Army Guy

The procurement process belongs to a completely other government department....the military is not allowed to tell them exactly what they want, the military draws up spec sheets, of what they want...a civilian in PWSG then puts tenders out to industry and then PWSG then tells them to send the equipment or prototypes to x location for the military to test....Military sends those results back to government, politicians will then pick out what is best, what counts most is not what the military wants, but what offsets is the company willing to make, will it be produced in Canada, how much Canadian content will it have, how many canadians will it employ, So want to know why it takes so long to get something into military service, as the government....military has no control over any of the process, except testing and spec sheets... yes they are still voters, that make up less voters than say the LGBTQ , indigenous communities, the list goes on.... the majority of the military are conservative voters, and yet they have been burned badly by both parties...The majority of Canadians agree our present military status sucks...but this is not enough to put it on a major election platform.... Warned by the military, the last CDS talked to the media on a constant basis, telling them we are not ready to defend this nation, that most of our equipment is broken and lacks spare parts....take a look at the current NAVY admiral and his famous discussion with the media....we have a critical personal shortage, not counting all the media articles spelling it out line by line that our military is in crises mode....there are dozens of pod cast from ex military people begging people to take action....and if your not hearing all of that then i'm sorry you don't care... once again the government runs procurement including picking out the equipment we purchase, take a look at the new maritime helo we bought,it is a one off and already parts are hard to find...that helo was not a military pick , but rather a political one....don't get me wrong the military is quit capable of screwing up a purchase, and there are some that goes right normally it is the sole source ones, like the CF-147F, C-17, C-130J, maybe the F-35...but the list of bad procurements you could write a book about....Iltis jeep,G wagon jeep, LSVW, MSVS trucks, MLVW replacement veh...and thats just trucks... Our guys work for the government and when they are told to not talk about things thats what they do....or they find themselves being retired...or in some meaningless job, or some allegations being made about them....see a long list of Generals that were forced to retire or out right fired, but later cleared... nothing is going to change because Canadians don't want it to change....unless there is consequences for not making NATO target of spending, which is still being talked about....not that Canada cares, why would it, it already has no reputation globally....we have nothing to really offer, europe is talking to us because of carney promises and signing on to the new European defence pact...breaking that is going to have consequences....Carney and the liberals did all of that and yes i hang all my hopes that eventually something does get done, i have a son and daughter in the military...so i'm invested.... In my opinion, this nation is not really worth the effort to defend, don't get me wrong i would fight for those that served and are serving or family and friends....with my last breath.....but that's where my patriotism stops...,and thats a hell of lot more than most Canadians give...thats saying something...when it's own people can't even come up with the funding to properly equip its troops, kind of says it all... https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nato-canadian-armed-forces-europe-1.7135390 We can't say the government does not know...it is being discussed, by the defence committee, and the serving government gets daily briefs...what DND and the military can be released is up to the government and security clearances... I below are just a small sample of what is out there in regards to our military, none of these articles paints our military in a good light, and most of these stories sources are military or ex military...so they are standing up and telling the military story, and for some it has cost them their career.... I'm i pinning my hopes on Carney , yes i am....and if he pulls it off he'll have my vote next election....don't get me wrong, i've seen this dozens of times during my career, but as i grow older i become a little more desperate, as my son and daughters have taken up the torch...which is the only reason i still pray, something gets done....trust me it is not out of patriotism, that left me decades ago...it is for my family. If you can not find any media storys covering our military in a negative way your not really looking, there are plenty of ex generals talking to the media, plenty of ex military doing pod casts, way to much info for Canadians not to know anything...not sure what it will take to get them motivated into doing something....funney how the anti war wing nuts can find the time to protest but to ask someone to get out there and protest for our military all you get is crickets...we need more from Canadians. https://macleans.ca/politics/canadas-military-cant-defend-us/ https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/canadas-military-left-behind/ https://www.19fortyfive.com/2025/04/canadas-military-is-slowly-rotting-away/ https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/military-morale-sees-uptick-but-problems-persist

I've thrown out better stuff while cleaning my garage...who knew you could paid by with calling it art...

