David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
The Canadian military plans to take part in the world's largest maritime exercise this summer even as the U.S. Navy, which is hosting the event, struggles to deal with coronavirus outbreaks that have sent two of its ships back to port.
There have also been COVID-19 outbreaks on French, Belgium and Taiwanese navy ships. There are COVID-19 cases among the crews of 26 U.S. Navy ships.
But that won't stop the U.S. from holding its Rim of the Pacific or RIMPAC exercise in August.
The Canadian Forces is planning to attend although military officials haven't outlined yet which Canadian ships and aircraft will take part.
“The Canadian Armed Forces remains committed to participating in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2020 in a significant way in order to maximize the unique training opportunities this biennial exercise provides as well as strengthen relationships with allies and partners in the Pacific,” Department of National Defence spokesperson Jessica Lamirande said in an email.
She said Canadian military officials are in discussions with their U.S. counterparts and are “currently evaluating options to adapt our participation accordingly.”
“Participation in RIMPAC will balance the requirement to complete critical tasks and high readiness training in support of planned operations, with the requirement to protect the health and safety of our personnel,” added Lamirande.
RIMPAC is usually held in and around Hawaii. In 2018 the Canadian Forces sent more than 1,000 personnel, five ships and a patrol aircraft. They operated alongside approximately 25,000 military personnel from 24 other nations as well as more than 200 aircraft and 50 ships and submarines.
The U.S. military says changes will be made to RIMPAC and that on-shore interactions will be limited. Ships can go into the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii for supplies, but the number of staff ashore for support functions will be limited.
The U.S. Navy has the highest rate of COVID-19 in the U.S. military. There are 2,125 cases in the navy, with around 800 linked to the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt.
The Canadian military does not release statistics on how many of its members have been infected with the virus. It cites security reasons for keeping such details secret.
The Royal Canadian Navy has implemented a number of measures to deal with COVID-19, including trying to practise physical distancing on ships as much as possible and restricting shore leave.
The pandemic has also prompted changes in other Canadian Forces operations.
The military has scaled back the number of soldiers it is sending to Ukraine to conduct training there. It had planned to send a new group of soldiers, numbering 200, to relieve the Canadian troops now in Ukraine. That number will now be cut back to 60 personnel.
The pandemic caused the cancellation of Exercise Maple Resolve, the army's main training event for the year, as well as a naval exercise off the coast of Africa. HMCS Glace Bay and HMCS Shawinigan, which were to take part in that naval training, were ordered to return to Halifax. HMCS Nanaimo and HMCS Whitehorse also cut short their participation in U.S.-led counter-drug operations.
In addition, the Canadian Forces withdrew many of its troops assigned to the Iraq mission, ordering them home because COVID-19 has hindered training of Iraqi military personnel.
The Canadian military has also pulled back its commitment of a transport aircraft for the United Nations because of COVID-19.
The Department of National Defence, however, says it will not change the Canadian commitment to NATO's enhanced Forward Presence in Latvia. A new group of Canadian military personnel arrived in Latvia in January and will stay there until July. There are around 540 Canadian soldiers working in Latvia.
In addition, the Canadian military hopes to take incremental steps to restart training of recruits as early as June.
October 6, 2022 | Local, Land
The country's top military commander said Thursday that the Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) problems with recruiting and retaining soldiers, sailors and air crew are going are get worse before they get better.
February 15, 2020 | Local, Naval
Hello, There is only one week left to apply for the Corrosion Detection in Ships Sandbox (applications due by 19 Feb)! We have received a number of technical questions from innovators and have prepared a short FAQ in response to help those interested to best complete their application. We are looking forward to seeing your ingenious ways of finding corrosion trouble spots for the Royal Canadian Navy in action. FAQs on the Corrosion Detection in Ships Sandbox Thank you, The IDEaS Team --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bonjour, Il ne reste plus qu'une semaine pour soumettre votre application pour l'Environnement protégé relatif à la détection de la corrosion sur les navires de la Marine royale canadienne (l'échéance est le 19 février)! Nous avons déjà reçu un certain nombre de questions techniques de la part d'innovateurs. Sur ce, nous avons préparé une foire aux questions dans le but d'offrir des réponses pour appuyer les personnes qui souhaitent compléter leur demande. Nous sommes prêts à recevoir vos solutions novatrices pour détecter la corrosion à bord des navires. Foire aux questions sur l'Environnement protégé relative à la détection de la corrosion sur les navires de la Marine royale canadienne Merci, L'équipe IDEeS Hello, There is only one week left to apply for the Corrosion Detection in Ships Sandbox (applications due by 19 Feb)! We have received a number of technical questions from innovators and have prepared a short FAQ in response to help those interested to best complete their application. We are looking forward to seeing your ingenious ways of finding corrosion trouble spots for the Royal Canadian Navy in action. FAQs on the Corrosion Detection in Ships Sandbox Thank you, The IDEaS Team --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bonjour, Il ne reste plus qu'une semaine pour soumettre votre application pour l'Environnement protégé relatif à la détection de la corrosion sur les navires de la Marine royale canadienne (l'échéance est le 19 février)! Nous avons déjà reçu un certain nombre de questions techniques de la part d'innovateurs. Sur ce, nous avons préparé une foire aux questions dans le but d'offrir des réponses pour appuyer les personnes qui souhaitent compléter leur demande. Nous sommes prêts à recevoir vos solutions novatrices pour détecter la corrosion à bord des navires. Foire aux questions sur l'Environnement protégé relative à la détection de la corrosion sur les navires de la Marine royale canadienne Merci, L'équipe IDEeS
September 30, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Announcement: Forthcoming Industry Sustainment Business Case Analysis (SBCA) Workshops: Purpose: The purpose of this email is to invite key industry representatives working in defence sustainment to participate in one of the following on-line, Industry Sustainment Business Case Analysis (SBCA) Workshops, scheduled on 19 October 2020 or 18 January 2021, from 8:00 – 12:00 noon. These workshops will provide an overview of the SBCA process, will underscore the important role that industry plays in the development of optimized sustainment solutions for military equipment, and will further explain when industry can expect to be engaged, what will be expected, and how industry can influence the process to capitalize on its strengths. Background: The SBCA provides a logical, defensible, and documented, analysis and decision making process that aids in the development of tailored sustainment solutions, optimized under the four sustainment principles: equipment performance, value for money, flexibility, and economic benefits for Canadians. Why This Workshop Matters: Some essential elements of the SBCA are: a well-defined scope of analysis, precise requirements, early and meaningful industry engagement, a rigorous analytical process, and informed decision making. To maximize advantage, defence sustainment industry stakeholders will wish to understand how the SBCA process responds to these needs. About the Workshop: These workshops will be delivered in English, and are conducted in an informal atmosphere that provides for questions and discussion. Please Note: While every effort is made to address participant concerns and discuss issues of mutual interest, SBCA workshops do not delve into specific SBCAs or procurements. Registration: To register, please send an email to the undersigned, providing your name, email address (for confirmation of registration and distribution of the workshop materials), your company name and your position. Please register no later than 10 working days prior to the scheduled workshop. These workshops will be delivered on-line via Microsoft Teams, for which applicable details will be provided. A copy of the workshop presentation slides will also be provided. Question or concerns may be directed to Bill.Troupe@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca