BeaverFever

Yeah but I’m married with children what’s your excuse?? Its relevant because they present themselves as “family values crusaders”. Just like when we discover that a conservative politician is gay, it’s not relevant unless they are are an anti-gay activist

EXCLUSIVE: Married South Dakota governor Kristi Noem and Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski have been having a years-long clandestine affair … Glamorous Noem – who served four terms as her state's only member of the US House of Representatives – won the governorship in 2018 promising to uphold the wholesome family values that she said South Dakotans have 'long embraced'. Defending 'traditional marriage', which she defined as 'a special, God-given union between one man and one woman', was particularly important to her. It was the foundation for her beliefs, policy priorities and the ideals she lives by, said Noem, who has a son and two daughters with her husband Bryon who she married in 1992. She has long been linked with Lewandowski, 49, who has been pushing hard for Trump to add her to his ticket. ‘He may not be very smart, but it takes big balls to lobby to have your mistress named one of the most powerful people in the country,' one GOP operative told DailyMail.com. The far-right website American Greatness claimed in 2021 the two had been romantically involved, although it gave no details. At the time she scornfully dismissed the story as 'total garbage and a disgusting lie', and said she loved her husband and was 'proud of the God-fearing family' they had raised, and the story quickly died. But a DailyMail.com investigation has uncovered extensive evidence of the couple's romantic relationship: Dozens of trips that mixed business with pleasure, flights on donors' private planes, and stays at luxury resorts where their intimacy was observed and noted. Former Trump operative Charles Johnson wrote in a Substack post that he had seen them acting 'in a very flirtatious manner' at the August 2020 meeting of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) at The Cloister resort on Sea Island, Georgia. Johnson told DailyMail.com he had seen Noem discreetly take Lewandowski's hand and put it in her lap. Lewandowski put his arm on her back at the same time. The pair 'seemed to be dating despite being married to other people', Johnson wrote on Substack. Two other sources who were at the RAGA event were surprised by the obvious affection between Noem and Lewandowski. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12509093/Kristin-Noem-Corey-Lewandowski-secret-affair.html Both married for over 30 years to other people so much for “family values Hypocrites.

That’s because back then CADPAT-AR hadn’t been rolled out yet so elites got special purchase AR camo drom other countries while rank and file just had their TWs. The CAF was slow-walking the AR rollout just like they’re slow-walking MT Multicam looks lighter than MT and doesn’t appear to have a multidirectional pattern, it appears to have a horizontal bias to me I suppose some day when MT is actually in use we will see some good side by side comparisons

But often vegetated with undergrowth such as ferns and tall grasses etc. I am not arguing against an adjustment to the colour palette, which has already happened. But even in “relish” config it was obviously so effective that it caused other militaries around the work to immediately imitate it. I am very interested to see how MT works out as a camo for every terrain type from jungle to desert. I am naturally skeptical that you can have one pattern for all terrains. The US Army”s Universal Came Pattern was a much-hated failure that they replaced with Multicam. But Canada claims to have found the secret sauce so I guess we shall see.

CADPAT: Canadian Disruptive Pattern The new Canadian patterns; CADPAT™ (Canadian Disruptive Pattern) Temperate Woodland (TW) and Arid Regions (AR). CADPAT TW has been rated best tropical and Temperate Camouflage by NATO soldiers in a recent scientific study. The Canadian studies show there is a 40 percent less chance of being detected from 200 meters away with CADPAT Versus Olive Drab. MARPAT: Marine Pattern Camouflage The U.S. Marines considered adopting CADPAT for their new pattern, however the Canadian government owns the copyright for the pattern. The Canadian government supplied information and manufacturers to help the Marines with the computer-generated Digital Pattern pixilated uniform the Canadians had been developing since 1988. The new U.S. Marine MARPAT (Marine Pattern camouflage) Forest, Desert and Urban ….. Oddly enough over 100 Camouflage patterns were considered by the Marines, eventually the top 8 patterns were sent to the Scout Sniper Instructor School in Quantico, VA for evaluation, the two top patterns were MARPAT and a new Tiger Stripe with the Tiger Stripe just edging out MARPAT among an internet survey for their choice. However, the Marines were seeking a negative area camouflage. Trees and solid objects are positive areas which is what a hunter would stand against and requires a positive type camouflage such as tree bark camo. A moving object within a negative area is quickly picked out in positive style camouflage. MARPAT being a negative type camouflage beat out the Tiger Stripe in the testing as the Stripes tended to show a bi-directional (left to right) pattern which was easier to picked out within negative areas. MARPAT like CADPAT is omni (all) directional with the pattern which is also enhanced in that no sharp edges occur in the pattern due to the pixilation on all edges. The NATO results of Camouflage testing resulting in CADPAT being chosen as the best NATO camouflage and Sniper School Marine testing resulting in MARPAT winning the Marine competition confirms the ability of the Digital Pattern Designs to maximize concealment even breaking up the soldiers outline in open areas during movement… https://hyperstealth.com/CADPAT/#:~:text=CADPAT TW has been rated,with CADPAT Versus Olive Drab.