Most of the posters on this forum has said 5 % is way to much....3.5 % is the target, while the other 1.5 % is going to be made up with creative accounting, costing new roads, or build up of ports etc etc....And that target is 10 years from now... What you have forgotten is the golden dome, there is 70 plus bil...not to mention there has been no costing of subs...est at 90 bil...want to go Nuclear,ask Australia what it is costing them 368 bil plus an addition 8 bil on infrastructure...of course thats not rounded out to include 40 years of upkeep....like canada does...Ya hello defending yourselves is expensive.... Our military is in deep trouble and if your going to just placate the donald...then we should stop right now...our objective should be taking a look at our current military status...which is crap...and where do we want it to go...and look at it from this point , it will be our sons and daughters manning this equipment, do you want to cheap out or send them into battle and have them sent back in bags if thats ok well so be it......but historically we have gone into crises before completely unready, the cost of that is people,yup lots of people , lots of bags....people are cheap,government pays out less than 500 k per person if you died in combat, way less if it was non combat related... IF you apply and jump through all the veterans affairs hoops...on the plus side you will get a funeral with aluminum casket, and get to keep the flag that drapes it, someone will salute you and your family, shake your hand, thank you for your sacrifice, and that will be that....a few weeks later you will get a box in the mail with their personal effects...so you can live through all of that again...dont worry your not going to be alone it will be happening all across the country every day...That's the cost of being cheap...

Well right now there are 8 countries already spending north of 3 % and only one country right now not spending 2 %...I think what NATO is doing is looking at the current state of NATO's armys and most of NATO has cashed in peace bonds pretty hard...take germany for example,used to have 2500 main battle tanks, not that long ago.... today has less than 296 and has plans to double that number...you can do that with every NATO member including the US... 5% is the number NATO figures to get NATO back in line . i highly doubt this is going to be the long term number...NATO intel has said Russia will have recouped it's numbers within 5 years, and is already boasting numbers along NATO border countries... I think we miss a huge point here...Europe is preparing for war right now...and are panic mode, low troop and equipment numbers, combined with the US threatening to not come to their aid, and withdrawals of US troop levels across europe has them second guess their abilities....not to mention US has dumped Ukraine support and europe has picked up that ball...A lot of european countries are talking about bring back mandatory serve to bring troops numbers back up..recalling those members that just retired....mean while here in Canada , We have signed onto a new Europe defence pact making more military taskings.......And our military strength is a joke right now...it will take decades to fix our military issues...even at 3.5 %, with creative accounting making up the other 1.5 %....

The military speaks to the elected officials every day,our government knows full well what is needed, what is wanted,and what our military is capable of or what it is not capable of...At the end of the day there is nothing legally the military could do to be heard...i do know this every year that goes by and purchasing is not addressed we continue to loss capabilities.... we are on the verge of becoming ineffective as a force....our logistical system is collapsing, our offensive capabilities are gone, we would not be able to defend an area the size or toronto, the military would struggle to respond to a major disaster like winnipeg flood, or ice storm... 50 % of everything we own is parked because it is broken and they don't make parts for it any more...including our new maritime helos...one day very soon we'll wake up and our military won't be able to do any simple military task.... Canadians have been warned for decades, they refuse to help, or intercede on their own military behalf....They don't have a clue as to what the military provides the population on a daily basis...nor do they have a clue on what it takes to keep our sovereignty. Thats why military members are leaving, they are asking themselves if these people that we have vowed to risk our lives for, won't even find the funding to fund a proper military then what is the point, why should they risk their own lifes when Canadians don't care about their own defence....We as a nation are more concerned with toxic military culture, DEI, LGBTQ programs, being able to have pink hair or a dirty beard, or weigh in at 250 lbs...thats where we are at today....we can't even train the recruits coming out of basic training in a timely manner, so they are quitting... The fact that the Canadian media has been putting out story after story about our military condition and nobody cares, all of those stories are huge massive red flags to the population...and all the military hears is cricket's....nobody cares, Canadians have been warned over and over again....i guess we jack up the taxes...and make major cuts to social programs if the country is in such a desperate state as you suggest....

