4 octobre 2018 | Local, Naval

Chinese-made equipment in Canada's Arctic ships under scrutiny

Murray Brewster · CBC News

Canadian queries about Chinese content could be response to American anxiety, says intelligence expert

Canada's international trade minister quietly sounded out officials at the Department of National Defence last spring about how much of the content in the navy's new Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships could be sourced back to China, newly released documents reveal.

The unusual April request from the office of François-Philippe Champagne, who was international trade minister at the time, was made as Canadian negotiators were struggling to negotiate a revised North American Free Trade Agreement with the Trump administration — which has become increasingly suspicious of the involvement of Chinese companies in the defence and high-tech sectors.

An information note, detailing the answers given to Champagne, was prepared for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and obtained by CBC News under access to information law.

"Equipment has been sourced from a variety of manufacturers, many of whom are offshore, with a very limited amount being procured from the People's Republic of China," said the April 4, 2018 briefing prepared by DND's project management office.

Chinese steel

The briefing made a point of underlining the Canadian content requirements that are part of every major capital project.

It noted that 17 per cent of the steel being used to construct the warship — as well as the lifeboats, mooring and towing system components and various pipes and fittings — came from Chinese companies.

Champagne was shuffled last summer to the infrastructure portfolio. Officials who worked for him said Wednesday they were not sure what his request was about.

Defence and intelligence experts find the inquiry about the warship components curious — and not only because of Washington's growing trade fight with Beijing.

The Pentagon has been quietly sounding out allies about who is building their military equipment, both hardware and software.

"There's been some concern about this in ... U.S. military circles, about the degree to which there is Chinese ownership of firms working in sensitive areas," said Dave Perry, a procurement expert at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

"At a fairly high level, the U.S. (Department of Defence) was concerned about Canada having involvement of firms in defence supply chain that has Chinese angles, Chinese partial ownership."

The documents demonstrate how hard it can be to trace the provenance of military parts.

One of the firms supplying anchors for the Arctic ships was Apache International Ltd., which has listed itself as a Canadian company with an office in China. Following Champagne's questions, it was determined the original manufacturer of the equipment was Chinese.

Wesley Wark, a University of Ottawa professor and one of the country's leading experts on cybersecurity and intelligence, said the Americans' concern relates mostly to electronics and other "warfighting equipment" — not necessarily the nuts and bolts.

The U.S. Defence Department's acquisition chief said last summer the Pentagon was developing a so-called "Do Not Buy" list of software that does not meet national security standards.

'A certain xenophobia'

Canadian concerns about Chinese product in the Arctic ships could be influenced by American concerns, said Wark, who noted that Canada has struck an independent tone when it comes to trade relations with China and has resisted U.S. and Australian pressure to ban Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

"Canada has been under intense pressure by the Trump administration to follow the general lead on waging a trade war with China," he said. "There is White House pressure on the Pentagon. The Pentagon has legitimate concerns, like any Western military, about allowing certain elements of Chinese manufactured stuff into its infrastructure."

Complicating matters is an almost-forgotten case of alleged espionage that is still grinding its way through the legal system.

Chinese-born Qing Quentin Huang, who worked for Lloyd's Register, was charged in 2013 with "attempting to communicate with a foreign entity."

He was accused of trying to pass design information about Canada's Arctic ships to the Chinese.

Aside from its understandable military and economic policy concerns, Wark said the White House position on China is being driven in part by "a certain xenophobia" that is troubling.

"You have to be careful not to find ourselves falling into that American model," he said. "We can make our own distinctions about what might be sensitive or dangerous."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/chinese-made-equipment-in-canada-s-arctic-ships-under-scrutiny-1.4849562