I think the reason CANSOFCOM chose Multicam is so they’re not identifiable as Canadians when they are on operations. A number of western and non-western countries use Multicam or similar-appearing imitations, especially special forces. Whether or not rank and file American troop know/like CADPAT, those who put time and effort into making YouTube videos and webpages about camo seem to.

Good to see some Republicans finally supporting gun laws. Just shows what utter hypocrites they are.

I don’t think updating something more than 2 decades after it was introduced “proves” the original was junk. As I said it’s been envied and imitated and there are no shortage of US military and camo websites who proclaim TW to be the best or among the best. The CADPAT AR however gets a big “meh” from these same folk at best. Unfortunately Canada can’t do anything in a timely fashion especially not for the military. I have often seen it even in business leaders in my workplaces over the years. Dithering and hand-wringing is our real national sport.

Funny I was going to say the man complaining to police in the story sounded like you. Anyway CADPAT TW has many fans south of the border there are no shortage of US military and hunting enthusiasts on the internet and YouTube who rave about it and think it’s the best. The US Marines completely copied it with the permission of the Canucks of course the only condition being that they change the colour palette. It was also the very first pixilated camo in the world to go into widespread operational use and everyone since has attempted to imitate the Canadians. As for the relish jar crack which I’ve heard since it first came out the official line is that while it looks funny close up it is scientifically proven to be the most effective at combat ranges and that it has as much about breaking up the shape of the soldier as it is about trying to match every possible colour combination on the battlefield. Anyway the new CADPAT MT will be out soon with more brown pattern. They’ve be trialling and refining it since 2019 so it’s probably not too far off. There are so many mislabeled pics of the earlier CADPAT “Prototype J” and the later refined CADPAT MT that I can’t tell which is which in photos but MT is apparently the final colour palette. Queue the debate over a single pattern camo. for desert and temperate environments.

You’re still making the same point I am, which is that they used a plane that had VIP livery because that’s the only one available for this exercise Regardless of whether its due to this being the only aircraft available in the configuration they needed or the only aircraft available period its the same point. I’m sure they didn’t develop two distinct paint schemes with the intention of using them interchangeably. And for the new Husky they’ve said the dedicated VIP aircraft will have.the VIP livery and the MRTT aircraft will have the grey livery

So with the new Husky fleet reports and press releases have said only the plane(s) dedicated to VIP transport will have the colourful VIP livery and the rest will have grey operational livery. The fact that we currently have CC150 on tactical ex in vip livery just shows how small and stressed the fleet is. Also the report on the Gu incident also noted that the plane arrived the prior evening carrying baggage and equipment so seems that they took a plane intended for VIP and used it for cargo on this Ex. I don’t know exactly how much time effort it takes to reconfigure the aircraft from passenger to cargo configuration but the material put out about the aircraft over the years has always highlighted that it was easily converted to various combinations of the two.

Admittedly this article could be in the Ukraine thread but think it speaks to the broken procurement process in DND /Public Works Top DND bureaucrat blames companies for failing to supply Ukraine munitions Canadian defence industry, meanwhile, says government is at fault. Published Sep 13, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read Ukrainian tanks take part in a training exercise in the Chernigiv region on Sept. 8, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photo by ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images Canadian industry has failed to come through with supplying ammunition and related material in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, warns National Defence’s top bureaucrat. Instead, Canada has dipped into existing stockpiles to provide Ukraine with much-needed ammunition or has dealt with U.S. and foreign firms to provide munitions. In some cases it has gone through Canadian-based firms, but those companies then acquired the ammunition from foreign sources. Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. “For a variety of reasons, Canadian munitions suppliers have been unable to provide the types or quantity of operational munitions required in response to the invasion of Ukraine,” according to the memorandum prepared in August 2022 by Deputy Minister Bill Matthews for then defence minister Anita Anand. The memo was obtained by this newspaper using the Access to Information law. But Matthews’ view is being challenged by those in the Canadian defence industry. Industry officials point out that they have been ready to increase ammunition production and have been advocating for contracts from the Canadian government, but aren’t receiving them. Christyn Cianfarani, president of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries, said her organization has been urging the federal government for more than a year to sign firm, multi-year contracts for priority capabilities like munitions. But nothing has happened, she added. “You can’t take a press release or Twitter posts to the bank,” Cianfarani explained. “A contract is the only thing that counts for a defence company making significant, multi-year investments in labour, inputs, and facilities to increase production.” Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Companies have submitted various proposals to spin up sustained production, she added. In contrast to the Canadian situation, Cianfarani pointed to a November 2022 announcement by the U.S. military to award IMT Defence of Ingersoll, Ont., a contract worth more than $400 million to produce, package and supply metal parts assemblies for 155mm artillery projectiles. Those artillery rounds are in scarce supply in Canada and the U.S. and other NATO nations as those armed forces have sent large amounts of such ammunition to Ukraine. Other defence industry sources privately say that bureaucrats in National Defence and Public Services and Procurement Canada have bungled the situation by failing to push through contracts. They point to a Canadian government contract in February to IMT for 155mm artillery projectiles but added that deal was only for $4.3 million. The Quebec-based General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems – Canada, which makes a wide variety of ammunition, including those for tanks, has received no federal government contracts for munitions to be supplied to Ukraine, National Defence also confirmed. Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The department noted in a statement that it intends to increase orders for munitions from Canadian companies in the future. “We continue to work with government and industry partners to investigate supply-chain solutions,” added National Defence spokesperson Jessica Lamirande. Matthews, in his memorandum to the defence minister, stated that the war in Ukraine has highlighted supply chain vulnerabilities that are affecting the Canadian Forces. The deputy minister recommended holding a round table of industry representatives to see what can be done about meeting Canadian military ammunition needs in the future. That meeting was held Sept. 26, 2022. But Matthews noted in his memorandum the need to keep the news media in the dark about the ongoing munitions issues. While recommending that the communications organizations of both National Defence and Public Services and Procurement Canada be informed about the meeting, he suggested non-disclosure agreements or “similar mechanisms” could be used with “protect sensitive information and discussions.” Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In some cases, however, National Defence had little recourse but to acknowledge it was buying ammunition from the U.S. as the American government procurement system publishes such details. For instance, in 2022 the U.S. announced that Canada was purchasing 20,000 artillery rounds of artillery ammunition at a cost of $98 million. In other cases, National Defence has declined to provide details on the sources of the ammunition purchases financed by Canadian taxpayers. In April 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that Canada would send 2.4 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine. But the actual source of the ammunition is considered secret. The government would only state that the ammunition was being ordered from Colt Canada in Kitchener, Ont. Eva Svobodová, spokesperson for Colt CZ Group, said the ammunition was “sourced” from Colt Canada. She did not provide further details. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/top-dnd-bureaucrat-blames-companies-for-failing-to-supply-munitions-but-industry-says-government-is-at-fault

