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Reports on the Canadian Forces, at home, in Afghanistan,

	Decoding Nazi Secrets Allied technologies developed at Britain's Station X helped halt the onslaught of the Third Reich and set the stage for today's computers.
	Great Escape Experts dig into World War II's most daring and technically ingenious prison break.
	Nazi Prison Escape From 1940 to 1945, Allied prisoners of war engineered spectacular escapes from Colditz Castle, the Nazis' most impregnable prison.
March 24-25, 1944. Tunnel Harry This is quite one of the best interactive Web pages that we have seen and is on a subject of great interest too. A definite "must read". Brian Hampson /td>

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2009

Sunday 28 June 2009 HALIFAX: CEREMONIAL FLAG PRESENTED TO CANADIAN NAVY
Canada's military participated on Saturday in a symbolic ceremony that last occurred 30 years ago. During the Queen's Colours Ceremony, a ceremonial flag was presented on behalf of Queen Elizabeth to the Canadian Navy. The current flag was presented in 1979 by the late Queen Mother. Defence Minister, Peter MacKay and thousands of people attending the event saw Governor-General Michaelle Jean present the new flag at the historic Citadel in Halifax.

Wednesday 24 June 2009 OTTAWA: NEW NAVY CHIEF WANTS NEW SHIPS
The new commander of Canada's navy says he wants to persuade the government to build new ships. Vice-Adm. Dean McFadden has taken over today as chief of maritime staff. He's a former commander of the East Coast fleet. Twelve frigates are entering a multi-billion-dollar midlife extension program. Canada's destroyers are fast approaching the end of their useful service and there are supply ships and icebreakers that also need replacing.

Monday 15 June 2009 OTTAWA: SNOWBIRDS GROUNDED
The Canadian Forces' crack aerobatic team, the Snowbirds, has been temporarily grounded until a problem with the ejection seats in their Tutor jets is resolved. The problem was spotted prior to a practise flight at the Bagotville International Air Show in Bagotville, Quebec, on Friday. The team has 25 Tutor jets.

Friday 15 May 2009 OTTAWA: JAPAN, CANADA IN MILITARY ACCORD
Canada and Japan have signed an agreement to allow Canadian military aircraft carrying humanitarian aid to Asia to use Japanese airstrips. The agreement was signed in Tokyo by Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon, who arrived after a visit to China, and his Japanese counterpart, Hirofumi Nakasone. The ministers' statement says that the accord "...widens Canada-Japan co-operation in Asia Pacific." Canada has faced logistical problems in getting humanitarian aid to Asia in moments of crisis. Such a moment occurred in 2008 when cyclone Nargis struck Burma, killing 138,000 people.

Wednesday 13 May 2009 OTTAWA: MILITARY BUNGLING LEFT MILLIONS UNSPENT
The department of national defence let $300 million of its allotted budget slip away unspent last year. The federal auditor-general, Sheila Fraser, said in her latest report that top department officials failed to convey enough accurate information to senior managers in time to allow them to decide ways to spend surplus budget money. The department was then obliged by law to return the funds to the treasury department. Mrs. Fraser's criticism comes at a time when the military is struggling to defray the cost of the Afghanistan war. The auditor-general offered other criticisms, including the right of corporations to deposit cash unnecessarily with the Canada Revenue Agency at generous interest rates, a corporate benefit that costs taxpayers $30 million a year. Mrs. Fraser also cited a consultant working for the natural resources department who designed funding programs then worked for the groups that successfully applied for the money.

May 4, 2009 Vets Left Homeless
Some Canadian veterans return from war and end up battling homelessness. Now, questions are being asked about Ottawa's commitment to former soldiers

Wednesday 08 April 2009 HALIFAX: NAVY GETS FIRST WOMAN CAPTAIN
A woman has for the first time assumed command of a Canadian warship. Frigate Capt. Josée Kurtz assumed her new position as the HMCS Halifax took to sea on a training mission, after a ceremony in the port. Capt. Kurtz has been a member of the Canadian Forces since 1988, and was second-in-command of HMCS Ville de Québec from 2007 to 2009. During that period, the vessel took part in escort missions for ships delivering humanitarian aid to Somalia, protecting them from pirates.

