Reasons to be in Afstan: Blog headline of the week

From Terry Glavin:

"Orientalist" Schoolgirl Effortlessly Crushes Gruesome Bloated Zombie Witch Creature.

US plans for Kandahar (and RC South)

Further to the end of this post,

Afstan: Hell no, we're gonna go/Meanwhile Kandahar shaping

lots more from the Washington Post:

U.S. forces set sights on Taliban bastion of Kandahar

U.S. forces have begun the initial phases of a political-military offensive in this Taliban bastion and hope to control the city and surrounding areas by late summer, according to senior U.S. military officials.

Officials have pressed local leaders and tribal elders over the past several weeks to begin holding shuras, or conferences, in Kandahar city and outlying districts, telling them that they must improve governance, address corruption and eject the Taliban. Otherwise, their areas will be the focus of expanding military operations scheduled to begin in June with the arrival of 10,000 new U.S. troops, the officials have said...

In interviews, senior U.S. military and civilian officials stressed the difference between the operations in Kandahar, an urban area that is the Taliban's heartland, and operations in neighboring Helmand province, where Marines have taken control of the Marja district and installed government officials appointed by the central government in Kabul.

"Marja is rural and was ungoverned," said Frank Ruggiero, the senior U.S. civilian official in southern Afghanistan. "Kandahar city is controlled by the Afghan government." But 80 percent of the Zhari district to the west is controlled by the Taliban, as is 40 percent of the Panjwayi district, to the southwest. There are scattered insurgent operations in the Arghandab district to the northwest [emphasis added], Ruggiero and other officials said.

Together, the three districts and the city proper have a population of 2 million, making Kandahar Afghanistan's second-largest population center, after Kabul...

The military aspects of the operation began about two months ago with targeted operations leading to the detention of about 70 mid- and senior-level Taliban leaders, with a slightly smaller number killed [emphasis added, any CF Special Forces involved?], according to U.S. officials. The next stage, an official said, will involve a "body blow" to areas under Taliban control, with the arrival of two U.S. combat brigades and Special Forces contingents that will move quickly to take control of the main highway into the city, through Zhari, to the west.

The bulk of U.S. troops will remain outside the city, while a trained and uncorrupt police force -- yet nonexistent -- will be installed inside Kandahar city.

"We have about four months," a military official said. "In that time, we have to flow our forces in and stay on that timeline." If U.S. and Afghan officials have retained and expanded security control in Helmand, while "moving toward a solution in Kandahar that the people support . . . then we've got the momentum," the official said.

The timeline also has larger goals, including a new police training structure and increased recruitment, as well as continued growth in the strength and competence of the Afghan army.

By fall, an additional 5,000 U.S. troops will be deployed to eastern and northern Afghanistan, for a total of 98,000 in the country, with about 40,000 from international partners. At the same time, the four-region command structure under McChrystal, with a U.S. command in the east, British in the south, Italian in the west and German in the north, is to be grown to five regions [there is also Regional Command Capital (Kabul), so six command in all].

Helmand and the rest of the southwest will be broken off to form a new U.S. command with the Marines and British troops. The British commander in the south, scheduled to depart in November, will be replaced by a U.S. general, leaving the United States in command of three of the five regions [more on the new RCs here].

As for the situation around Kandahar city, compare with this CBC story:

A combined force of 1,000 Afghan and Canadian troops conducted a sweep of the last major Taliban stronghold southwest of Kandahar this week, but encountered little resistance.

The soldiers carrying out Operation Lion II arrived in the eastern Panjwaii district only to be told by local villagers that insurgents had already been chased away


Troops and a tank from the Edmonton-based Lord Strathcona's Horse Tank Regiment are shown on March 26 during Operation Lion II in Khenjakak, Afghanistan. (Murray Brewster/Canadian Press)
...

Rather a different, and more positive spin, what?

"CFB Petawawa: Life on the home front"

A major online multi-media effort by the Ottawa Citizen. Petawawa is supplying many of the troops for the coming roto to the Sandbox, lots more here and here. The core of the roto is "1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment (1RCR) Battle Group".

What's the Taliban Think of Canadian Troops?

Short & sweet, from a recent interview with an alleged Taliban commander in Marjah (highlights mine):

(....)
Theunjustmedia: How would you characterize the invading soldiers as brave or cowards.

Commander Mullah Haji Mohammad: To be honest with you, most of the invading soldiers are cowards, if they did not have their helicopters and air planes to support them, they would not be able to stay in Afghanistan for more than a month, on the other hand you do have few brave invading soldiers, from all the invading countries the Canadian soldiers are the most bravest.
(....)

A bit more here.

Bosnia-Hercegovina: One CF mission finally ends/New Congo one?

For those who want Canada seriously to get back into UN-run peacekeeping, it is worth remembering that the UN start of our mission in the former Yugoslavia was a dismal failure, whilst the successor NATO mission was a comparative success. In any event the CF are now out of Bosnia-Hercegovina after some 18 years in the region (more here). Compare that with what will have been some nine years in Afstan with our planned 2011 withdrawal. What's the big difference? Considerably more dead soldiers, though a very small number in historical context. Draw your own conclusions:

Canadian mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina ends

The Canadian mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina officially ends Monday with a ceremony at NATO headquarters in Sarajevo.

Only six Canadian soldiers are stationed in the country, compared to 2,000 at the height of the operation.

Canadian military personnel began deploying to the region in 1991 after Slovenia and Croatia declared independence from the former Yugoslavia...

About 100,000 people were killed in the war, and more than 1.3 million were displaced.

MacKenzie retired in 1993, and at the time, was fiercely critical of the UN mission. He still maintains the UN mission was poorly-planned.

"While the war was raging from 1992 to 1995 we had a lightly armed peacekeeping force, so don't ask me to explain that," Mackenzie said.

About 40,000 Canadian military personnel have served in the region as peacekeepers since the early 1990s.

According to the Canadian embassy responsible for Bosnia and Herzegovina, 23 soldiers have died in the operation. One died as a result of enemy action, while the rest were killed in accidents...

Earlier:

Peackeeping humbug

And just in case anyone is really thinking about having the CF do the UN Congo bongo, please see:

The bleak calculus of Congo’s war without end

Just say "No" to Congo

If you think the Afghan government is a dicey one with which to be associated, you sure won't love the Congolese regime if you think about it. And if you think there's a major problems with the CF's being in any way associated with Afghan forces that abuse detainees, what about being in charge of a UN force associated with some very unsavoury locals indeed?

Answer, fans of UN peacekeeping for Canada.

Afstan; "The Seventh quarterly report... and the other Six"

Metrics from BruceR. at Flit, almost two weeks ago:

The Seventh annual Canadian quarterly report on our Afghan mission is out, and others have already commented on the apparent lack of progress over three months ago on the ANSF side... something that has been mentioned here, oh, now and again.

Anyway, to take a better look on actual trends over the last 18 months of this reporting, I've charted the six objective ANSF benchmark measures on the flip side, so you can see the progress since they were established as part of the government's response to the Manley Commission in June 2008.

In all cases, the red line is the Canadian government's stated goal.

First up is the number of kandaks out of the five in 1/205 ANA Brigade plus brigade HQ rated at Capability Milestone 1. 5 Kandak, the logistics kandak joined 2 Kandak and the HQ at that level a few months ago. While one can quibble about what CM1 really means in terms of capability, this is what an on-track benchmark at the halfway point (between mid-2008 and mid-2011) should look like.

Effective strength of the ANA, on the other hand, is not being maintained at the Canadian government goal of 70% for all kandaks. To be fair, though, it was expected that 2009 would be a loss year for 1 Brigade as a lot of its original enlistments from when its units were first formed were coming to term this year. Insisting on more accurate and rigorous reporting from the ANA is probably another factor that has hurt this metric while actually helping the war effort...

Read and view on.