All this time I was assuming it was the French at fault since initial reports only said nobody was aboard the Canadian aircraft. Alas someone didn’t chock the wheels of the RCAF plane. Would that be the responsibility of ground crew from RCAF or the host nation (USA)? Also I notice that this plane is painted in VIP transport livery rather than the grey operational livery despite being a tactical exercise which I think just speaks to the desperate state of the fleet: they just have to use whatever plane is available, no ability to dedicate specific aircraft to specific roles or the time/money to repaint when the fleet is rotated.

Report cites human factors in CC-150 collision in Guam By Chris Thatcher | September 13, 2023 Estimated reading time 7 minutes, 39 seconds. Human factors may have been the cause of an accident at Andersen Air Force Base (AFB) in Guam between a CC-150 Polaris and a French Air Force A400M at the end of Exercise Mobility Guardian. The Polaris, 150003, a strategic transport aircraft, had landed the day before, on July 21, to bring back equipment and personnel participating in the two-week multinational training event. The crew had flown from 8 Wing Trenton, Ont., through Hickam AFB in Hawaii, before touching down in Guam just before 21:45 local time. The aircraft was parked in spot N24 by military ground crew involved in Ex Mobility Guardian, and was then loaded with equipment and baggage. According to a preliminary report by the Department of National Defence (DND) Airworthiness Investigative Authority, “the aircraft was partially secured (without chocks)” for the night. The CC-150’s right horizontal and vertical stabilizer contacted the empennage of the French Air Force A400M (shown left). Photo by Capt Lehnart, 2 Ere SV “At approximately 10:30 local the following morning, the aircraft began to roll backwards, nose veering to the left, and continued to roll until the right horizontal and vertical stabilizer contacted the empennage of a French Air Force A400M parked on spot N22. Following contact, the CC-150 rebounded forward coming to rest approximately eight metres from the point of impact,” the investigator found. Both the Canadian and French aircraft “sustained serious damage,” according to the report, but no personnel were injured. Since there was no evidence of technical issues with the CC-150, the investigation is now focused on “procedures, communications, and human factors.” The Polaris remains in Guam and the Air Force is assessing whether the aircraft can be repaired or should be retired. “As of now, the course of action for the aircraft in question is still being determined,” a DND spokesperson stated. Exercise Mobility Guardian is a biennial training event hosted by the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command. Normally a North American exercise for U.S. and Canadian aircrews, in 2023 it was expanded to a multinational event for all the Five Eyes partners: Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, as well as France and Japan. Set in a scenario stretching across the Indo-Pacific, participants conducted air mobility training in support of other regional exercises, including transport and air drops, air-to-air refuelling, and aeromedical evacuation. The Canadian Air Task Force included a tactical airlift detachment of two CC-130J Hercules and an air-to-air refuelling detachment of one CC-150T Polaris tanker, as well as the respective aircrews, operations personnel, and maintenance teams from 436 Transport Squadron and 437 Transport Squadron. It also contained an aeromedical evacuation team, an Expeditionary Air Traffic Management team from 8 Air Communications and Control Squadron, and a Mobile Air Movements Section. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is currently in the process of replacing the CC-150 Polaris fleet with nine Airbus A330-200 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft. The Canadian government on July 25 awarded a contract of about $3.6 billion to Airbus Defence and Space for the purchase of four new Airbus-built A330 MRTTs and the conversion of five used A330-200s to the MRTT configuration. While the five CC-150 aircraft have a service life expectancy to 2027, some of the fleet may need to be replaced sooner. A CC-150 transporting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and delegates to and from a G20 summit in India this week remains on the ground following the detection of a faulty part during the preflight check. A replacement part is being flown commercially to India by an Air Force technician. The A400M (left) and the CC-150 Polaris seen on the tarmac in Guam after the incident. Photo by MSgt Haynes, 36 Wing FS, Andersen AFB, Guam In October 2019, a CC-150 rolled into a hangar wall 8 Wing Trenton while being towed. The “structural damage to the nose and right engine cowling” was significant and the plane was out of service for 16 months. Consequently, the Strategic Tanker Transport Capability (STTC) project has taken on some urgency. The government acquired two A330-200 planes in July 2022 for US$102 million and then three more in July 2023 for US$150 million. The aircraft were all previously operated by Kuwait Airways and acquired through International AirFinance Corporation. “The procurement of used aircraft for this capability is a viable option given that military rates of annual flight hour consumption are typically less than commercial rates,” the government stated. “Thus, a used commercial aircraft that has a modest number of hours flown on it can still achieve a full military service life of 30 years.” The five used A330-200 aircraft will receive a “limited retrofit” to bring them to the standard of a new A300-200, and will be powered by the same Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines as the four additional Airbus-built aircraft. Eight of the nine aircraft, to be called the CC-330 Husky, will adopt operational grey livery and be converted to the full MRTT mission suite of troop and cargo transport, aeromedical evacuation, and air-to-air refuelling – with both boom and hose and drogue systems. However, the first one, 330002, which landed at Ottawa International Airport on Aug. 31, is painted in the white Canadian government livery and will be assigned secure transport of government officials. https://skiesmag.com/news/report-cites-human-factors-cc-150-polaris-collision-guam/?utm_source=skies-daily-news-top-story&utm_campaign=skies-daily-news&utm_medium=email&utm_term=top-story&utm_content=V1

