The Government of Canada donates surplus Coast Guard helicopters

On the same subject

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  May 9, 2024 | Local, Naval

  Drones and AI are rewriting the rulebook on naval warfare — with uncertain consequences | CBC News

  Ukraine, a nation with virtually no navy, humiliated Russia's mighty Black Sea Fleet using cheap, fast, disposable drones. Combined with artificial intelligence, drones are set to change the nature of naval warfare. But are the world's militaries prepared for the risks?

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  July 6, 2021 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Electrical Components International Acquires Promark Electronics

  July 06, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time ST. LOUIS & MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electrical Components International, Inc. (“ECI”), a leading global supplier of wire harnesses, electrical components, and sub-assemblies for diversified industrial markets, today announced the acquisition of Promark Electronics Inc. (“Promark Electronics”). Founded in 1987 by Syd Knecht, Promark Electronics is a manufacturer of wire harnesses and cable and electromechanical assemblies utilized by commercial electric vehicles and other technically-complex, mission-critical products. With the growing demand for commercial electric vehicles, Promark Electronics has developed high-voltage cable and assemblies as part of its ProEV™ platform, which has made it a trusted partner to leading commercial electric vehicle manufacturers. The company will continue and expand its manufacturing operations in its Montreal, Quebec, Canada facilities. “We are excited to partner with Promark Electronics and establish ECI as the high-voltage harness supplier of choice in high-value, high-growth markets,” said Mike Balsei, Chief Executive Officer of ECI. “With ECI's global scale and Promark Electronics' proprietary solutions, we will be able to help manufacturers meet the increasing demand for commercial electric vehicles as well as in adjacent e-mobility verticals.” The Knecht Family will continue to lead the Promark Electronics team. In a joint statement, Jarred, Brandon, and Robert Knecht commented: “We are incredibly proud of the business and reputation that our family has built over the past three decades. We are thrilled to have found an industry-leading partner to help us further accelerate our growth, particularly in the e-mobility space. We are excited to join the ECI family, deepen our customer relationships, and continue our long track record of innovation and excellence.” ECI is a portfolio company of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. (“Cerberus”), a global leader in alternative investing. Earlier this year, ECI acquired Omni Connection International, a manufacturer of wire harnesses and connection systems for leading tier one automotive suppliers. Michael Sanford, Senior Managing Director at Cerberus, added: “Promark Electronics adds a highly complementary platform serving a rapidly growing market. We remain excited about the strategic opportunities for ECI and look forward to supporting the business' continued growth.” Barclays served as financial advisor and Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP served as legal counsel to ECI and Cerberus. Lincoln International LLC, Crowe BGK, and EY served as financial advisors to Promark Electronics and Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP acted as legal counsel. About ECI Founded in 1953, Electrical Components International, Inc. (ECI) is one of the world's leading wire harness, electrical components, and sub-assembly suppliers for diversified industrial markets. With nearly 22,000 employees in 31 facilities spanning eight countries and four continents, ECI's “blue-chip” customer base includes many firms in the Fortune 500 across the appliance, HVAC, construction, agriculture, transportation, and critical infrastructure sectors. For more information about ECI, visit www.ecintl.com. About Promark Electronics Founded in 1987 by Syd Knecht and headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Promark Electronics is a state-of-the-art electronics manufacturer, serving OEMs in industries with complex production processes and applications, including e-mobility, industrial technology, medical, mining, aerospace, space, and defense industries. For more information, visit www.PMK.com. About Cerberus Founded in 1992, Cerberus is a global leader in alternative investing with over $55 billion in assets across complementary credit, private equity, and real estate strategies. We invest across the capital structure where our integrated investment platforms and proprietary operating capabilities create an edge to improve performance and drive long-term value. Our tenured teams have experience working collaboratively across asset classes, sectors, and geographies to seek strong risk-adjusted returns for our investors. For more information about our people and platforms, visit us at www.cerberus.com. Contacts ECI Julie Mottershead julie.mottershead@ecintl.com (314) 261-7774 Cerberus Akash Lodh Sard Verbinnen & Co. Cerberus-SVC@sardverb.com (202) 758-4263