Audio: Matthew Fisher on Afstan

Earlier:

CanWest's Matthew Fisher to deliver Kesterton Lecture [March 31 in Ottawa, do go if you can]

Today: Our best war correspondent is interviewed on CFRA Ottawa; he talks the best sense you'll hear from any Canadian about the overall Afghan situation and about our mission:

...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Canada's Afghanistan Role
Madely in the Morning - 8:10am --- Steve Madely is joined in studio by Matthew Fisher, CanWest Foreign correspondent, Middle East and South Asia bureau chief.
mp3 (click here to download)...

Afstan: Hell no, we're gonna go/Meanwhile Kandahar shaping

Earlier:

Afstan: Stephen Harper ain't no Barack Omama...

Now: take this Madame Secretary of State--our loud and proud foreign minister:

U.S. makes public call for Canada to stay in Afghanistan
...

The United States has scrapped pretence and is publicly calling for Canadian troops to stay in Afghanistan past next year, sparking questions over what Canada’s role will be after the 2011 deadline for military withdrawal.

Though it is no secret that the U.S. would like to see Canadian troops stay, Washington had previously papered over the differences by not specifically asking.

Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton changed course, saying the U.S. believes it has made progress with a new strategy and hopes Canada will provide “visible” support. She said that Canadian troops might take on a non-combat role.

“We would obviously like to see some form of support continue, because the Canadian Forces have a great reputation. They’ve worked really well with our American troops and the other members of our coalition,” Ms. Clinton said in interview with CTV News before a meeting of foreign ministers from G8 countries.

“There’s all kinds of things that are possible. The military could slip more into a training role instead of a combat role, a logistics-support role instead of front-line combat,” she said, stressing that it is up to Canada to decided its way forward.

Last night, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon insisted there will be no Canadian military mission in Afghanistan after next year's deadline, but said the government is examining what kind of roles civilian officials will play in delivering aid and development programs.

“Canada's military mission will end in 2011,” he said. “Officials, of course, are examining Canada's potential non-military role post-2011. But let me be clear again: our military role will end in 2011."..

But, until they leave, the CF are still hard at it, with the ANA seemingly harder at it themselves:

KHENJAKAK, Afghanistan — Canadian and Afghan troops have swept through villages southwest of Kandahar only to find that locals had already ejected the Taliban.

A combined force of roughly 1,000 troops, supported by tanks and helicopters, spent the last six days scouring through hamlets on the outskirts of the city, areas that have been known staging points for militants. The operation in Adamzai and Khenjakak was conducted under a media blackout and is in the same general vicinity where Canadian soldiers fought pitched battles last fall.

But villagers told troops and the district governor at a shura - or meeting - on Monday that they had already chased the Taliban away and told them not to return.

Afghan and Canadian commanders were quick to say the absence of insurgent activity in the area was sign NATO's new counter-insurgency strategy was working without anyone having to fire a shot.

Known as Operation Lion II, it was the first Afghan National Army planned and led offensive sweep.

Previous shaping the battlefield in preparation for the coming big (largely American and one hopes an effective ANA) push at Kandahar province and city, likely to start in June.

Afstan: Stephen Harper ain't no Barack Omama/Brits replacing us?/"Hell no" Update

Surprise, surprise:

Capping the most momentous week of his presidency, U.S. President Barack Obama flew secretly to Kabul where he demanded a crackdown on endemic corruption but vowed not to abandon Afghanistan until the war is won because America’s security is at stake.

“The United States of America does not quit once we start on something,” he told 2,500 cheering American troops Sunday. He made no reference to those allies – including Canada and the Netherlands – that will withdraw thousands of troops next year, whether or not the raging Taliban insurgency has been defeated...

...a majority of Americans tell pollsters they oppose the war.

[Globeite Paul Koring is being indelicately economical with the truth--or else not doing his, er, research. The latest:

...A poll released late last week by CNN found a rise in optimism on Afghanistan, with 44% of the public saying things are going well for the U.S., versus 43% who say things are going badly. That's a 23-percentage-point jump since last November.

The poll found that 48% support the war, versus 49% opposed—anemic, but the first time since May that opposition slipped below 50%...

More:

...
Overall, 53 percent of those polled approve of the way Obama is dealing with the situation in Afghanistan; 35 percent disapprove...]

If I thought for a minute that America’s vital interests were not served, were not at stake right here in Afghanistan, I would order all you home right away,” Mr. Obama told throngs of American soldiers shortly before boarding his plane for the long flight home...

Since the government says we're leaving in 2011 I guess no there are no Canadian vital interests in Afstan after all, and no need to continue contributing militarily (not even trainers in Kabul) to collective security--once a foundation of Canadian foreign policy [..."In the interest of collective security, Canada and its international partners share a duty to help ensure that terrorism cannot take root again in Afghanistan..."; guess where you'll find that].

What slays me is that our government seems positively proud that it is committed to a 2011 complete CF bug-out date from Afstan--which is not what the 2008 Commons' resolution calls for.

Meanwhile, one of Canada's greatest and goodest has this to say:

...
The Afghanistan mission, [Robert] Fowler said, is doomed because neither Canadians nor its allies are prepared to pay the price, “in blood or treasure” to essentially colonize that country.

“The bottom line is: We will not prevail in Afghanistan,” Fowler said. “We are simply not prepared to foot the massive price in blood and treasure, which it would take to effectively colonize Afghanistan — the least fortunate country in the world — and replace their culture with ours, for that seems to be what we seek, and with the Taliban share that view.”

Fowler argued that Canadian troops should immediately withdraw from that country. “It is time to leave. Not a moment, not a life, and not a dollar, later.”

Hurl to the max.

And guess who may--sensibly--replace, indeed augment considerably, our military effort at Kandahar:

...Britain's Telegraph newspaper reported Sunday that if the Pentagon has its way, British forces now in Afghanistan's Helmand Province would replace Canadian troops when they leave Kandahar next year. Helmand, which the British now share with the U.S. marines, would then become entirely the responsibility of the marines [the Brits might also replace the Dutch in Uruzgan]...

Update:

Afstan: Hell no, we're gonna go/Meanwhile Kandahar shaping

Walking a fine line on MWR

Via e-mail correspondence with The Torch's Macallan Moving Correspondent via The Stupid Shall Be Punished, we learn of coming changes to the "Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) facilities" in Afghanistan - changes which will affect Canadian troops as they're co-located with Americans at KAF:

Many of you have heard that there are plans to shut down some of the “amenities” throughout Afghanistan. This is not rumor. It is fact. This is a warzone – not an amusement park. From the moment GEN McChrystal and I arrived in Afghanistan last summer, we began looking for ways to do things more efficiently across the battlefield – the optimization of ISAF. This effort includes moving and reallocating resources to better accomplish our mission.

One of the ways we’re going to do that -- in order to accommodate the troop increase and get re-focused on the mission at hand -- is to cut back on some of the nonessentials. That includes some of the morale, welfare and recreation facilities throughout Afghanistan. In the coming weeks and months, concessions such as Orange Julius, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen and Military Car Sales will close their doors.

Other changes will not be so obvious. We will also reduce the amount of canned and bottled goods coming into country, as well as first-run movie showings and non-USO entertainment shows.

What it comes down to is focus, and to using the resources we have in the most efficient and effective ways possible. Supplying nonessential luxuries to big bases like Bagram and Kandahar makes it harder to get essential items to combat outposts and forward operating bases, where troops who are in the fight each day need resupplied with ammunition, food and water.

Hall elaborates a bit more here:

Eight years into the war here, U.S. combat troops are still asking for simple things, such as lighter equipment to help them keep up with their enemies. Meanwhile, troops and civilians stationed at major headquarters bases in Kabul, Bagram and Kandahar enjoy many of the comforts of home: Burger joints, cafes, dance parties and shops where one can buy a flat-screen television, then duck in for an hour-long massage.

To Hall these amenities are tangible examples of lost focus.

Instead of flying bullets and food rations to troops at austere combat outposts, some planes and helicopters are instead being used to ferry ice cream and fried chicken to troops far from the front. Troops who should be on patrol to help protect Afghan civilians from insurgents instead get stuck pulling guard duty while their comrades whoop it up at hip-hop night.