Wednesday 25 March 2009 NEW YORK: FOX SAYS 'SORRY'
A Fox News host is apologizing to Canadians in the face of widespread outrage over comments he and his guests made on a late-night talk show. `Red Eye' host Greg Gutfield says his comments "may have been misunderstood" and in no way were meant to disrespect "the brave men, women and families of the Canadian military." Fox News issued the Gutfield statement just after the Canadian government demanded an apology for what it called the "despicable" and "disgusting" comments. The recent talk-show segment came just before four more Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan and featured a group of pundits taking turns trashing Canada and its reliability as an ally. They were spurred by comments from Canada's army chief that the military would need a year's hiatus to regroup and refurbish after its Kandahar mission ends in 2011. Gutfield said in the Fox News segment, widely aired on the Internet, that the Canadian military "wants to take a breather to do some yoga, paint landscapes, run on the beach in gorgeous white capri pants." [ a non event]

Monday 16 March 2009 EDMONTON: DEFENCE MINISTER ANNOUNCES MORE MILITARY PROJECTS
Defence Minister Peter MacKay continued his cross-Canada tour of military bases on Saturday to announce new military spending. In Edmonton, he announced a project worth CDN$40 million o improve three provincial military installations. Ms. MacKay said that the money will help the Canadian Forces train for the Afghanistan missions and for missions to come. He is expected to unveil spending totalling CDN$400 million at stops in Winnipeg, Fredericton and Halifax.

Tuesday 10 March 2009 OTTAWA: MILITARY WILL NEED BREATHER
The head of the Canadian army says the military may need a one-year break from operations after July 2011, when its mission in Afghanistan winds down. Lieut.-Gen. Andrew Leslie says the military has been strained by the mission and needs time to regroup. He told the Senate defence committee on Monday that the military would still be able to respond when needed during the break. Canada's military was originally scheduled to withdraw from Afghanistan this year, but parliament extended the mission to 2011. Lieut.-Gen. Leslie says the military is suffering from shortages of experienced senior officers as well as equipment.

Monday 09 March 2009 HALIFAX: RECRUITS SEXUALLY ABUSED
Canadian military police are alarmed at the level of sexual abuse in Canadian Forces training facilities. And, they say, much of it is committed by older members against younger, including cadets. The findings - from 2004 to 2008 - are contained in a draft report obtained by The Canadian Press. The military police are calling for heightened supervision of training facilities. [remember Gen Hocker]

Aislin March 6, 2009

Sunday 01 March 2009 OTTAWA: CANADIAN FORCES RECRUITING VETERANS
Canada's military is trying to encourage retired soldiers back into the force. The military is allowing soldiers who left the force within the past five years to get their old jobs back. The offer is an attempt to slow a high rate of departure from the military and boost the military's numbers.

Wednesday 11 February 2009 OTTAWA: MILITARY COMMANDERS MEET
A top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, was in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, Tuesday. He met with the head of Canada's armed forces, General Walter Natynczyk, and Defence Minister Peter McKay. The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff says he's counting on Canada's military support in Afghanistan over the next couple of years. Canadian troops have been fighting alongside Americans in Afghanistan for seven years now, but they are scheduled to stop combat operations in February 2011. General Natynczyk says he's had no indication the federal government has any notion to change the exit plan.

2008

Thursday 18 December 2008 KANDAHAR: MILITARY GETS UNMANNED AIRCRAFT
Canada's military in Afghanistan has a new spying tool. A shipment of flying drones arrived this week at Kandahar Airfield. The drones fly without pilots over enemy territory. By using them, Canada's military hopes to reduce the risk of ambushes and roadside bombs to its soldiers on the ground. Roadside bombs have killed six Canadian soldiers this month. The drones are being leased at a cost of $95 million.

Saturday 13 December 2008 WASHINGTON: AFGHANISTAN DEADLINE REITERATED
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Canon has repeated Canada's official position that the country's mission in Afghanistan will end in 2011. The minister offered that reiteration after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates earlier in the week during a visit to Kandahar suggested that the Canadians would be welcome to stay longer, adding that the longer the Canadians numbered among U.S. allies in Afghanistan the better the situation would be. Mr. Canon says Miss Rice didn't raise the issue but rather discussed bilateral trade issues and the global financial crisis, including the crisis face by the Big Three carmakers.

Tuesday 09 December 2008 More on Blackwater guards

Tuesday 25 November 2008 OTTAWA: U.S. TROOP 'SURGE' SEEN AS ESSENTIAL
Canada's chief of defence staff says the planned U.S. troop reinforcement is essential if Afghanistan's elections set for next year are to be a success. Gen. Walter Natynczyk told the Canadian Club of Ottawa that he doesn't know how many more Americans will be made available because their planning is still being made. At a NATO meeting in Nova Scotia last week, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates said that as many as 20,000 reinforcements will arrive in Afghanistan next year. Gen. Natynczyk acknowledged that security in the Canadian sector of Kandahar hasn't improved this year and that the Taliban insurgents are carrying out more sophisticated attacks with more effective weapons.

