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Backgrounder From National Defence December 12, 2017 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces Canada recently announced its decision to purchase Australian F-18 aircraft to supplement the current fleet of fighter aircraft. These aircraft are of similar age and design to Canada's CF-18 fleet and can be integrated quickly with minimal modifications, training and infrastructure changes. In order to integrate these aircraft into Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) operations, the following steps will be taken. Once complete, the aircraft purchased from Australia will integrate seamlessly with the current CF-18 fleet. Life extension and upgrade The Australian F-18 aircraft will be modified and undergo the technical work to be brought to a similar configuration to Canada's CF-18 aircraft, and to ensure that they will be available to supplement the CF-18 fleet until the future fighter fleet is procured. Canada has extensive experience doing this with our current fleet of fighter jets. Modifications and maintenance of the current CF-18 fleet will continue to be required. The Government of Canada has evaluated the required work and associated costs to sustain the current fleet and these additional aircraft. Over the years, both Australia and Canada have made significant investments in the development of structural modifications and capability that have allowed the structural life of our respective F-18s to be extended. More recently however, Canada invested in the development of additional structural modifications that Australia did not. These modifications are currently being applied to Canadian aircraft, and will also be applied to Australian aircraft acquired by Canada thereby allowing a further life extension. These aircraft are currently being employed in operations. Inspections have confirmed that they can be life extended and upgraded to the level of our current fleet. Acquiring spare parts Part of the purchase from the Australian government will include spare parts to help sustain these additional aircraft and the existing CF-18 fleet until the future fighter fleet is operational. Canada also has an existing supply chain for F-18 parts that we will continue to use. Training and personnel Training for the Australian F-18 is identical to that which is required for the present fleet of CF-18s. More aircraft will require more pilots and more technicians to maintain the aircraft. As outlined in Strong, Secure, Engaged, energized retention and recruitment efforts are underway to meet these personnel requirements. Operations Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, requires the Canadian Armed Forces to fulfil missions at home, in North America, and elsewhere in the world, concurrently. With respect to Canada's fighter capability, the Royal Canadian Air Force must be able to provide a number of mission-ready planes to fully and simultaneously meet Canada's commitments to both NORAD and NATO. Canada does not currently have the aircraft or personnel to fully meet these commitments simultaneously. The supplementation of additional aircraft will provide required capacity to meet our obligation in a seamless way with our current fleet. The first supplemental aircraft are expected to be available for operational employment in the early 2020s, after structural upgrades are completed to match the CF-18 fleet. Infrastructure The aircraft will be employed at 3 Wing Bagotville and 4 Wing Cold Lake. DND is currently reviewing infrastructure requirements to accommodate the additional aircraft. Any modifications are expected to be minimal as the supplemental jets are of similar age and design to the CF-18. Related Products News Release: Canada announces plan to replace fighter jet fleet Backgrounder: Engagement with Industry and Allied Partners Backgrounder: The Procurement Process Defined: Replacing Canada's CF-18 Fleet Backgrounder: Ensuring Economic Benefits for Canada Backgrounder: The Role of Canada's CF-18 Fighter Fleet Associated Links CF-188 Hornet Contacts Media Relations Department of National Defence Phone: 613-996-2353 Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2017/12/integrating_australianjetsintothecurrentroyalcanadianairforcefig.html

'The laser can temporarily blind the pilot ... putting all people aboard the aircraft at serious risk' CBC News Posted: Dec 07, 2017 7:15 AM MT Last Updated: Dec 07, 2017 7:15 AM MT A pilot bound for the Villeneuve Airport northwest of Edmonton was able to navigate a safe landing after a green laser was pointed at the plane Wednesday night. The aircraft was flying somewhere over Sturgeon County when the pilot realized someone was pointing a green laser at the plane, Morinville RCMP said in a statement. RCMP said it's extremely fortunate that no one was hurt. Laser strikes on an aircraft are extremely dangerous, police said. "The laser can temporarily blind the pilot, create intense glare that affects the pilot's vision and distract the pilot, putting all people aboard the aircraft at serious risk." RCMP were notified of the incident by Nav Canada, the private operator of Canada's civil air navigation service. Police did not provide any details on the plane, how many passengers were on board, or if the pilot required medical attention. 