Coast guard ship breakdown ends 48-year science survey streak

On the same subject

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  September 5, 2018 | Local, Land

  National Defence to undertake urban training experiments in downtown Montreal

  September 4, 2018 – Ottawa – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces From September 10 to 21, 2018, Canadian defence scientists and Canadian Armed Forces personnel will be conducting a series of technology research experiments in the city of Montreal alongside participants from partner nations including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Activities will include testing and assessing new technologies in various urban environments and landscapes. The Contested Urban Environment 2018 experiment (CUE 18) will take place around the Côte-des-Neiges Armoury, around Belvedere Kondiaronk on Mont Royal, along rue de la Montagne, and at Silo 5 in the Old Port area. Most of the activity will happen during the day, however, there will be also be periods of testing at night. All military personnel participating in the CUE 18 experiment will be unarmed. This activity is being conducted in support of advancing research around how to best conduct military operations in urban environments. Measures are being taken to ensure minimum inconvenience to those in the area, however the public is advised that certain areas may be inaccessible during CUE 18 experiment. Questions concerning local issues including traffic disturbances, road closures etc. should be directed to the City of Montreal. Questions from the public regarding the experiment can be directed to Department of National Defence's science and technology organization, Defence Research Development Canada at CUE18_EUC18@forces.gc.ca. Questions from media can be directed to the Department of National Defence's Media Relations Office at mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca.

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  November 9, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

  Updated - Dassault makes it official – Rafale is out of Canadian fighter jet competition

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Dassault Aviation has officially confirmed to Agence France-Presse that the firm has pulled out of Canada's future fighter program. The company had planned to offer the Rafale but decided against competing the aircraft because of the extensive Canadian requirements for interoperability with U.S. forces, according to a number of news reports, citing sources. The Canadian government confirmed the withdrawal after the news report became public. “On November 8, the French government officially notified Canada of its withdrawal from the competitive process to replace Canada's fighter jet fleet,” said Public Services and Procurement Canada spokesperson Rania Haddad. “We will continue to work closely with the remaining eligible suppliers to ensure they are well positioned to participate in the ongoing competition.” https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/dassault-makes-it-official-rafale-is-out-of-canadian-competition

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  February 13, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

  Senator critiques defence procurement process

  by Chris Thatcher An Ontario Senator says defence procurement needs better oversight and an improved process if it is to avoid the problems affecting the government's efforts to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CF-188 fighter jet fleet. “The fiasco of fighter jet replacement is the best example of a procurement system that is cumbersome, bureaucratic and beset by political interference,” Senator Nicole Eaton wrote in an article originally published in The Hill Times. “Unless ministers start to devote close attention to the management of major projects, or until the process is overhauled, Canadians can continue to expect poor outcomes and wasted taxpayer dollars.” Eaton is a member of the Senate National Finance Committee, which launched a study last fall into the processes and financial aspects of defence procurement. It held its first hearing on Oct. 30 and expects to conclude later this year. In her article, the senator critiqued the process by which Conservative and Liberal governments have struggled to replace the aging CF-188 Hornets, noting that while both Canada and Australia are members of the U.S.-led Joint Strike Fighter program to develop the F-35, Australia received its first two operational F-35s in December while Canada, as part of an interim measure, is poised to take delivery of the first of 25 “well-used” Australian F-18s. “As we take possession of Australia's scrap, Canada is in the early stages of a minimum five-year-long process to pick a replacement for the F-18, which will be more than 50 years old before it is retired in the 2030s,” she wrote. The current government bears blame for creating some of the problems with the fighter file, she wrote, but “military procurement has bedeviled successive governments, Liberal and Conservative alike.” She attributed part of the problem to political interference for both partisan advantage and regional turf protection, but said the main reason for “paralysis in military procurement in Canada is it is too cumbersome and bureaucratic. Process is paramount and results are secondary. “There are layers of committees, depending on the size of the project, with membership from Public Services and Procurement Canada, National Defence, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development,” she wrote. “The consensus-based decision-making process on which these committees operate is supposed to avoid a big mistake — no doubt an appealing quality for a risk-averse bureaucracy, but the downside is the system is not conducive to fast action. Simply put, the buck stops nowhere.” Eaton suggested that bureaucratic morass has resulted in an inability to spend allotted project budgets, an indication the government could struggle to fulfil the commitments laid out in its 2017 defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE). “In the last fiscal year, the policy projected capital spending of $6.1 billion, yet only $3.7 billion was spent. This year, $6.55 billion is called for under SSE, but total appropriations to date amount to $4 billion,” she noted. “Given this poor track record, the idea that military spending can be cranked up by 70 per cent over 10 years, as envisioned in Strong, Secure, Engaged, looks increasingly fanciful. At the Finance committee's first hearing on the procurement system, Patrick Finn, assistant deputy minister, Materiel at the Department of National Defence, and André Fillion, assistant deputy minister for defence and marine procurement at Public Services and Procurement Canada, faced a barrage of questions on ongoing participation in the F-35 program, the authorities and mandates of interdepartmental committees involved in military procurement, and about the challenge of balancing military requirements with equipment costs and opportunities for Canadian industry. “Buying a fighter plane isn't like buying a compact car, and the role of the government is very important. We had to adapt our method of supply to the context of fighter jets,” Fillion told the senators. He said a draft RFP released in late October “was the result of many months of consultation on all five potential options (to replace the CF-188s). “There has been a lot of back and forth over the last several months to make sure that what we are asking meets the requirements of the Air Force and ensures that we do not inadvertently limit the competition. I feel very confident that what we've put together is fair, open and transparent to all the potential suppliers.” Finn said the government had met with and learned lessons from allies who had conducted similar fighter replacement programs. He also dismissed some of the concerns about acquiring used Australian aircraft to fill a gap while the government proceeds with the replacement project. “In our opinion, Canada has the best expertise related to this type of aircraft. Some companies in Montreal do maintenance for the United States and other countries because they have the necessary knowledge,” he said. “This aircraft will really increase our fleet, and it is not the number of aircraft that counts; it is rather the hours of use in the future. We are looking for an aircraft that will remain in service for another 14 years. What is needed is enough hours on the structural side. We will be able to use these aircraft until the entire fleet is no longer in service.” https://www.skiesmag.com/news/senator-critiques-defence-procurement-process