OTTAWA: INQUIRY ORDERED INTO ALLEGED MILITARY MISCONDUCT
The Canadian army will conduct a formal review of whether its soldiers were ordered to turn a blind eye to the sexual abuse of boys by Afghan security forces in Kandahar. In a brief statement issued Friday, the army's top commander, Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, said a board of inquiry has been ordered. The allegation that soldiers were told to "ignore" incidents of sexual assault involving their allies was levelled by a military chaplain last June in a report to her brigade commander. The chaplain, Jean Johns, says she counselled a Canadian soldierwho said he witnessed a boy being raped by an Afghan soldier in late 2006 or early 2007. In a statement, the president of the board, Brig.-Gen Glenn Nordick, says his eight-member panel will try to determine if the incidents happened and whether they were reported to Canadian commanders. The board is not expected to complete its investigation until spring.

Wednesday 12 November 2008 OTTAWA: FALLEN REMEMBERED
Ceremonies were held across Canada on Remembrance Day to commemorate the sacrifices of thousands of the nation's soldiers. Nov. 11 marked the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I. In Ottawa, the Peace Tower Bell tolled 11 times as a silent crowd of 25,000 gathered around the National War Memorial near the Parliament buildings. Gov.-Gen. Michaelle Jean and Prime Minister Stephen Harper presided over the ceremony. Also taking part were veterans and families of dead soldiers. In France, Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson joined Canadian veterans, Prince Charles and French President Nicolas Sarkozy in a ceremony at a cemetery at Verdun, the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of World War I.

Saturday 25 October 2008 OTTAWA: MILITARY CARGO PLANE CALLED SAFE
Canadian chief of staff Gen. Walter Natznzcyk says he's not worried about the safety of the aging C-130 cargo planes, despite a British coroner's report that the British military's C-130 Hercules are unsafe because they lack a foam fire suppressant in their gas tanks. The coroner was investigating the crash of one in Iraq in 2005 after ground fire pierced its gas tank, causing a fire and the death of 10 soldiers. The coroner said the presence of the fire suppressant likely would have prevented the tragedy. Canada's American C-130s are older than Britain's and are used to perform low-level arms supply drops over Taliban territory. Gen. Natznzcyk praised the safety record of Canada C-130s, which were purchased in the 1970s and early 1980s. The defence department says the 17 new-model versions of the aircraft on order will be equipped with the fire suppressant. The defence department says the humanitarian mission of a Canadian frigate operating in pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia has been extended. The deployment of the HMCS Ville de Québec was to have ended on Sept. 27 but has been extended to Oct. 23 to allow the UN to find a replacement escort. The frigate has been escorting vessels carrying humanitarian aid from Kenya to Somalia. Ships escorted by the Ville de Québec have transported 22,000 tones of corn and soy meal, enough to feed more than 145,000 people for a year. NATO warships have been conducting the escort duty since last year.

KANDAHAR: FREED REPORTER COMPLAINS ABOUT CANADIANS
An Afghan journalist freed after 11 months in a U.S. military prison says he was arrested at the suggestion of the Canadian authorities. Javed Yazamy says Canadian Forces told American authorities that he was a risk. He was arrested last October and held both at Kandahar and the main U.S. military base at Bagram near Kabul. Mr. Yazamy was released unexpectedly on Sunday and a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said he was no longer a risk. The Canadian military say it is looking for more information into what happened.

Sunday 14 September 2008 U.S. Arms Sales Climbing Rapidly
Sales of weapons to foreign governments have risen to more than $32 billion, up from $12 billion in 2005.

Sat 06/09/2008 HALIFAX: NEW MILITARY PROJECTS OUTLINED
Canada's military is embarking on a series of projects worth more than CDN$76 million. Military facilities on both coasts will be modernized. One project worth about CDN$47 million involves building a maintenance facility in Halifax for Canada's Victoria Class submarines. These vessels are wider and higher than the submarines for which the facilities were built. A project worth CDN$20 million will improve surveillance capabilities for Aurora aircraft to help crews carry out patrols over both Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The Conservative Party government had already indicated that some of the Aurora aircraft would be upgraded. Almost CDN$10 million will go to Defence Research and Development Canada-Atlantic to replace equipment in their dockyard laboratories in Halifax and Esquimalt, B.C. News of the projects was announced by Defence Minister Peter MacKay.

