Word is reaching me that two Canadian infantry battalions, 3rd Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry Regiment and 3rd Royal Canadian Regiment, have received ‘warning orders’ to prepare for operations and possible deployment to the Middle East. This is apparently related to the steadily worsening situation in Syria. The implication of such […]
sealift
17 posts
After my recent posts describing the SC and HX eastbound convoy systems, I received an email that said, in effect, “What was the big deal about loosing one ship out a 50-ship convoy? With an average loss rate of between 0.6% (for HX convoys) and 2.1% (for SC convoys), surely […]
*Moderators Note: This post is extracted from an article published in the ‘Views and Opinions’ section of Canadian Military Journal (Summer 2007): 79-80. You can read the original article here. The idea of acquiring large amphibious ships for the Canadian military is based on the assumption that only a ship […]
Canada’s decision to terminate the lease agreement for MV Wloclawek (IMO Registration No.: 8302313, pictured above) leaves the military without ready access to a sealift capability. You can read more on the original charter on the Operational Support Command website here. The department will now have to hire a ship […]
On Tuesday, 19 January, Murray Brewster of the Canadian Press filed a report that described the logistical problems confronting the Canadian Forces as they ramped up for Operation Hestia. Quoting Lt.-Col. Chris LeMay of Canadian Expeditionary Force Command, Brewster reported: “In comparison to peacekeeping deployments in Bosnia and even the […]
[*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 […]
Two recently posted articles ask if Canada should purchase a surplus Bay-class Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) from the UK. The 2010 UK Strategic and Defence Review could result in one of the four 16,000 tonne Bay-class LSD(A)s being decommissioned. The Bay-class LSD(A)s entered service in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary between […]
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 […]
The government, national defence, naval priorities and expeditionary requirements have not been well served by explanations for reconsideration of the approved JSS program given the economic importance and operational urgency in replacement of the old fleet supply vessels. These have focused on bids that have greatly exceeded a badly miscalculated budget for capital and support allowances. This was set in the face […]
Dear Senator Kenny, Bravo Zulu on a plainspoken wake up call to Canadians. Jack Granatstein's classics - "Who Killed Canadian History?" and "Who Killed the Canadian Military?" have fallen on essentially deaf ears, particularly where it counts in government. Let us hope yours and the work of the Senate on […]