Civilian aerial Search and Rescue?

Canadian American Strategic Review advocates the switch from the Air Force, in a piece with a somewhat nasty tone about the Air Force's leadership. Unfortunately no civilian organization will be able to replicate the full range of capabilities provided by military aircraft with rear ramps to drop supply pallets and by the SAR techs themselves. Indeed the CASR piece really deals only with the "search" aspect of the mission. It also seems to assume that aerial SAR is primarily a maritime mission when if fact the great majority of activity is over land (and we've got a lot of it). A poorly thought-out article.

Moreover, no Canadian government will accept the political risk of even a perceived reduction in SAR capabilities--besides which I'm sure the Air Force likes having a warm and fuzzy role that governments' value. Not to mention that SAR aircraft (C-27Js? more here and here) can double occasionally as domestic tactical transports.

Finally, the CASR piece mixes up the SAR mission with general martime patrol. What does make complete sense to my mind is a civilian aircraft fleet for some of the maritime patrol roles the Air Force now has. I don't see a significant political downside to that.

The editor of CASR, for her part, really does seem have it in for the air staff.