OTTAWA: TAX WATCHDOG SEES GOVERNMENT SPENDING SPREE
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says that the Conservative Party government has gone on a spending spree. The federation estimates that more than CDN$8 billion in spending was announced in the past few months. On Friday, the government announced that it will spend CDN$500 million to expand Canadian Forces Base Trenton in eastern Ontario. The taxpayers federation describes the spree as the same kind of 'shameless pre-election spending' that the Liberal Party offered when it formed the previous government for 13 years.

Thursday 04 September 2008 OTTAWA: ATOMIC TEST PARTICIPANTS TO BE COMPENSATED
On another subject, Mr. MacKay says the government will compensate Canadian soldiers who participated in atomic bomb testing between 1946 and 1963. Their participation took place in Canada, the United States and the South Pacific. The defence minister says 900 people were involved and recognizing them is long overdue. Each will be paid $24,000. But the Canadian Atomic Veteran's Association says the compensation is insufficient.

Tuesday 02 September 2008 OTTAWA: MILITARY BASES SUFFERED COMMUNICATIONS MELTDOWN
The Canadian Press news agency reports that at least two military bases suffered communications breakdowns this summer. CP says the bases at Aldergrove, BC on Vancouver Island, and Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg suffered outages after their service was switched from Bell Canada to Telus Corp. A leaked defence department document obtained by CP said that the outage was serious enough potentially to cause the entire DND network to collapse. The six-day communications failure at Winnipeg occurred earlier this month. The Manitoba base is responsible for communications with NORAD. In response to questions about the situation, the department downplayed the problems, calling them "a minor technical issue that was easily resolved."

31 August 2008 Cancellation of new ships is bad news for our navy
It's never a good sign when a government chooses to make an announcement on a summer Friday evening.

Monday 25 August 2008 OTTAWA: NAVY SEEKS SOLUTION TO CANCELLED CONTRACT
Canada's navy is expressing disappointment after the federal government cancelled plans to buy new supply ships to replace two aging vessels. Navy documents say that two vintage supply ships are obsolete, out of spare parts and might not meet environmental standards. The Green Party leader, Elizabeth May, called the cancellation tremendously irresponsible. The documents were obtained under access to information laws. Naval officers are concerned that the two ships launched in 1968-69 might not be safe enough to continue at sea. The navy will have to manage the risk in the same way that the air force was forced to keep its antique CH-124 Sea King helicopters flying. New proposals for ships often take a decade to go from the drawing board to the dockside.

Saturday 09 August 2008 OTTAWA: CANADIANS IN AFGHANISTAN TO GET HELICOPTERS
The Canadian government has announced a three-step plan to lease helicopters and unmanned surveillance planes for the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. The government will lease six Russian-built helicopters to ferry supplies around Kandahar so troops can avoid roadside bombs. The second phase will be the purchase of used Chinook helicopters from the United States next year. The third phase will be the purchase of new Chinooks in 2013. The Canadian forces will also acquire new surveillance drones as of next year. Securing helicopter transport was a condition of Parliament's extension of the combat mission until 2011. Canada's military has been in Afghanistan since 2002. There are currently 2,500 Canadian troops serving with the NATO-based force in that country.

Thursday 07 August 2008 OTTAWA: DEFENCE SPENDING INCREASE GNAWED BY INFLATION
Canada's Senate security and defence committee says inflation has already eaten through a planned 1.5 per cent increase to the defence budget. The committee says that statements by the head of Canada's armed forces, Gen. Walter Natynczyk, that the government had guaranteed the military the sustained funding needed for growth do not stand up to economic analysis. A study released by the committee suggests that the figures don't add up. Several months ago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised the military 1.5 per cent annual increases between now and 2011 and two per cent per year after that. However, the chairman of the committee, Sen. Colin Kenny, argues that that doesn't keep up with inflation.

Monday 28 July 2008 OTTAWA: CANADIANS MARK END OF OF KOREAN CONFLICT
A number of remembrance ceremonies marking the 55th anniversary of the end of the Korean conflict were held across Canada on Sunday. Canadian veterans in that conflict said they hoped the better part of history repeats itself for Canadian soldiers currently in Afghanistan. A total of 516 Canadians died and more than 1,200 were seriously wounded during the Korean conflict. Eighty-eight Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan since Canada first joined the NATO force there in 2002. Canada has 2,500 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan. Virtually all are stationed in the volatile southern province of Kandahar.

Monday Jul 28, 2008 Canada's navy needs more sailors
ABOARD HMCS IROQUOIS, Indian Ocean - About 800 Canadian sailors are patrolling the politically turbulent...