Pentagon-Funded Study Warns Dementia Among U.S. Officials Poses National Security Threat Sens. Mitch McConnell and Dianne Feinstein, who have access to top-secret information, recently had public health episodes. Ken Klippenstein September 12 2023, 3:17 As the national security workforce ages, dementia impacting U.S. officials poses a threat to national security, according to a first-of-its-kind study by a Pentagon-funded think tank. The report, released this spring, came as several prominent U.S. officials trusted with some of the nation’s most highly classified intelligence experienced public lapses, stoking calls for resignations and debate about Washington’s aging leadership. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who had a second freezing episode last month, enjoys the most privileged access to classified information of anyone in Congress as a member of the so-called Gang of Eight congressional leadership. Ninety-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., whose decline has seen her confused about how to vote and experiencing memory lapses — forgetting conversations and not recalling a monthslong absence — was for years a member of the Gang of Eight and remains a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on which she has served since 2001. The study, published by the RAND Corporation’s National Security Research Division in April, identifies individuals with both current and former access to classified material who develop dementia as threats to national security, citing the possibility that they may unwittingly disclose government secrets. “Individuals who hold or held a security clearance and handled classified material could become a security threat if they develop dementia and unwittingly share government secrets,” the study says. Most Read As the study notes, there does not appear to be any other publicly available research into dementia, an umbrella term for the loss of cognitive functioning, despite the fact that Americans are living longer than ever before and that the researchers were able to identify several cases in which senior intelligence officials died of Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive brain disorder and the most common cause of dementia. “As people live longer and retire later, challenges associated with cognitive impairment in the workplace will need to be addressed,” the report says. “Our limited research suggests this concern is an emerging security blind spot.” Most holders of security clearances, a ballooning class of officials and other bureaucrats with access to secret government information, are subject to rigorous and invasive vetting procedures. Applying for a clearance can mean hourslong polygraph tests; character interviews with old teachers, friends, and neighbors; and ongoing automated monitoring of their bank accounts and other personal information. As one senior Pentagon official who oversees such a program told me of people who enter the intelligence bureaucracy, “You basically give up your Fourth Amendment rights.” Yet, as the authors of the RAND report note, there does not appear to be any vetting for age-related cognitive decline. In fact, the director of national intelligence’s directive on continuous evaluation contains no mention of age or cognitive decline. While the study doesn’t mention any U.S. officials by name, its timing comes amid a simmering debate about gerontocracy: rule by the elderly. Following McConnell’s first freezing episode, in July, Google searches for the term “gerontocracy” spiked. “The president called to check on me,” McConnell said when asked about the first episode. “I told him I got sandbagged,” he quipped, referring to President Joe Biden’s trip-and-fall incident during a June graduation ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, which sparked conservative criticisms about the 80-year-old’s own functioning. Related Google Searches for “Gerontocracy” Skyrocket After McConnell Episode While likely an attempt by McConnell at deflecting from his lapse, Biden’s age has emerged as a clear concern to voters, including Democrats. Sixty-nine percent of Democrats say Biden is “too old to effectively serve” another term, an Associated Press-NORC poll found last month. The findings were echoed by a CNN poll released last week that found that 67 percent of Democrats said the party should nominate someone else, with 49 percent directly mentioning Biden’s age as their biggest concern. As commander in chief, the president is the nation’s ultimate classification authority, with the extraordinary power to classify and declassify information broadly. No other American has as privileged access to classified information as the president. The U.S.’s current leadership is not only the oldest in history, but also the number of older people in Congress has grown dramatically in recent years. In 1981, only 4 percent of Congress was over the age of 70. By 2022, that number had spiked to 23 percent. In 2017, Vox reported that a pharmacist had filled Alzheimer’s prescriptions for multiple members of Congress. With little incentive for an elected official to disclose such an illness, it is difficult to know just how pervasive the problem is. Feinstein’s retinue of staffers have for years sought to conceal her decline, having established a system to prevent her from walking the halls of Congress alone and risk having an unsupervised interaction with a reporter. Despite the public controversy, there’s little indication that any officials will resign — or choose not to seek reelection. After years of speculation about her retirement, 83-year-old Speaker Emerita Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., stunned observers when she announced on Friday that she would run for reelection, seeking her 19th term. https://theintercept.com/2023/09/12/national-security-dementia-mcconnell-feinstein/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=The Intercept Newsletter