'It's a disturbing statistic' Last year, the federal government launched a social media campaign focused on the issue of people pointing lasers at planes. The number of laser incidents reported to Transport Canada has increased in the last few years: In 2014, there were 502 so-called laser strike incidents on planes, a 43-per-cent increase since 2012. According to Transport Canada, there were more than 500 reported laser strikes in 2016. "It's a disturbing statistic," RCMP said. "It means the safety of pilots, crew and passengers were put at risk 500 times that year. Pointing a laser at an aircraft is illegal and a criminal offence." The punishment for anyone caught shining a laser at an aircraft is a fine of up to $100,000, five years in prison, or both. RCMP are asking anyone with information on the incident to contact the Morinville detachment or Crime Stoppers. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/villeneuve-airport-edmonton-laser-plane-investigation-1.4437107

PARIS, ROME, and VICTORIA, British Columbia — Naval Group and Fincantieri are out of the running to compete in Canada's program to acquire a fleet of new surface combatants after they failed to submit a bid through the formal process and instead sent a proposal directly to the Canadian government. The companies had offered Canada a proposal to construct 15 ships at Irving Shipbuilding in Nova Scotia for a fixed cost. But the proposal circumvented the government's procurement procedure, which required formal bids to be submitted to Irving by Nov. 30. Naval Group and Fincantieri did not follow that requirement. The Canadian government announced Tuesday it had rejected the proposal from the two firms. “The submission of an unsolicited proposal at the final hour undermines the fair and competitive nature of this procurement suggesting a sole source contracting arrangement,” Public Services and Procurement Canada, or PSPC, which is overseeing the procurement, said in a statement. “Acceptance of such a proposal would break faith with the bidders who invested time and effort to participate in the competitive process, put at risk the Government's ability to properly equip the Royal Canadian Navy and would establish a harmful precedent for future competitive procurements.” Canada's decision effectively removes Naval Group and Fincantieri from taking part in the program since the companies never submitted a formal bid, government officials noted. Public Services and Procurement Canada declined to say how many bids were received for the Canadian Surface Combatant project. Besides a bid from the BAE-Lockheed Martin Canada consortium for the Type 26 frigate, only two other companies have acknowledged bidding. A team led by Alion Canada is offering the Dutch De Zeven Provinciën-class air-defense and command frigate. The Spanish shipyard, Navantia, has submitted a bid based on its F-105 frigate design. Canada expects to make a decision on the winning bid sometime in 2018. The program to build 15 new warships is estimated to be worth CAN$62 billion (U.S. $49 billion). The program was originally estimated to cost CAN$26 billion, but that figure has been revised a number of times and has been climbing steadily over the last several years. Fincantieri and Naval Group had hoped the proposal of a fixed price tag of about CAN$30 billion for a new fleet might sway the Liberal government, as it would eliminate much of the risk and would offer a proven warship design. The proposal had the backing of the French and Italian governments and was made directly to Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan. Naval Group and Fincantieri took note Canada had rejected their joint bid that filed outside the competition for a frigate fleet, but they were still ready to offer the design of their warship for local assembly, the companies said Wednesday. “We acknowledge the position expressed by the Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) not to take into consideration the offers submitted outside the process of the Canadian Surface Combatant program (CSC) Request For Proposal (RFP),” Naval Group and Fincantieri said. “Nevertheless, Naval Group and Fincantieri remain at the disposal of Canada to contribute to the modernization of Canadian forces with a sea-proven warship, currently in service with the French and Italian Navies, that would minimize the scheduling gaps for design and construction of all the ships in Canada and maximize value for money,” the companies said. Asked on Wednesday how Fincantieri and Naval Group will react to Canada's rejection, Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono declined to give a direct response but did suggest there might be room for compromise. “We don't want to take risks,” he said, adding: “we need to see what makes sense” and “the customer is always right.” In addition, he said the design of the ship offered to Canada would be more similar to the Italian version than the French. “We