Sunday 27 July 2008 How a general made Canada more comfortable with fighting wars
“WE ARE not the public service of Canada,” General Rick Hillier once told journalists. “We are the Canadian Forces and our job is to be able to kill people.” Such a robust view of military power was unusual when General Hillier was appointed chief of the defence staff. In the three years he spent in the post before stepping down earlier this month, he almost succeeded in making it mainstream

Thursday Jul 24, 2008 Forces a bastion for white men, StatsCan says
The Canadian Forces is predominantly white, male and increasingly made up of older, better-educated ...
The analysis, released yesterday, also noted regular forces were more likely than workers in the civilian workforce to be dissatisfied with their life and jobs and to report experiencing depression. It said job-related stress was more prominent among women and those who had to be away from home for longer-term deployments.

Military set to buy laser 'devices'
Armed with legal advice that the systems can be classified as warning devices, the Canadian military...
The senior military leadership has recommended the purchase, and the $10-million project is now awaiting approval from Defence Minister Peter MacKay. Defence insiders say the military's lawyers examined the legalities of using the devices on Afghans, and concluded the systems are not laser weapons and can be deemed warning devices. MacKay is expected to approve the purchase.

Thursday Jul 3, 2008 Harper welcomes quieter incoming commander
Prime Minister Stephen Harper signalled yesterday he is expecting his new chief of the defence staff...

Wednesday 02 July 2008 Bureaucracy buster
He is one of the few Canadian soldiers to have served in Iraq, and to be trusted with the command of.
t is the wars that Lt.-Gen. Walt Natynczyk has waged behind the scenes, trying to bust the bureaucratic bunkers of official Ottawa in his capacity as Canada's No. 2 soldier for the last two years that might serve him best when he is sworn in today as Canada's new chief of defence staff.

Tuesday 24 June 2008 UNITED STATES
For the first time in history, the defence department has named a woman to become a four-star general. Lt.-Gen. Ann Dunwoody, a logistics specialist with 33 years of service, has been nominated to receive a fourth star. She's the deputy head of the Army Materiel Command. Her nomination must be confirmed by the Senate.

CHANGING OF THE GUARD
The Post and the Citizen report on Canada’s new chief of defence staff, Lieutenant-General Walt Natynczyk, who will be sworn in today after the well-liked and charismatic General Rick Hillier steps down from the post he held for three-and-a-half years. The media has lauded Natynczyk for his military prowess, and claim that his past experience, including the rare opportunity he was handed to fight in Iraq and his skill in leading forces through the Balkans in the 1990s, makes him a good match for the position. Natynczyk cut his teeth in Ottawa as Hillier’s number-two soldier, carrying out Hillier’s task of transforming the Canadian military, now immersed in a mission in Afghanistan and planning to spend $45 billion in the coming years to revamp its arsenal of military equipment. Natynczyk says he does not want to be known as a “bureaucratic bean counter,” in the words of Canwest’s Mike Blanchfield, but he may find that he struggles to keep up with the image of his predecessor, who is labelled as a bright “comet” in a comment in today’s Citizen. It seems that Natynczyk will have to work hard to fill the shoes of Hillier, who stepped out of office at the right time, leaving Natyncyzk to deal with a protracted and controversial war in Afghanistan that threatens to tax Canada’s military forces well into the future.

Saturday 07 June 2008 OTTAWA: NEW MILITARY BOSS WON'T ALTER AFGHANISTAN STRATEGY
The next Canadian Forces chief of staff, Gen. Walt Natynczyk, says he won't change the country's military strategy in Afghanistan after he assumes his new post next month. Gen. Natynczyk says the Canadians have achieved "remarkable" progress in Kandahar over the past two-and-a-half years. Critics of the strategy claim the 2,500-member Canadian contingent exerts too much effort fighting the Taliban and not enough in rebuilding Afghanistan. Gen. Natynczyk replaces Lieut.-Gen. Rick Hillier. The new chief of staff, a 30-year veteran, commanded Canadian troops in Bosnia and was for 15 months the deputy commanding general of the U.S.-led Multi-National Corp in Iraq.

Saturday 07 June 2008 OTTAWA: DEFENCE DEPARTMENT CANCELS PROCUREMENT PLANS
Le Devoir newspaper reports that the department of national defence has cancelled the signing of two major contracts. The newspaper says the department decided not to sign a $700-million contract with Rheinmetall Canada of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, to provide 33 multi-mission wheeled vehicles. General Dynamics Land System Canada was to have received an $800-million contract for 66 light armoured vehicles equipped with Canon. The department explained that the vehicles were not in line with the new "Canada First" defence strategy for which $45 million to $50 million will be spent over 20 years. Its contents are yet unknown.