He wants to put a stop to it.

Hall recently swung through combat outposts in Afghanistan’s east and asked troops what they thought about shutting down the Pizza Huts, Burger Kings and Popeye’s Chickens, “and they started to make fun of me,” he said. “They said they had everything they need out here and they were here to do a mission, and (all that other stuff) … didn’t really matter to them.”

Beyond that, he said, the front-line troops understood that supplying nonessential luxuries to big bases like Bagram and Kandahar made it harder to get essential items to far-flung bases like Combat Outpost Monti.

“It wasn’t a matter of I’m suffering and you need to suffer also,” he said. “They were talking about what they need to do the mission, and they know that those were distractions.”

I've been asked about this particular issue by civilians in the past, and I don't think I'm offside with the majority working in a Canadian uniform when I say "luxuries" are fine as long as they don't take away from the mission - either physically or mentally. American CSM Hall and GEN McChrystal have obviously decided that some of these frills are doing just that. I don't have a problem with that reasoning, but I find the justification a bit spotty in parts.

I distinctly remember gawping like a landed fish just over a year ago on the boardwalk at KAF when I found out that you could get Pizza Hut delivered on the base. But after that initial shock, I thought "hey, if everyone's getting the bullets and beans they need, then why the hell not?" Of course, if you're shipping mountains of cardboard pizza boxes into KAF when there's a backlog of personnel and materiel waiting to get into the country, that's a problem. I have yet to hear soldiers complaining about a lack of essentials in theatre, but just because I haven't heard it doesn't mean it's not happening. Perhaps ammunition is sitting in crates on the ramp at an airfield somewhere while Burger King wrappers are loaded into the back of a waiting Hercules instead.

But when the CSM starts talking about cutting out first-run movies, my spidey-sense starts tingling. Surely you can find room for a few DVD's on a resupply flight.

No, when you start eliminating frills like that, it's not about physical capacity. It's not even about focus as far as I can see: everyone I met and watched over there was very, very focused on what they were doing.

I think it's about narrowing the lifestyle gap between those at the very pointiest end - at the FOBs, at the ANP outposts, out mentoring the ANA, etc - and those ISAF troops on the bigger bases in order to limit friction between the two groups. While there are certainly some surprising amenities at Kandahar Air Field, it is hardly a five-star resort. My overwhelming impression was of a rather depressing summer camp - mud and dust everywhere, a couple of places to go (like Canada House) and things to do (like wander around on the boardwalk) that get old extremely quickly. Outside the wire, though, the conditions are...well, austere is too plush a word.

Some of the troops who spend a lot of time outside the wire resent those who never step foot off the base at KAF. The crazy part is that it's not like most troops have a choice: you largely go where you're told to go. If you're a pay clerk, you're probably not going to get many opportunities go out on patrol. And if you're an infanteer with the Battle Group, you're likely not inside the wire much, regardless of what you'd prefer. Oh, there are exceptions - times when the boss at HQ asks for volunteers from the support staff to go someplace dangerous as a one-off, or times when a combat arms soldier can't or won't go out again and finds an excuse to be left behind. But those are the exceptions.

Most of the support soldiers I met were anxious to get out into the field again. KAF could be a soul-sucking place to spend a full tour - away from home and family, but without the adrenaline and satisfaction of being at the tip of the spear. Most of the Battle Group soldiers I met wouldn't have minded a couple more days at KAF to take wet showers and drink Tim Horton's coffee before heading back out into the dust and IEDs.

I don't have thirty years leading men and women in uniform like Command Sergeant Major Hall and General McChrystal. Their instincts on this issue are likely far more finely honed than mine. They're on the ground, with their fingers on the pulse of their troops, I'm sure. All the same, I'm not sure I agree with them in this instance.

I get the fairness issue, really I do. And soldiers in almost every major war over the past century have survived with morale intact sans Pizza Hut delivery and first-run movies. I'm just not sure there was much of a problem to fix in this case. Morale's a funny thing, and this strikes me as one of those trade-offs that could cost you more than you get back.

Of course, I'm just some guy typing at a keyboard a few thousand kilometres away, and there's no clear-cut best course here. Your mileage may vary.

Who’s Up to Designing/Building Chinook Support Complex in Petawawa?

This, from MERX:

…. Defence Construction Canada – Request for Qualifications, Design and Construction of Support Facilities, Medium To Heavy Lift Helicopters (MHLH), Petawawa, ON.

In accordance with the rules, regulations, statutes and guidelines, and the professional associations of the Province of Ontario, Defence Construction Canada (DCC) is calling for submissions from Contractor Teams to provide the following services for the design and construction of the new facilities:

• complete the design and prepare the construction documentation based on the Performance Specifications
• design, register and obtain LEED® certification at the level of Silver
• supply all labour, materials and equipment to construct the facilities
• establish and maintain QA/QC processes throughout the implementation phase of the project
• undertake complete commissioning and testing exercise to ensure compliance with the performance objectives.
• supply as-built and operation and maintenance data ….

The estimated design and construction cost is in the order of $124,000,000 ….

And what do you get for an estimated cost of $124M? From the bid package (PDF of main document here):

The Heavy Maintenance Squadron Facility will provide 2nd and 3rd line maintenance support for all Chinook operations in an approximately 13,000 sq.m. gross area. It will incorporate four (4) helicopter maintenance bays, one (1) explosion proof repair bay, as well as an interior wash bay with an underground water reservoir. Aircraft support shops and offices will also be located throughout the facility.

The 1st Line Maintenance and Operation Facility will house the squadron operational helicopters, operators and support in a gross area of approximately 16,000 sq.m. The hangar floor will accommodate a minimum of ten (10) helicopters. The large, open, ready-use material shops will require basic systems with electrical and/or air compressor connectors to accommodate work benches, metal fabrication equipment and fume hoods. Squadron offices will also be housed in this facility.

The Pilot and Maintainer Training Facility will be approximately 6,000 sq.m. gross area. A large portion will be high bays for simulators. Other areas will be used as computer rooms, classrooms, briefing rooms and instructor offices.

The Common Support Facility will be approximately 5,000 sq.m. gross area. A large portion will comprise a high warehouse. Other portions will include office areas, repair shops for small equipment, and support vehicles.

Deadline to let the CF know whether your company can handle such a contract? No later than 2pm Eastern Daylight Time, April 20, 2010.

(Crossposted at MILNEWS.ca blog)

CanWest's Matthew Fisher to deliver Kesterton Lecture

This, from Carleton University:

Matthew Fisher, who has been in Afghanistan 16 times since September 2001 as Canwest’s Middle East and South Asia bureau chief, will deliver this year’s Kesterton Lecture. The lecture is titled “Canada in Afghanistan: How Well Has the Story Been Told?”

The lecture is scheduled for Mar. 31 at 7 p.m., with a reception to follow. It’s slated for the Minto Building’s Bell Theatre.

(....)

He arrives back in Canada two days prior to the lecture, Director CHRIS WADDELL notes. “So he will be on top of what is happening [in Afghanistan]. We are going to send the invitation to the defence and military communities, the aid community, DND, Foreign Affairs, MPs and the press gallery, so we hope to get a good turnout for the lecture and discussion.”

Good of Matt to agree to speak so soon after coming back from downrange - if his coverage is anything to go by, it will be worth hearing what he has to share. If you want a taste of Matt's first-rate work,

Matthew Fisher interviewed about Afstan

and let's not forget...

2007 Ross Munro Media Award

Canada's Post-2011 Mission by Default: Keeping an Eye on Things

As usual, Terry Glavin nails it in his latest on what the government is saying (or not) about what Canada will be doing in Afghanistan post-2011:

.... (In the House of Commons this week), Ignatieff's version of the question 'What am I thinking?' elicited this weird response from Cannon: "Canada will continue to maintain diplomatic relations and monitor development through its embassy in Kabul, as we do in other countries."

