An Out-of-the-Blue Icebreaker Opportunity
By Colonel (Retired) Pierre Leblanc I recently attended the Maritime and Arctic Security & Safety Conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, where I learned of an interesting unforeseen opportunity for the Canadian Government to acquire a number of modern icebreakers at deeply discounted prices. On January 30, 2017, I raised my concerns with the aging of the Canadian Coast...
Defence Procurement: Major Actors and Approaches to Risk
By Richard Shimooka Over the past decade, major Canadian procurement projects have encountered increasing difficulties, ranging from multi-million dollar cost overruns, decades-long delays, and lackluster capabilities. Military programs, partly due to their large capital outlays, are particularly vulnerable (albeit, by no means unique, as the Phoenix pay system debacle illustrates). Potential causes for these issues include the increasing technical...
An Interview with Andy Smith, Deputy Commissioner – Strategy and Shipbuilding, Canadian Coast Guard
In August 2017, Andy Smith was appointed Deputy Commissioner, Strategy and Shipbuilding at the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). In this capacity, he is responsible for providing strategic leadership to further advance the Coast Guard’s Fleet Renewal Plan. He also leads CCG commitments under the Oceans Protection Plan aimed at improving Canada’s ocean stewardship role, strengthening the maritime safety regime...
EP 80: HMCS Athabaskan, Delivery of Ultra-Light Combat Vehicles and Nunavut’s High Arctic
In this episode, the HMCS Athabaskan to be dismantled by July 2019, delivery of the first Ultra-Light Combat Vehicle is underway and Canadian forces getting ready for an operation in Nunavut’s High Arctic. Show Notes: Public Services and Procurement Canada recently awarded a contract valued at $5.7m to Marine Recycling Corporation for the disposal of the Royal Canadian Navy’s...
The quest for the unconventional – conventional submarine
The recently released Canadian Defence Policy entitled “Strong, Secure and Engaged” reiterated the need for Canada’s Navy to be comprised of a balanced fleet of platforms which includes submarines. However, while it did not specifically mention a submarine replacement project, it did commit to modernizing the four Victoria-class submarines. Clearly, in this policy, the Government of Canada has acknowledged...
F-35: Designed to handle all roles
The Pierre Sprey’s argue that old school, lower tech aircrafts like the F-15 and F-16 are better choices and more than capable of handling evolving threats coming out of Russia and China. They also argue that mere modifications to the systems of each platform will suffice and that the battlefield isn’t changing in the way that most fighter pilots...
