November 2016 - Legion Magazine

Auditor General looks at CAF recruitment troubles

30Nov 2016

By Stephen J. ThorneNo Comments

Front Lines

Auditor General looks at CAF recruitment troubles

The Canadian Armed Forces is understaffed, the problem is getting worse and it’s unlikely that the regular force can reach its target levels by 2018–19 as planned, Auditor General Michael Ferguson said in a report released Nov. 29. Ferguson suggested the military set noble goals to boost overall recruitment and increase the proportion of women in its ranks, but didn’t follow through with the planning and organization needed to make either happen. “We found that although the regular force had mechanisms in place to define its recruiting needs, those needs were not reflected in recruitment plans and targets,” said the report. “Instead, recruitment targets were based on National Defence’s capacity to process applications and enroll and train new members. “Furthermore, we found that t...

25Nov 2016

By Stephen J. ThorneNo Comments

Front Lines

Super Hornets fill a temporary gap

A decision to purchase 18 Super Hornet fighter jets as an interim measure until a permanent option is found could cost Canadian taxpayers more than $1.2 billion, according to the government’s own estimates. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announced Nov. 22 that Ottawa will enter talks with Boeing and the U.S. government over the use of the next-generation FA-18 jets for an “interim period,” depending on cost, capability and economic value. “Having to manage our commitments to Norad, NATO and our ability to respond to unforeseen events is not a risk this government is willing to accept,” said Sajjan. “The interim fleet provides the most effective way forward to help ensure Canada remains a credible and dependable ally.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during the 2015 election...

24Nov 2016

By David J. Bercuson1 Comment

Eye On Defence

How Canada’s defence money is spent

In early July, Justin Trudeau’s government announced that in 2017 it will dispatch a “battle group” of 450 soldiers to command one of four North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) brigades that are being formed in the NATO countries that border Russia, particularly the Baltic states and Poland. The Canadian contingent will be going to Latvia for six months, to be replaced by other Canadian contingents, as necessary, for as long as NATO believes they are warranted. The other brigades will be commanded by Britain, the United States and Germany. The aim of the deployment is ostensibly to aid those countries in the event Russia takes military action against them. In fact, those brigades are not meant to defend anything as much as to provide a tripwire that, in the event of a Russian attack...

16Nov 2016

By Stephen J. ThorneNo Comments

Front Lines

Canada’s role in Iraq growing

It’s looking more and more like Canada has exchanged its role in the air war in Iraq for a growing part in the ground war. CBC confirmed this week what many had already surmised–Canadian troops tasked to advise Peshmerga fighters have taken preventative action against the enemy in Iraq. While the government in Ottawa has insisted Canadian special forces only fire when fired upon, it seems their rules of engagement allow otherwise. Canadians have therefore shot at Islamic State extremists when they appear to pose an imminent threat to civilians and Kurdish allies. Fulfilling an election promise, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau withdrew Canadian fighter aircraft from the bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria earlier this year, boosting the Forces’ logistical support, advisory and trainin...

15Nov 2016

By Jennifer MorseNo Comments

O Canada

Care through the Commonwealth

I landed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the 32nd Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL) Conference on June 25, arriving to a midnight traffic jam, horns beeping and impatient motorcycles threading between cars. It is a sprawling metropolis of seven million with a vibrant nightlife, and for the next two and a half hours we moved slowly toward the hotel. Memories of war are still vivid in this country; it endured almost 40 years of near-continuous fighting, most recently only a generation ago. The Malayan Emergency, where Commonwealth forces fought the communist Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA), lasted from 1948 to 1960. The MNLA was defeated but it rose up again in the late sixties and the Second Malayan Emergency lasted until 1989 when the military arm of the Malayan Commun...

15Nov 2016

By Legion MagazineNo Comments

News

Legion Magazine releases TWO new Special Issues!

Legion Magazine introduces a new Celebrating Canada Series Ring in Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation with the first in a new series of special-interest publications from the publisher of Legion Magazine. O Canada tells our story from the first Viking visits through to our achievements in space. With hundreds of photos and illustrations this entertaining magazine is full of Canadiana, personalities, achievements and amazing statistics. Introduced by comedian Rick Mercer, O Canada will give you plenty to read and reasons to be proud. Canada’s Ultimate Story continue with the 13th edition in the award-winning series Canada’s war in the Pacific began 75 years ago on December 7, 1941, when Japanese aircraft attacked the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Haw...

Month: November 2016

Auditor General looks at CAF recruitment troubles

Super Hornets fill a temporary gap

How Canada’s defence money is spent

Canada’s role in Iraq growing

Care through the Commonwealth

Legion Magazine releases TWO new Special Issues!

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