Tuesday May 27, 2008 Canadian military revised private-security firm contracts
The Canadian military has quietly revised its contracts with private-security providers in Afghanistan...

Friday 23 May 2008 Bernier's plane pledge catches Ottawa off guard
Federal officials scramble to rent high-priced Russian plane to ship helicopters to Myanmar because they cannot deliver on Foreign Affairs Minister's public pledge to provide Canada's new C-17s for job

Monday May 19, 2008 Navy project running aground over price tag
The Canadian navy's $2.9-billion project to replace its aging supply ships has run aground with defence...

Tuesday 22 April 2008 US military recruits more ex-cons

The US Army and Marine Corps recruited significantly more people with criminal records last year than in 2006, amid pressure to meet combat needs.
Statistics released by a congressional committee show 861 people were granted waivers to enlist, up from 457 in 2007.
The crimes included assault, sex crimes, manslaughter and burglary

Tuesday 22 April 2008 HALIFAX: CONTRACTS AWARDED TO UPGRADE WARSHIPS
The federal government has awarded two contracts worth $900 million to maintain and to upgrade the navy's 12 frigates. The contract to a shipyard in Halifax, NS, is worth $529 million and that awarded to one in Victoria, BC, is worth $351 million. The two contracts are the first in a series that will be funded from $3.1 billion that has been allocated to upgrade the Halifax-class frigates starting in 2010.

Sunday 20 April 2008 OTTAWA: SUICIDE RATE IN THE MILITARY CAUSES CONCERN
Documents obtained by a major in the Canadian Armed Forces show that the suicide rate among soldiers might be as high as three times the national average. The list obtained through an access to information request shows 36 men and women took their lives in 2007. The apparent increase in suicides worries Dr. Greg Passey, a former military pychiatrist, who is an expert in post-traumatic stress disorder. He is concerned that the suicides are a result of what he calls the increased tempo of Canada's mission in Afghanistan. He notes that many of the 2,500 soldiers taking part in the mission have had more than one tours of combat duty. Dr. Passey warnst that the psychlogical stress of the Afghan mission is cumulative. He's urging the military to propose a strategy to deal with it. Canada's department of national defence has not commented on the spate of suicides.

HALIFAX: WARSHIP LEAVES FOR ARABIAN SEA DUTY
The warship HMCS Iroquois left the port of Halifax on Saturday for the Arabian Sea as part of a six-month deployment. The vessel with more than 300 aboard will take part in Operation Altair, part of Canada's contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom, the code-name for the American-led war on terror. The destroyer will join the Canadian navy frigate HMCS Calgary and the vessel HMCS Protecteur. The mission includes monitoring shipping and detecting unauthorized activity.

Saturday 19 April 2008 HALIFAX: DEFENCE MINISTER ACKNOWLEDGES MILITARY FINANCIAL SQUEEZE
Defence Minister Peter MacKay has acknowledged that the cost of the army's Afghanistan deployment has caused budget problems for the navy and air force but blames the situation on years of neglect of the military by the former Liberal Party government. The minister says the "high-activity operations" in the province of Kandahar force the government to invest where the priorities are greatest but that these are constantly re-evaluated. Documents obtained by the Canadian Press indicate that in some cases the department will redirect funding away from "routine equipment and infrastructure maintenance." The air force recently asked for an extra $110 million, having warned in November that it would have to ground aircraft without a budget increase.

Saturday Apr 19, 2008 Gen. Hillier has massive public approval rating, poll shows
As he steps down as Canada's top soldier, Gen. Rick Hillier enjoys a massive public approval rating, ...

Army says it hangs by a thread
Personnel shortages and a shrinking stock of replacement equipment for Afghanistan have Canada's army...

Thursday 17 April 2008 OTTAWA: ARMY SUFFERING PERSONNEL ATTRITION
Documents obtained by the Canadian Press news agency show that the Canadian Army is having trouble retaining troops as three more years of fighting in Afghanistan loom. The data is contained in briefing materials prepared for Defence Minister Peter MacKay. The papers include a presentation given last fall by Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie which showed the overall number of soldiers declined by 1,846 despite success in recruiting. The number of soldiers who chose to retire or not renew their contracts stood at 13 per cent, almost twice the figure for the army, navy and air force together. Mr. MacKay acknowledges there's a problem but says the government is taking steps to alleviate it.

