Canada to get Leopard 2s?
A French agency story via the UAE:
The Dutch, Swedes, Spaniards, and Greeks have A6s (besides the Germans). But some Canadian politicians and journalists will sans doute portray the (possible) acquisition as Bush-heavy military procurement (the Danes have Leopard 2s too).
Der Spiegel story here.
Via Army.ca.
Update: Looks like David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen reads Army.ca or The Torch. And the CF appear to be changing their tracks--not good PR.
Upperdate: CP reporter David Ebner can't quite get it right:
BERLIN - Berlin Saturday confirmed reports that Canada is to buy German Leopard tanks to equip its forces serving with the NATO multinational force in Afghanistan.A US defence-focused weekly also picked up the story on its website.
The defence ministry said it was examining a request to that effect from Ottawa, confirming a report in the magazine Der Spiegel due to appear Monday which says that 80 A4 tanks could be bought from the German army reserve.
‘The ministry is in principle favourable to this request,’ a spokesman told AFP.
Spiegel says the Canadians also want 20 Leopards of the latest A6M type which are mine-resistant, of which the German Bundeswehr regular army has 40.
But as the German manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann cannot deliver them at once, Canada wants to lease them from the German army, according to the magazine.
Canada has 2,500 troops deployed against the Taleban in the south of Afghanistan, while Germany has a force of 2,950 serving with the NATO International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
The Dutch, Swedes, Spaniards, and Greeks have A6s (besides the Germans). But some Canadian politicians and journalists will sans doute portray the (possible) acquisition as Bush-heavy military procurement (the Danes have Leopard 2s too).
Der Spiegel story here.
Via Army.ca.
Update: Looks like David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen reads Army.ca or The Torch. And the CF appear to be changing their tracks--not good PR.
Upperdate: CP reporter David Ebner can't quite get it right:
Defence officials have denied media reports that Canada is buying additional German tanks for use in Afghanistan...Uppestdate: Most of what you need to know about Leopards, from a Canadian tanker.
...I'm telling you that no decision has been taken," said Tanya Barnes, a spokeswoman for the Department of National Defence.
"The Canadian Forces are constantly assessing requirements for operations, but there's no decision taken. Any such decision would have to be approved by the government. So that's all the information I have on that right now for you."..
posted by Mark, Ottawa at 7:54 p.m.
3 Comments:
Ref: "bush-heavy"
At least they are German tanks. Imagine the media furor if they were American.
Mark…... You must be having a “delusions of grandeur moment” in crediting yourself with influencing news stories (“Update: Looks like David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen reads Army.ca or The Torch.”).
If you actually read his article or go on to the Citizen’s website you’ll find that Pugliese broke the original story on this way back in November (it was front page, I seem to remember)……so he’s hardly following the Torch.
But you already know this don’t you since on Nov. 2 you posted “Leopard 2s not leaping at all” where you accused David Akin of CTV and Pugliese of being “precipitous with their reporting” when they did stories about the Canadian Forces interested in buying Leopard 2s.
“They could not possibly be trying to stir things up, could they?” you asked (in your usual way of trying to discredit people).
So let me get this straight. You accuse the reporters of trying to “stir things up” with their reports in November that Canada is looking to buy Leopard 2s from Germany…..and then when their reports are right you claim that they (one of them at least) got his information from the Torch or Army.ca!!!
Too too funny.
(And I’d imagine that if you can find an Agence France Press report on the internet, then the Citizen newsroom or its wire services probably had it in hand before you ever stumbled on it.)
I understand that you may want to build up this blog into something, but flip-floping all over the place with these ridiculous posts does not help at all.
ssThis is a resurfacing of an old story...but to be fair the DND denied they were buying tanks.
BUT...could you blame them. The lefties do not think the military can be trusted with such equipment.
Tanks=GWB=Evil=Tanks.
These tanks are needed to maintain the armour branch. The 105mm MGS was expenisive and had limited survivability. It was right to kill it. Our C2s are wore out...it is time.
Post a Comment
<< Home