May 8, 2019 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence

Scheer rolls out an ambitious defence agenda, but critics ask: Where's the money?

A little joke used to make its way around the Harper Conservative government every time National Defence presented Andrew Scheer's former boss with the bills for new equipment — about how Stephen Harper would emit an audible 'gulp' of alarm when they crossed his desk.

Scheer, in the first of a series of election-framing speeches for the Conservatives, pledged yesterday to wrap his arms around Canada's allies, take the politics out of defence procurement, buy new submarines, join the U.S. ballistic missile defence program and expand the current military mission in Ukraine in an undefined way.

What was absent from the Conservative leader's speech — a greatest-hits medley of road-tested Conservative policy favourites, blended with jabs at the Trudeau government's record — was an answer to the first question his supporters usually ask on these occasions:

How are you going to pay for it?

Deficit hawk or defence hawk?

The Liberals have set the federal government on course to increase defence spending by 70 per cent by 2027. The cost of what Scheer is proposing — submarines and missile defence — would have to be shoehorned into that framework somehow. Either that, or he'd have to radically redesign the current defence spending program.

Scheer's speech was greeted with raised eyebrows by more than one defence sector observer. "When he starts talking about deficits, you can kiss all that goodbye," said Stephen Saideman, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University.

"In other speeches, he talked about being a deficit hawk. That would have real implications for the defence stuff."

The Harper government increased defence spending during the Afghan war and made a series of promises to revitalize the military, but ended up cutting its budget and postponing projects in order to eliminate the deficit.

'Harper all over again'

Saideman said Scheer's speech did not offer an ironclad guarantee that he'd avoid doing the same thing, and was even inaccurate in its characterization of the Liberals' record on defence spending.

A full half to two-thirds of the defence and foreign policy vision Scheer laid out, he said, was "Harper all over again" — but with some surprising differences.

His embrace of allies was much warmer than it was with the previous Conservative crowd, which tended to look upon NATO with a jaundiced eye.

"I will reinvigorate Canada's role in the alliances we share with our democratic allies. This includes existing alliances like NORAD, NATO, the Commonwealth, La Francophonie and the Five Eyes, but it will also include overtures to India and Japan," Scheer said.

He also pledged a Conservative government would do more in Eastern Europe.

"This will include expanding upon the current missions to support Ukraine and providing Ukraine's military with the equipment they need to defend their borders," said the Conservative leader.

Scheer didn't say in his speech what he wants Canada to do in Eastern Europe that it isn't doing now — short of putting combat troops on the front line of Ukraine's breakaway eastern districts, or selling offensive weapons to Kiev. Scheer did promise to take the lead on a potential United Nations peacekeeping mission, a proposal that has been out there in the international community for months and has largely gone nowhere.

Other ideas that often go nowhere filled out the rest of Scheer's speech — like the promise of a fix for the Canadian military's complex, cumbersome system for buying equipment.

Politicians are to blame, Scheer said.

"Military procurement in Canada is hyper-politicized, to our detriment," he said. "By playing politics with these matters, governments have diminished the important responsibility to adequately and expediently equip the Armed Forces."

To accept that argument, one must set aside his party's favourite rallying cry during the politically blistering F-35 debate of half a dozen years ago: If you don't support the plane, you don't support the troops.

Politics-free procurement?

Michael Byers, a University of British Columbia defence policy expert, said removing politics from procurement decisions would be a fantastic step forward, one that could save taxpayers boatloads of money by doing away with pet projects and regional interests.

"It's an admirable goal, but he would be the first prime minister ever to take the politics out of defence procurement," he said. "So, I'm skeptical about whether he would actually do so ... I take that statement with a very large grain of salt."

The absence of a clear fiscal pledge also troubles Byers, who noted that replacing Canada's Victoria-class submarines with either German or Swedish-built boats would be expensive. So would participation in ballistic missile defence, which has various levels of participation from research and development all the way up to anti-missile radar and batteries.

It is, he said, all about the dollars.

"I think that when we talk about defence spending and defence budgets, we have to talk about real money going out the door in terms of signed contracts," said Byers. "And neither the Conservatives nor the Liberals have been able to deliver much in the way of signed contracts for the last 20 years."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/scheer-rolls-out-an-ambitious-defence-agenda-but-critics-ask-where-s-the-money-1.5127028