Nothing matters if your scheme is grand enough. That’s the problem.

Wow there’s not a lot that’s accurate there. America is aging just like everyone else and in fact it’s the only first world country where life expectancy is decreasing because of the poor quality of life in USA: unaffordable healthcare, rampant poverty, gun violence, unsafe drinking water etc. America is dependent upon imports and its corporations have grown too large to confine themselves to just one country which is why Americans and Republicans in particular were the ones who brought about globalism, free trade agreements and until recently weee the biggest defenders of those things. You might have missed it but the Europeans belong to something called the European Union these days therefore the theory that without Pax Americana “the old school mercantilist/imperialist/colonial competition amongst european power that dominated the pre world war 2 era would arise.” The US navy isn’t guarding any “sea lanes” from some unseen threat. American hegemony is by definition antithetical to “fair competition”. How can there be fair competition if one of the competitors is a hegemon?

LOL that video is such hilarious dishonest piece of yellow journalism. At first I thought it was parody but then I realized nope its the usual propaganda for the usual consumers of such tripe.

I’m not Conservative by any stretch but I think the state of 24 Sussex and the military and the old planes is an embarrassment

Long hair, signing bonuses and 'try before you buy': How Canada's military is responding to a staffing crisis 1 in 10 positions in Armed Forces is unfilled and recruitment isn’t keeping up David Common · CBC News · Posted: Sep 13, 2023 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 hours ago Sailor 1st Class Anton Parker works in the machinery control room of HMCS Vancouver during its current deployment in the Indo-Pacific region. A year ago, the Canadian military changed its dress standards, allowing long hair and more as part of an effort to keep soldiers and sailors from quitting the Armed Forces.(David Common/CBC) Anton Parker followed in his grandfather's footsteps with a career in the Royal Canadian Navy. With the longest hair of his life, complemented with a handlebar mustache and mutton chop sideburns, his grandfather might not even recognize him as a military sailor. "The military should strive for discipline and uniformity," Parker said while on board HMCS Vancouver, a frigate deployed in the Indo-Pacific region. "But there's a need in the modern world for people to express individuality. The navy is trying to strike that balance." On the same ship, some sailors have pink hair, others multiple earrings in each ear. Even face tattoos are OK. The decision is one way of "addressing the tension created by accelerated generational change," Gen. Wayne Eyre, the chief of defence staff, said in a videoannouncing the change. "Uniformity does not equal discipline … any more than the colour or length of your hair defines your commitment." The relaxation of dress standards a year ago across the Canadian Armed Forces may surprise veterans who lived through far stricter times, but it is part of a larger effort to make the Forces more attractive to new recruits and to retain experienced members like Sailor 1st Class Parker, who has served with the Royal Canadian Navy for seven years. Sailor 1st Class William Monkhouse-Beck gazes out from the bridge of HMCS Ottawa earlier this month. During this deployment in the Indo-Pacific region, he has a series of duties, including keeping watch on the horizon for any threats. (Lyza Sale/CBC) The navy is "understaffed right now, we're heavily understaffed," Parker said. "There are a lot of vacant positions." At least 10,000 positions across the CAF are empty, representing one in 10 roles. The chief of defence staff has warned it will get worse before it gets better. "I am very, very worried about our numbers," Eyre told a House of Commons committee in April. "Our readiness is going down within the Canadian Armed Forces," he said. "The military we have today is not the one we need for the future." WATCH | Tense moment for Canadian warship: The Canadian frigate HMCS Ottawa, on a joint patrol mission with U.S. and Japanese warships in the East China Sea, had a tense moment with a Chinese-guided missile destroyer. A CBC News crew with exclusive access caught it on camera. The CAF has added 10,731 new members since 2020, but those gains have been offset by retirements and departures from the ranks — which have left the Armed Forces in a continued deficit. In spite of signing bonuses of up to $20,000 based on a candidate's qualifications, the Forces have been unable to replace members who leave. Sailor 2nd Class Raven Goddard salutes during her promotion ceremony on board HMCS Ottawa, where she works in the sonar department. The Royal Canadian Navy is short personnel, particularly those in mid-career leadership roles. (Lyza Sale/CBC) Demands for military spike It comes at a moment of high operational tempo. In other words, the military is very busy. The army has deployed 1,000 soldiers to NATO's border with Russia in Latvia. Hundreds of other troops are training Ukrainian forces on tanks, medical treatment and urban warfare on deployments that last months. The air force remains involved in ferrying equipment and ammunition to aid Ukraine's fight and the navy has shifted its focus to the Indo-Pacific, with three of its vessels currently deployed near waters contested by China. There's also the urgent and growing number of requests for help inside Canada during wildfires, floods and storm recovery. Sailor 2nd Class Justin Hunt-Benoit, left, and Sailor 3rd Class Benoit Belanger are among the newest recruits on board HMCS Ottawa. Both