Remarks by Minister of National Defence Bill Blair at CANSEC 2024

On the same subject

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  October 16, 2018 | Local, Naval

  Irving Shipbuilding pushing for two more Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships, all Halifax-class work

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Efforts are underway by Irving Shipbuilding to convince the federal government to build two more Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships at its Halifax yard. Irving also wants all Halifax-class frigate maintenance work to remain with the yard in Nova Scotia. The federal government is looking at splitting up maintenance work on the Canadian navy's frigates between Irving and Davie in Quebec. It is facing objections from Irving and its workers. The Irving employees warn the change will mean lost jobs in Nova Scotia. There are seven frigates that will need maintenance on the east coast over a five-year period. But military and Department of National Defence officials are concerned the Irving yard in Halifax won't be able to handle all the work as it will also be in the midst of building the new fleet of Canadian Surface Combatant warships. There are concerns that the navy's capabilities could suffer if the work isn't split up between Davie and Irving yards. Each of the aging Halifax-class frigates will require about a year of maintenance work, and in 2020 the navy expects maintenance will be needed on two frigates at the same time. Irving argues it needs all the Halifax-class work and the construction of two more AOPS so it doesn't face any downturn in activity at the yard. “ We are hopeful that the Government of Canada will continue the work at Halifax Shipyard,” Irving spokesman Sean Lewis said of the frigate maintenance. Asked about the need for two more AOPS, Lewis stated the following: “We continue to work closely with the Government of Canada to explore the overall transition between the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) and Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) programs. The construction of additional AOPS for Canada or international export opportunities is being considered and various options pursued. At this time it is premature to comment further.” In response to Irving's push, Davie official Frédérik Boisvert has noted that while Irving has $ 65 billion in contracts from the federal government and 1900 workers, Davie has received less than $ 1billion in contracts and has less than 200 people working and 1400 laid off workers, waiting to be recalled. “If they (Irving) are concerned about Nova Scotian jobs, they should explain to their union workers why they are building their own tugs in Eastern Europe,” Boisvert added. https://lfpress.com/news/national/defence-watch/irving-shipbuilding-pushing-for-two-more-arctic-offshore-patrol-ships-all-halifax-class-work/

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  March 14, 2019 | Local, C4ISR

  Keeping the Canadian Armed Forces connected

  March 14, 2019 – Ottawa, ON – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, highlights the importance of providing the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment and support they need to train and operate successfully. In support of this priority, The Department of National Defence announced today the award of an in-service support (ISS) contract to help maintain and strengthen the communications and information systems the Canadian Army depends on to inform and direct land operations. The Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) ISS contract was awarded to Rheinmetall Canada for a value of $57.49M. This supports ISTAR components and software that ensure data exchanges occur seamlessly from “sensing” and intelligence-gathering equipment such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or ground radars to the Land Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (LC4ISR) system. This is one of four contracts supporting the LC4ISR system. The LC4ISR is a highly integrated tactical system composed of many sensor, communication, networking, and information management sub-systems. It is part of every Canadian Army vehicle, weapons platform and headquarters to help coordinate and conduct modern operations. The LC4ISR is made up of numerous hardware, firmware and software elements, and essentially acts as deployed forces' central nervous system. The contract will support approximately 50 highly skilled jobs in Canada. Quotes “Providing our women and men in uniform with what they need to do the important job we ask of them is one of our top priorities. This contract will help ensure commanders can receive information from key equipment like ground-based radars, electronic warfare suites and remotely piloted aircraft systems in order for them to make timely decisions to achieve operational success. It will also support 50 jobs in Quebec and Ontario.” – Minister of National Defence, Harjit S. Sajjan Quick facts In November 2017, a request for proposals was issued for the ISTAR Support Contract. On October 19, 2018, the contract was awarded to Rheinmetall Canada. The duration of the contract is five years. The ISTAR Support Contract is one of four LC4ISR ISS contracts. Together, these contracts provide essential services that include hardware and software engineering work, fixing software issues, correcting any equipment problems, and analyzing and maintaining system health. The ISS also supports specific LC4ISR equipment such as radios. Associated links Investing in the Canadian Armed Forces Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada's defence policy https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2019/03/keeping-the-canadian-armed-forces-connected.html

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  August 3, 2023 | Local, Security

  National Defence executives rake in almost $3.5 million in bonuses

  National Defence civilian executives were awarded almost $3.5 million in bonuses with one public servant being paid an extra $101,000.