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Today

Today

Colleagues and Partners in Defence, Like most of Canada's business and industry sectors, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on much of our work here at the Department of National Defence over the past 18-months. Nonetheless our teams have been working diligently to ensure that key projects continue to move forward so our members in uniform have the equipment they need, and so Canadian industry has a sustainable workload. While the full impact of the pandemic is not yet known, we are now sharing updated information about our key, major equipment procurement projects that reflects the effects of the first year of COVID-19. As you will see in the documents attached we continue to evaluate the effects of the pandemic and any changes these may bring to project schedules or costs. Some of the main changes that you will notice include: A potential delay of 16 months to the delivery of the final Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship due to work adjustments caused by COVID-19 and other programmatic considerations. This should not impact operations, or production of future ships at the same shipyard, but we continue to monitor the schedule closely. Significant progress on the Joint Support Ship, with 122 of 123 blocks of the first ship under construction. Since the documents attached were prepared, progress has continued and all 123 blocks are under construction or substantially complete. Based on this, we expect the delivery of the first ship as planned, in 2023. Progress on the Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue Aircraft Replacement Project, with six aircraft now accepted in Spain, two of which have been delivered to Canada. This keeps us on track with our plan for initial operational capability in 2022. Significant changes to the Cormorant Mid-Life Upgrade Project, as the original proposal was found unaffordable. We continue to work with the original equipment manufacturer to find an acceptable solution, but this will likely cause some delays to the project. Continued production of the Armoured Combat Support Vehicle, with fourteen vehicles now produced, which keeps us on track for initial operational capability in 2023. Since the documents attached were prepared, production has continued, and a total of 22 vehicles have now rolled off the production line. Completion of the Medium Support Vehicle System Project and Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle. Now that all vehicles have been received, and full operational capability has been achieved, this project will now be considered closed. Our webpages will be updated in the coming days to reflect this latest information, and will continue to be updated should any changes develop in the future. You can always access information about all our major equipment procurements at https://www.canada.ca/en/services/defence/defence-equipment-purchases-upgrades.html. We welcome your questions and commentary, and hope that you will continue to be involved in this effort as it evolves. Vance White C.V. (Vance) White, CD Acting Director Directorate of Outreach and Speechwriting [DOAS] | Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs) [ADM(PA)] Department of National Defence | Government of Canada Vance.White@forces.gc.ca | C: 613-222-3272