[kEiThZ]

It will be interesting what Trudeau does with the military now.

Exactly what he did with his last defence policy review. Massage the numbers and pledge lots of spending years down the road....

The cost of the CF-18 replacement program is estimated at $20 billion. IDK if that's just for the aircraft or all the new infrastructure, simulators, training, etc.

It's the 20 year cost. It includes aircraft acquisition, weapons acquisition, infrastructure, spares, initial cadre training, and 20 years of OEM maintenance support.

None of the spending should be cancelled (if anything, the geopolitical situation suggests it should be expanded - but we should develop more local.

AoD

Exactly. It's becoming obvious that combatting the rise of China will require something closer to the Cold War. Maybe not that far, but the Americans can't do this alone.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Exactly. It's becoming obvious that combatting the rise of China will require something closer to the Cold War. Maybe not that far, but the Americans can't do this alone.

Which means our focus on NATO and ASW in North Atlantic and the GIUK gap is ill placed. It’s CFB Esquimalt (RCN) CFB Comox (RCAF), CFS Alert and CFNA Whitehorse and assets out of each at should be our focus. And solidifying defence agreements with the Commonwealth and China‘s neighbours in the Indo-Pacific region. And maybe stop sending so much foreign currency to China in exchange for consumer goods?

 

[Videodrome]

Seems that a ton of CPC types also have extensive WE dealings. Pallister has given them millions as Premier and both main leadership candidates worked with them. Also, Harper was a big fan.

 

[lenaitch]

Which means our focus on NATO and ASW in North Atlantic and the GIUK gap is ill placed. It’s CFB Esquimalt (RCN) CFB Comox (RCAF), CFS Alert and CFNA Whitehorse and assets out of each at should be our focus. And solidifying defence agreements with the Commonwealth and China‘s neighbours in the Indo-Pacific region. And maybe stop sending so much foreign currency to China in exchange for consumer goods?

Pretty tough since we are so small yet so big. Neither China or Russia are benign, but China has the stronger economy to do what it wants. The smaller European countries, particularly those that are former Warsaw pact nations and especially the Baltic nations saw what happened in Ukraine and are nervous about Russian stealth destabilization ('unmarked soldiers and equipment). I am reminded of an old WWII reference from Family Guy that always made me laugh:

Some argue that NATO should have left these as an unaligned buffer, but they were fearful that they could be occupied, in some form, before the NATO bureaucracy could react.

But you are right. There is a lot of Chinese muscle flexing over islands in the China Sea against much smaller nations. They are staking their claim and building up their expeditionary capabilities. They consider themselves a 'near-Arctic' nation, whatever the heck that means. Now there is line that needs to be drawn. Australian recognizes the concern.

 

[Admiral Beez]

What humanity needs is a common foe. Not some virus or climate change, I’m referring to Space-X pissing off some Martians in 2035.

 

[jje1000]

Exactly. It's becoming obvious that combatting the rise of China will require something closer to the Cold War. Maybe not that far, but the Americans can't do this alone.

Arguably China has been in a Cold War with the US (and the West) for the last 20-30 years- it's just that until now, no one in the West- especially the think tanks- considered that to be a possibility, and that they fell into an 'end-of-history' trap believing that the future of the world was liberal democracy.

In that period of time, both academia, politicians, media and intergovernmental organizations have been slowly subverted- and it's only now that the extent has been realized as illiberal forces play their cards and activate their agents (i.e. those Canadian signatories of the 'better relationships' open letter a week or so ago).

Disentanglement, as painful as it may be, is the only way out now, IMO.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Arguably China has been in a Cold War with the US (and the West) for the last 20-30 years- it's just that until now, no one in the West- especially the think tanks- considered that to be a possibility, and that they fell into an 'end-of-history' trap believing that the future of the world was liberal democracy.

In that period of time, both academia, politicians, media and intergovernmental organizations have been slowly subverted- and it's only now that the extent has been realized as illiberal forces play their cards and activate their agents (i.e. those Canadian signatories of the 'better relationships' open letter a week or so ago).

Disentanglement, as painful as it may be, is the only way out now, IMO.

So, no 5G?

 

[jje1000]

So, no 5G?

5G is perfectly possible with other suppliers.

Huawei was heavily marketed as being more advanced compared to other choices (not quite true in reality), with prices being heavily subsidized by the Chinese government. Those who thought that Huawei was the only possible choice have been gaslit by the CCP, unfortunately.

Come to think of it, why would they want to get direct control of a country's telecommunication technology? Strange...

 

[kEiThZ]

Which means our focus on NATO and ASW in North Atlantic and the GIUK gap is ill placed.

Not really. We'll always have multiple commitments. And when it comes to subs, you can't just ignore the chokepoints.

It’s CFB Esquimalt (RCN) CFB Comox (RCAF), CFS Alert and CFNA Whitehorse and assets out of each at should be our focus.

Bases aren't the issue. What we need are power projection assets. Ideally we'd have a small carrier on each coast and a dozen very large submarines (like what the Aussies are buying).

And solidifying defence agreements with the Commonwealth and China‘s neighbours in the Indo-Pacific region. And maybe stop sending so much foreign currency to China in exchange for consumer goods?

We have plenty of Pacific Rim relationships already. Especially with RIMPAC. What we need are actual capabilities to contribute to the fight.

 

[Jasmine18]

Yeah canada should ban
Tic tok
Huawei
And chinese ownership of real estate

 

[TrickyRicky]

How about use US military capabilities as a reference point stretch goal? Canada should aim to be able to respond to threats physical and digital in Canada just as fast as the US military could the same threat in Canada if they were given the jurisdictional permission. Can we already do that? What I mean is that for instance can Canada scramble air defense, naval assets, or detect incursions domestically and to all three coasts faster than the US could to the same point in Canada from their US bases of operation?

 

[Admiral Beez]

Yeah canada should ban
Tic tok
Huawei
And chinese ownership of real estate

Most Chinese owned property in Canada is owned by dual citizens, I imagine.

 

[Jasmine18]

Most Chinese owned property in Canada is owned by dual citizens, I imagine.

Yes but there is a lot of foriegn ownership still.

 

[lenaitch]

How about use US military capabilities as a reference point stretch goal? Canada should aim to be able to respond to threats physical and digital in Canada just as fast as the US military could the same threat in Canada if they were given the jurisdictional permission. Can we already do that? What I mean is that for instance can Canada scramble air defense, naval assets, or detect incursions domestically and to all three coasts faster than the US could to the same point in Canada from their US bases of operation?

I'm not quite sure what you mean. Canadian air intercept assets are in Cold Lake AB and Bagotville QC with a few 'staging' locations in the Arctic and other bases. I don't know where similar US assets are deployed in their country except Alaska. You don't 'scramble' naval assets - they take time to put to sea. Since we are partners with the US in NORAD, what is detected on their screens is the same as ours (region specific).
We don't spend anywhere near what the US does on its military - we couldn't hope to afford that. Nor should we; we don't project power worldwide.

 

[SunriseChampion]

The whole thing is another attempt to manufacture a scandal.

Of course you'd say that.

Because we all know that the Liberals are above the law and have their own code of ethics which is impeachable. They are unassailable as the gurantors of our nation's freedoms and all that. Or whatever.

The fact that you can't see the conflict of interest or don't care about it because it lies with your partisan leanings says more about you than about anyone doing any "manufacturing".

It's the same old Liberal self-entitlement. They can't help themselves. Nothing new, sure....if that's what you meant.