August 18, 2020 | Local, Aerospace
Aug 17, 2020
U.S. and fighter jets will be conducting will conduct air defense exercises in the Arctic region, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
The details were given in a media release, to announce North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct an air defense exercise from August 17-21, ranging from the Beaufort Sea to Thule, Greenland.
The exercise will include Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter aircraft, CP-140 long-range patrol aircraft, and a CC-150T air refueler; as well as United States Air Force F-15 fighter aircraft, KC-10 refueler, and C-17 transport aircraft. The exercise will be based out of 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta; and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
Exercise flights will be conducted over sparsely populated Arctic areas and at high altitudes. The public is not likely to see or hear the exercises; however, there will be increased flight activity at Yellowknife. This exercise is in no way related to the Government of Canada or United States' response to COVID-19.
NORAD routinely conducts exercises with a variety of scenarios including airspace restriction violations, hijackings and responses to unknown aircraft. NORAD carefully plans and closely controls all exercises. This air defense exercise provides us the opportunity to hone our skills as Canadian and U.S. forces operate together with our allies and partners in the Arctic.
NORAD has implemented preventative measures including regular hand sanitation, physical distancing, and wearing of face masks in situations where physical distancing is not possible to mitigate potential risk of exposure to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) by military members and the local population. In addition, participating U.S. military personnel require two negative COVID-19 tests prior to arriving in Canada, and all military personnel positioned at forward operating locations will be isolated on the base.
For more than 60 years, NORAD has identified and intercepted potential air threats to North America through the execution of the command's aerospace warning and aerospace control missions. NORAD also keeps watch over Canadian and U.S. internal waterways and maritime approaches under its maritime warning mission.
April 1, 2024 | Local, Land
Yesterday, approximately 70 Canadian Armed Forces members deployed to Jamaica. At the request of the Jamaican government, they will provide training to military personnel from Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nations who are set to deploy to Haiti as part of the United Nations-authorized, Kenyan-led, Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission.
October 26, 2018 | Local, Security
Top forensic scientist unveiled as Canada 150 Research Chair at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières October 26, 2018 – Trois-Rivières, Quebec Canada is the destination of choice for some of the world's leading scientists and scholars. If we want to build a country that is bold and innovative, we must rely on the breakthroughs of Canadian scientists and their counterparts around the world. Today, at an unveiling ceremony at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, on behalf of the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, celebrated Dr. Shari Louise Forbes, the Canada 150 Research Chair in Forensic Thanatology. Dr. Forbes, who comes from the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research, is investigating post-mortem changes in the body to find out how Canada's unique environment affects decomposition rates. Her forensic research will enhance the recovery, identification and repatriation of human remains in cases of missing persons, homicide, mass disasters and war crime. Dr. Forbes is among the 25 newly recruited Canada 150 Research Chairs announced by Minister Duncan earlier this year. Of the 25 chairs, 60% are women and 40% are Canadian researchers choosing to return to Canada to carry out their ambitious research programs. The chairs will have the opportunity to recruit students from Canada and beyond who will help them further their work in disciplines such as chemistry, microbiology, evolutionary genomics and psychology. The Government of Canada has made science a priority, investing $4 billion in basic science through Budget 2018 that will further our capacity to innovate and lead to the jobs of the future. Quotes “Canada supports science and our scientists who work so hard to make Canada a leader in research and innovation. Dr. Forbes' work will further enhance Quebec's reputation on the world stage as a leader in specialized forensic research to help police officials identify the remains of loved ones that died from criminal intent or mass disasters.” – The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities “It is a privilege to celebrate our new Canada 150 Research Chairs, whose contributions to research will help support a stronger economy and a growing middle class. Their arrival also represents a brain gain for our country, a country that is earning its reputation for being open, diverse and welcoming to the scientists and strivers of the world.” – The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport “We believe Canada is truly one of the best places in the world to conduct innovative, cutting-edge research that can harness the power of human ingenuity and creativity to advance our collective goals. Our Canada 150 chairholders are evidence of Canada's success in attracting top international talent, and we are proud that they have chosen Canada as the best place to pursue their groundbreaking research and to mentor and train graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who will become the next generation of leaders in all areas of our society and economy.” –Ted Hewitt, President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada “We are very proud to have obtained this prestigious Canada 150 Research Chair. Only 25 chairs of this type have been awarded in Canada, 4 of which are in Quebec, to mark the country's 150th anniversary. We are also thrilled that internationally renowned Dr. Shari Forbes chose to continue her work at UQTR. Our university will therefore continue to build on its reputation in forensics, while establishing new partnerships here and abroad. In addition to training the next generation of forensic scientists, the Chair's team will undoubtedly contribute to the success of police investigations.” – Daniel McMahon, Rector, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Quick facts In Budget 2017, the Government of Canada invested $117.6 million to launch the Canada 150 Research Chairs competition, a one-time funding program designed to boost Canada's brain gain. Funds