This isn't a decision, you should realize. It's the consequence of the absence of a decision. It's the direct result of the absence of any Parliamentary debate, the non-existence of any consideration or resolution or motion about what Canada should be doing in Afghanistan after 2011 - which is next year, remember.

(....)

The Canadian people never decided this. We were never asked, never consulted. We are simply instructed that Canada's role in Afghanistan will be reduced by accident of Parliamentary paralysis to "diplomatic relations," and our embassy will "monitor development." We will have someone sitting in a wheelchair, perhaps wearing a toque, looking out an embassy window, while soldiers and specialists from the great powers of the 43-nation ISAF alliance - Montenegro, Latvia, Jordan, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Macedonia - do all the work.

(....)

If this is what Parliament wants, then this is what Parliament will get. if this is what our political leaders want, then they should bloody well come right out and say so. If it isn't, then they might show us the courtesy of telling us what they propose. Is this what you want, Mr. Ignatieff? Mr. Harper? Mr. Duceppe? Mr. Layton?

What more need I say?

Click here if you want to read the entire brief exchange via Hansard.

Wanted (by 2015): As Many as 600 Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles for CF

Remember this eight months ago?

Armoured vehicle upgrade and acquisitions

This week, MERX had the latest:

.... REQUIREMENTS

The Department of National DEFENCE (DND) has a requirement for a fleet of Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles (TAPV), with an estimated initial purchase of 500 and an option for up to 100 additional vehicles. DND also has a requirement for logistics support for the life expectancy of the TAPV, estimated at 25 years.

The TAPV is a wheeled combat vehicle that will fulfill a wide variety of roles on the battlefield. Canada requires one platform, comprised of two variants: the General Utility variant and the Reconnaissance variant. It will have a high degree of tactical mobility and provide a very high degree of survivability to its crew.

PROCUREMENT MILESTONES

The estimated procurement milestones are as follows:
Request for Proposal (RFP) Release Fall 2010
TAPV Acquisition Contract Award Fall 2011
TAPV Support Contract Award Fall 2011
Initial Operating Capability 2013
Completion of TAPV Deliveries 2015 ....

Keep in mind, though, that this is very much an initial first step in the buying process:

.... The purpose of this (Solicitation of Interest and Qualification) is to qualify vehicles as well as their Original Equipment Manufacturers through a formal evaluation of selected mandatory technical requirements. Canada encourages a supplier pre-qualification process when complex procurements will likely result in high proposal preparation costs to industry. By using a pre-qualification phase to initiate the procurement process, respondents evaluated as not having sufficient technical capabilities to carry out the project are informed before they undertake the effort and expense of preparing a response to a complete RFP ....

Translation: We're looking for an initial short-list of possible vehicles and manufacturers. This allows us and companies to save time and money during the more formal process because vehicles/companies not even close to what we need won't have to do all the more-expensive bidding work.

Interested in more details? You can download the "Selected Vehicle System Requirements" annex to the full bid package here (via Milnet.ca).

Idiocy knows no bounds

Tell me which other workers are subject to the principle of "unlimited liability," Professor Webber? You asinine popinjay.

Nothing distinguishes the soldier from the civilian more strikingly than the acceptance that one of the basic rights that may have to be forgone in the national interest is the right to life. This requirement to give up one's life for one's country is spoken of in the military literature as "the clause of unlimited liability". This is the essential defining or differentiating characteristic separating soldiers from their fellow citizens.

It's not the Afghan effort that's being glorified here, it's the voluntary sacrifice in service to one's fellow Canadians, in full knowledge of what that sacrifice might entail. The hierarchy of loyalty: sovereign, state, superior, subordinate, and - purposely the very last of all - self. No other profession demands that. That's why a death in uniform is fundamentally different than any other "workplace accident."

(Hat-tip to SDA by way of Andrew Potter)

Switching it up

DND has announced a new slate of senior appointments and promotions:

The following promotions and appointments for Regular Force senior officers will take place in 2010:

• Vice-Admiral A.B. Donaldson will be appointed Vice Chief of the Defence Staff at National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) in Ottawa, replacing Vice-Admiral J.A.D. Rouleau;


• Vice-Admiral J.A.D. Rouleau will be appointed Canadian military representative to the NATO in Brussels, replacing Lt.-Gen. C.J.R. Davis, who will be retiring;


• Maj.-Gen. P.J. Devlin will be promoted to Lt.-Gen. and appointed Chief of the Land Staff at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Lt.-Gen. A.B. Leslie whose next appointment will be announced at a later date;


• Maj.-Gen. W. Semianiw will be promoted to Lt.-Gen. and appointed Commander Canada Command in Ottawa, replacing Vice-Admiral A.B. Donaldson;


• Maj.-Gen. S.A. Beare will be appointed Deputy Commander – NATO Training Mission- Afghanistan (NTM-A) International Security Assistance Force HQ in Afghanistan, replacing Maj.-Gen. M.J. Ward;


• Rear Admiral N.S. Greenwood will be appointed Commander Joint Task Force Pacific and Commander Maritime Forces Pacific in Esquimalt, replacing Rear Admiral T.H.W. Pile, who will be retiring;


• Maj.-Gen. J.M.M. Hainse will be appointed Deputy Director General International Security Policy at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Commodore D.C. Gardam;


• Rear Admiral P.A. Maddison will be appointed Assistant Chief of the Maritime Staff at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Rear Admiral N.S. Greenwood;


• Maj.-Gen. M.J. Ward will be appointed Commander Canadian Defence Academy in Kingston, replacing Maj.-Gen. J.P.Y.D. Gosselin;


• Commodore D.C. Gardam will be promoted to Rear Admiral and appointed Commander Joint Task Force Atlantic and Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic in Halifax, replacing Rear Admiral P.A. Maddison;


• Commodore R.W. Greenwood will be promoted to Rear Admiral and appointed commander Canadian Defence Liaison Staff (Washington), replacing Maj.-Gen. D.W. Langton, who will be retiring;


• Brig.-Gen. J.R.M.G. Laroche will be promoted to Maj.-Gen. and appointed Commander Land Force Doctrine and Training System Headquarters in Kingston, replacing Maj.-Gen. J.M.M. Hainse;


• Commodore M.F.R. Lloyd will be promoted to Rear Admiral and appointed Chief of Force Development at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Maj.-Gen. S.A. Beare;


• Brig.-Gen. J.A.J. Parent will be promoted to Maj.-Gen. and appointed Deputy Commander Canadian Expeditionary Forces Command at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Maj.-Gen. P.J. Devlin;


• Brig.-Gen. J.M.C. Rousseau will be promoted to Maj.-Gen. and appointed Chief of Defence Intelligence at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Maj.-Gen. M.G. MacDonald, who will be retiring;


• Commodore A.M. Smith will be promoted to Rear Admiral and appointed Chief of Military Personnel at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Maj.-Gen. W. Semianiw;


• Brig.-Gen. R.V. Blanchette will be appointed Director General Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs) at NDHQ Ottawa;


• Brig.-Gen. S. Bowes will be appointed Commander Land Force Atlantic Area Halifax, replacing Brig.-Gen. A.T. Stack;


• Brig.-Gen. J.A.G. Champagne will be appointed Deputy Commander Canada Command Headquarters in Ottawa, replacing Brig.-Gen. J.P.P.J. Lacroix, who will be retiring;
  
• Commodore J.E.T.P. Ellis will be appointed Commander Canadian Fleet Pacific in Esquimalt, replacing Commodore M.F.R. Lloyd;


• Commodore P.T.E. Finn will be appointed Director General Maritime Equipment Program Management at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Commodore R.W. Greenwood;


• Commodore L.M. Hickey will be appointed Commander Canadian Fleet Atlantic in Halifax, replacing Commodore M.A.G. Norman;


• Brig.-Gen. H.F. Jaeger will be appointed Director General Reserves and Cadets at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Commodore J.R. MacIsaac, who will be retiring;


