Army Guy

When i first read this i thought what a freaking troll but i wanted to give you the benifit of the doubt.... Are you a Canadian citizen ? if so they are your troops, just like the Canadian flag is our nations flag, just like the RCMP are our national police force ...you may not like it, but thier your troops.... you lost me here, what are you implying.... As for winning or lossing i'll let you figure that one out....

Mr Harpers statement was not very popular with the troops, which ran a couple days after we had had a Ramp Ceremony for a couple of our comrads....over there, there is no second place, no medal for just coming out, everyday is a Struggle...it was a blow to moral that was for sure...it was a mistake on his part, once the soldiers start questioning thier sacrafice, Canada's contribution will be over....

Leafless: I wish , Soldiers do recieve a bonus, which is based on many different factors such as how many tours of duty you have completed, The risk factor of the tour, etc etc also included into that is our taxes are returned while in threater....so you might top out at 12 to 14 k in bonuses and 8 to 10 back in taxes deducted....in all, a guy with 6 to 8 tours might get 25 K while a guy on his first tour might get 0nly 15 k... Not alot of money when you consider you may have to earn that by giving your life up.

Sorry link is broken.... The Support Our Troops decal getting stuck to all Saskatchewan government vehicles isn't getting a warm response from everyone. Regina resident Allan Taylor said he supports the troops but opposes the war in Afghanistan and questions why the stickers are going on public vehicles. Taylor said he would have no problem with government workers or anyone else putting the decals -- bearing a yellow ribbon plus some green from the Saskatchewan flag -- on their personal vehicles. "But I don't think it should be on something that's owned by all the people of Saskatchewan," said Taylor, adding polls have shown many others share his viewpoint on the war. Taylor's concerns were echoed by the Council of Canadians. "We see it as not a smart initiative for the province of Saskatchewan to be taking," said Sheila Muxlow, the group's Edmonton-based prairie organizer. While the decals are often called a show of support for the troops and not necessarily the war, Muxlow said the council doesn't feel that's the case. "To see a support the troops campaign happen now, it's inevitable that it's going to be linked to the mission where our troops are most actively involved," she said. However, Premier Brad Wall said he has no concerns about the government's decision to display the stickers on government vehicles. "We're supporting those troops in what they're doing whether we support the mission or not," he said. "We're also supporting what they're doing with respect when they're helping out with the flood situation, when they're doing what they can in domestic issues," Wall said. "I'm very comfortable with it." NDP Leader Lorne Calvert said he understands and supports the sentiment of showing support for Canada's troops. But he said the decals also a present a policy issue. "Once you begin to use public property for any cause, good or bad -- in this case good -- you open yourself to a difficult, I think, challenge," said the Opposition leader, adding he doesn't interpret the stickers as supporting war although some others will. The issue of "Support Our Troops" stickers on municipal vehicles has sparked debate in many Canadian cities. The Alberta government said last year that employees could put Support Our Troops decals on their government vehicles, but on a voluntary basis. -- With files from James Wood

I along with dozens of soldiers are getting tired of all this polictical double speak...a support your troops sticker or what ever you have means just that....i don't care what you think it should means, what your neibour thinks it means ....those of us that can read english or french knows exactly what it says...."Support your troops" It does not say, vote cons, or NDP sucks, or liberal are human to, i i like to blow small countries up....no it clearly states "support your troops" i've got 4 on my truck, need one take it i can get more....Oh ya i got another sticker on my truck it's the Canadian flag, it used to mean we where a nation that could reach out to anyone in need, a nation that stood up for the small guy, a nation that could accomplish anything it set it's mind to.....perhaps someone can tell me what that now means.... stickers

I think i know what he means Kimmy, been having a real tough time adjusting to food here in Canada, since i got back and well it's left me a little no i'd say alot gassy....in fact i just had a very explosive moment just awhile ago....could i've just had a real event ? i'm scared now my son is grinning at me and flicking a lighter....

Actions always speak louder than words, actions like rocket attacks, bombers, murders, the list is long for both sides....perhaps if the Hamas surrundered thier arms, and willing to talk without violence there may be peace....until then there will always be conflict...ball is in thier court, or is that a rocket.....

