naval task group – Canadian Naval Review

Broadsides Discussion Forum Canadian Naval Doctrine

To group or not to group?*

*Moderator’s Note: Portions of this article appeared originally as “The History and Theory of Naval Effects-Based Operations” in Effects-Based Approaches to Operations: Canadian Perspectives, Alan English and Howard Coombs, eds., Canadian Forces Aerospace Warfare Centre, 2008, pp. 95-102. Placing warships into groups for the accomplishment of tasks is indeed a […]

Broadsides Discussion Forum

Ten Years After 9/11*

*Moderator’s Note: This article was original published in The Nova Scotian on 11 September 2011. At approximately 9:00 am this morning, the United States Consul-General to Halifax will be joined by a small group of dignitaries at Halifax Stanfield International Airport for the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the […]

AOR-JSS Gap Broadsides Discussion Forum

JSS adrift in a strategic black hole*

[*Moderator’s Note: This article appeared originally as part of the ‘Plain Talk’ series in the Fall 2010 issue (Vol. 6, No. 3) of Canadian Naval Review.] Is the announcement of a new $2.6 billion project to acquire two Joint Support Ships good news or bad news for the navy? The […]

Broadsides Discussion Forum Naval Force Development

The Near Term Future is Rooted in 1947-48 History

While I commend those who look into the future and contemplate interesting concepts like “influence squadrons,” counter piracy operations and humanitarian operations, I think the events of the past several days, which stem from a directive issued by the Chief of the Maritime Staff (sometimes referred to as the Commander […]

Broadsides Discussion Forum Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief

Naval support to disaster relief/humanitarian assistance?

If the Canadian navy had possessed a large ship available to deploy in the case of such incidents as the Haitian Earthquake: an AOR, JSS, Large Deck Amphib, or a RoRo Vessel taken up from trade, it could have taken huge quantities of building supplies, mechanized vehicles such as bull […]

Broadsides Discussion Forum Fleet Coastal Balance

Fleet Coastal Balance

Re: David Pugliese’s article “Navy passes on shifting more ships to the Pacific” on 09 May, 2008. The balance of warships between East and West has been debated since the birth of the Royal Canadian Navy almost 100 years ago. Calls for changes in distribution are invariably political while the […]

Broadsides Discussion Forum Canadian Submarines

In Defence of Airedale

It seems to me that Airedale is expressing frustration at the lack of a comprehensive explanation by the navy about how the future fleet plans make it any better able to meet the new security demands than it is currently capable of doing. That there is a continuity in Canadian […]

Broadsides Discussion Forum Canadian Submarines Navy-Coast Guard Relationship

A response to Airedale

The assertion that “The navy Canadians have is NOT the navy that the country has decided it necessarily needs” demand a response, especially from a former submariner accused of being a “task group man.” The implied idea that Canadians actually know what sort of navy they want is interesting on […]

Broadsides Discussion Forum Canadian Submarines

The navy’s future fleet plans are not what Canada needs

The navy Canadians have today is NOT the navy that the country has decided it necessarily needs. The naval leadership is singularly focused on a blue water force centred on the destroyer/frigate task group. Such a force is capable of global deployments and providing “leadership” at sea. Proponents of this […]

Broadsides Discussion Forum Canadian Naval Doctrine

The Canadian Naval Task Group (II)

Everything that Peter Haydon says in his article on the “Canadian Naval Task Group” is accurate. The task group has been fundamental to our past success and it will likely be equally critical to our navy’s future. The problem, however, is that the world is changing and the task group […]