On the same subject

November 16, 2017 | Local, Aerospace

Update and new name for the Joint Unmanned Surveillance Target Acquisition System (JUSTAS) project
From the Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force's Joint Unmanned Surveillance and Target Acquisition System (JUSTAS) project was established to procure an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). The project is currently in the options analysis phase. This fall, the project's name was changed to Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) project. This change is consistent with recent changes in the lexicon and classification systems of our allies, and is a more accurate reflection of how the systems are operated. As outlined in Strong, Secure, Engaged, released in June 2017, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) have become integral to modern military operations. Remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) such as the RCAF's CU-170 Heron and other unmanned aircraft have been deployed on Canadian military operations in the past and offer several advantages including the ability to remain airborne significantly longer than current strategic surveillance platforms. The use of remotely piloted aircraft also reduces the risk to CAF personnel operating the aircraft from a distance and within a lower threat environment, and will also aid in identifying potential threats to CAF personnel in area of operations. Remotely piloted aircraft will be equipped with a variety of payloads and sensors to detect items of interest in all-weather operations including into Canada's Arctic, and will be able to assist in a range of missions from persistent surveillance to supporting search and rescue, to combat operations. The RPAS project anticipates that remotely piloted aircraft can in fact be employed in all eight core missions outlined in Strong, Secure, Engaged, both domestically and overseas. Directly, the RPAS project supports initiatives 91 and 92, which state the government will also “invest in a range of remotely piloted systems” and “conduct research and development of remotely piloted land, sea and aerial capabilities.” The RPAS project Although the name has changed, the RPAS project's aim remains to provide an integrated persistent long-range, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capability. The project will operate as part of a system-of-systems network and will be capable of providing near-real time information to tactical, operational and strategic commanders to support both domestic and deployed operations, and when required, provide a precision strike capability to support operations. The project will complement existing capabilities within the CAF, such as the CP-140 Aurora long range patrol aircraft. The RPAS project is not a platform replacement. Project phases The RPAS project is currently in the options analysis phase: Options analysis allows departmental senior management to make informed decision on the best way to implement a project, attempting to achieve the capability identified in a manner that is acceptable to the Government. During this phase, options are formulated, cost and benefits assessed, and a business case for the options developed. The definition phase of a project marks the transition from determining what should be done to deal with a lack of a capability, to determining how the preferred option will be implemented. A project is planned during this phase. Activities include carrying out a detailed review of the project requirements and risk assessment as well as costing and planning for the implementation phase and a preferred procurement strategy selected. Projects in the implementation phase have received the approvals required to enter into contracts and commit to the expending funds and resources for the project to proceed to completion. Initial operational capability, when the ability to employ the capability is first attained, is planned for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, based on direction contained in Strong, Secure, Engaged. Project costs Costs are being evaluated as part of the options analysis phase and will be further refined during the definition phase. The estimated cost will depend on the approved procurement strategy, infrastructure and the type of platform(s) chosen. Costs will include associated sensors, ground elements and infrastructure. Number of aircraft No decision has been made concerning the number of aircraft. The number of RPASs will be sufficient to meet three simultaneous lines of tasking and may be affected by the procurement strategy, infrastructure, and specific platform(s) chosen. Economic benefits The Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy, including the Value Proposition will apply to this procurement, requiring that the prime contractor on this project invest 100 percent of the contract value back into Canada's economy. The Value Proposition is the economic commitment that bidders make to Canada up front at bid time, which is a scored and weighted factor in winner selection. This becomes a contractual commitment for the winning bidder. Value Proposition requirements are tailored to each procurement to allow the government to steer investments and take advantage of the unique economic opportunities offered by each project. RPAS uses Domestically, the RPAS will provide a strengthened ability for surveillance of the maritime and northern approaches to Canada and support to search and rescue operations. The RPAS will allow the CAF to assist other government departments in support of special security events, such as international summits, aid to the civil authorities – such as response to forest fires or floods – and Assistance to Law Enforcement Agencies operations. Overseas, the RPAS will be capable of detecting, recognizing, identifying, and tracking targets of interest in complex environments and integrate with the systems required to process and fuse the collected information into actionable intelligence. RPAS precision strike capability Strong, Secure, Engaged indicates that the RPAS will have a precision strike capability – it will be capable of being armed. The ability to target and execute precision strikes ensures that if a threat is detected that it can also be addressed at that time. As with any use of weapons systems, the CAF will operate in accordance with domestic and international laws. Operations will be conducted in strict accordance with all the controls, procedures, and rules of engagement that govern the use of force or any other weapon. All of these systems would be remotely piloted by CAF personnel who would be directly involved in the decision making process to execute a strike. However, the RPA(s) will be armed only if necessary for the assigned task(s). Operating environments The RPAS will be able to operate worldwide, in all weather conditions, at any time of day with the range and endurance to cover all of Canada's airspace from any suitable operating location. The system will also need to be able to operate in low-to-medium threat environments, within joint environments with other government departments, and as part of a coalition with our allies. The Royal Canadian Air Force ensures the sovereignty of Canada through its ability to respond rapidly to any threat. The investment in the RPAS project, as outlined in Strong, Secure, Engaged, enhances the RCAF's capability to continue to provide agile, integrated air power with the necessary reach to fulfill any requirement asked by the Government of Canada. Interested suppliers should direct question related to this project to the Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) contracting authority. Article: http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/news-template-standard.page?doc=update-and-new-name-for-the-joint-unmanned-surveillance-target-acquisition-system-justas-project/j9u7rzyf
August 5, 2021 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

