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On the same subject

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  January 21, 2024 | Local, Aerospace

  Royal Canadian Air Force: Contested airlift - Skies Mag

  In a degraded environment, Exercise Mobility Guardian gave AN RCAF airlift detachment the opportunity to test concepts of operations and Strengthen interoperability in a region CC-130Js and CC-150s rarely train.

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  June 3, 2019 | Local, Naval

  No icebreakers in federal government’s $15.7B plan for new coast-guard ships

  By Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press OTTAWA — The Canadian Coast Guard's recent struggles resupplying northern communities and rescuing ice-jammed ferries appear set to continue despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promise to spend $15.7 billion on "a complete fleet renewal." That's because none of the 18 vessels the government announced last week that it plans to buy will be an icebreaker, meaning the coast guard will be forced to continue relying on its existing icebreaker fleet for the foreseeable future. Many of those are nearing — or have already exceeded — their expected lifespans, which has resulted in breakdowns and other problems that have affected coast-guard operations, such as resupply runs and assisting ferries in winter. Federal procurement minister Carla Qualtrough acknowledged on the sidelines of the annual Cansec arms-trade show this week "there's definitely a capability gap on icebreakers," but wouldn't say when it would be addressed. Qualtrough instead indicated that any announcement on more ships for the coast guard would likely come after the government adds a third shipyard to the two that are already partners in the federal shipbuilding plan. "There's definitely more ships coming," she said on Thursday. "It will really be dependent on how long it takes the third yard to get itself ready to build the kind of ships we need." The search is expected to start in the coming weeks, but while many observers expect Davie Shipbuilding in Quebec City to emerge victorious, a senior government official maintained a decision is unlikely before October's election. The government's planned $15.7-billion investment unveiled last week includes two Arctic patrol ships to be built by Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax and 16 so-called multipurpose vessels from Seaspan Shipbuilding in Vancouver. But those vessels are what officials describe as "ice-capable," rather than icebreakers, meaning the coast guard will need to continue to rely on its existing fleet for many of its operations. The icebreaker fleet did receive a boost on Thursday, when the Canadian Coast Guard officially welcomed the CCGS Molly Kool to its ranks after several months of conversion work at Davie. The CCGS Molly Kool is the first of three second-hand icebreakers that Davie has sold to the government, which the coast guard has said it plans to use for the next 15 to 20 years to fill any gaps until replacements are built. But while the government is spending millions to refit its current icebreakers, which are on average 35 years old, and keep them running as long as possible, the question remains when those replacements will arrive. The only new icebreaker currently in the government's multibillion-dollar shipbuilding plan is the polar-class CCGS John G. Diefenbaker, which was expected in 2017 before various delays pushed it back to the next decade. "We haven't built a coast guard-designed icebreaker since 1983. That was the last time," said Rob Huebert, an expert on the coast guard at the University of Calgary. "And anything we have bought is usually second-hand from industry." The coast guard doesn't have clout in Ottawa, Huebert said, which has translated into a lack of long-term planning or investment by successive governments — except when there are political points to be scored. And while the addition of a third yard to the federal shipbuilding plan should mean icebreakers will follow soon after, Huebert said it is all ad hoc and will simply lead to the same problems down the road. "I get incensed by the fact that we do not have any form of a long-term coast-guard renewal for icebreakers." Documents obtained by The Canadian Press warned more than a third of the coast guard's 26 large vessels, including its icebreakers, had exceeded their expected lifespans — and that many wouldn't survive until replacements arrived. The fleet's advanced age was also already affecting the coast guard's ability to do its job, including reduced search-and-rescue coverage, ferry-service disruptions and cancelled resupply runs to Arctic and coastal communities. —Follow @leeberthiaume on Twitter Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2019/05/31/no-icebreakers-in-federal-governments-15-6b-plan-for-new-coast-guard-ships/#.XPFqzBZKiUl

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  June 1, 2023 | Local, Aerospace

  Chief of the Defence Staff announces new Deputy Commander North American Aerospace Defense Command

  June 1, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff, has announced the second Lieutenant-General/Vice-Admiral promotion of 2023. Major-General B.F. Frawley was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General and will be appointed Deputy Commander North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, replacing Lieutenant-General A.J.P. Pelletier who will retire from the Canadian Armed Forces. NORAD is a bi-national military command responsible for aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for Canada and the United States. It is the cornerstone of Canada’s defence relationship with the United States and provides both countries with greater continental security than could be achieved individually. The NORAD Deputy Commander supports the NORAD Commander in the execution of the command’s missions. As a bi-national command, the NORAD Deputy Commander’s position is approved by both Canada and the United States. Across our nations, Canadians and Americans monitor and defend North American airspace 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This is a military relationship like no other—one based on common values, friendship, and a lasting unbreakable bond. The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), through its evolving promotion process, continues to choose inclusive leaders who embody its professional values and ethos. Promotion candidates complete an evidence-based character assessment followed by a “360 degree” evaluation known as a multi-rater assessment. This approach uses a diverse group of evaluators to reduce bias and foster diverse perspectives to obtain a holistic perspective of the candidate’s leadership behaviour and effectiveness. Additionally, the promotion candidate is subject to an interview conducted by a third party, external to the Department of National Defence and CAF, which focuses on personal experiences, self-awareness, past challenges, failures, and successes. Additional information regarding the promotion selection process is available here. Further promotions, appointments, and retirements will be announced when they have been confirmed. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2023/06/chief-of-the-defence-staff-announces-new-deputy-commander-north-american-aerospace-defense-command.html