When has the majority of Canadians said whoa, whoa to the government spending money...never, we just keep adding it to the deficit....so why now, why is invigorating our military a bad thing... Bullshit, we spend 29 bil just on foreign spending....there is a lot of pork fat that the liberals have put in the last 10 years that could come off, all without touching any critical social programs like health care....And Canada has been telling our military to do the exact thing for decades....do the impossible with nothing...your not going to find much sympathy here. How much time do you think your going to need, they have already given this nation 12 years to get to 2 % and now they are giving us 10 more to get to 3.5 %...besides we both know there is no way in hell Canada will make anything close to NATO's goals...not because it can't be done, but rather Canadians have no appetite for anything military....until conflict does happen then we has a nation will be balls deep in conflict and Canadians will pay that price one way or another...I know that all sounds like fantasy....but senior NATO members are preparing for war with Russia in 5 years....China has told the US it will take back Taiwan in less than 5 years.... Borrowing money is not the problem....do you see anyone jumping up and down today with their hair on fire...Carney is going to spend a record amount this year....and who is complaining....the answer is to cut or raise taxes...\ Your right there is no plan without a plan they are not going to spend the money.... can't just buy a bunch of equipment then store it in a warehouse.... i mean this country is screwed up, but to that point i don't think so...but once the ground work is done, it will move fairly quickly... Whoa, this is not my plan...this is the liberals plan, NATO's plan, this is the global plan...I just happen to agree with it... Our allieds don't respect us now...Canadians don't get that, they are in their own bubble, we have no reputation except being lagards...we have nothing of value to offer NATO....we are the only artic nation in NATO that can't operate in the artic all year round... we can't even man a full brigade in Latvia, most of the Canadian brigade is made up of foreigners... So not sure what reputation you want to save...apparently we are nice, and polite....we still have that... Well if you know politics and finances you'll know this is all a pipe dream...Canada does not have the parts or will to pull this off, i mean i spent 35 years in the service, hoping and dreaming of this very moment, our government s have never kept a promise or agreement why in the blue blazes would it start now...i mean there is always the MAYBE...and it is nice to have a dream....but we have a long history of never being ready for the next conflict...and it costs thousands of lives every time...but it is just people right we got lots of people... It is easy if you have the will....and this is not any fault of the military types in any way....., this is government, be it liberal of conservative...this is also Canadians fault...yes i put 1/2 the blame on them, there is an unwritten contract that canadians are suppose to have the military's back, to ensure the government does not abuse it's authority," not properly equipping them, providing the adequate training, thats abuse....making sure they are not wasted in some petty conflict is abuse...In time of conflict After the current serving members are gone, it is our sons and daughters that will be sent over and if thats with lee enfield s so be it, but lets not forget they "will" be going..... You seem to be of the opinion that this , is somehow the militaries fault...like somehow government does what we tell it to...like every other government organization we do as we are told to do, ..No one has a say in any military matters, not the equipment Canada purchases, not the quantity, not the budget , not where our government sends us, not the rules of engagements,nothing...we don't decide nothing...And while our lives depend on our government and the people of Canada, we still decide Nothing, so if the military gets nothing...which is why we are where we are today....One needs to stop asking why is our military in the shape it is today.........why would anyone want to join an organization that Canadians don't support...or care for it's members.... .....you as a voter can take away all the equipment, use up it's current inventory of soldiers, sailors and airmen...or outright cancel the military all together.....history shows the nation ( government at the time) does not give a f*ck and it will be you, or your sons and daughters that will fill those empty spaces, and be force to fight in equipment that some 3 rd world country said no to...and all around the country they will erect little plagues in the center of town or in some empty field in Ottawa with the names of the fallen...and the next conflict we will do it all over again...

who's charlie angus, is he on CNN....is he in the green party....

You don't think Canada has not done any of that...just look at haiti ya that was all Canada...don't throw rocks if you live in a glass house... They have valid points, while you and most Canadians arm chair from your basements, the US police the world so you can sleep at night...and finally the US has a president that does not mind speaking his mind in a more forward tone with more base in his voice than your use to....So know everyone is recovering from the kick in the nuts and look at us go....signed new NATO accords, even signed a new Euro defensive pact....the bills have not even come in yet...but give it a bit...it is not stopping here...

You should do some more reading of your history, how many were killed during the conscription riots...how many were hunted down during the louis Riel....there is a lot more, Canada's hands are not blood free as you suggest....so while we did not have a civil war....we definitely know how to spill blood....