have made a joint offer of a FREMM, which is close to the Italian version if only because Italy has an anti-submarine warfare version,” he said. The terms of the Canadian competition posed a problem as the tender required bidders to hand over intellectual property and there was danger it might end up in the wrong hands, an analyst said. “The problem from the outset is how the Liberals have set the competition,” said Robbin Laird, of consultancy International Communications and Strategic Assessments, based in Paris and the Washington, D.C., area. “One would think that with ... the U.S. and Australia launching new frigates as well as the French and Italians working on a new frigate program, the approach would be to leverage the allied global recapitalization effort,” he added. “Yet what the Canadian government has focused upon is simply forcing competitors to provide intellectual property to their own Canadian shipyard without any real protection against leakage of that technology to China or to other competitors.” In their direct bid to the Canadian government, the European partners offered a speedy start of shipbuilding in 2019, which they said would help sustain local jobs. A frigate generally takes about four years to build. The Franco-Italian frigate was offered with the Thales Sea Fire radar, a multifunction digital system, an industry executive said. Naval Group offered its Senit combat management system, with Fincantieri delivering the ship design. Thales developed the flat-paneled Sea Fire for the FTI, an intermediate frigate ordered for the French Navy and aimed mainly for export markets. Anti-submarine systems included Thales Captas hull-mounted and towed array sonars, specialist website Mer et Marine reported. The weapons could include a 127mm gun and two vertical launchers for surface-to-air missiles, which would likely be Aster but would also be available for American weapons. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2017/12/06/bold-move-backfires-as-canada-declines-naval-group-fincantieri-frigate-offering/

DANIEL LEBLANC OTTAWA PUBLISHED DECEMBER 8, 2017UPDATED 3 DAYS AGO The French and Italian governments are officially backing an unsolicited proposal to supply 15 military vessels to the Royal Canadian Navy outside of the ongoing competition for the $60-billion contract, documents show. The French and Italian ministers of defence submitted a letter last month to their Canadian counterpart, Harjit Sajjan, stating that they "fully support" the joint bid by Naval Group and Fincantieri to replace the RCN's existing frigates and retired destroyers. The support from the French and Italian governments could give additional weight to the long-shot proposal, which aims to bypass the official procurement process for new Canadian Surface Combatants. "Under the umbrella of an intergovernmental agreement, we will provide project management support so that the Royal Canadian Navy can operate the purchased warships, sustain their operational capabilities and manage their evolving capabilities throughout their entire lifecycle," said the letter from French Defence Minister Florence Parly and Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti. The submission from Naval and Fincantieri has shaken up the process put in place by the federal government to acquire 15 new vessels. Halifax-based Irving Shipbuilding Inc. is the government's prime contractor, with a competition under way to select a warship design. Defence-industry sources said the leading contender in the process is a joint bid by U.S.-based Lockheed Martin and British-based BAE Systems. The same sources said only three of the 12 prequalified bidders submitted a formal proposal by the Nov. 30 deadline, a number the federal government will not confirm. Under Canada's defence policy unveiled earlier this year, the federal government is planning to get its first Canadian Surface Combatant in 2026, with the entire project costing between $56-billion and $60-billion. Under the Franco-Italian proposal, the 15 vessels would also be built at the Irving shipyard. Based on production costs in Europe, the two companies said they could provide the vessels to the Canadian government for $20.9-billion (€13.8-billion), with construction starting in late 2019. The bid from Naval and Fincantieri was unsolicited, essentially relying on the possibility that none of the bidders under the existing process will be deemed compliant. The defence-industry sources described the offer as a "Hail Mary" that could succeed if the ongoing process unravels, like many previous military procurements. "Everything depends with what happens with the process that is under way right now," said David Perry, senior analyst at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. "If they can get two compliant bids or ideally all three ... I wouldn't see a need to go back and do a comparison with the [Naval/Fincantieri] bid." The federal government said this week that it will not even analyze the unsolicited bid. "To be clear, any proposals submitted outside of the established competitive process will not be considered," Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) said