Sur le même sujet

21 septembre 2018 | Local, Terrestre

Livraison de nouveaux camions logistiques aux Forces armées canadiennes
Le 21 septembre 2018 – Petawawa (Ontario) – Défense nationale/Forces armées canadiennes Dans le cadre de la politique de défense du Canada Protection, Sécurité, Engagement, le gouvernement du Canada s'est engagé à fournir aux femmes et aux hommes des Forces armées canadiennes (FAC) le matériel dont ils ont besoin pour faire leur travail. Dans l'esprit de cet engagement, le ministre de la Défense Harjit S. Sajjan a souligné aujourd'hui la livraison de nouveaux camions de modèle militaire normalisé. Les véhicules logistiques comme ces camions constituent le pilier du transport terrestre pour nos Forces régulières et de réserve et se trouvent au cœur de presque toutes les opérations des Forces armées canadiennes. Ils sont utilisés pour déplacer l'équipement, le personnel et les fournitures essentiels à l'endroit où ils doivent se trouver. Qu'il s'agisse d'aider les collectivités canadiennes à faire face à de graves inondations ou à d'autres catastrophes nationales, ou d'appuyer les opérations de l'OTAN en Lettonie et dans toute l'Europe de l'Est, nos femmes et nos hommes pourront compter sur ces nouveaux camions pour les décennies à venir. Plus de 1 500 camions, 300 remorques et 150 systèmes de protection blindés devraient être livrés au cours des deux prochaines années. Ce projet de 834 millions de dollars respecte le budget établi. L'achat de ces camions est assujetti à la politique des Retombées industrielles et technologiques, qui stipule que pour chaque dollar investi par le gouvernement dans des acquisitions majeures en matière de défense, l'entrepreneur retenu doit réinvestir un dollar dans l'économie canadienne. Ainsi, le gouvernement se sert de son pouvoir d'achat pour appuyer l'innovation et la création d'emplois bien rémunérés pour la classe moyenne. Citations « Comme l'énonce notre politique de défense Protection, Sécurité, Engagement, le gouvernement est résolu à s'assurer que les femmes et les hommes des Forces armées canadiennes disposent des outils et de l'équipement nécessaires pour accomplir les importantes t'ches que nous leur confions. La livraison de ces nouveaux camions viendra appuyer nos femmes et nos hommes en uniforme, en particulier nos réservistes, dans leurs opérations. Nous attendons avec impatience leur livraison dans les bases partout au pays. » Le ministre de la Défense Harjit S. Sajjan « La Politique des retombées industrielles et régionales engendre des investissements qui favorisent la création d'emplois spécialisés et bien rémunérés pour la classe moyenne canadienne. Nous misons sur des investissements indispensables dans la Garde côtière et les Forces armées canadiennes pour favoriser l'innovation et la croissance des entreprises, ce qui contribue à stimuler notre économie dans son ensemble. » Le ministre de l'Innovation, des Sciences et du Développement économique Navdeep Bains « Ces camions représentent un élément essentiel de l'équipement des Forces armées canadiennes, qui s'en serviront pour effectuer à la fois des missions d'envergure et des t'ches quotidiennes qui leur permet d'assurer le bon fonctionnement des opérations. La livraison de ces camions est un autre bel exemple de la volonté de notre gouvernement à fournir l'équipement nécessaire pour mener à bien d'importantes missions au nom de tous les Canadiens. » La ministre des Services publics et de l'Approvisionnement Carla Qualtrough En bref · En juillet 2015, le gouvernement du Canada a accordé deux contrats à Mack Defense, d'une valeur totale de 834 millions de dollars, pour la livraison de nouveaux camions, de remorques, de systèmes de protection blindés et de soutien en service. · L'acquisition de ces camions s'inscrit dans le cadre de nos efforts de modernisation de notre flotte de camions logistiques et d'espaces de travail mobiles. · Les nouveaux camions peuvent transporter jusqu'à 9,5 tonnes. · La livraison des nouveaux camions a commencé en avril 2018 à Edmonton et a aussi débuté à Petawawa. La livraison commencera sous peu à Montréal, à Valcartier et à Gagetown. À ce jour, 46 nouveaux camions logistiques ont été livrés aux FAC. - 30 - Liens pertinents Projet de système de véhicules de soutien moyen Contacts Byrne Furlong Attachée de presse Cabinet du ministre de la Défense nationale Téléphone : 613-996-3100 Relations avec les médias Ministère de la Défense nationale Téléphone : 613-996-2353 Courriel : mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca
26 juin 2019 | Local, Naval

Canadian Surface Combatant project found to cost more than $52.7bn
The 2019 Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) report has indicated that the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) programme will now cost C$69.8bn ($52.7bn) over 26 years. The previous report, 2017 PBO, estimated the programme would cost $61.8bn ($46.84bn). Canada plans to acquire a fleet of 15 new naval warships that will serve as the country's major surface component of maritime combat power. The revision in the total programme cost is a reflection of inflated costs due to construction delay and an increase in the size of the CSC. The break-up of the cost structure includes C$5.3bn ($4.01bn) in pre-production costs, along with C$53.2bn ($40.32bn) for production, and C$11.4bn ($8.64bn) in project-wide expenses. A major driver of costs is the increase in the displacement of the ship. The 2017 estimate was calculated on the basis of a 5,400t lightship weight, which was an estimate based on available designs for the CSC programme at the time. Following selection of the BAE Systems Type 26 Global Combat Ship design, the weight increased to 6,790t. This increase has significantly contributed to the C$8bn ($6.06bn) difference in the two project cost estimates. The updated plan cost includes project development, production, two years of spare parts and ammunition, training, government programme management, and upgrades to existing facilities. Irving Shipbuilding is the prime contractor of the surface combatant project. The company awarded a subcontract to Lockheed Martin Canada to design the CSC vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy. The Combat Ship Team responsible for design includes Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, CAE, L3 Technologies, MDA, and Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems. Construction of the first ship under the CSC project is scheduled to take place in the early 2020s. https://www.naval-technology.com/news/canadian-surface-combatant-project-found-to-cost-more-than-52-7bn/
29 décembre 2020 | Local, Naval

Battle of the budget: DND gears up to defend cost of new warships in the new year
Murray Brewster · CBC News No matter which way they are going to be sliced, the numbers will be jaw-dropping. The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) is set, early in 2021, to deliver an assessment of the Royal Canadian Navy's long-anticipated frigate replacement program, a review that will give the public perhaps the clearest view yet of the kind of investment taxpayers will be asked to make in the future fleet. A respected former senior defence official, writing in the military magazine Esprit de Corps this fall, took a stab at running the numbers and they are eye-watering, especially in a post-pandemic world. Alan Williams estimated that when construction and lifetime operating and maintenance expenses are included the new fleet of 15 warships could cost between $213 billion and $219 billion. Circulating within the defence community for weeks, his scathing assessment has apparently caught the attention of the House of Commons government operations and estimates committee, which has requested a copy of the research. Between Williams' biting criticism, the budget officer's anticipated take and a planned auditor general review of the national shipbuilding program, the ground is set in 2021 for a major political battle over defence spending, the likes of which haven't been seen in almost a decade. Back to the future The last time that kind of watchdog firepower was assembled, the former Conservative government's plan to buy the F-35 was blown back to the drawing board, where the fighter jet replacement program remained for years. Back then, the fight was all over numbers and transparency and whether former prime minister Stephen Harper's government was levelling with taxpayers, and just as importantly, whether bureaucrats had done enough homework to justify their choice of the stealth fighter. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/navy-frigates-cost-1.5851912

Toutes les nouvelles