supporting the Canada 150 Research Chairs come from the three granting agencies: the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The chairs are created for seven-year terms and receive either $350,000 per year or $1 million per year depending on their research. The Canada Foundation for Innovation is providing additional investments of over $830,000 to support the Canada 150 Research Chairs. The investment in the Canada 150 Research Chairs Program is aligned with the government's overall support for science, which includes more than $4 billion in funding for basic science. Associated links Canada 150 Research Chairs Program Canada 150 Research Chairholders Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Contacts Follow the Canada 150 Research Chairs on Twitter: @CRC_CRC Nyree St-Denis Communications Advisor Office of the Minister of Science and Sport 343-291-4051 nyree.st-denis@canada.ca Media Relations Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada 343-291-1777 ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca Ann-Clara Vaillancourt Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities 613-697-3778 ann-clara.vaillancourt@canada.ca https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2018/10/a-brain-gain-for-quebec.html
November 30, 2018 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Murray Brewster · CBC News The last couple of weeks may go down in the Trudeau government's public record as the point when the desires of deliverology met the drawbacks of defence procurement. Remember 'deliverology'? That lofty concept — measuring a government's progress in delivering on its promises — was the vogue in policy circles at the beginning of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's administration. While it's sometimes derided as an empty concept, deliverology must have seemed tailor-made for a new government inheriting a troubled defence procurement system. The Canadian International Trade Tribunal's decision Tuesday to step into the brawl over which multinational consortium will design and support the construction of the navy's new frigates is another lesson in how (apologies to Robert Burns) the best laid plans of mice and men go awry. The tribunal's decision to order Ottawa to put the frigate project on hold pending the completion of their probe into a complaint by a failed bidder comes at a politically awkward time for the Liberals. One week ago, Auditor General Michael Ferguson delivered an ugly report on the Liberals' handling of fighter jet procurement — specifically, the plan to buy interim warplanes to cover the gap until the current CF-18 fleet can be replaced with new aircraft. Self-inflicted wounds A cynic's reflex (given the checkered history of defence purchasing over the last decade) might be to consider these two events as just another day at the office for the troubled government procurement system. That might not be entirely fair. Still, experts were saying Wednesday that the government is suffering from numerous self-inflicted political and administrative wounds on this file. With a federal election on the horizon, and in a climate of growing geopolitical instability, the question of what the government has actually managed to deliver on military procurement is an important one to ask, said Rob Huebert, an analyst in strategic studies at the University of Calgary. While the system, as the Trudeau Liberals and previous governments have constructed it, seems to be the perfect model of the "evidence based" policy making promised by the champions of deliverology, it's also not built for speed. Some would suggest the deliverology model was followed to the letter in the design competition now tied up before the trade tribunal and in Federal Court. What seemed like endless consultations with the bidders took two years. The government made up to 88 amendments to the tender. And in the end, the preferred bid was challenged by a competitor that claims not all of the navy's criteria were met. Alion Science and Technology Corp. and its subsidiary, Alion Canada, argue the warship Lockheed Martin Canada and BAE System Inc. want to sell to Ottawa cannot meet the speed requirements set by the tender without a substantial overhaul. It does not, the company claims, meet the government's demand for a proven, largely off-the-shelf design. Michael Armstrong, who teaches at Brock University and holds a doctorate in management science, said the government could have avoided the challenges and accompanying slowdowns had it been more precise in its language. "They could have been more clear and firm when they use the words 'proven design'," he said. "Did they literally mean we won't buy ships unless they're floating in the water? Or did they mean that British one that doesn't quite exist yet is close enough? "If they would have been more firm and said, 'We want a ship that actually exists,' that might have simplified things at this stage." Huebert described the auditor general's report on the purchase of interim fighters as an all-out assault on evidence-based policy making. "It is just so damning," he said. A break with reality The Conservatives have accused the Liberals of avoiding the purchase of the F-35 stealth jet through manufacturing a crisis by claiming the air force doesn't have enough fighters to meet its international commitments. The auditor found that the military could not meet the government's new policy commitment and even ignored advice that one of its proposed solutions — buying brand-new Super Hornets to fill the capability gap —would actually make their problems worse, not better. That statement, said Huebert, suggested a jaw-dropping break with reality on the government's part. "They [the Liberals] were just making things up," he said. It might have been too optimistic to expect the Liberals to fix the system, said Armstrong, given the short four years between elections. But Huebert said Ottawa can't carry on with business as usual — that the government now must deliver on procurement, instead of doubling down on rhetoric. The problem, he said, is that governments haven't really paid a price in the past for botched military procurement projects. There was "no political pain for the agony of the Sea King replacement, as an example," he said, referring to the two-decade long process to retire the air force's maritime helicopters. "The thing that makes me so concerned, even outraged, is that we are heading into a so much more dangerous international environment," said Huebert, citing last weekend's clash between Russia and Ukraine over the Kerch Strait and ongoing tension with Beijing in the South China Sea. "When things get nasty, we have to be ready." https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/why-can-t-ottawa-get-military-procurement-right-1.4924800