joined the Royal Canadian Navy two years ago. This is their first deployment, serving four months in the Indo-Pacific region. (Lyza Sale/CBC) "Everyone is burnt out," said Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, Ottawa operations manager with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Then there's the CAF's reputation problem, driven by serious allegations and criminal charges for sexual assault and harassment, often at the highest levels of the Forces since 2015, which has been covered extensively by Canadian media. "We have seen scandals related to discrimination and sexual misconduct in the military," said Duval-Lantoine. "And because most Canadians don't have direct contact with the military … that might deter them from joining the military." Testing the waters Those who join the military have historically signed a multi-year contract, and the CAF says it has found such a commitment can be a barrier in attracting recruits. "Life in the navy can be demanding and challenging at times — it is not for everyone", the commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, said in a news release in March announcing the navy's proposed solution. "The aim of the [Naval Experience Program] is simple: to reduce the amount of time it takes to train civilians as sailors," the navy said in a the news release, "and to attract those who enjoy the unique lifestyle that the navy offers." It's "a bit of try before you buy," said Prof. Alan Okros of the Canadian Forces College, a Toronto-based facility that provides graduate-level military education. WATCH | Canadian warship crosses contested strait: HMCS Ottawa entered the Taiwan Strait and was flanked by three Chinese warships armed with missiles and torpedoes. They shadowed Ottawa's moves for the entire crossing. The NEP is a bit like doing a test drive on several cars. New recruits are sped through basic training in eight weeks and then cycled through different job types through the remainder of the year, including fast-tracked efforts to get new recruits on a ship at sea as quickly as possible. At the end, they can sign on to the regular force as full-time members or reservists, or leave altogether, with no strings attached. As of this month, only 33 members have enrolled in the Naval Experience Program, but 364 are in various stages of the application process — including those who have accepted offers. Nearly one-third of applicants identify as visible minorities or Indigenous, a key priority for the military. 1 in 10 on deployed warship new to navy Twenty-seven of HMCS Vancouver's 240 crew members have been in the military for less than two years. Some members of the Forces do not deploy internationally for several years after joining, but the navy has made efforts in recent years to offer opportunities earlier to newer sailors. Those on the Vancouver are, for instance, then able to visit other countries, such as Japan and Thailand, when their ships come in to port for several days to restock. The Armed Forces have also opened up the ranks to permanent residents in a bid to cast a wider net for new members. HMCS Ottawa sails in the Pacific Ocean off Okinawa, Japan, earlier this month. Members of the military can be deployed abroad, often for months at a time, which can be a deterrent for potential recruits seeking greater work-life balance. (Lyza Sale/CBC) Where Canadians live is also at odds with the location of many military bases, which may also be a factor in recruitment and retention. More than 80 per cent of Canadians live in cities, but most military bases are in smaller communities, like Petawawa, Ont., or Cold Lake, Alta. Convincing young people to sign up to a life away from big city conveniences, said Okros, is increasingly challenging. "There's choices around work and life balance," said Okros. "Everybody is looking at putting more of a priority on balancing life and family obligations." He also points to economic conditions as a factor impacting recruitment. The military is competing for talent during a period of low unemployment, when those entering the workforce may have multiple options. Challenges across all jobs In a statement to CBC News, the Royal Canadian Navy says it "has been challenged over the past few years to recruit, train and retain diverse Canadian talent" and that now means "all occupations are short personnel." Most acute are those at mid-level leadership, as many sailors depart the service before their retirement date. Marine technician and naval communicator occupations are the positions most challenged to recruit, generate and retain personnel, according to the navy. Sailor 1st Class Alexis Desy checks a machine gun on HMCS Vancouver during a port visit to Yokusuka, Japan, in August 2023. (David Common/CBC) At 22, Alexis Desy is among the youngest sailors aboard HMCS Vancouver. "This could be a career," he said. "I'm only two years in, it's my first deployment, still getting a sense of what the job is." Keeping the newest recruits will be the challenge, especially after a significant investment of training dollars. "Younger people are changing jobs more often and so staying in one institution is not really appealing for them right now," said Duval-Lantoine. Top commanders have made attracting new members the highest priority for the military, dedicating additional staff to recruiting efforts — while acknowledging military strength (a term used to describe the number of soldiers and sailors relative to need) is likely to worsen in the short term. Parker sees it as an opportunity. "As an old supervisor of mine once put it — take advantage of the chaos … there is a lot of work to be done and a lot of vacant positions." https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canadian-armed-forces-recruitment-1.6963988

