8 mai 2023 | Local, Autre défense
Le 8 mai 2023 – Ottawa (Ontario) – Défense nationale/Forces armées canadiennes
Aujourd’hui, la ministre de la Défense nationale Anita Anand a accueilli son homologue polonais, le vice‑premier ministre et ministre de la Défense Mariusz Błaszczak, à Ottawa dans le cadre d’une réunion bilatérale.
La ministre Anand et le vice-premier ministre Błaszczak ont réaffirmé que les deux pays continueront de soutenir l’Ukraine aussi longtemps qu’il le faudra. Le Canada et la Pologne ont tous les deux joué un rôle de premier plan dans l’aide offerte à l’Ukraine, le Canada s’étant engagé à fournir plus d’un milliard de dollars en aide militaire et à verser plus de huit milliards de dollars pour appuyer l’Ukraine, notamment sous forme d’aide financière, militaire et humanitaire. La ministre Anand a salué le soutien remarquable offert à l’Ukraine par la Pologne, et les deux ministres ont convenu de l’importance du Groupe de contact sur la défense de l’Ukraine, dirigé par les États‑Unis, en tant que forum pour la coordination des dons d’aide militaire à l’Ukraine.
La ministre Anand a remercié le vice‑premier ministre Błaszczak de collaborer avec le Canada pour fournir une assistance militaire à l’Ukraine. Dans le cadre de l’opération UNIFIER, le Canada a envoyé environ 80 membres des Forces armées canadiennes en Pologne pour notamment :
Ces efforts continus en matière de formation s’appuient sur le déploiement précédent des FAC en Pologne, d’avril à juillet 2022, au cours duquel jusqu’à 150 membres des FAC ont été déployés pour travailler dans des centres d’accueil qui coordonnaient le mouvement des réfugiés ukrainiens en Pologne et partout en Europe. La ministre Anand a également souligné que l’Aviation royale canadienne a transporté plus de huit millions de livres d’aide militaire destinée à l’Ukraine offerte par le Canada et ses alliés, et elle a remercié la Pologne pour sa collaboration.
La ministre Anand a félicité le vice-premier ministre Błaszczak pour le leadership dont a fait preuve son pays en accueillant un centre de maintenance et d’entretien en partenariat avec l’Allemagne et l’Ukraine pour assurer le maintien en puissance des chars de combat principaux Leopard 2 donnés à l’Ukraine.
Les deux dirigeants ont également parlé du Protocole d'entente sur la coopération en matière de défense entre le Canada et la Pologne qu’ils ont signé le 11 octobre 2022 lors de la visite de la ministre Anand en Pologne. Ce protocole d’entente crée de nouvelles possibilités pour les membres du personnel militaire et civil canadiens et polonais d’apprendre les uns des autres, de s’entraîner ensemble et de faciliter la collaboration interindustrielle en matière de défense afin de moderniser la technologie militaire.
La ministre Anand a réaffirmé l’engagement indéfectible du Canada envers l’Alliance de l'Organisation du Traité de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN) et a souligné les efforts soutenus déployés par le Canada pour renforcer le flanc oriental de l’OTAN, notamment en dirigeant le groupement tactique multinational de présence avancée renforcée (PAR) en Lettonie. La ministre Anand a salué les importantes capacités de défense que la Pologne apporte au groupement tactique PAR et à la posture de dissuasion et de défense de l’OTAN.
Enfin, la ministre Anand a fait état des discussions qu’elle a eues au cours des derniers mois avec les dirigeants de la communauté canado‑polonaise, qui ont fait preuve d’un dévouement et d’une compassion remarquables en consacrant leur temps et leurs ressources au soutien des nouveaux arrivants ukrainiens. La ministre Anand a salué le leadership dont fait preuve la communauté canado‑polonaise et le gouvernement de la Pologne afin de soutenir les Ukrainiens.
7 juillet 2023 | Local, Autre défense
The last policy lacked the two key things necessary for implementation: it wasn't fully funded and lacked agile and timely decision-making processes. That these shortcomings exist is hardly a matter for debate.
14 mai 2021 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
/CNW/ - Through Strong, Secure, Engaged, the Government of Canada is providing the Canadian Armed Forces with the capacity to identify potential threats to...