in a statement. "The submission of an unsolicited proposal at the final hour undermines the fair and competitive nature of this procurement suggesting a sole-source contracting arrangement. Acceptance of such a proposal would break faith with the bidders who invested time and effort to participate in the competitive process, put at risk the government's ability to properly equip the Royal Canadian Navy and would establish a harmful precedent for future competitive procurements," the statement said. In addition, the government rejected the notion that the Franco-Italian bid could generate significant savings, stating that the acquisition of the ships accounts for only about half of the price tag. "It is important to note that a warship project budget must cover more than just delivering the ships. It must also include the costs associated with design and definition work, infrastructure, spare parts, training, ammunition, contingencies and project management," PSPC said. The Naval/Fincantieri proposal is based on the European multimission frigate program, under which the two firms are supplying 18 ships to the French and Italian navies. The two companies said their "off-the-shelf solution" is less risky than other projects still in development. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/french-and-italian-governments-endorse-long-shot-bid-for-15-new-military-ships/article37275099/ CSC

December 6, 2017 – 8 WING TRENTON, Ont – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces Canada's new defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, reaffirms the government's commitment to providing the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces with the support and equipment they need to do their jobs. Today, in support of this commitment, Member of Parliament Neil Ellis announced on behalf of Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan that 8 Wing Trenton is the first location to take possession of the new fire trucks. Known as the Aerial Fire Fighting Vehicle (AFFV) these modern trucks provide fire fighting capabilities, rescue and casualty evacuation to a height of 35 meters. They feature a casualty recovery platform that previous vehicles didn't have. The vehicles were procured to fight fires on modern infrastructure found on Bases and Wings including fires in ammunition and fuel containment areas. The new fire trucks will replace some of the current vehicles that have been in use since the mid-90s and that have exceeded their life expectancy. They will add to those firefighting fleets that do not have the capabilities the AFFV will bring. In June 2016, a contract was awarded to Aréo-Feu based in Longueuil, Québec to supply the vehicles. A total of nine new vehicles will be delivered to Bases and Wings across Canada. The last vehicle is expected to be delivered in April 2018, with an option to purchase three more vehicles. Quotes “Modernizing the equipment the Canadian Armed Forces rely on to do their jobs is a key priority for the Government of Canada. I am pleased to see that the new Aerial Fire Fighting Vehicle is being delivered to Bases and Wings across the country.” – Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan “It is great news that the first delivery of the new Aerial Fire Fighting Vehicle occurred here at 8 Wing Trenton. More importantly, this is good news for the firefighters and emergency services workers who will use this modern vehicle in service to the 8 Wing Trenton community.” – Neil Ellis, Member of Parliament for Bay of Quinte Quick Facts The $18.7 million contract for these vehicles was awarded to Aréo-Feu based in Longueuil, Québec, after a fair, open and transparent competition. A total of nine new vehicles will be delivered to Bases and Wings across Canada with an option for three more. First delivery began in November 2017 with final delivery expected for April 2018. The following Bases and Wings will each receive one new Aerial Fire Fighting Vehicles: 4 Wing Cold Lake, 3 Wing Bagotville, 8 Wing Trenton, 19 Wing Comox, 14 Wing Greenwood, CFB Suffield, CFB Shilo, CFB Gagetown and CFB Esquimalt. Contacts Byrne Furlong Press Secretary Office of the Minister of National Defence 613-996-3100 Media Relations Department of National Defence Phone: 613-996-2353 Toll-Free: 1-866-377-0811 https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2017/12/new_fire_trucks_forthecanadianarmedforces.html

