Defence procurement: Jim Travesty has no clue
The Toronto Star's ace columnist busts his flush. He writes:
All the other major ones were either part of CF plans under the Liberals or considered by the Liberals and rejected. In November 2005 MND Graham's proposal to buy C-130Js, Chinooks and fixed-wing SAR aircraft--the last once a Liberal priority--was shot down and the Liberals agreed only to fast-track the Hercs.
Three other major projects are these: joint support ships, frigate refit, new trucks.
Budget 2004 Defence Highlights:
Not much about Stephen Harper's government is as simple or complex as its support for the military. Since promising in the last election to boost defence budgets by more than $5 billion, Conservatives have been even more generous, ordering planes, ships and even tanks while talking about restoring pride and more muscular offshore missions. What isn't clear is how that spending fits the forces into a coherent foreign policy.The only Conservative acquisitions and spending plans that are truly new are the C-17s, Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships (with a strong element of asserting ourselves against the Americans, no less), and the Leopard 2s.
Critics insist the reason is obvious: This prime minister's international priorities are pleasing Washington and playing diaspora politics at home. Neither requires a sophisticated, overarching strategy...
All the other major ones were either part of CF plans under the Liberals or considered by the Liberals and rejected. In November 2005 MND Graham's proposal to buy C-130Js, Chinooks and fixed-wing SAR aircraft--the last once a Liberal priority--was shot down and the Liberals agreed only to fast-track the Hercs.
Three other major projects are these: joint support ships, frigate refit, new trucks.
Budget 2004 Defence Highlights:
...plans to move forward with the Joint Support Ship project...Defence and Budget 2005 - Highlights:
...new medium capacity helicopters [i.e. CH-47s];As for the frigate refit (note the date):
logistics trucks...
Planning, preparation and coordination of the modernization began in 2005...So was it the Liberals sucking up to the Americans? Or Jim Travesty's simply being a very bad journalist? Vote.
posted by Mark, Ottawa at 10:19 p.m.
4 Comments:
I vote that Jim Travesty is exactly that. A travesty. As well, I vote that he is just a very bad journalist.
"A travesty"
I'll second that.
more like a well versed shill for the Liberal Party, a self appointed mouthpiece for the Progressive's view of the Canadian Forces and a significant influencer on Canadian public opinion. Doesn't matter what he writes is wrong or outright lies, lotsa people read him.
He's dangerous, he's powerful and he should be fisked at each and every opportunity.
Good job Torch, let Operation Fisk Travers continue.
Note that the Leo 2 purchase was simply a redirect of the money already allocated for the MGS, so it's not actually new money from the Conservative gov't.
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