• Everybody Loves Rick
• Visit the all-new MediaScout.ca

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Everybody Loves Rick

Chief of Defence Staff Rick Hillier announced his retirement with the same casual, blunt-spoken ease with which he started his tenure. Seated casually in an armchair at an Ottawa press conference, he joked and spoke warmly of his often-stormy tenure at the helm of Canada’s military, batting away attempts to get him to open up about his high-profile conflicts with cabinet ministers by correctly noting that “disagreements are a part of our life.” He has had plenty of those, being one of the few inside or outside of the political class who can credibly claim to have knocked a Conservative cabinet minister from his preferred perch. Among his troops, Hillier will be remembered for often praising low-ranking soldiers by name and showing a genuine (and mutual) comfort among the men and women that serve under him. Lonely journalists, slogging away in solitude and occasionally stabbing each other in the back, are often perceptibly enchanted by the rough-and-ready comradeship of soldiers, and Hillier served as an avatar of that experience for an awed press corps. Hence today’s laughably lavish praise, in which we can find Christie Blatchford in the Globe admiring Hillier’s “big nuts,” Jack Granatstein in the Citizen savaging any criticism of Hillier’s dicta as “twaddle peddled by some ‘defence’ institutes,” and Don Martin in the Post raptly anticipating the coming “killing season” and “testosterone release” heralded by the imminent arrival of American Marines in Kandahar. Deep breaths, everybody.

In successfully advocating for his soldiers’ welfare and arguing for the equipment they need to be effective, Hillier can be proud of having done a tough job well and amply demonstrated that he deserves the respect and affection that flow so visibly and easily between himself and his soldiers. However, in pushing so forcefully for the Afghan mission as the post-peacekeeping future of the Canadian Forces, and repeatedly linking political decisions over where and how to deploy troops with our moral obligations to respect them, Hillier crossed a dangerous, if not always clear, line between what we expect from our military leaders and what we demand from our civilian ones. Among the many encomia on offer today, the Star’s Chantal Hébert is right to qualify Hillier’s success in “filling a series of providential vacuums” as evidence of the failure of Paul Martin and Stephen Harper’s cabinets, which created “an environment of ministerial mediocrity.” Legitimate questions over what Canada’s military should be doing in the world cannot be left to the military leadership, but demand a more vigorous politics and a more thorough policy.

THE LEADS:
THE NATIONAL: “The Chief Resigns: Canada’s top soldier says he’s ready to redeploy”

Thursday Apr 17, 2008 Hillier left lasting impression on troops in Afghanistan
Soldiers spoke yesterday with regret about the impending loss of a leader who gave them a renewed sense...

Wednesday 16 April 2008 Celebrity-soldier prodded country to war
General Rick Hillier made it clear from the beginning that he was going to be different, unwilling - ...

Hillier was the right man for the job
Few Canadians, we believe, could name the chief of this country's defence staff who preceded Gen. Rick Hillier.

One week in February last year, I went twice to hear the chief of the defence staff speak. The first time General Rick Hillier talked to a large military audience in Ottawa and had the officers, serving and retired, junior and senior, on their feet cheering.

Wednesday Apr 9, 2008 Tories, public out of step on flag protocol: poll
More unpopular with women. Most Canadians want Maple Leaf to fly at half-mast each time soldier is killed [no bad idea]

Friday 28 March 2008 OTTAWA: MILITARY WILL HAVE TO USE BORROWED TANKS
The Canadian Press reports that the Canadian Forces will have to rely on tanks borrowed from Germany for use in Afghanistan despite having bought 100 second-hand tanks from The Netherlands. The agency reports that Public Works Canada recently issued a letter of interest to the defence industry asking for firms interested in upgrading the 60-tonne A6 tanks. The letter says the upgrades can't be carried out until for three-and-a-half years, precisely the time when the Canadian military is to withdraw from Afghanistan. Canada borrowed 20 mine-resistant German tanks a year ago but they're supposed to be returned in September 2009. The prime minister's office said one option under consideration is an extension of the loan. The tank replacement program is scheduled to cost $1.3 billion.

Saturday 23 February 2008 OTTAWA: DEFENCE GETS ANOTHER SHOT IN ARM
Outside the House of Commons, the prime minister, Mr. Harper, said the government would earmark extra funds for military spending above and beyond what was already promised. He told a defence industry crowd that the defence department's budget will increase by .5 per cent every year starting in 2011 in addition to the 1.5 per cent already promised. The department will therefore receive an extra $90 million in 2011. Mr. Harper explained that countries that cannot contribute to global security aren't taken seriously and are ignored "when hard decisions are made." The opposition New Democratic Party reacted by claiming the money would be better spent on health care, child care and housing.