• Brig.-Gen. M.P. Jorgensen will be appointed Deputy J5, Joint Force Command (JFC) HQ Brunssum, the Netherlands;


• A/Brig.-Gen. C.R. King will be promoted to Brig.-Gen and appointed Director General Operations, Strategic Joint Staff at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Brig.-Gen. R.V. Blanchette;


• Brig.-Gen. J.C. Madower will be appointed Assistant Chief Military Personnel at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Commodore A.M. Smith;


• Brig.-Gen. E.N. Matern will be appointed Chief of Staff (Operations) Canadian Expeditionary Forces Command in Ottawa, replacing Brig.-Gen. J.A.J. Parent;


• A/Brig.-Gen. J.B.D. Menard was promoted to Brig.-Gen. and will be appointed Commander Land Force Quebec Area in Montreal, replacing Brig.-Gen. J.R.M.G. Laroche;


• Brig.-Gen. D.B. Millar will be appointed Director of Operations, Defence/International Security, Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat at the Pricy Council Office in Ottawa, replacing Brig.-Gen. J.M.C. Rousseau;


• Brig.-Gen. D.G. Neasmith will be appointed to the Combined Security Transition Command Assistant Commanding General for Afghan national army development in Afghanistan, replacing Brig.-Gen. P.F. Wynnyk;


• Commodore M.A.G. Norman will be appointed Director General Maritime Force Development at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Commodore J.E.T.P. Ellis;


• Acting Brig.-Gen. J.G.E. Tremblay was promoted to Brig.-Gen. and remains as Deputy Commanding General (US) I Corps in Fort Lewis, Washington;


• Brig.-Gen. J.H. Vance will be appointed Director General Land Capability Development at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Brig.-Gen. J.R.A. Tremblay;


• Brig.-Gen. J.Y.R.A. Viens will be appointed Director General Military Careers at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Brig.-Gen. J.C. Madower;


• Brig.-Gen. C.T. Whitecross will be appointed International Security Assistance Force Deputy Chief of Staff Communication in Afghanistan;


• Commodore K.E. Williams will be appointed Commander Canadian Defence Liaison Staff (London, England), replacing Maj.-Gen. J.D.A. Hincke, who will be retiring;
  
• Brig.-Gen. P.F. Wynnyk will be appointed Commander Land Force Western Area in Edmonton, replacing Brig.-Gen. M.P. Jorgensen;


• Capt. (Navy) M.S. Adamson will be promoted to Commodore and appointed Project Manager Canadian Surface Combatant at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Commodore P.T.E. Finn;


• Capt. (Navy) B.W. Belliveau will be promoted to Commodore (acting while so employed) and appointed Deputy Chief of Staff Operations Maritime Component Command (MCC) in Northwood, United Kingdom;


• Col. J.C. Coates will be promoted to Brig.-Gen. and appointed Deputy Commander CONUS NORAD in Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, replacing Brig.-Gen. J.Y.R.A.Viens;
  
• Col. K.A. Corbould will be promoted to Brig.-Gen. (acting while so employed) and appointed Deputy Commander 10 Mountain Division HQ in Afghanistan;


• Col. M.D. Day was promoted to Brig.-Gen. (acting while so employed) and remains Commander Canadian Special Operations Forces Command in Ottawa;


• Col. J.J.R.G. Hamel will be promoted to Brig.-Gen. and appointed Commander Joint Task Force North in Yellowknife, replacing Brig.-Gen. D.B. Millar;


• Col. M.J. Hood will be promoted to Brig.-Gen. and appointed Director General Air Force Development at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Brig.-Gen. D.A. Davies, who will be retiring;


• Col. J.C.G. Juneau will be promoted to Brig.-Gen. (acting while so employed) and appointed Deputy Commanding General XVIII Airborne Corps in Fort Bragg, California, replacing Brig.-Gen. E.N. Matern;


• Col. F.A. Lewis will be promoted to Brig.-Gen. and appointed Commander Land Force Central Area in Toronto, replacing Brig.-Gen. J.G.J.C. Collin;


• Col. D.J. Milner will be promoted to Brig.-Gen. (acting while so employed) and appointed Commander Joint Task Force in Afghanistan replacing Brig.-Gen. J.B.D. Menard;


• Col. L.N. Russell will be promoted to Brig.-Gen. and appointed Director General Air Personnel at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Brig.-Gen. T.F.J. Leversedge, who will be retiring;


• Capt. (Navy) D.L. Sing will be promoted Commodore (acting while so employed) and appointed Director General Naval Personnel at NDHQ Ottawa, replacing Commodore L.M. Hickey;


• Col. J.P.J. St-Amand was promoted to Brig.-Gen. and appointed J5 Director Strategic Plans in Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) HQ, Mons Casteau, Belgium; and


• Col. C.C Thurrott will be promoted to Brig.-Gen. and appointed Deputy Commander and Chief of Operations and Plans Canadian Operations Support Command in Ottawa, replacing Brig.-Gen. C.T. Whitecross.

After distinguished service to the CF and Canada, the following senior officers will complete their careers and retire from the CF Regular Force in 2010:

• Lt.-Gen. C.J.R. Davis;


• Maj.-Gen. J.D.A. Hincke;


• Maj.-Gen. D.W. Langton;


• Maj.-Gen. M.G. MacDonald;


• Rear Admiral T.H.W. Pile;


• Brig.-Gen. D.A. Davies;


• Brig.-Gen. D.C Kettle;


• Brig.-Gen. J.P.P.J. Lacroix;


• Brig.-Gen. T.F.J. Leversedge;


• Brig.-Gen. J.J. Selbie;


• Brig.-Gen. C.S. Sullivan; and


• Brig.-Gen. K.W. Watkin.

I'm sure there are some whose significance I'll miss here, but a few of these appointments jump off the page to me:

• Rouleau goes to NATO after such a short stint as VCDS. As you'll recall, he was promoted very quickly - kind of came out of nowhere - to get to the VCDS slot in the first place. I don't know if this new appointment is further grooming, or if it's shuffling him off.


• Leslie leaves the CLS post and Devlin takes over. Leslie leaving is no surprise to me - I've been hearing rumblings since Natynczyk took over from Hillier, and Gauthier left CEFCOM. What's interesting is that, like Gauthier, they haven't announced what they're going to do with him. The scuttlebutt I've heard is that he's still interested in serving in uniform, but significant army LGen slots are rather scarce. I don't like situations like this where a senior officer is left in limbo - it reflects unfavourably on all involved. Leslie's an undeniably smart officer, but the last time I saw him, he came across as tired - not physically, but mentally and emotionally - and a little bitter. I hope he finds a position where his considerable talents can be of use, and he can find some energy and enthusiasm again. Sometimes a change is as good as a rest. Having said all that, I've heard nothing but good things about Devlin.


• Semianiw going to Canada Command is an interesting one. Everything I've heard about this guy is that he's a top-notch organizer. And from what I've heard, Canada Command continues to need one.


• As an Ex-Cadet, I'm overly interested in Ward's move: from NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan (NTM-A) International Security Assistance Force HQ in Afghanistan to Commander Canadian Defence Academy in Kingston. Foreign training to domestic training. The CF has so much operational experience in its ranks now, and it's good to see that experience being used to train the new cadre of leaders.


• I'll defer just this once to David Pugliese on the Blanchette appointment - see the link at the bottom of this post. Actually, I will say one thing: you could put an eight-foot-tall 56-star general with ribbons and bows and garland all over his dashing uniform into Public Affairs right now, and if he has no experienced PAffOs in his branch and no authority from the civilian political and bureaucratic leadership to get the CF's story out, that individual's rank doesn't matter one iota. The only way this appointment means a damned thing is if a BGen can get results where a full colonel never could. Otherwise, it's just another slot on a mostly-ignored org chart at NDHQ. The one thing I will give Blanchette is that he's coming from the Strategic Joint Staff at NDHQ, which means he's likely very familiar with the corridors of power in Ottawa. Hopefully that background in back-room skullduggery will enable him to procure the operating space so desperately needed by PA right now. But I ain't holding my breath.


