November 26, 2019 | Local, Other Defence

U.S. sent ‘blunt’ letter to Canada criticizing defence spending: sources

BY MERCEDES STEPHENSON AND KERRI BREEN

Canada has been officially called out by the United States over how much it spends on the military, Global News has learned.

A “blunt” letter from the U.S. government was delivered to the Department of National Defence that criticized Canadian defence spending levels and repeated American demands that Canada meet NATO targets.

Global News has not seen the letter — said to have a frustrated, critical tone — but multiple sources have confirmed it was sent and received.

U.S. President Donald Trump has long called for members of the 29-nation military alliance to beef up their budgets for defence.

His national security adviser Robert O'Brien, who spoke Saturday at the Halifax International Security Forum, said getting NATO members to meet the established target — two per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) — is an urgent priority.

“There are very serious threats to our freedom and our security and if NATO is going to be effective, and if we want to put our money where our talk is, we got to spend that money to defend ourselves,” he said.

Nations including Canada agreed at the 2014 NATO summit in Wales to move towards the military spending target within a decade, he noted.

“We expect our friends and our colleagues to live up to their commitments and their promises,” he said.

He also praised Canada's plan to build and deploy Arctic patrol vessels.

The North, he said, is going to be the new “frontline” of defence, as Russia and China have made it clear they are going to militarize the Arctic.

One Canadian source told Global News that the U.S. is concerned that Canada does not take the threat from those countries in the Arctic seriously and wants the country to boost its contributions in that area.

Just seven countries — including the U.S. and the U.K. — have met NATO's two per cent of GDP spending goal, according to figures released in June.

NATO's estimates show Canada is expected to spend 1.27 per cent of its GDP on the military this year, up from about one per cent in 2014.

Canada does fare better when you look at its defence budget in dollars and cents, said Dave Perry, vice president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. The country spends the sixth highest amount overall among NATO members on its military.

As for meeting the percentage of GDP target, Perry's not optimistic despite planned increases in the defence budget.

“Canada is not on a path to live up to the commitments that we were signing up for in 2014 in Wales,” he said.

Last year, Canada spent about $22.9 billion on the Department of National Defence.

But Ottawa intends to dramatically boost military spending in the coming years. In 2017, the government released a plan to increase the budget to almost $33 billion annually within a decade.

Asked about the letter from the U.S., Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan touted this plan to strengthen spending. Discussions around “burden sharing” within the bloc have been happening for some time, he said.

He noted that under the government's plan, the defence budget would see an increase of 70 per cent, a “significant amount.”

“The relationship with Canada and the U.S., the defence relationship, I think, is even stronger now, because they see a tangible plan that we have created,” he said on an episode of The West Block that aired Sunday.

“It's working, actually, extremely well.”

The U.S. sending such a letter is an unusual, formal means of relaying a message, and it represents an escalation from previous attempts to get Canada to spend more on its military.

That pressure has been increasing in recent weeks ahead of the NATO summit in London starting on Dec. 3.

In fact, the same message has been conveyed in multiple ways to the federal government, a diplomatic source said, and NATO itself also wants to see more military spending from Canada.

In July, however, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg suggested publicly he was happy with improvements in Canadian defence spending.

“Under your leadership,” he said to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, ”Canada has stepped up its contributions to our NATO alliance including with forces for NATO missions and operations and increased spending.”

But one former defence minister said the letter from the U.S. — NATO's leader in defence spending in relation to its GDP — was not a good sign.

Peter MacKay said such a letter amounts to “a very serious diplomatic slap — not on the wrist, but in the face.”

During his time in government, the former Nova Scotia Conservative MP said he had talks with defence secretaries regarding Canadian military spending and the country's goal of reaching two per cent.

“Those discussions can be forceful and frank but they took place face to face,” said MacKay, who was defence minister for six years under former prime minister Stephen Harper.

“Sending a démarche (diplomatic letter) is really ratcheting it up a notch.”

