A major maritime patrol requirement was slowly progressing through the Definition phase, potentially heading toward Implementation, and most insiders believed there was only one real contender to replace the 40-year-old Aurora aircraft. Could Canada's Bombardier muscle in on a major defence procurement without a working prototype? Why not? It's been tried before, but with decidedly limited success.
Nov 08
(TIM DUNNE)
In 2019, Bill C-77 received Royal Assent to remove detention from the list of punishments that can be awarded in the Canadian military, but the practice continues due in part to JAG delay, forcing the Canadian Forces Detention Barracks and Service Prison to continue to be staffed – at a cost to the Canadian taxpayer of $2.2 million each year.
Oct 13
(CBC)
Major-General Dany Fortin has reached an undisclosed settlement in his $6-million lawsuit against the government and the Chief of the Defence Staff over his abrupt dismissal from running the government’s coronavirus vaccination program in May 2021.Under investigation at the time for an alleged assault while a student in 1988, he was acquitted last December.
Sep 14
(ALAN WILLIAMS)
Former ADM (materiel), Alan Williams, takes a critical look at the Canadian Surface Combatant procurement from the taxpayer's perspective. Comparing costs and quotes on similar projects from other countries, he finds that Canadian taxpayers are paying 2-3 times more for the CSC ships under the project management of Irving Shipbuilding.
Dec 06
(Ken Pole)
Announcing a year-long review of the culture and value of Canada’s two remaining military colleges after a series of scandals, Defence Minister Bill Blair called the project a “milestone in our work to build a Canadian Armed Forces where all members feel protected, respected, and empowered to serve.”
Dec 05
(Ken Pole)
A Statistics Canada report in collaboration with the Department of National Defence has found that the percentage of uniformed personnel who reported sexual assault by another member surged last year and that assaults against women were more than three times as high as among men.
Dec 04
(Ken Pole)
Five U.S. defence companies continued to lead global sales of arms and military services last year but despite an overall dip from 2021, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute expects revenues to rebound in 2023 and beyond.
Nov 30
(Ken Pole)
The federal government confirmed today that it has arranged to procure at least 14 Boeing P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft through an arrangement with the U.S. government
 Babcock Canada Inc |
 Collins Aerospace |
 Cleeve Technology Inc. |
22 November 2023 –
A major maritime patrol requirement was slowly progressing through the Definition phase, potentially heading toward Implementation, and most insiders believed there was only one real contender to replace the 40-year-old Aurora aircraft. Could Canada's Bombardier muscle in on a major defence procurement without a working prototype? Why not? It's been tried before, but with decidedly limited success.
8 November 2023 –
In 2019, Bill C-77 received Royal Assent to remove detention from the list of punishments that can be awarded in the Canadian military, but the practice continues due in part to JAG delay, forcing the Canadian Forces Detention Barracks and Service Prison to continue to be staffed – at a cost to the Canadian taxpayer of $2.2 million each year.
18 June 2023 –
Politicians, scholars and commentators have sought to explain or justify the apparent delinquency in Canada’s defence effort over the years. It remains unclear whether or how much the promised new defence policy update will address the matter of NATO's 2% minimum defence spending commitment.
18 June 2023 –
Former head of defence procurement at Canada's Department of National Defence, made the following remarks at the Standing Committee of National Defence hearing on 16 June 2023. He says the capital costs of Canada’s new fighter jets and surface combatant ships will exceed $100 billion dollars over a 10-year period, and could effectively bankrupt the Canadian Armed Forces unless new monies are injected.
6 December 2023
(AP)
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Relief & Works Agency, said today that there is no haven in besieged Gaza for civilians, including in UN shelters and Israeli-designated “safe zones.” More than 16,000 Gazans have reportedly been killed by Israel’s response to Hamas terrorists’ October attack.
6 December 2023
(Defense News)
Several Republican Senators walked out of a December 6 classified White House briefing on a $113-billion U.S. defence spending package that includes support for Ukraine and Israel. They said the administration had not responded to their questions about Ukraine beyond what was public knowledge.
6 December 2023
(CNN)
Rocked by years of allegations that its leadership covered up serious misconduct issues, the U.S. Coast Guard acknowledged today that it had “failed to keep our people safe” and promised reforms. “These failures and lack of accountability are entirely unacceptable,” it said in a report based on complaints by personnel as well as staff interviews.
5 December 2023
(Military Times)
A U.S. Senator is ending his blockade of more than 400 military promotions which he began nearly 10 months ago because he disagreed with Defense Depart policy that permitted access to abortions. However, first-term Alabama Republican Tommy Tuberville said December 4 that he would continue to block 11 of the most senior promotions approved by the White House.
5 December 2023
(C4ISRNet)
The U.S. Army has reported successful trials of a troop-portable electronic jammer developed by Mastodon Design, a New York subsidiary of Virginia-based CACI International through a $1.5 million prototyping contract using the company’s electronic-warfare products for vehicle installations.
5 December 2023
(CT Insider)
The U.S. Defense Department says Pratt & Whitney will remain the sole source for upgrades of its engines in Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter. It follows the award in July of a $66-million contract with the RTX subsidiary to support fleetwide engine modernization efforts.
5 December 2023
(AP/AFP)
Two years after Australia reneged on a deal to purchase French submarines in favour of U.S. boats, sparking a diplomatic tiff, France and Australia have reset their relationship with reciprocal access to Pacific bases and increased joint activities. “We are determined to […] beef up our cooperation with the partners in the region,” French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said after she and her Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, signed an agreement December 4.
5 December 2023
(Defense News)
Diehl Defence of Germany has signed a contract valued at some €600 million to supply Latvia with IRIS-T medium-range air defense systems. Diehl said December 4 that the deal under a framework agreement with Estonia as well as Latvia in September is the Baltic NATO ally’s “biggest defense investment since its independence more than 30 years ago.”
5 December 2023
(Defense News)
South Korea will join Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands and Portugal in ordering the Embraer C-390 Millenium medium-sized twin-jet transport for its air force. While neither the number of aircraft nor the contract value have been disclosed, the order includes spares, service and support, training and ground support equipment.
4 December 2023
(C4ISRNet)
NATO has wrapped up cybersecurity exercises in Estonia, welcoming Japan, South Korea and Ukraine to the proceedings as the alliance seeks like-minded governments to harden their collective virtual defences. Cyber Coalition 2023 focused on sharing threat intelligence and responding to attack scenarios on virtual national critical infrastructure as well as military targets and structures of military nature.