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  October 8, 2019 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Analysis: With Canadians tuned out on defence, political parties can safely ignore the topic at election time

  By DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN It's not much of a surprise that defence and security issues aren't a factor in this federal election. Despite the concerns of various commentators and analysts, the political parties can safely ignore those topics. Even though billions of dollars are to be spent on the future purchase of military equipment, and Canada is engaged in training missions in Ukraine, Latvia and Iraq, the average Canadian doesn't appear to care all that much about such topics. That doesn't mean that such a viewpoint is right. But it's typical of recent elections. The parties have touched briefly on defence and security in their platforms. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has noted he would improve relations with the U.S. and join the U.S. missile defence program. His government would buy new submarines and improve Arctic sovereignty. The Conservatives haven't discussed what it would cost to join the American missile defence system and there is no price tag for new submarines designed to operate in the Arctic. The subs, in particular, could be costly. In 2016 Australia announced its program to acquire 12 new subs with a price tag of $50 billion. Earlier this year Scheer vowed that a Conservative government would take the politics out of defence procurement, equipping the Canadian Forces with only what it needs. But even as he re-emphasized that point on the campaign trail, Scheer promised to order a second naval supply ship to be built at Davie shipyards in Quebec. While that would create jobs in the province and potentially generate support for the Conservatives, the leadership of the Royal Canadian Navy is adamant the second vessel is not needed. Liberal party defence promises have fewer details. Once again the Liberals have promised to increase support for the United Nations. But that's a repeat from the 2015 election campaign and many defence analysts point out that the Liberals didn't really deliver on that in their first mandate. There was the Canadian Forces mission to Mali, finished after only a year, and the assignment of a transport aircraft for UN use. But little else. The Liberals have a new promise to use the Canadian military's expertise for climate-related disasters, but again there are few details. They've also resurrected another of their 2015 election promises, which was to reform the defence procurement system. Little was done over the past several years to improve the system to purchase billions of dollars of military equipment. This time around the Liberals are promising to create a Defence Procurement Agency but it is unclear how that would be set up. The Green party has promised stable funding for military equipment and training, deployment of military personnel to deal with climate change disasters and pollution in the Arctic, to sign a treaty to abolish nuclear weapons and to cancel a deal with Saudi Arabia for light armoured vehicles. The NDP stated they would hold a fair competition for new fighter jets, keep shipbuilding procurement on time, stop the privatization of services at military bases and put more focus on peacekeeping. While defence and security issues are important, and can be costly to taxpayers, they don't seem to appear at the forefront of voter concerns. Most of the time they don't even register. Despite the thousands of words written and spoken by politicians and defence analysts about aging fighter jets, Canadians aren't marching in the streets to demand replacements for the RCAF's CF-18s. Scheer's promise to spend $1.5 billion to buy new medical imaging equipment for hospitals across Canada is more directly relevant to the average Canadian – who likely knows someone who has had to wait months for a MRI – than his promise to have Canada join the U.S. missile defence shield. The lack of interest by Canadians on defence matters has not been lost on politicians in power, particularly when they need to cut spending. By realizing that defence issues concerned only a small portion of the electorate, Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper – who counted himself as a politician firmly behind the Canadian Forces – was able to chop the military's budget. At the heart of that issue is the lack of connection to and knowledge of the Canadian military by most Canadians. That was illustrated by a July 2018 report commissioned by the Department of National Defence which concluded that, “Awareness of and familiarity with the [Canadian Forces] was generally very low; virtually non-existent among those in the younger age group.” Only 26 per cent of those surveyed had some awareness of what the Canadian Forces had been doing over a year-and-a-half period. They couldn't even name what types of missions the military did at home, despite the high profile responses by the Canadian Forces to natural disasters such as floods and forest fires. Participants in the study were even surprised the learn the Canadian Forces operated in the Arctic. It's a situation that doesn't bode well for the future of the Canadian military. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/with-canadians-tuned-out-on-defence-political-parties-can-safely-ignore-the-topic-at-election-time