue at regular intervals for the next three years, and the aircraft will be integrated into the CF-18 fleet as modifications are completed, according to the RCAF. The last aircraft are expected to arrive by the end of 2021 and fly until 2032. Giroux said his office used the same figures that DND had but did its own analysis of those cost estimates. “There's no fundamental reason why we should come up with a different number,” he said. “My only sense is that they voluntary budgeted optimistic numbers. The reason why I don't know for sure.” In a statement Wednesday, DND said its cost figures are close to those determined by the Parliamentary Budget Officer. The statement also added that the PBO figures for upgrades of the interim fighter fleet include estimates for CF-18 combat upgrades which the department is still trying to determine. “While we are confident that our methodology is sound, we will continue to work with the PBO, the Auditor General of Canada, and other outside entities as part of our commitment to responsible use of taxpayer dollars,” the statement noted. The Liberal government had planned to buy 18 new Super Hornet fighter jets from U.S. aerospace giant Boeing to augment the Royal Canadian Air Force's CF-18s until new modern aircraft could be purchased in the coming years. But in 2017 Boeing complained to the U.S. Commerce Department that Canadian subsidies for Quebec-based Bombardier allowed it to sell its C-series civilian passenger aircraft in the U.S. at cut-rate prices. As a result, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump enacted a tariff of almost 300 per cent against the Bombardier aircraft sold in the U.S. In retaliation, Canada cancelled the deal to buy the 18 Super Hornets, which would have cost more than US $5 billion. Instead of buying the new Super Hornets, the Liberals decided to acquire the used Australian jets. In November 2018 the Auditor General's office issued a report noting that the purchase of the extra aircraft would not fix the fundamental weaknesses with the CF-18 fleet which is the aircraft's declining combat capability and a shortage of pilots and maintenance personnel. “The Australian F/A-18s will need modifications and upgrades to allow them to fly until 2032,” the report said. “These modifications will bring the F/A-18s to the same level as the CF-18s but will not improve the CF-18's combat capability.” “In our opinion, purchasing interim aircraft does not bring National Defence closer to consistently meeting the new operational requirement introduced in 2016,” the report added. The Canadian Forces says it is bringing in new initiatives to boost the numbers of pilots and maintenance staff. https://montrealgazette.com/news/canada/budget-officer-says-used-australian-fighter-jets-will-cost-canada-over-1-billion-far-more-than-dnd-claimed/

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  September 18, 2023 | Local, Land

  Canada Army Run: Another Successful Edition Attracts Thousands to Downtown Ottawa

  The 16th edition of Canada Army Run, presented by BMO, brought together thousands of runners and supporters to the streets of Ottawa.