Or at least, not a Conservative one. Good thing Rick Hillier is only the defacto minister or he’d be kicked out of Deceivin’ Steven’s cabinet for crossing the big guy like this.
Hillier though has come out and called the titular defence minister, Gordon O’Connor’s, plan to create 14 army reserve units in cities across the country militarily unnecessary. While Hillier doesn’t come out and say it, it’s clear what O’Connor and Harper are doing here, and that’s using defence spending to buy votes in selected regions across the country."We're not in the business of creating new reserve units," Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier told the CBC. "We have sufficient units. ... We don't need new units."
Alas, he still hasn’t found time to comment on the withholding from the public of previously available information in Afghan detainees Hillier. Any day now, I’m sure.
Stand on guard for thee
In the Globe article they included a list of military-related Con election promises, and their status in being kept. I found this one amusing. First, the promise:An Arctic National Sensor System, including underwater surveillance technologies.
Alrighty, sounds interesting. Sort of like a SOSUS for the North I guess. And it’s status in being kept:Mr. Harper is planning a northern tour this summer as part of an Arctic sovereignty campaign.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
I guess he's not a politician after all
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
"So is Harper like going to stand in an ice flow and look for intruders or something? Is he like a one-man sensor system or something?"
What else do you expect from a control freak. Clearly he cannot trust anyone else to do the job right!
Yeah, I was a little confused by that bit. Harper going north has exactly "what" to do with a SOSUS array?
Hillier is right on this one, but it still begs the question: Who's running the department. If the government wants 14 more battalions it is not up to the CDS to say no.
He might have all the practical reasons in the world for not doing it, and I can list at least five, but it's still a cabinet decision in the end.
Personally, I think this spells the end of O'Connor.
"We're not in the business of creating new reserve units," Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier told the CBC. "We have sufficient units. ... We don't need new units."
Read that statement carefully people, he said we do not need new units, he is correct, these battalions can stand up as existing units, i.e as I posted on Jason blog, Saint John NB is one of those designated cities. Therefor you activate the Royal New Brunswick Regiment, RNBR. I think that is all the man is saying.
..so all you Liberals with your Anti-American bias, think we should not have knowledge as to who comes and goes in our territorial waters?
That would be (most of the time)..umm..Americans..
I am also not surprised that libs are against territorial battalions.Goodness knows that their perpetual underfunding of the military has left us in good shape to exert our presence in the North, or have soldiers stationed closer to where natural disaster might happen.
Also, what is wrong with a rapid reaction parachute regiment?..that could be moved at a moments notice, instead of being drawn ad hoc from scattered regiments that are para capable?
Considering we have problems filling up the bases we do have, it hardly seems logical to build new bases in the downtown cores of Canada's major cities...
We do, however need bases up north, and that Kursk has nothing to do with being a Liberal or not...we have Alert..sort of..if I'm noit mistaking we actually share that base with the Americans, and it's only a reserve base, 6 month tours.
We need something permanent in Iqaluit, and in the NWT/Yukon...Yukon would actually be best since we are in a fight with Alaska concerning our sea borders....
Vicky, There would be little need for new bases in these cities, they all have existing armories in place, there would be some need for upgrading of infrastructure depending on how they were equipped.
CFS Alert is a regular force base manned by Regular Forces soldiers and augmented by reserves. It functions on 6 month rotations due to it remoteness and the total lack of any possible or ability of service members having family members accompany them to it. Not a lot of spouses and or families would stay involved in a relationship were one member is posted away for four years and they are limited to the service member visiting a few times a year.
P.S. the new bases that are planned up north for the most part will be centered around the north west passage and no doubt built near or in existing communities allowing for a members families to accompany them.
Post a Comment