27 octobre 2020 | Local, C4ISR, Autre défense
Canadian company says it only recently became aware the engines were powering military UAVs Levon Sevunts Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) says it has suspended the delivery of aircraft engines to "countries with unclear usage" in the wake of reports that some of those engines are being used on Turkish combat drones deployed by Azerbaijan in fighting against Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Quebec-based company — better known for its Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles — said it became aware late last week that some of the recreational aircraft engines produced by its Austrian subsidiary, Rotax, are being used on Turkish Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). "We have recently been made aware that some Rotax engines are currently used in military UAVs, and have started a thorough investigation immediately," Martin Langelier, BPR's senior vice president and the company's spokesperson, told Radio Canada International in an email statement. "In the meantime, we are suspending delivery of aircraft engines in countries with unclear usage." Export controls and 'civilian' tech Langelier said that all Rotax aircraft engines are designed and produced in Austria exclusively for civilian purposes and are certified for civilian use only. Canada suspended most exports of defence technology to Turkey in October of 2019 following the Turkish invasion of northwestern Syria. Michel Cimpaye, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, said exports of items on the country's Export Control List require a permit only when exported from Canada. Controlled goods and technology exported from another country, however, are subject to the export controls of that country, Cimpaye added. Gabriele Juen, a spokesperson for the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Rotax engines are used in various motorsports and drones could be used "for a multitude of solely civilian purposes." "The European Union Control List of Dual Use Items does not list the drone engine in question as a dual use good item," Juen said. "As a consequence, no approval permit is required under Austrian legislation that regulates the export of defence-related goods." A loophole in arms control regimes Kelsey Gallagher is a researcher with the disarmament group Project Ploughshares who has studied Canadian exports of drone technology to Turkey. Gallagher said the matter of BRP recreational aircraft engines ending up on Turkish combat drones exposes a serious flaw in international arms control regimes. "I think this speaks to the fact that components such as engines should more frequently fall under regulations that we see for what we deem to be more conventional weapons," he said. "Frequently, engines are not controlled as weapons systems even though they are integral, like other components, to the operation of a vehicle." The Bayraktar TB2 drones also feature optical sensors and target designation systems produced by L3 Harris WESCAM in Burlington, Ont. On Monday, defence officials in Armenia displayed what they claimed are parts of a Bayraktar TB2 drone and its Canadian-made optical and target acquisition systems, as well as its Rotax engine. A spokesperson for the Armenian Ministry of Defence said another Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone was shot down by Armenian air defence units during fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh on Thursday. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called on countries that supply components for the Turkish drone program to follow Canada's example and suspend all exports of such components to Turkey. Fighting in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, which is populated by ethnic Armenians, began on Sept. 27. It's the most significant outburst of violence since a Russian-brokered ceasefire paused hostilities in 1994. Armenia has repeatedly accused Turkey of supplying Azerbaijan with arms — including drones and F-16 fighter jets — as well as military advisers and jihadist Syrian mercenaries taking part in the fighting. Armenian officials also have accused Azerbaijan of using the Turkish drones to not only target military forces but also to conduct strikes against civilian infrastructure across Nagorno-Karabakh and in Armenia proper. Turkey and Azerbaijan have denied these reports. The Turkish embassy did not respond to a request for comment Officials at Global Affairs Canada said they are investigating allegations regarding the possible use of Canadian technology in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and "will continue to assess the situation." Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne suspended the export permits for WESCAM optical sensors and target acquisition systems on Oct. 6. However, senior Global Affairs officials speaking at Thursday's briefing for MPs on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh could not explain why an exemption was made for these exports in the first place, given the embargo announced in 2019 and renewed in April of this year. Appearing before the standing committee on foreign affairs and international development, Shalini Anand, acting director general for export controls at Global Affairs Canada, said she could not discuss the issue of the permits because of "commercial confidentiality." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau specifically discussed the issue of WESCAM exports to Turkey with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a phone conversation in April, according to sources who spoke with Radio Canada International on condition of anonymity. The issue was discussed again during their phone conversation on Oct. 16, according to the Prime Minister's Office. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/turkey-armenia-azerbaijan-drones-bombardier-1.5775350