• Coates' promotion from Col to BGen is unsurprising but welcome. His reputation is as a no-nonsense flyer, a leader by example, a guy who's all about getting the job done whichever way he can. I met him briefly in Afghanistan, where he was commanding the Air Wing at the time, and got the impression of a very serious individual. Going to Deputy Commander CONUS NORAD in Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida is not an insignificant appointment, and suggests to me he's being groomed for higher rank. Of course, 'the best laid plans of mice and men' and all that.

On a related note, I saw David Pugliese's piece on the senior appointments and promotions and had a good chuckle. I don't always see eye-to-eye with Pugliese, but that post of his is right on the money.

There are a whole pile of reasons DND Public Affairs is so ineffective right now. Some of it is their own fault, and some of it is the result of monumentally short-sighted and petty controls put on them by the civil service bureaucracy and the Ottawa political machinery. But no matter what the reasons, I'm with Pugliese on this one: the quality of the public product continues to drop (I can't speak to the internal advice they're giving, which is another less visible component of their work).

Well, What's Our Answer Going to Be?

This, from today's Globe & Mail:

The U.S. government will ask Canada to keep as many as 500 to 600 troops in Afghanistan after this country’s military deployment in Kandahar ends in 2011.

Sources inside and outside the government say the formal request is expected toward the end of this year through NATO. The troops would act as military trainers and would most likely be located in Kabul. The deployment would not involve putting Canadian troops in harm’s way, but could nonetheless set off a rancorous national debate among Canadians and especially within the Liberal Party.

No specific request has been raised in meetings between Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Defence Minister Peter MacKay. But officials in the departments of State and Defence have advised their Canadian counterparts that an “ask” is coming.

To fulfill the terms of the parliamentary resolution that Canadian Forces leave Afghanistan, any troops would have to be outside the Kandahar region, and not engaged in military operations ....

Columnist Norman Spector brings up a good point:

.... If our troops are serving as military trainers, sooner or later they will have to accompany the Afghan troops they are training into combat operations. Which means they will be in harms way ....

OK, Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan, IF this happens, are you going to spend any time considering this? Or more wild goose chasing?

More on the theme:

Who Protects Civilians in Canada's PRT Post-2011?

No Mission Strip Tease from the CDS

The Afghan mission is a noble one

Darren James Fitzpatrick, R.I.P.

This from DND:

The Canadian Army regrets to announce the death of Cpl. Darren James Fitzpatrick at the University of Alberta Hospital Saturday as a result of wounds he sustained in Afghanistan on March 6.

Cpl. Fitzpatrick, of Prince George, B.C., was a 21-year-old Infantryman and a member of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based at CFB Edmonton.

This was Cpl. Fitzpatrick’s first operational tour. He joined the Canadian Forces in 2006 and had been serving in Afghanistan with the Operational Mentor Liaison Team since last October.

Cpl. Fitzpatrick was critically wounded by an improvised explosive device during a joint Canadian/Afghan dismounted patrol 25 km West of Kandahar City in Zharey district on March 6. He was treated at the Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit at Kandahar Airfield and was then moved to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Cpl. Fitzpatrick was evacuated from LRMC to the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton on Friday.

Cpl. Darren James Fitzpatrick passed away late Saturday afternoon surrounded by his family.

Condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of the fallen. We mourn with you.

Good Question

Terry Glavin (again, and correctly) brings up the question: Why isn't the House of Commons Special Committee on Afghanistan not discussing Canada's future mission in Afghanistan?

In addition to other good points made in this latest call for the Committee to fulfill its mandate, his argument on continuing to help Afghanistan is a compelling one:

Canada isn't like the other leading ISAF nations. Canada isn't like any of the regional powers. Unlike Iran or China, Canada is a rich and healthy democracy. Unlike Russia, the United States, Britain or Pakistan, Canada has no 19th century history of foreign conquest, and no sordid 20th century authorship of the proxy wars that reduced Afghanistan to an abattoir and a madhouse.

Canadians are different. We don't cut and run. We stand and fight. Our soldiers don't kick down doors. They knock. That's what Afghans themselves tell us. It's why Canada is trusted, and it's why Afghans do not want Canada to just pack up and leave.

But it isn't an easy truth to tell. None of it fits with the fashionably "anti-imperialist" narrative that has infantilized the Afghanistan debate in Canada. Neither does it suit a cynical, security-focused foreign policy cut from tattered and moth-eaten conceptions of the national interest.

The root cause of Canada's political paralysis is the deadlock between these two obsolete paradigms. It's a quagmire of old and decrepit arguments. It's time to move on.

It's time for a new and proper Canadian debate about Afghanistan. We have to stop thinking about 2011 as the end, and start planning for a new beginning.

We have to start right now.

Indeed.

Another University Helping Families of the Fallen

From a Lakehead University news release:

Lakehead University is pleased to join Project Hero, a growing, nation-wide initiative that offers a tuition award to the children of Canadian troops who have lost their lives while serving active duty.

“Thunder Bay and the Region have maintained a proud military history for a very long time,” notes Dr. Laurie Hayes, Lakehead’s Vice-President (Academic) and Provost. “Lakehead is pleased to offer financial assistance to children of our fallen Canadian Forces personnel, whether they choose to attend our campus in Thunder Bay or in Orillia.”

In accordance with its involvement in the Project Hero initiative, Lakehead provides eligible award recipients tuition for eight terms of study in addition to on-campus residence fees for the student’s first two terms.

To be eligible for this award, recipients must be:

* A dependent of a Canadian Forces personnel deceased while serving in an active mission
* Under 26 years of age
* Registered as a full-time student at Lakehead University, in a program of study eligible for funding by the province of Ontario

Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario have maintained a proud military community for over 120 years, largely comprising a part-time Reserve Force. During this time, various volunteers, troops, battalions, contingents, and branches from the area have contributed to military efforts including those involved in WWI, WWII, and the Korean War, and have been decorated for bravery and outstanding service. Today, hundreds of men and women continue not only to serve in various Reserve units in Thunder Bay and across the Region, but also as volunteers on a number of United Nations, NATO, and other international peacekeeping and humanitarian missions. Over the years, the northwestern region has seen hundreds of its own killed or wounded in action, with most recent losses including Thunder Bay’s Robert Costall, Josh Klukie, and Anthony Boneca during operations in Afghanistan.

Orillia and the surrounding area also have a military tradition, dating back to the War of 1812 when the British set up temporary naval bases at nearby Wasaga Beach and Penetanguishene. Veterans and pensioned soldiers were among the first non-native settlers in the region. Orillians later took part in the Northwest Rebellion and the South African War, and about 1,000 Orillians joined the Simcoe County battalion to fight in WWI. Notable among Orillia’s soldiers during this period was Sam Steele of the RCMP, who later served in the South African War and as a Major-General for the 2nd Canadian Army Division in WWI. Base Borden, near Barrie, was established during WWI and continues to serve as a major training facility for the Canadian Forces. Several Orillians also took part in WWII, and 78 local men perished in that conflict. More recently, Orillians have served in various peacekeeping capacities and in the war in Afghanistan, including Mike McTeague and Tim Aleman, who both suffered serious injuries in separate incidents while serving the NATO-led force in Kandahar ....

Well done!

Class

The cynics among our readership might see this gesture as a calculated attempt to curry favour with the mainstream press covering CF actions over in Kandahar:

Saturday, a memorial was unveiled by the Canadian military; a small plaque on a nondescript wooden post.

It was placed between two media tents.

The acting Commander of Canada's task force in Kandahar, Colonel Simon Hetherington, tells The Canadian Press they wanted to honour Lang the same way they do fallen troops.

"The improvised explosive device on the 30th of December didn't discriminate between military or civilian, didn't discriminate between reporter or diplomat. Michelle Lang was a Canadian who died in the service of peace while serving in Afghanistan."

Lang's father tells CTV, the tribute means a great deal and will carry her memory forward.