I personally think all the goals we laid out when signing the new NATO membership goals are very achievable...So where does the money come from, by looking at each line item on our expenditure sheet and asking do we really need that...look at foreign aid it has surpassed 29 bil, how about how much we pay each refugee comes out to 82 k, when the average Canadian makes 62 k there are plenty of line items like this one that could be cut.... Just saying we can't make it to that number without trying is where Canada is today, throwing up their arms giving up with out any effort .......We have been living high on peace bonds for 40 plus years....now it is time to invest. Europe is preparing for war with the Russians, they are looking at mandatory service, investing trillions into their militaries....and these countries are the UK, France, Germany, Poland, to name a few... NATO is waiting for our statement we need more time, etc....they know it is coming it's not that we have a historical record of doing so....oh wait a minute....It is embarrassing we as a nation can not even defend ourselves against any threat, and most Canadians are good with that... No one is expecting everyone to hit that time line by 2029, thats when it will be reviewed ...2035 was the original date to reach that target which should be an easy task considering 1.5 % On infrastructure which we already have a long list of projects that could fill those specs, and be written off as Military spending... I have to agree with Venandi assessment, without changing procurement and recruitment policies and practices, we are not going to be able to spend any more money, we can't spend what they have now and for decades Military has returned bils back into coffers....or wasted bils on spending money just to get rid of it before end year....... New leadership is required all up and down the chain of command...., DEI needs to be buried deep in the woods someplace, major change in culture "again"...to produce warriors, not inclusive Canadians that have long pink hair, not sure of their genders, and are 250 lbs... kick those people out send them to customs or coast guard, fisheries etc......and hire warriors, A type personalities who are not afraid of a few curse words, and whom are proud to serve this country.... Canadians need to support their military, ALL the time, .by ensuring we equip them with the latest and greatest equipment and training available...without that support there is no need to have a military, hard to support a population that is ungrateful, or unwilling to support...major attitude change is required for the public...

you can disagree all you want History does not lie my friend, Canadians do not get along...from the plains of Abraham to the draft in WWI, and WWII, french and english have been fighting everyday since in some form or another....today ROC does not care what Quebec does....to them they have already separated, and no one really cares...and separation talk has spread onto the west...except BC they don't really want to have anything to do with the ROC either, no pipelines,ferries built in china,ya sounds like the are pro Canada...I'm wondering when the other western provinces start boycotting BC projects...i guess having an energy corridor was to much of an idea, for a nation that can not get anything of any importance done... Europeans have wrote volumes of books all about their conflicts...like i said they wrote the book on how NOT to get along....

Again why would our PM sign onto the document agreeing to make those lofty goals if it had no intention of making those payments....i mean our international reputation is already in the dumpster, and we have proven time and time again we are unreliable allied,that does pull it's weight, and to top all of that off, Carney just signed on to a EU defensive pact, which will cost more ....not only is it a promise to NATO that YES we are a trusted allied, but he also promised Canadians that he will follow through, we have sat on the side lines to long now........Don't like it run for office and change it...just don't do it as a NDP candidate you'll be disappointed... Actually it is not trump's country club, the US is tired of paying most of the bills and this new amendment has been approved by ALL NATO countries, and we signed on to it.....with exception of Spain which gets a discount.... If the US takes it ball and goes home who is going to fill the massive cracks in NATO...Americans are sick of paying the bulk of the bills and Americans would love to have some of our social programs we enjoy here in Canada...but can't....time for Canada to step up and take its place on the world stage....or STFU forever.

If everyone was on mushroom, the world would be a better place....i mean look at august he has to be on mushrooms and he gets along with everyone....

Maybe it is the mushrooms, i can't really say, but on the other hand you have to ask why he responds to just you like he does....it could be love, but then again don't trust my judgement i'm in therapy as well.

There is a lot Carney can do to spend money here in Canada, if he does it wisely, we could order new LAV 6 mk2 built in ontario with a whole slew of add ons and capabilities....it's a win win....once into the european markets, we could purchase systems and have them built here in Canada...just European orders for arms have locked up most manufactures up for at least 5 years, with long delivery times....and this is only going to get worse as more orders come in...take the Leopard II there are only 2 places that produce new hulls, for thousands of already built tanks and for all the new orders...it would be a win win for Canada replacing some of our lost auto sector jobs... We should also be looking cutting back on our new Irving frigates, and looking at say south Korea, of Japan, to build destroyers or cruisers for half the price and 10 times the capability....Same as subs...Use Canadian ship building to build more naval support ships, that we don't have right now, like under sea infrastructure protection or repair ships, deep diving / research ships, or sub rescue ships...or more armed icebreakers. or armed coast guard cutters...

Sorry, it's not my time to babysit, i was just posting a public service message...get a room or get a gun...deep down i think he likes you, a lot....maybe even to much....or maybe it's mushrooms, my therapist prescribed, i see things that may or may not be there...

That's what happens when your not in the house...that may change once he gets his seat...on the other hand right now everything is going carneys way, he is pushing all the right buttons, made a lot of promises but that support will quickly go away if he can not deliver...