A New Approach to Innovation for Defence and Security The Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program will support research to help solve Canada's challenges in defence and security. IDEaS will: provide financial support to innovators and researchers to perform research, generate knowledge or solve problems to address defence and security challenges that DND and security partners will identify; support research and development (R&D) networks to address such challenges; and support innovation from problem definition to early adoption of the solution. How is IDEaS different? The IDEaS Program will introduce new approaches by: facilitating partnership opportunities between innovators, industry and other defence and security stakeholders; providing ongoing calls for innovation to highlight emerging requirements and opportunities for innovators to engage in defence and security challenges; supporting projects to allow for development of promising ideas; acquiring limited pre-production quantities of innovations to be evaluated in operational settings; and using a web portal to broadcast defence and security challenges to recruit appropriate S&T expertise across academia, industry, government and other partners. Why is IDEAS necessary? Innovative technology, knowledge, and problem solving are critical for Canada and its allies to mitigate new threats, stay ahead of potential adversaries, and meet evolving defence and security needs. In this environment, Canada's defence and security stakeholders need a fundamentally new approach to innovation to allow them to better tap into the extraordinary talent and ingenuity resident across the country. The IDEaS program will launch a number of coordinated new initiatives that will transform the way we generate solutions to complex problems. Launch of the IDEaS Program is expected in Fall 2017. More details about the program will be forthcoming. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/programs/defence-ideas.html

Offering the most advanced and modern warship design with Canadian-developed combat and platform systems, BAE Systems, CAE, Lockheed Martin Canada, L3 Technologies, MDA, and Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems Inc. (Ultra) are partnering (on a non-exclusive basis) as Canada's Combat Ship Team for the Royal Canadian Navy's future fleet of Canadian Surface Combatants (CSC). http://canadascombatshipteam.com/canadian-suppliers/ https://twitter.com/CSCHomeTeam

The first meeting of the EU-Canada joint ministerial committee took place in Brussels on 4 December 2017. The committee adopted a joint statement: Joint statement: 'EU and Canada: A progressive and dynamic strategic partnership' "We are completely likeminded partners and since the signing of recent agreements our relations moved to an even deeper and stronger partnership. We are both committed and we are both supporting first of all multilateralism and rules-based international order. The importance of this could not be underestimated in these days. So our partnership is strong and beneficial not only for our citizens but also for serving a certain idea of multilateralism and of the world." Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy "From Canada's perspective, we value very much our partnership with the European Union and today more than ever we value what the European Union stands for in the world. It stands for democracy, it stands for a strong voice in support of human rights, the European Union is a strong voice in favour of the international rules-based order. We appreciate that, we support you and we are very grateful. We look forward to working as allies in all of these issues in the days and months to come." Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada EU-Canada bilateral relationship The committee agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the EU and Canada. The cooperation has entered a new era with the provisional application of the strategic partnership agreement (SPA) since 1 April 2017 and of the comprehensive economic and trade agreement (CETA) since 21 September 2017. The committee discussed in particular how to step up security and defence cooperation in areas such as crisis management and security, cyber security and responding to hybrid threats. The EU and Canada also committed to working together on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The Committee agreed that the EU and Canada will co-chair a Women Foreign Ministers meeting in 2018. The committee also reviewed how to strengthen EU-Canada cooperation in third countries in regions such as Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. Foreign policy coordination A number of key issues on the international agenda were also discussed, including the situation in eastern Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Myanmar/Burma. Global issues The EU and Canada discussed global issues, including climate change, human rights and democracy, as well as migration and counter-terrorism. Signing ceremony In the margins of the meeting, the EU and Canada signed an agreement allowing for the exchange of classified information between them. This agreement enables greater cooperation, including in the framework of common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions and operations. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/international-ministerial-meetings/2017/12/04/

Il y a eu une grande mobilisation citoyenne et politique en fin de semaine pour le chantier de la Davie. Quelque 800 travailleurs pourraient être mis à pied d'ici la fin de l'année. Patrice Roy s'entretient avec Steve MacKinnon, député de Gatineau et secrétaire parlementaire de la ministre des Services publics et de l'Approvisionnement. http://ici.radio-canada.ca/info/videos/media-7822031/mobilisation-pour-chantier-davie