Anyone who has spent any time around soldiers can assure you that self-interest has nothing to do with this initiative. Memorials are important. Hell, monuments get saluted back in Canada. And that's what this is: a salute, a gesture of respect to someone whose sacrifice may well be better understood by those she covered than by those in her own industry.

BZ to those involved in putting this memorial up.

And on an unrelated note, it's interesting to see Simon Hetherington's back in the mix in Kandahar. He has some pretty relevant experience, having previously commanded the KPRT.

Taliban Almost Retook Kandahar? "Yeah, no, they didn't."

The Canadian Press' version of events:

Governance in Kandahar was pushed to the brink by Taliban bombs and assassinations last spring, an onslaught that at one point saw provincial council members temporarily abandoning the region, newly released Canadian documents reveal.

An extraordinary set of quarterly campaign reviews, prepared by Canadian Forces Expeditionary Command over several months, paint a startling picture of the civilian administration in Kandahar province where Canadian troops operate.

The events of last spring may well foreshadow the kind of battle likely to be fought in the province this spring.

The censored reports were obtained by The Canadian Press under access to information laws and stand in contrast to the measured, sanitized quarterly reports released by the Conservative government.

Casualties among Canadian and NATO forces always grab headlines back home, but what often goes unappreciated is the carnage taking place on the streets of Kandahar as the Taliban systematically attempted to decapitate the local government.

They came perilously close last spring.

"Most provincial committee members have left (Kandahar city) due to security," said a memo dated April 28, 2009....

The rest of the story, courtesy of Bruce at Flit:

I do quibble with this (from the CP story)....

That perception was something the Afghan government may have brought upon itself by the firing of Wessa’s predecessor, Rahmatullah Raufi, a popular general.

"Politically many Raufi supporters have called for his reinstatement, demonstrating general displeasure with amount of power held by a few individuals in the province," said the quarterly campaign assessment from Oct. 1 to Dec. 8, 2008.

"The removal of Governor Raufi and subsequent replacement with Governor Wessa lends itself to political instability. Violent acts of intimidation directed (censored) impacts governance progress and initiatives."

Within weeks of the firing, the Afghan government lost control of Ghorak district, in the extreme western part of the province.

Absolutely no connection. Ghorak is so isolated from the rest of the province it might as well be the other side of the moon. I doubt anyone in Ghorak could have told you who the governor was, let alone be disappointed by his departure. And Ghorak had been non-permissive to Afghans and ISAF long before the gubernatorial replacement. Just a reporter's coincidence taking the place of causation, there.

Bruce's vantage point?

I was there.

Thanks for sharing that Bruce.

One life at a time

Regular readers already know that we at The Torch are big fans of WO Andrew MacLean and the Soldier On program. Andrew has been posting some fantastic pictures and articles on his Facebook page highlighting the presence of recovering CF members at the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver. Here's one:

Soldier On's goal is to use sport and recreation as a means to improve the quality of life and optimize the functional independence of military personnel who are ill and injured.

"It's not set up to create Paralympians," says Lagace. "I want to be able to look into the eyes of injured and ill personnel, ask them whether the program has helped improve their lives, and have them say Yes -- whether we helped them to fly fish, scuba dive, become a Paralympian or whatever."

Steve Daniel is the only Paralympian the program has produced so far. A veteran of both the Balkans and Afghanistan, he competed at the 2008 Games in Beijing in rowing after a spinal injury during a parachute training jump.

Daniel said the program is "the single biggest positive influence on my life after the accident.... It changed the way I approached my rehabilitation and influenced where I am going in my second career and life after the military."

How's that for a validation of what you do every day: "...the single biggest positive influence in my life after the accident..."? Awesome.

Slowish News Day in AFG (and What's Not Being Asked)

There's a concept in journalism known as "feeding the goat", whereby the reporter is obliged to fill the space/time waiting to be filled, no matter what's happening (or not). That's why good reporters keep undated material in their hip pockets, so to speak, to run at just such a time. For example, from CanWest's embed:

An Afghan army-led program that seeks to strengthen government control by improving public health in Taliban-rich areas could soon move into Kandahar province, where Canada's military and development efforts are concentrated. Maj. Mike Kaiser, a Canadian Forces medical officer, toured the village of Shinkay in adjacent Zabul province Monday to determine if the Afghan army's project to teach preventive health techniques to rural Afghans could be applied in Kandahar, where support for the Taliban is strong ....

and this from the Globe & Mail's embed:

Beyond its troops and tanks, Canada casts a long shadow at Kandahar Airfield, the hub of the coalition's Afghan mission. There's the Canadian gym, popular among the nearly 20,000 soldiers from other countries. So too is the on-base Tim Hortons, owned and operated by the Canadian Forces. The base's prominent Canadian-built hockey pad is home to a house league, which is dominated, naturally, by Canadian teams ....

In contrast, what does the Government of Canada want you to know? This:

(Monday) 48 students celebrated being the first graduating class of the newly opened Afghan National Customs Academy (ANCA). Canadian Ambassador William Crosbie joined senior Afghan officials, US colleagues and the students and teachers of the Academy for this important event. “It brings me great pleasure to be back at the academy to see the first class of the Afghan National Customs Academy graduate,” said Ambassador William Crosbie. “Canada is very pleased to be able to draw on our expertise to support the Government of Afghanistan in building their own customs capacity and supporting the nation’s commerce and revenue collection.” ....

Meanwhile, is anybody asking questions, or providing answers, on exactly what Canada's going to be doing once all the hockey equipment is shipped out of Kandahar Airfield? Anyone? Anyone?

(Crossposted at MILNEWS.ca blog)

Support a mile wide and an inch deep

The real question is this: will it affect how they vote? Because if not...

More on What Has to Happen Next in Afghanistan

Following up on this....

"Keeping our Promises--Canada in Afghanistan Post-2011: The Way Forward"

1) A reminder from the Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee's Terry Glavin that the committee that's been chasing the detainee wild goose "has rendered itself irrelevant to the central question of Canada’s current and future engagements in Afghanistan".

2) Terry and Afghan-American writer Nasrine Gross speak on CPAC's Prime Time Politics about how the detainee issue is preventing discussion of what should happen next in Afghanistan - the approximately 12 minute chat starts at 22:23 into the clip.

More on the detainee wild goose chase...
Afstan: "Liberals feared Abu Ghraib-type detainee scandal: source"

"Keeping our Promises--Canada in Afghanistan Post-2011: The Way Forward"

Report by Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee should be available here. Directly military-related excerpts from the Synopsis:

...

• Canada should not be faulted for choosing to end its “combat role” in Kandahar in 2011, but it would be a folly for Canada to squander the expertise and experience our military has gained in Kandahar. It would be especially foolish to squander the trust that the Canadian Forces has established among the Pashtun people of Kandahar, from whom the Taliban derives most of its rank-and-file fighters, and within whom Talibanism has spread its deepest roots.
  
• Canada’s “battle group” should come home. These soldiers can now withdraw with honour and with the heartfelt gratitude of Afghans and Canadians.
  
• Canada’s military presence should be dramatically scaled back to the most cost-effective and concentrated efforts. Canada’s priorities for a limited military contribution in Afghanistan post-2011 should focus on:

  1/ Leadership and guidance to our NATO allies in Kandahar and other southern provinces; Accelerated training of the Afghan National Security Forces by building on the existing Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT) model; Accelerated contributions to the national capacity of the Afghan police services, justice services and prisons;Enhance the “human terrain” capacity of Canada’s special forces, i.e. Joint Task Force – Two (JTF-2).

  2/ Canada should also consult with ANSF and NATO allies on the potential for continued contributions from elements of Canada’s Air Wing, especially UAV reconnaissance and surveillance capability, and helicopter airlift services.

  3/ Canada should maintain its leadership role with the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), carrying on its polio eradication program and completing its Education and Dahla Dam signature projects. The PRT should explore the possibility of initiating further hydroelectric and irrigation projects in Kandahar province. The PRT should also assist in the development and expansion of Kandahar University, with an emphasis on women’s education and Canadian-Afghan academic partnerships, and should provide greater support for collaborative initiatives such as the Afghan-Canadian Community Centre in Kandahar City...

