25000 new sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen?

[FSTO]

Just to clarify, JSS role will be mainly (95%) fleet support and replenishment, classic AOR. It will have a modest heavy lift capability (Ro-Ro with no well deck) and capable of having the space to house a Joint HQ.
The general's BHS (Big Honking Ship) will be the Amphib ship.

 

[Lost_Warrior]

With all the new troops the Tories plan on recruiting, I hope they don't lower the bar even further with regards to training/fitness standards.

 

[MarkOttawa]

National Defence Minister O'Connor radio interview, Thursday: the Minister will be on CFRA, Ottawa, "Madely in the Morning" sometime between 0700-0900.  Should be interesting as Madely has been critical of the lack of specifics on new equipment for the CF in the budget--and has a pretty good knowledge of things military.

Listen live at:
http://www.cfra.com/headlines/index.asp

If you miss it you should be able hear it later at "CFRA Interviews"
http://www.cfra.com/interviews/index.asp

Mark
Ottawa

 

[TMM]

Where will these new recruits magically appear from? My company employs co-op students and a military career is something that most students don't consider. There is a big disconnect between education and military, as in they have no idea that you can get a degree, diploma or trade in the CF, that there is a lot more than just guns and tanks. Unfortunately it seems nothing has changed from when I was in school.

I don't think that the targets can be achieved solely via recruiting young 'uns, which means having to entice people from civy street. Money works for that, but then you have the problem of people who join more for the cash not the career.

I'm interested in more had facts about the territorial battalions; wonder if it will it be like the UK system of the TA?

 

[MarkOttawa]

TAA: ' The Canadian military has added Ottawa to a list of cities that could be home to one of the new territorial battalions the Tories said they would create with new defence spending outlined in yesterday's budget.

The Harper government is considering 12 cities as possible bases for these new battalions. They will be responsible for responding to domestic terrorist threats and natural disasters, like floods...

While the project is still in its planning stages, the official said the battalions will draw primarily from reservists through a major reorganization of the reserves...'
http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2006/05/03/1561626-sun.html

And an optimistic story, "Defence spending a boon for Maritimes":
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/501082.html?source=somnia

Excerpts:

'"It’s not heaps of cash," one naval officer said of the new defence budget...

As part of a long shopping list, the military is looking at a mix of heavy, strategic lift aircraft, such as the giant C-17, along with lighter, tactical transports along the lines of the new C-130-J to replace Canada’s aging Hercules transport planes.

The Hercules is the military’s workhorse and its primary means of heavy air transport. But most of them were built in the 1960s.

"The numbers I’ve heard kicked around were four C-17s and 16 C-130-Js," the officer said. "You need the long-haul aircraft like the C-17 that can go fast with a really big load."

He suspects this budget will nix talk of scaling down the navy’s project to spend $2.1 billion on a joint support ship — a combination troop and supply vessel.

"This will probably mean the JSS will get the approval and the funding," said the officer.

The navy is also considering acquiring an amphibious assault ship that can carry big helicopters and put troops ashore in the world’s hot spots. This budget does provide enough money to fund that in years to come, he said.

"There’s a couple of interesting commercial options to lease [??] in the short-term while a proper ship is being built," said the naval officer.'

Mark
Ottawa

 

[17thRecceSgt]

Territorial Battalions/Army...sounds very "British"...isn't that what they call their Militia/Army Res??????

 

[mdh]

While the project is still in its planning stages, the official said the battalions will draw primarily from reservists through a major reorganization of the reserves...'

This makes me think that the militia might be re-cast as a kind of "National Guard" for Canada which would fit the Tory concept of "urban" battalions ready to provide aid to the civil power; the British TA system is really not that different from our current reserve system.  It's all speculation at this point but we live in interesting times.  ???

 

[Cloud Cover]

Gotta tell ya', as much as the military needs the extra manpower, right now I'd rather see an extra 10-20,000 regular full time cops on the streets [and not in cutely named specialist positions.] 1000 RCMP does not even begin to address the problems.