https://globalnews.ca/news/6210623/canada-defence-spending-nato/

On the same subject

June 29, 2023 | Local, Other Defence

Defence Minister Anita Anand meets with British counterpart and announces NATO naval deployment
June 29, 2023 – London, United Kingdom – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence, met with the Right Honourable Ben Wallace, the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Defence, in London. Minister Anand thanked Secretary Wallace for the United Kingdom’s hosting of Canadian Armed Forces members deployed on Operation UNIFIER to train Ukrainian troops, and for its hosting of the Royal Canadian Air Force detachment in Prestwick, Scotland, which has delivered over ten million pounds of Ukraine-bound military aid. During their meeting, the Ministers discussed priorities for the upcoming North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Vilnius, including reinforcing NATO’s Eastern Flank, military assistance for Ukraine, and NATO’s deterrence and defence posture. Minister Anand also announced that on July 3, Canada will deploy His Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Shawinigan and Summerside from their home port of Halifax, Nova Scotia to join Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) on Operation REASSURANCE. Both ships have embarked Royal Canadian Navy clearance diving teams from Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic & Pacific, and mine countermeasure search capabilities using autonomous underwater vehicles. The contribution of two Kingston-class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDV) to SNMCMG1 demonstrates Canada’s ongoing commitment to NATO’s high readiness continuous at-sea presence, and the Royal Canadian Navy’s leadership in strengthening security throughout European waters. During her visit to the United Kingdom, Minister Anand also delivered remarks to members of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), where she highlighted Canada’s military support to Ukraine, Canadian defence modernization, and challenges and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific. In addition, Minister Anand met with Mr. Charles Woodburn, Chief Executive Officer of BAE Systems; spoke with the Right Honourable David Lammy, Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs; and visited Liphook School where she met with students aged 8-9, who are researching a Canadian training camp that existed in Bramshott during the First World War. Canada and the United Kingdom enjoy a longstanding, close-knit, and collaborative defence relationship forged through our shared values and beliefs. Quotes “The United Kingdom is one of Canada’s closest and most important Allies. I thank Secretary Wallace for his warm welcome during my first official visit to the United Kingdom as Canada’s Minister of National Defence, and for the productive discussions on a range of mutual priorities. Our two countries are leaders in supporting Ukraine, and as dedicated members of the NATO Alliance, we will continue to stand united in the face of new security challenges.” - The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence Quick facts The defence and security relationship between Canada and the UK is rooted in history and fostered by the fact that Canada and the UK are Allies in NATO and engage in close cooperation in international organizations, including the United Nations and the Commonwealth, among others. The deep bond between Canada and the UK has been forged in peace and war, notably through the two World Wars, Korea, and in almost every major conflict for more than a century, including Afghanistan and Libya. Since August 2022, Canadian Armed Forces personnel deployed in the UK have trained approximately 2000 Armed Forces of Ukraine recruits, in collaboration with the UK’s Operation INTERFLEX. The Canadian-led courses last several weeks and focus on topics such as weapons handling, battlefield first aid, fieldcraft, patrol tactics, and the Law of Armed Conflict. Since the beginning of 2022, Canada has committed over $8 billion in aid to Ukraine, including over $1.5 billion in military assistance. This includes 288 AIM-7 missiles, 10,000 rounds of 105mm artillery ammunition, eight Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and one armoured recovery vehicle, a National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) with associated munitions, 39 armoured combat support vehicles, anti-tank weapons, small arms, M777 howitzers and associated ammunition, high-resolution drone cameras, winter clothing, and more. Canada also will join the Leopard 2 Maintenance and Service Centre in Poland and will contribute to multinational efforts to train pilots, and maintain and support Ukraine’s F-16s, leveraging Canadian expertise in these areas. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2023/06/defence-minister-anita-anand-meets-with-british-counterpart-and-announces-nato-naval-deployment.html
December 21, 2020 | Local, Naval

Editorial: Choppy waters for Canada's warship program
The Canadian Surface Combatant project is moored in layers of unnecessary secrecy. Information that has trickled out has been fragmented and contradictory. This suggests anything but smooth sailing. Author of the article: Editorial Board Perhaps, one day, Canada will have 15 splendid new warships, outfitted with cutting-edge technology, that boost our naval security, create thousands of high-quality jobs and offer myriad industrial benefits. But meanwhile, the project to build the Canadian Surface Combatant vessels remains moored in layers of unnecessary secrecy. The information journalists and the Parliamentary Budget Officer have gleaned to-date has been fragmented and contradictory. This suggests anything but smooth sailing. For one thing, there is the issue of cost. The plan to construct the warships has navigated its way through federal governments since the 1990s, but won't start until 2023. It has been delayed time and again; project requirements have changed; and most significantly, the price estimate has soared. Let's start there. The original $14-billion estimate for these ships is now around $70 billion, according to experts. And, as explained by the Citizen's David Pugliese, officials have done everything possible to keep these swelling costs under wraps. While MPs focus on scandals such as the WE Charity debacle (which involved just under $1 billion in grants), there's been little serious parliamentary scrutiny of the spiralling costs of our new-age warships. Next came allegations of bid-rigging (strenuously denied by the government) from some potential contractors, after the procurement rules were changed. In one legal filing, a company noted the parameters of the CSC project has been altered 88 times during the process. Third, while politicians and bureaucrats have argued there will be thousands of high-paying jobs and other industrial benefits, insiders are more dubious. There are no consequences to contractors who don't meet job targets. What is truly scandalous about the shipbuilding affair, however, is the blind insistence on secrecy from all levels of government. Canadian taxpayers will be on the hook for $70 billion (and perhaps more, by the time the first ship sails). Yet journalists from this news organization and others have seen straightforward questions go unanswered; have been threatened with lawsuits; or have had access-to-information queries (that's the law designed to get answers out of government) stalled for years. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has been refused information that was nonetheless shared by government with lobbyists and potential contractors. Project defenders may deride those who raise problems. Yet with so much secrecy, it is impossible for a thinking voter to feel full confidence that the government is competently steering one of its most important files: the nation's defence. Such stonewalling reeks of confusion or incompetence. It's unacceptable in a liberal democracy, and must change. https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/editorial-choppy-waters-for-canadas-warship-program
August 20, 2018 | Local, Naval

New contracts will improve capabilities on Royal Canadian Navy frigates
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The Canadian government announced two contracts Friday for improvements to the Halifax-class frigates. The contracts are related to the Reprogrammable Advance Multimode Shipboard Electronic Countermeasures System (RAMSES), an electronic attack system that protects the modernized Halifax-class frigates against radio frequency guided missiles, and MASS, an integral part of the anti-ship missile defence suite. RAMSES employs jamming signals to track and distract anti-ship missiles from hitting the ship, according to the Royal Canadian Navy. MASS is a firing system used to launch decoys to project vessels against anti-ship missiles guided by radio frequency, laser and infrared seekers. A $94.2-million contract has been awarded to Lockheed Martin Canada to maintain and overhaul, the Reprogrammable Advance Multimode Shipboard Electronic Countermeasures System. A $21.1-million contract was awarded to Rheinmetall Canada to procure and install a third launcher on the frigates, improving the current MASS configuration. The RAMSES contract will be valid until the late 2030s, if all options are exercised, according to the RCN. The MASS replaced the obsolete SHIELD system. The installation of a third launcher will enable 360° anti-ship missile defence coverage for the Halifax-class frigates. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/new-contracts-will-improve-capabilities-on-royal-canadian-navy-frigates

All news