December 20, 2019 | Local, Other Defence

Canadian Forces had valuable ‘insights’ in Afghanistan, defence minister says following damning U.S. report

By Charlie Pinkerton.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says Canadian Forces deployed to Afghanistan contributed useful insights to American forces, whose past military operations in the country have drawn new scrutiny following The Washington Post's publication of the so-called Afghanistan Papers.

The documents obtained and published by the Post are the product of hundreds of interviews carried out by the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction (SIGAR). SIGAR was mandated to complete a series of reports exploring the effectiveness of its nearly two-decade, close to trillion-dollar mission that it began as a retaliation against al-Qaeda for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The documents fought for in court by the Post include notes, transcripts and audio recordings that the subjects had been promised would not be made public by the government. They provide a thorough look at the frustrations and concerns of top U.S. brass and a lack of understanding of the conflict by the American military and its government.

One of the revelations of the Afghanistan Papers is the that as the conflict continued, top American military officials considered it an unwinnable conflict.

Sajjan completed three Afghanistan tours, where he worked in intelligence before working directly with top American troops as an adviser.

In giving his take on how the Canadian perspective compared to that of the Americans during the mission, Sajjan said the Canadian Armed Forces had a better understanding of the realities of the conflict than its closest allies.

“I would say the insights the Canadians provided were actually very useful. That's one point that I'm trying to get across here, and I appreciate the Americans coming out and talking about this now,” Sajjan said. “Canadians were providing a very good perspective, very early on, to have a much more, I would say, accurate account of what is happening,”

One passage the Post highlighted from the thousands of pages of documents to underscore the discontent with the conflict by U.S. officials was an interview with Douglas Lute, a former top army general who became an adviser on the Afghan war in the White House.

“We were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan — we didn't know what we were doing,” Lute said. “What are we trying to do here? We didn't have the foggiest notion of what we were undertaking.”

Sajjan said good decisions were made only with an “accurate” and “good understanding” of the Afghanistan conflict.

From 2001 to 2014, 40,000 Canadians served in Afghanistan. There were 158 Canadian soldiers killed. On top of its military effort, Canada has provided more than $3 billion in international assistance to Afghanistan since 2001.

In talking about Canada's operations in Afghanistan, Sajjan also defended well-known Canadian-led aspects of the mission, such as the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT, but known colloquially as omelette) and its stabilization-focused whole-of-government approach to the conflict.

“What I'm trying to say here is that the work that Canada did there was highly valued and I appreciate other allies coming out with different perspectives,” Sajjan said.

https://ipolitics.ca/2019/12/19/canadian-forces-had-valuable-insights-in-afghanistan-defence-minister-says-following-damning-u-s-report/

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December 7, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

Energy efficiency contract awarded for 14 Wing Greenwood
December 7, 2018 – Greenwood, Nova Scotia – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces Through Canada's Defence Policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, the Government of Canada is greening defence infrastructure and taking action against climate change. The Department of National Defence (DND) is expanding the use of energy performance contracts to improve the energy efficiency of our military infrastructure and provide our personnel with modern and green facilities in which to work and train. On behalf of Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan, Member of Parliament for West Nova Colin Fraser, today marked the award of an energy performance contract at 14 Wing Greenwood. The $20.5-million project will see 102 buildings upgraded with energy efficiency measures including new LED lighting and efficient ventilation systems. The wing's central heating plant will also be upgraded to a cleaner natural gas fuel source. These upgrades are expected to lower annual energy costs at the wing by about $900,000, or 13 percent, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by close to 7,500 tonnes per year. DND has a number of energy performance contracts in various stages of development and implementation at bases across Canada. Through these contracts, a company is contracted to pay for and carry out an energy retrofit project at a base or wing. The money saved in energy costs is then used to pay the company back over a five- to 15-year period, which minimizes the up-front costs to the taxpayer, and guarantees that the upgrades produce savings. Quotes “These energy performance contracts represent the great work underway across Canada to make our Defence infrastructure more sustainable and energy efficient. This work benefits our personnel by modernizing the places where they work and train, while significantly lowering our carbon emissions to help us achieve a greener future for all Canadians.” Harjit S. Sajjan, Defence Minister “I am thrilled to see this green energy project move forward for Base Greenwood. This $20.5-million investment will create economic opportunities for surrounding communities, while demonstrating that greener, more sustainable government operations is as good for the economy as it is for the environment.” Colin Fraser, Member of Parliament for West Nova Quick facts The contract for energy upgrades and retrofits at 14 Wing Greenwood was awarded to MCW Custom Energy Solutions Ltd. Similar contracts are in development for Bagotville, Shilo, Alert, Comox, Borden, Trenton, Kingston, Gagetown, Halifax, Montreal, Saint-Jean and Goose Bay. In addition to Greenwood, projects are underway at Valcartier, Esquimalt, and Petawawa. The project is expected to lower 14 Wing's annual GHG emissions by 7,500 tonnes, the equivalent of taking 1,600 cars off the road. As stated in Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, DND is improving its infrastructure to achieve a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (from 2005 levels) by 2030. Implementing new energy performance contracts at bases and wings across Canada supports the government's low-carbon goal and new emissions reduction target of 80 percent by 2050. The broader Defence Energy and Environment Strategy bolsters DND's capacity to green its operations and adapt to climate change impacts by integrating adaptation measures, including energy performance contracts, into its policies and practices. Defence Construction Canada and Public Services and Procurement Canada are DND's partners in procuring the services of energy services companies to modernize and green defence infrastructure. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2018/12/energy-efficiency-contract-awarded-for-14-wing-greenwood.html
December 6, 2022 | Local, Naval

Flash-conférence avec le Commandant de la Marine royale canadienne - jeudi 8 déc.-22 à 19h
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August 3, 2020 | Local, Aerospace

Government of Canada receives proposals to replace its fighter jets
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