Saturday Feb 23, 2008 Who will serve next?
Coming home from Afghanistan in flag-draped coffins, paraded down the highway, passing fire trucks pulled over in silent salute,
To see that fact is to see the problem facing the Canadian Forces. As ex-soldier, military historian and McGill professor emeritus Desmond Morton puts it: "The demographic from which they've been doing most of their recruiting, which are white Anglo-Saxon Protestant and francophone Catholic young people, is shrinking."

Sunday 17 February 2008 MONTREAL: SUBS SOON TO BE OPERATIONAL
The head of Canada's navy says that three of the four diesel submarines which the country purchased 10 years ago from Britain for $890 million will be fully operational within 18 months. Vice-adm. Drew Robertson defines operational as having the capacity to fire torpedoes. There was a fire on the fourth submarines in October 2004, and Vice-adm. Robertson says repairs won't start on it until 2010. The four subs have been plagued by technical problems since their acquisition.

Thursday 24 January 2008 WINNIPEG: MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR MILITARY CONTRACTS AWARDED TO WESTERN CANADA
Millions of dollars in contract work were announced on Wednesday to firms in Western Canada that will be involved in maintaining new military transport aircraft. Contracts worth CDN$341 million will be provided to regional companies to maintain the Boeing C-17 Globemaster 3 and the Lockheed Martin C-130-J Super Hercules. Canada's military has bought four C-17s and 17 Hercules. Earlier in the week, shares in the same contract were announced for other regions of Canada. Atlantic Canada received CDN$290 million. Quebec's share is CDN$420 million. As part of the contract, Canada's government insisted that Lockheed and Boeing guarantee to invest in Canadian high technology companies.

Thursday 17 January 2008 OTTAWA: MILITARY BUYING NEW TRANSPORT PLANES
The Canadian government Wednesday announced the purchase of new transport planes to replace the Canadian military's aging fleet of C-130's. The government is expected to spend $4.6 billion to buy 17 of the latest version of the Hercules aircraft to be built in the United States. The first plane is expected to be delivered within three years.

Tuesday 08 January 2008 OTTAWA: MILITARY OMBUDSMAN SAYS VETS NEED MORE HELP
Canada's outgoing military ombudsman is criticizing the federal government. Yves Côté says Ottawa is failing to provide adequate support to families of fallen and injured soldiers, especially those with post-traumatic stress disorder. In an exclusive interview with CBC News, Mr. Côté said his office has dealt with many families who complain of too few answers after a death in Afghanistan or little help after loved ones return home with mental health problems. Mr. Côté has served as ombudsman since 2005. He has condemned the military in the past for its relations with soldiers' families. On Friday, his last day on the job, he said there has been little improvement. He said he is presenting recommendations on how to address such issues in two reports his office is preparing, to be released this spring. No one from the department of national defence was available for comment. Mr. Côté is leaving his position to become the associate deputy minister of justice.

Mon 07/01/2008 OTTAWA: VETERANS AFFAIRS WILL HEAR FIREFIGHTER'S CASE
A new ombudsman's office for Veterans Affairs has decided to investigate the file of a former military firefighter from Nova Scotia. William Brown of Kingston was diagnosed with prostate and bladder cancer in 2000. The 73-year-old has been unsuccessful in repeated attempts to get compensation for his ailments, which he attributes to his years as a firefighter. He says the ombudsman's decision has given him new hope in his fight for a pension from Veterans Affairs Canada. In Nova Scotia, municipal firefighters who get cancer from their years of service can receive a pension under the provincial Firefighters Compensation Act. Provincial law recognizes studies indicating a connection between firefighting and bladder cancer after 15 years' service. There are no such provisions for military firefighters.

Tuesday 01 January 2008 OTTAWA: As Canadian troops continue their mission in Afghanistan, a new defence strategy for Canada will place more emphasis on domestic needs, such as a larger military presence in the Arctic and enhanced backup for civilian agencies during local or national emergencies. Defence Minister Peter MacKay told Canwest News Service that he's still putting the finishing touches on the new policy, but that hopes it will be ready for release in late January or early February. The policy review, initiated by the Conservative government two years ago, would guide the Canadian military establishment for the next 15-years.

2007

Sunday Jan 1, 2006 cc Vets expect to wait years for billions in pension investments
Disabled war vets could be forced to wait years to collect on a multibillion-dollar court award over their bungled pensions.

2007 - 2004