 

[Lancaster]

Defence minister 'O' Connor was on today with 'politics with Don  Newman', he didn't want talk details but the 13,000 fulltime and  10,000 reservists will take about  5 years to fulfill .He also said in a months time that the cabinet would approve the defence priorities of 6 to 8  capital projects , money approved from other years, the arctic ships in 5 year plan. If anyone else saw the program , please correct me.

 

[Kirkhill]

http://www.cbc.ca/politics/

Go to the Wednesday PM broadcast and click on it O'Connor is first on the broadcast.

Lancaster is correct.  O'Connor confirms 6-8 capital projects funded on the accrual system ready for immediate approval this year.  That includes airlift.  That means take all the projects you are interested in, add up the price tags and then divide by the life expectancy of the system. 20-40 years for ships and aircraft?  5-10 years for trucks?  A week and a half for radios and computers?

The Cyclones are still go with delivery commencing 2008.   The icebreakers are still go but not this year,  some time in the next 5 years, and he is calling for the price to be lower than anticipated.  Blackshirt and Ex-Dragoon may get their "Svalbard" yet.

Also O'Connor confirms that Afghanistan will be funded out or general revenues and not the Defence Budget.

Edit: PS the extra bodies will be fed in over at least 5 years.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Minister O'Connor's CFRA interview, May 4 (starts with NORAD renewal). Here's hoping.
http://www.cfra.com/chum_audio/Gordon_Oconnor_May04.mp3

Minister O'Connor said he has 6-8 projects for which there is financing and he will be going to Cabinet for approvals through the year. The four airlift projects (strategic, tactical, fixed-wing SAR/light tactical, helicopters) are the priority. No mention specifically of joint support ships or amphibious ship but they presumably are in the 6-8.

Territorial battalions in major cities will go ahead. No mention of the silly campaign promises to put (now non-existent) regular Army battalions in Goose Bay, Bagotville, Trenton and Comox.

Navy icebreakers are "a few years out". Thank goodness--get them for the Coast Guard and sooner.

Pretty much along the lines of the "Politcs" interview, and this story.
http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=bd8e102a-25f6-48e5-8da2-99727a6a8715&k=86035

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Kirkhill]

'S Funny about the silly Newfoundland and BC battalions - strangely enough they don't seem to sound funny to folks in Newfoundland and BC.  People from those provinces may quibble about the exact location but they don't seem to have a problem with having a military force in their province.  As some Newfoundlanders have pointed out they seem to supply a significant chunk of the manpower of the CF - perhaps they might appreciate having a posting closer to home.  After all Alberta already gets its fair share of by's heading for Fort McMurray.

I won't argue Ontario and Quebec battalions - They are already well covered. 

Also - just to note - we also disagree on the Naval Icebreakers. 

Both subjects are well discussed on other threads.

Cheers.

 

[Long in the tooth]

I think the Terrs is an attempt to rationalize the Militia, a long overdue exercise.  134 Militia units should be scaled down to about 50 geographically based units with a Reg F (not 10/90 crap) backbone.  Of course there is a reqr for a unit in Victoria, 3 VP was it.  Now do we wait for reservists to show up who may have very important jobs supporting fire, police and power infrastrusture?  The time these valuable pers are most needed to stabalize a situation they will already be committed in the civilian world. 

This is a major rethink.  The units that won major battle honours may have to be amalgamated; Montreal and Toronto may end up with only 3 or 4 units (vice 9 or 11) in order to organize properly. If the 'Terrs' are to be effective then the support elements need to need driven as well.....

With the transformation of the CF this may gain some traction, but I suspect the Honorouraries will weigh in on this to defend their units honour.

I've got my bee kit on with epi pens ready.

 

[chrisf]

always blows my mind the ammount of newfoundlanders in the army yet no one ever thinks to put a base there!Want numbers?Put a regular force unit in newfoundland....it would be HUGE!
As I say still sitting at my desk...if only this desk was in newfoundland!

CFB Goosebay, CFB Gander and CFS St. John's not good enough?

 

[Black Watch]

Re-Open St-Hubert!!!