A four-year-long Australian inquiry which found “credible” information that current or former Special Air Service personnel were implicated in allegedly unlawful killings or mistreatment in Afghanistan has prompted a review. It focuses on a “warrior culture […] that has departed from acceptable norms” in the SAS and addresses overreliance on the SAS with inadequate downtime between deployments. [node:read-more:link]
Dwyer Hill, the home base for Joint Task Force 2 near Ottawa, is to be revitalized over the next 10 years at a projected cost of $1.4 billion, Defence Minister Anita Anand announced today. “This is the first major refresh […] since the Canadian Armed Forces acquired these facilities in 1993,” she said. The plan is to replace 89 buildings with 23 new ones as well as renovate some of the current stock. [node:read-more:link]
A U.S. podcaster, former Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan, was asked by the Department of National to delete parts of an interview with former Canadian JTF2 sniper Dallas Alexander which included video of a long-range kill in Iraq in 2017. Tennessee-based Ryan says that while he did remove the video, it had already been shared on other social-media sites. Alexander says “it appears that I’m in some hot water” because the video remains classified. [node:read-more:link]
A U.S. military operation code-named Talon Anvil, accused of killing Iraqi and Syrian civilians in 2015, is reported to have had a Canadian Special Operations Command element. The Department of National Defence has confirmed that a CANSOFCOM member was embedded with the operational team while other Canadians were in supporting roles or briefed on the team’s activities. [node:read-more:link]
The Chief of the Defence Staff has ordered an immediate halt to all non-essential Canadian Armed Forces activities due to personnel shortages. General Wayne Eyre sent the order to senior commanders across the country October 5, saying that his “interim goal is to address shortcomings that are preventing the CAF more specifically from being in the position it needs to (be) in order to excel as a modern and combat-ready military force.” [node:read-more:link]
A Dutch special forces operator has died after he and two others were shot in Indianapolis on the weekend. In the U.S. for training, he was off-duty outside a hotel when the shooting occurred; the two others are described as in stable condition. Police believe it was not a “random act.” [node:read-more:link]
Two Canadian Special Operations Forces Command members and an Army officer in New Brunswick are under investigation for their alleged involvement in protests avainst mandatory coronavirus vaccinations. The two CANSOFCOM members are in the process of being released from the military but MGen Steve Boivin, the CANSOFCOM commander, said if the allegations are true, “this is wrong and it goes against CAF values and ethics.” [node:read-more:link]
A flight with Canadian special ops personnel and embassy staff from Kabul arrived in Ottawa late Aug. 16. There were no Afghans aboard but an unspecified number arrived in Toronto about the same time. [node:read-more:link]
Members of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command will be conducting routine training in the vicinity of the Connaught Ranges, West of Ottawa, on 25 June 2021, between the hours of 9:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. [node:read-more:link]
As coalition troops continue to withdraw from Afghanistan after 20 years, there are lingering questions about some special forces operations. A former Australian operator suing news media for defamatory allegations about war crimes, an accusation he denies, has said that his British and U.S. counterparts were “far, far worse” during some deployments. [node:read-more:link]
A NATO special operations command organized by Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark is now officially active. Expected to provide “the participating nations with a capability that exceeds the sum of their individual national contributions,” the Composite Special Operations Component Command was launched in 2017. [node:read-more:link]
MGen Peter Dawe, head of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, has been placed on indefinite leave by the Acting Chief of the Defence Staff, LGen Wayne Eyre, for having written a letter of support four years ago for a soldier found guilty of sexual assault. Dawe’s deputy commander, MGen Steve Boivin, has been appointed to replace him. [node:read-more:link]
An Israeli company, Xtend, has been contracted to supply dozens of small drones for indoor and urban use by U.S. special forces. Xtend describes its products as “optimized for the urban warfare challenges, including Close Quarters Battle (CQB) counter drone (C-UAS) interception counter improvised explosive device (C-IED) missions, and subterranean (Sub-T) operations.” [node:read-more:link]
The Canadian Forces has spent more than $1 million to train its operatives on "behavior modification" techniques for use in Canada. Examples include the mission to manage public perception surrounding Op Laser (COVID response) and the more bizarre mission that had our military creating and disseminating fake news and forged letters to warn the Nova Scotia public that wolves were causing problems in the province (which was untrue). [node:read-more:link]
The accidental discharge of a SIG Sauer P320 pistol, a new issue for the Canadian Special operations Forces Command, has been withdrawn from service after a member of Joint Task Force 2 suffered a flesh wound to one leg. The newly-disclosed Nov. 5 incident occurred during training at an Ottawa-area firing range. Pending a review, the troops will revert to their older P226s. [node:read-more:link]