Not unreasonable, to my mind. Earlier:

Meeting in Ottawa tonight: "Afghan report argues for Canadian presence after troops depart"/Audio Update
...
Update: Audio of interview with Maj.-Gen. (ret'd) MacKenzie and Terry Glavin on CFRA Ottawa this morning:

Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Afghanistan After 2011
Madely in the Morning - 8:10am --- Steve Madely is joined by Ret'd General Lewis MacKenzie, and Terry Glavin, award-winning author and journalist. They are live in studio to promote tonight's event called "Canada and Afghanistan: Keeping Our Promises" hosted by the Free Thinking Film Society of Ottawa and is also a fundraiser for the Afghan School Project.
mp3 (click here to download)

Video and presentations: Conference of Defence Associations and CDA Institute meetings March 4, 3

Here's the latest available, note videos of Generals Natynczyk and Petraeus (both pages below to be updated as material becomes available, agendas here):

Update: Do read the piece by Jack Granatstein (March 4, Panel III), starts off slow and sweet but there's an awful lot of bite about the government (and the opposition) towards the end. Very similar, I feel able to say, to much that we have been saying here.

March 4:

CDA 73rd Annual General Meeting: Power Projection and the Canadian Forces: Resources & Capabilities

March 4, 2010
Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel, Ottawa

For presentations from the CDA Institute annual seminar on March 3, 2010, please visit the CDA Institute website.

Opening Address
General Walter Natynczyk, Chief of the Defence Staff [CPAC video]

Panel I – Media and the Military [CPAC video]
Brian Stewart, Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto
Jocelyn Coulon, Université de Montréal

Special Address
Lieutenant General (Ret’d) James Soligan, Deputy Chief of Staff NATO Allied Command Transformation – The NATO Multiple Futures Project

Panel II – Canada’s National Interests and Force Projection: Required Capabilities
Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden, Chief of the Maritime Staff [Remarks]
Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie, Chief of the Land Staff
Lieutenant-General André Deschamps, Chief of the Air Staff

Special Address
General David Petraeus, Commander US Central Command [Remarks] [CPAC video]

Panel III – The Harper Government & Defence: How Far Have We Come, Where Are We Going?
Dr. Jack Granatstein, Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute – Harper Government and Defence After Four Years
Dr. Douglas Bland, School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University
Colonel (Ret’d) Brian MacDonald, Conference of Defence Associations [Presentation]

March 3:

CDA Institute 26th Annual Seminar: Protecting Canada’s National Interests in an Uncertain World

3 March 2010
Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel, Ottawa

For presentations from the CDA annual general meeting on March 4, 2010, please visit the CDA website.

Opening Address
Dr. Eliot Cohen, Johns Hopkins University – Warfare and Security in an Uncertain World

Keynote Address
Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, US Navy – The importance of seapower in the 21st century

Panel I – Canada’s Strategic Interests: Opportunities and Challenges
Dr. Rob Huebert, University of Calgary – Arctic Security
Dr. Ronald Deibert, Citizen Lab, University of Toronto – Strategic importance of cyberspace

Luncheon Speaker
Senator Hugh Segal – Beyond the Celebration: The Next Naval Century

Panel II – Learning from Afghanistan: Capabilities Across the Spectrum
Chris Alexander, former Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan, former United Nations Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Afghanistan
Dr. David Kilcullen, author of “The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One”
Brigadier-General Jonathan Vance, former Commander Canadian Joint Task Force-Afghanistan

Panel III – Contemporary Security Concerns
Margaret Purdy, University of British Columbia – Security implications of climate change
Dr. Charles Doran, Johns Hopkins University – Energy security
Dr. Fen Hampson, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University – Regionalization of global security

We sort of have a CH-148 Cyclone, at last

Earlier:

New (someday) maritime helicopter: Cyclone deliveries continue to go counter-clockwise

Now:

Cyclone testing comes to Halifax
Sea King replacement placed on deck of HMCS Montreal

The helicopter that will someday replace the Sea King is being put through its paces on HMCS Montreal.

A test model of the Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone was placed on the frigate’s deck by crane Monday in Halifax Harbour.

"That’s a milestone we’re proud of, one we’ve been working hard toward for several years," said Maj. William O’Gorman, the leader of the testing team made up of personnel from Sikorsky and the Canadian military.

Up until now, work on the Cyclone has been done in Florida.

The Halifax phase began about two weeks ago...

Note the aircraft is still owned by Sikorsky:

A test version of the CH148 Cyclone maritime helicopter, owned and operated by SIkorsky Aircraft Corporation, arrived for its first visit to 12 Wing Shearwater on February 19, 2010.

Defense Industry Daily did a useful summary of the Cyclone saga a year ago.

Canada’s Maritime Helicopter Replacement Program has been a textbook military procurement program over its long history. Unfortunately, it has been a textbook example of what not to do...

Australia, for its part, is acquiring a new maritime helicopter--with a competition between two purpose-designed military helicopters. Our Cyclones however are a military version of a civilian aircraft--for which Canada is the first and so far (and probably forever) only customer. Bit of a lesson there, eh?

Afstan: "Liberals feared Abu Ghraib-type detainee scandal: source"

Further to this post,

Afghan detainees: The Liberal government was warned about possible torture/Rendition realities/Must-read Update

the CBC stays on the case, good on them (nothing on the Liberal aspect this morning in the Globe and Mail or Ottawa Citizen):

The Liberal government of 2005 feared Canada's detention of Afghan prisoners would spark a controversy similar to Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib, according to a current government official who spoke with CBC News on condition of anonymity.

The official's claim comes just after Eileen Olexiuk, a former Canadian diplomat with extensive experience in Afghanistan, disclosed that in 2005, she raised the possibility detainees transferred from Canadian to Afghan custody were at risk of torture. Paul Martin's government ignored her concerns, she said.

The government official, who has been involved with the detainee issue for years, confirmed much of what Olexiuk said and added it's clear now Canada should have done more in 2005, when that first detainee transfer agreement was negotiated with the Afghan government.

He said the Liberal government looked at three options as it considered moving Canadian troops to the embattled Kandahar province from the relative stability of Kabul:

* A "take and keep," which the official said raised fears of problems such as those the U.S. encountered with its control of the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq or its detention of terrorism suspects at its naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
* Handing off detainees to U.S. forces for transfer to U.S. facilities like Guantanamo, which had already led to trouble for a previous Liberal defence minister, Art Eggleton.
* Working with Afghans and the local system in place at the time.

In the end, the government opted for the third option, the official said, adding officials and politicians felt they had to trust that helping the Afghans improve their own prison system would be enough to protect Canada's detainees.

These revelations cast the detainee issue — which has ensnared Stephen Harper's Conservatives for months — solidly back to the days of the last Liberal government...

Rosie DiManno of the Toronto Star was onto the Abu Ghraib nightmare back in November 2009--but the rest of the major media passed over the link to the previous government in their lust to crucify the current one.

Meanwhile, BruceR. has an excellent point at Flit, with particular reference to the Star's Thomas Walkom:

God help me these people are morons

More on Doubting Thomas here and here.

Update: Adrian MacNair points out a simple truth:

...
The truth is that there’s probably nothing good enough for the critics of the Afghan war. Trying to appease people who are already dealing in bad faith is pointless. Trying to sanitize warfare is a comfortable illusion of a generation of Canadians who have been raised to believe that our military exists to “keep the peace”. They would be happy if we were deployed to sit in Kandahar Air Field with blue helmets and United Nations’ flags signifying the 1% of the province officially safe from the reach of the Taliban. That way, when the Taliban is massacring people 100 metres from the Air Field, we can cite our rules of engagement directive of non-interference, and never get our hands dirty. Sure, people will die. But at least we won’t run the risk of being the ones who handed over the Taliban fighter that wound up falling down in the shower.