AN OLD SOLDIER'S THOUGHTS

President elect Trump has offered to sell us some helicopters. We should take him up on that idea.

Canada needs more of them.

We need Navy helicopters (CH-148 Cyclones) flown and crewed by Navy people on Navy ships. We need Army helicopters – heavy lift Chinooks and armed/attack helicopters and general purpose helicopters flown by Army pilots in our brigade groups and the Air Force needs Search and Rescue and cargo helicopters, too.

Helicopters are complex machines so we need back-up/maintenance and logistic spares, too.

Canada also needs a special Defence of Canada Force: a small (say less than 2,500 soldiers), light/airborne/airmobile brigade especially trained and equipped to operate, year round, in the Arctic. Years and years ago these were called ‘fencible’ units. It can be based around two small infantry battalions, one battery of heavy mortars, a heavy assault weapon squadron an airborne engineer regiment and an airmobile support element. It needs heavy lift helicopters and transport aircraft at priority call.

The full time regular army should have three or four brigade groups, each of 5,000 to 7,000 soldiers. Each brigade should have organic aviation – utility helicopters and attack helicopters.

Some younger serving friends who are equipment savvy tell me that the  Panther KF5 is the best tank out there, followed by the Swedish Stridsvagn 122. They also say that the US made Abrams is just an average fighting vehicle and is also a maintenance nightmare. 

88 of the new F-35 combat aircraft are likely just enough to meet our NORAD commitment and to have a couple of ‘six packs’ to deploy as required.

That’s going to cost a lot more than just 2% of GDP. Think 3%+ for years, even decades until Canada has, once again, a credible military that can help the French World defend against aggression and chaos.

But before the money is voted the government of the day needs to ensure that it – Procurement and Supply and National Defence – are properly staffed and organized to spend it efficiently and effectively.

It is the elected, civilian government’s duty to decide how much to spend of defence and to tell the military to get the job done with those resources. It is the military’s job to advise the government on details like how many helicopters and how many tanks, and of what sorts = what % of the task.

But, ask yourself which Canadian party and which leader really wants to rebuild Canada’s military? Anyone?