Well our newest cf-18s are still pretty old, have been upgraded many times including this year and are still near the end of their useful life. Its also a bit of an embarrassment that we’ve been operating them this long and will probably continue to do so for most of the next decade. As you say the worldwide lack of A310s still in service is a major problem unlike 747s which are still in widespread use as cargo carriers. Also you should know that the contract to replace Air Force One’s current 747s with the brand new 747-8I was issued in Feb 2018 with delivery of the new aircraft expected next year. Also the existing AirForce One aircraft wee purpose-built for carrying the POTUS and have be upgraded continuously throughout their lifetime. They have a full suite of modern defensive countermeasures against threats such as missiles etc. The Canadian Polaris fleet by contrast was purchased second-hand from a defunct airline and has no defensive countermeasures whatsoever. Another problem with the Polaris is that the planes predate the commercial internet, laptop computers and personal electronics so reportedly there is little to no onboard connectivity, extension cords and cables are haphazardly strung up all over the place and the plane’s electrical system would need major upgrades to provide a proper functional work environment. The interior is also dated and ugly as sin AFAIK the Polaris has never received a major upgrade since its purchase and apparently its interior was even DOWNGRADED on the the orders of Chretien in order to appear less luxurious

Trudeau's defective plane the latest example of Canadian decline Our anxious effort to avoid the appearance of corruption has led to leaders being pathetically cheap where it counts Published Sep 12, 2023 • Last updated 23 hours ago • 4 minute read Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick It should be easy for a G7 country to provide its leader with functional structures of office — that is, physical structures — suited to the esteem of a government head. Official residences of leaders should be understated, but in an old-money kind of way. Clothing should be well-made. Transport fleets should be functional and, yes, classy. Democratic leaders shouldn’t seem to come from 17th century-Versailles, but they should be able to show (and not just tell) that their nations are prosperous and successful. But Canada and, to an extent, the Anglo world, are failing to keep to these basic standards, which, paradoxically, benefits the lazy elite. Story continues below The latest failure stemming from our domestic culture of apathy is that of the prime ministerial plane. The nearly 30-year-old CC-150 Polaris acting as Can Force One needed a new part and was therefore stranded in India. A backup plane had been sent to retrieve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but the original aircraft was eventually fixed. (Newer planes are in the replacement queue.) It’s an embarrassment, despite efforts by communications staff to play this off as a good thing, actually: “The discovery of this issue is evidence that these protocols are effective,” a Department of National Defence spokesman told the Post. Similar mishaps have happened before. In 2019, Trudeau had to use a backup jet to attend a NATO summit in London (the regular plane was grounded after it crushed its nose by rolling into a wall). On return, a second backup plane had to be sent to retrieve the prime minister because the first backup ran into engine trouble. The outdated planes, at least one of which was bought on a surplus sale after a corporate airline merger in the 1990s, are long overdue for replacement. A similar dire state can be seen at the prime ministerial residence, 24 Sussex. Once a dignified home with a warm, historic quality, the building is now too vermin-infested to be considered habitable. Now, a complete teardown is being suggested and Ottawa is considering building an entirely new house elsewhere. Story continues below While hundreds of millions can be spent on private consulting firms to outsource the work of governing, the pennies are pinched when it comes to the very things that give character to the state. Canada can’t host beautiful receptions at its official residence because the building is close to being condemned, neither can we send our leaders places in reasonably up-to-date planes. Canada isn’t alone in its dilapidation. The United Kingdom’s House of Commons and House of Lords are reportedly loaded with rodents. The U.K. prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street is slightly more well-off, being permitted to employ cats for mousing. Still, the fact that a mouser is needed in 2023 for a great power is absurd. While 10 Downing isn’t completely unlivable like its Canadian counterpart, it’s on the way there. The 300-year-old building is in a notoriously poor state, with its former researcher-in-residence being told at least two decades ago that the building needs to be completely gutted to last another century. It has not been gutted. The U.K.’s Anglo cousin, Ireland, has one government jet of nearly 20 years in age. It’s coming to the end of its service life and no replacement has been purchased yet; the government plans to rely on two rental jets in the interim. Story continues below In the south, Jacinda Ardern, then-prime minister of New Zealand, became stuck in Australia after her plane encountered a technical problem; a similar stranding happened to her predecessor, John Key, in 2016. Current New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ solution to the unreliable fleet has been to travel with a backup in the region. The country’s prime ministerial planes are around 30 years old. (Ardern was also stranded in Antarctica when a military plane stopped working; she instead had to be taken home by an Italian flight.) Germany has had similar problems with its two governmental Airbus-340s, which are more than 20 years old. Their tenure finally ended when a plane mishap forced a foreign policy trip to be cancelled this August. Germany decided to retire the aged planes “as soon as possible.” Newer Airbus-350s will be used. At least Germany seems to understand that spending on the dignity of public offices is a democratic necessity. The great benefit of our system is that it allows regular people to enter the governing class and does not limit leadership to elites of intergenerational wealth. The downside, to the taxpayer, is that those of more humble backgrounds simply don’t have the personal wealth to spend what’s required to be taken seriously in international circles. Story continues below We crowdsource the necessary luxuries of office because it’s ultimately more fair than it is to make leaders rely on their own personal funds. Otherwise, public office is restricted to only those who can afford the finer things that it requires. Our own democratic leaders closer to home don’t want to risk electoral success by being the person to spend millions of dollars on what are, to most voters, unattainable luxuries. It’s fair to want to avoid such things. But in the Anglo West, our anxious effort to avoid the appearance of corruption has led to leaders being incredibly, pathetically cheap where it actually counts. Canada isn’t alone in this, but that is a choice. National Post https://nationalpost.com/opinion/jamie-sarkonak-trudeaus-defective-plane-the-latest-example-of-canadian-decline#:~:text=In 2019%2C Trudeau had to,backup ran into engine trouble.