True we have already paid for 16 F-35, of which Canada does produce parts for as part of the contract we signed to become a partner. The Gripen has been involved in 3 competitions to replace our F-18's, and has placed last in all 3 of them, behind the super hornet, Eurofighter, french rafale, F-35. on the last competition it placed second only because the Euro fighters dropped out because we wanted to much in offsets, and their price tags were eye watering.....and Justin was pissed at Boeing because of a dispute with bombardier. Grippen does not have many of the capabilities the F-35 has, it is great in a knife fight , but modern air combat is happening at range, and with stealth, 2 of the things the gripen lacks...F-35 excels at stealth, EW, long range radar, sensors that allow it to engage at range, or drop weapons on target without waking up enemy radar. Historically look at the missions our F-18 have been asked to do over the last 20 years including those missions we were not able to do, and the F-35 covers it all...not to mention the airforce and all it's expertise has said it is the one they want to strap themselves into to go into combat 3 times in a row.......something Carney and other MP won't be doing....he may excell at banking , but i think he lacks the expertise of a fighter jock... Again hard to blame the US when we have allowed our own defence industry to wither on the vine due to lack of any interest in our own military. in the meantime the US defense industry build the best in most weapon systems. nobody can produce Aircraft or ships like the US does, some of our Army kits is built by the Europeans. like our leopards, Carl Gustafs anti tank,and a few others, but the rest all built in the US because it was the best at the time...It is one thing to have a lip on for the US or trump to be more correct....but not to buy our own soldiers the best equipment available is to let our soldiers down because of a grudge that will be gone in 3 years...and whatever equipment we do end up purchasing we will have for 40 years...or more...

You were a CWO ,in an elite formation within the Air force, time to step up Chief...take the first step...thats what leaders do.

I agree , but we are well past needing to get our sh*t together, almost all our major weapon systems are in desperate need of replacing, not to mention all the capabilities we have already lost, along with the experience to operate them. even if we went into crises' mode it would still take a decade to catch up... Carney talks a good game about building military equipment here in Canada, but we have let our military industrial complex erode more than our military has...not to mention how costly it is to build stuff in this country, just look at our frigate program and how prices have ballooned, The UK built an aircraft carrier for the price of just one of our frigates. S.Korea is building cruisers for only 2.5/ 3 bil a piece... What our military needs is new equipment , not providing Canadian jobs, or demanding offsets from companies to spend equal amounts of money in Canada....or lastly having some politician pick military equipment out...kind of like sending your wife out to buy your power tools...The F-35 is a prime example we could have been flying them today, if we had just let the politicians set the amount of funding available and let the Military pick the equipment it needs.....politicians have a poor record on buying terrible equipment, books have been written about all of it and yet it has not changed....we continue to buy from the cheapest bidder, or company that has brided our government with the most offsets..

Personally i think both of you should just get a room...either kiss and make up, or kill each other and save hundreds of pages of band width or put each other on ignore, saving the rest of us from scrolling pages upon pages to read the main post...Just a thought, putting some of my peacekeeping training to use...pistols at 10 yards, tonight at midnight, be there.

Perhaps he will, or maybe he will stay on who knows...I'm glad to see all your interest in the conservative party, maybe your a closet conservative...Or maybe you should be concerned about your party the NDP which is a train wreck at the moment, no real leader, no party status, no nothing really.... just empty suits in a few empty chairs....

I wonder how much of that is mostly supported by federal tax funding, or how much does the fed spend to achieve your results you have provided...according the federal web site feds spend almost 30 bil each year on Indigenous support, not counting loans or grants for indigenous business last year accounted for over 5 bil... https://budget.canada.ca/2024/report-rapport/chap6-en.html https://sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1731612400516/1731612419549

With all the problems we face in this country today, i don't see this as an issue we should be tackling right now....I also don't think our current education system spends a whole lot of time with civics that affect our nation, province etc...more time is put into other large lobby groups agendas like LGBTQ, or the palestinian plight etc.. I disagree with who better experts than the the current core we have now. I think our education system as a whole needs to be reset, instead of concentrating on issue that effects a small portion of the population and concentrate on real education, or real world skills like personal finance, money management, picking a relevant career path, issues that effects all Canadians.

We can't even get adults to understand the issues of this country, and now you want to add to the mix 16 years olds...how many are even going to use their votes, or take an interest in politics for that matter... what would political parties even pander to them with, no tax on candy, lowering the drinking age to 16, ......not to mention the bias of the education system which takes years of real life experience to reverse...