IDEAS -- L’appel à propositions du Banc d’essai Énergie Verte est maintenant ouvert!
Un concours est actuellement ouvert pour IDeaS jusqu'au 7 septembre. IDeaS permet aux entreprises de développer des produits innovants afin de répondre aux défis de nos forces canadiennes. Les différents programmes permettent le développement et même la commercialisation d'innovations. Le texte en français suit. The Green Heat: Low Carbon Energy Generation for Heating Existing Buildings Test Drive call for proposals is open! Lowering our carbon footprint is a significant matter for governments world-wide. The Government of Canada is committed to reducing its absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by at least 90% below 2005 levels by 2050. Currently, 60 percent of the energy requirements in DND facilities is for space heating, of which 90 per cent is generated from the burning of fossil fuels. Given that DND has more than 10,000 buildings in its portfolio, the need to address the GHG emissions of these buildings is essential. The challenge is in finding ways to convert these buildings to low carbon heating without requiring a major building retrofit, which would be cost prohibitive. DND and CAF are looking to Test Drive creative energy generation solutions to pair up with existing heating systems to help lower our carbon footprint. Specifically, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) are seeking a large-scale, low carbon energy generation/transfer system for heating existing buildings by integrating with their current hydronic heat distribution systems. A test building has been selected in Kingston, Ontario, for a Design-Build team to design and install an innovative system, in order to assess the effectiveness and the costs of these integrated technologies, with the aim of reducing the energy demand and carbon footprint of DND/CAFs infrastructure portfolio. The potential funding for the Design-Build contract component of the project has been established in the range of $5,500,000. See the full Call for Proposals that was issued July 27, 2021, and explore how you can support environmental progress. The deadline for application is September 7, 2021. Interested in knowing more about this test drive? Please reach out to the Test Drive & Sandbox Team: IDEaSSandboxes-EnvironnementsprotegesIDEeS@forces.gc.ca The IDEaS Team L'appel à propositions du Banc d'essai Énergie Verte : Production d'énergie à faibles émissions de carbone pour le chauffage de b'timents existants est ouvert! Réduire notre empreinte carbone est une question importante pour les gouvernements du monde entier. Le gouvernement du Canada s'est engagé à réduire ses émissions absolues de gaz à effet de serre (GES) de portée 1 et de portée 2 d'au moins 90 % par rapport aux niveaux de 2005 d'ici 2050. À l'heure actuelle, 60 % des besoins énergétiques des installations du MDN sont destinés au chauffage des locaux , dont 90 pour cent sont générés par la combustion de combustibles fossiles. Étant donné que le MDN compte plus de 10 000 b'timents dans son portefeuille, le besoin de s'attaquer aux émissions de GES de ces b'timents est essentiel. Le défi consiste à trouver des moyens de convertir ces b'timents au chauffage à faible émission de carbone sans nécessiter une rénovation majeure du b'timent, ce qui serait prohibitif. Le ministère de la Défense nationale et les Forces armées canadiennes (MDN/FAC) cherchent à tester des solutions créatives de production d'énergie à jumeler avec les systèmes de chauffage existants pour aider à réduire notre empreinte carbone. Plus précisément, le MDN et les FAC recherchent un système de production/transfert d'énergie à grande échelle et à faible émission de carbone pour chauffer les b'timents existants en s'intégrant à leurs systèmes de distribution de chauffage hydronique actuels. Un b'timent d'essai a été sélectionné à Kingston, en Ontario, afin qu'une équipe de conception-construction conçoive et installe un système novateur, afin d'évaluer l'efficacité et les coûts de ces technologies intégrées, dans le but de réduire la demande d'énergie et l'empreinte carbone du portefeuille d'infrastructures du MDN et des FAC. Le financement possible pour le volet conception-construction du projet a été établi à environ 5 500 000 $. Examinez la demande de propositions complète qui fut publiée le 27 juillet 2021, et explorez comment vous pourriez contribuer au progrès environnemental. La date d'échéance pour appliquer est le 7 septembre 2021. Ça vous intéresse d'en savoir plus sur ce banc d'essai? Communiquez avec l'équipe: IDEaSSandboxes-EnvironnementsprotegesIDEeS@forces.gc.ca L'équipe IDEeS
December 16, 2021 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

What do 48 elephants and 18 CN Towers have in common? It's CANSEC!
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