Yep: First Nations pay more tax than you think Aleksandra Sagan - CBC News Fewer than half of all aboriginal people qualify for tax exemptions - and even less can actually use them https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.2971040 4 FACTS ABOUT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND TAXES https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/4-facts-about-indigenous-people-and-taxes#:~:text=Status Indians do pay income,par with non-Indigenous taxpayers. Information on the tax exemption under section 87 of the Indian Act https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/indigenous-peoples/information-indians.html

I addressed the undocumented part further in my post. You’re missing the forest for the trees. It was the law that they must attend. Children who didn’t attend or who didn’t return from leave were taken by force. The school had full authority to deny a child leave over holidays, thats assuming they even had the means to return yin the first place. Your “so they could leave if they wanted to” comment is unfair and disingenuous, the boarding schools were deliberately located far away from Reserves for the exact purpose of making travel difficult. They did not want kids returning home they wanted to sever them from their culture and wanted graduates moving on to cities towns and farms to work rather than returning home. Yea TB was the biggest killer but that’s no excuse. Their death rates were 2x-5x higher than non-indigenous schools or the general population depending on the decade. They lived in cramped unsanitary conditions with poor nutrition poor ventilation and the infected were not quarantined from the others kids. This is well documented even by Indian agents and government doctors who wrote scathing criticisms of the conditions these kids were kept in. To top it all off the kids were exposed to it while they were in those places against their families will. That’s not true. Of the scant death records the TRC could find, 32% did not have child’s name, 23% did not have child’s gender, 49% did not have child’s cause of death. You can read the TRC’s 2015 Report on Missing Children and Unmarked Burials here, with the above stats on page 8: https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2015/trc/IR4-9-4-2015-eng.pdf Im sure murders were the minority. We know sexual and physical abuse was rampant and some places had extreme corporal punishment such as the homemade electric chair at St. Anne’s in Northern Ontario. I expect that in the 100+ years of operation at least SOME kids were murdered and or died from abuse but everyone recognizes these would be a small minority of death, not that it excuses anything. Death and suicide from neglect and mistreatment is not acceptable either. Especially since they were taken there by force. Doesn’t matter. The kids shouldn’t have been there. They shouldn’t have died there. They shouldn’t have been buried there. Their graves shouldn’t have been demolished once the schools had no more use for them. These things didn’t happen to non-indigenous people. This is all a false narrative. The TRCs report on Missing and Unmarked Burials is almost 10 years old and the calls to action which were unanswered for years include government assistance in searching suspected unmarked grave sites and release if government archives relating to missing and deceased children. As above: a false narrative BY YOU of what has been said. Armed Police officers literally came to people’s houses and took kids out of the arms of crying mothers. Other kids were picked up by police or Indian agents from the side of the road while out for a bike ride or walking to a friends house and put in transit to a school without even seeing their family. That may not quite be “abducted at gunpoint” but it’s pretty close

To be fully accurate they don’t pay taxes on income generated on the Reserve. Off-Reserve income is fully taxable. The question remains: non-indigenous individuals can vote and receive public services without paying taxes and non-indigenous communities receive public funding disproportionate to their tax contributions. Most provinces receive equalization payments from the federal government So why a different standard for indigenous peoples?