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  31 mai 2023 | Local, Autre défense

  Defence: Cybersecurity certification in works | CTV News

  The federal government says certain defence contracts will be subject to a mandatory cybersecurity certification process starting in the winter of 2024.

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  18 novembre 2019 | Local, Naval

  More delays for Arctic ships - DND expects first AOPS by end of March

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The Department of National Defence expects the delivery of the first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship by the end of March although it acknowledges there is a possibility that may not happen. The Royal Canadian Navy and the Department of National Defence had expected the first of the Harry DeWolf-class ships to be delivered in the summer. That shifted to the end of this year but that schedule won't be met. “The delivery date for the first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship is now anticipated to occur by the end of March 2020, acknowledging that there remains some uncertainty,” the department noted in a statement. The schedule for the first ship has been slipping due to what the department calls “production challenges typically seen with a first-of-class build.” Irving spokesman Sean Lewis noted that a final sea trial for the ship is expected in late January. After that, any remaining production work will be completed, along with rectification of any deficiencies noted during the inspection, test and trials program, the DND added in its statement. “Following reviews and final inspections by National Defence, the shipbuilder will present the ship for delivery,” it added. “After the ship is delivered, National Defence will complete certain activities to complete ship functionalities, mainly on communications systems.” The Royal Canadian Navy will then assume operational control of the ship, expected in the summer of 2020. The Royal Canadian Navy is acquiring six ships. In January 2015 the federal government announced it had awarded Irving a $2.6 billion contract to build five ships. In 2018 that deal was expanded to add a sixth vessel. Additionally, two AOPS will be built for the Canadian Coast Guard immediately following those for the Royal Canadian Navy. The ships were originally announced in July 2007 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who acknowledged the vessels were much different than his election promise of armed heavy icebreakers. Harper claimed at the time the AOPS were “medium” icebreakers and more versatile but critics pointed out the vessels were not icebreakers at all, but rather “ice-strengthened” ships that would be limited as to when and where they would be able to operate. The first ship was to be delivered in 2013, with Arctic operations set for 2015, but ongoing problems with the government's national shipbuilding program and delays in awarding the contract continued to push schedules back. The DND noted it does not believe the latest delay will affect the schedule for the other ships. The last AOPS for the Royal Canadian Navy is expected to be delivered in 2024. “We are confident that these ships will help the RCN meet and overcome the defence and security challenges of the coming decades,” the DND noted. In 2017 the Senate Defence Committee raised concerns about the vessels' capabilities. “This (concern) is based on the fact that these ships cannot operate in ice more than a metre thick, are slower than a BC Ferry, can only operate in the arctic from June to October and will require a coast guard escort when in the northern waters,” the senators pointed out in their report. These capabilities should be independently reviewed to meet Canada's sovereignty needs, they added. The Senate also noted that the ships “will lack significant force projection in the form of weapons system.” “These limitations are troubling and raise the question of whether the taxpayers are receiving value for the monies spent,” the Senate report said. Here is the delivery schedule for AOPS, although DND says these timings could slip: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/more-delays-for-arctic-ships-dnd-expects-first-aops-by-end-of-march

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  23 octobre 2020 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Canada moves closer to military-spending target following previous critique from NATO, U.S.

  OTTAWA - Canada has taken a big leap closer to meeting its promise to the NATO military alliance to spend a larger share of its economy on defence thanks to an unexpected assist from COVID-19. New NATO figures released Wednesday show that largely thanks to the pandemic, Canada is poised to spend the equivalent of more of its gross domestic product on defence this year than at any point in the past decade. That is because the alliance expects the Liberal government to hold Canadian defence spending steady even as COVID-19 batters the country's economic output. Yet defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute says the results are unlikely to appease the United States, as Canada continues to fall far short of its promise to NATO to spend two per cent of GDP on defence. “I think they'll be pleased to see positive momentum,” Perry said of the U.S., “but it doesn't resolve their concern about where we are.“ All NATO members, including Canada, agreed in 2014 to work toward spending the equivalent of two per cent of their GDP — a standard measurement of a country's economic output — on defence within the next decade. The promise followed complaints from the U.S. about burden-sharing among allies and broader concerns about new threats from Russia and China as the two countries increased their own military spending. NATO and the U.S. have repeatedly criticized Canada for not meeting the target, with President Donald Trump in December calling Canada “slightly delinquent” during a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. His predecessor, Barack Obama, also called out Canada over its defence spending during an address to Parliament in 2016. The U.S. spends more than any other NATO member on defence, both in terms of raw cash and as a share of GDP. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday said the continued importance of increasing military spending would be discussed when defence ministers from across the alliance meet this week. The NATO figures show that Canada is poised to spend 1.45 per cent of its GDP on the military this year. That is not only a big jump from the 1.29 per cent last year, but the largest share of the economy in a decade. It also exceeds the government's original plan, laid out in the Liberals' defence policy in 2017, to spend 1.4 per cent of GDP on the military by 2024-25. That is when NATO members were supposed to hit the two-per-cent target. Yet the figures show the expected increase isn't the result of a new infusion of cash for the Canadian Armed Forces this year as spending is expected to hit $30 billion, up just over $1 billion from 2019. Rather, NATO predicts Canadian GDP will shrink by about eight per cent this year as COVID-19 continues to ravage the economy. The fact Canadian defence spending is expected to remain largely steady despite the pandemic is noteworthy, particularly as there have been fears in some corners about cuts to help keep the federal deficit under control. The NATO report instead appears to lend further credence to recent assertions from Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, Defence Department deputy minister Jody Thomas and others that the Liberals are not readying the axe. Canada also remained 21st out of 29 NATO members in terms of the share of GDP spent on the military as other allies also got a surprise boost from the economic damage wrought by COVID-19. At the same time, Perry said the government has yet to lay out a timetable for when it plans to meet the two per cent target. Military spending is instead expected to start falling after 2024-25, according to the Liberal defence plan. Despite having agreed to the target during the NATO leaders' summit in Wales in 2014, successive Canadian governments have repeatedly described the NATO target as “aspirational.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2020. https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/10/21/canada-jumps-closer-to-military-spending-target-thanks-to-covid-19s-economic-damage.html