Your right they are my words, pluck from his sentences formed to create a picture of a helpless little girl...one that should have been dressed in a prom dress and dating the boy next door....so while those are my words i did not conjure up that same image.... instead of the image she should be remembered as a soldier, yes a 100 lb soldier with 40 lbs of kit and equipment on, armed with a C-7A2 rifle doing something she loved to do, something she excelled at doing, serving her Nation... Perhaps the rifle remark was filled with some Testosterone, but it does not translate into you must have a set of nuts in order to serve your nation....Canada does have serving female soldiers in all of thier Combat arms trades, including Infantry, Armoured Corps, Arty, and Combat Engineers...they also serve in the Airforce flying Combat CF-18, and serve on Combat ships, with one exception Subs, due to limited quaters....there is no failure in that except we as a nation except anyone interested in defending thier nation.... But your suggesting that the entire project is a failure, perhaps they've captured all the women that where interested in performing those tasks....perhaps the rest of the military also has as many as they can capture....So while the 2 % mark may look like a failure to many who want to twist it into that...i see it as an opportunity for those that chose to serve, a chance to do so....or are you again'st that ? Canadian Combat arms consists of Infantry, Armoured Corps, Arty corps, and Combat Engineers....each componet is thrown together into a battle group, and each one will see direct enemy action at one piont on the battle field..... Yes, it can , those women are serving thier Nation in the Jobs they chose to do, the jobs they wanted to do....and they are doing it as well or better than thier male counter parts....OR they would not be doing it....because lives are on the line...why is it so hard to believe that a women can do the job as well as a man....keep in mind there are lots of 100 lb men given the same chance.... Recruiting is not the problem, it's training them thats the problem not enough instructors....Recruiting can only recruit what the training system can train, as it is there are up to a year or more back logs in the training cycle..... I don't profess to speak for all in the forces, but i just spent 7 long,hard, dusty months in Afghan, and iteracted with dozens of women, in all trades and not once did i have any problems because someone was a women....So when the metal meets the bone it is the counter view we should be all concerned with, not a bunch of numbers , not some old Archaic attitude, these women have put just as much into this mission as thier male counter parts or more just to remain even.. Like i said before this is my view, and my view only and while it may not be supported across the forces by every soldier, it is policy and it is law...and it is enforced thru out the chain of command without question...every soldier will be tried on thier own merits....unless you got something your not sharing.... Once again your Data on Ground combat forces is incorrect....current there is American and british women serving with thier Armoured , Arty forces, within the IDF there is Women serving with thier Arty and Armoured forces....if you'd like i can send pictures....in fact Janes used to have a complete spread on an entire female IDF tank crew testing out the new Merkarva 4....They have currently no Women serving with the Infantry, or Spec forces.... Ground combat in todays termilogy includes Infantry, Armoured, Arty, Combat Engineers, Attack helo, fighter A/C, pretty much any one that will enter the battle space, and yet with the exception of the Infantry there is women serving in all those that you listed...and yet these same countries also hire on women to perform as mechanics medics clerks etc etc in most cases fighting right next to the very soldiers they themselfs are not allow to become.... Todays battle space in Afghan starts at the front gate, which includes that other 12 % of women in the military you've mentioned making up the support trades needed for the Front line guys to get the job done, from bullets to beans, to fuel all delivered on those roads you hear so much about....all of that is done with a mixed crew, not intentional, just soldiers doing thier jobs be it man or women.... I guess to sum it all up, you should ask these guys that prepare all this facts and figures if they've breached a door with a female soldier, or have they meet any of our female soldiers, and did they once have a problem that could not be sorted out....I invite any of those suits down to the RCR lines and to soldier with one of our female soldiers for a day...that should put to rest any concerns about having front line soldiers as women...they are there because they want to be...cross them and you'll find yourself on the floor holding on to 2 grape fruit sized testicles.... I guess it's bad enough just trying to serve your nation, and everything that goes with that, but top off all that with being a women no frig'in thanks....you need to see it through my eyes and see a soldier....because when it comes to this level it's the only thing that counts...

No sir i stole those lines from his article, to me she is a Canadian soldier, no more , no less....and i did not mean it to be a slight, i meant it as "sarcastic". Todays battlefield is pretty much an equal oportunity employer, where size and shape, color, race or anything does much play a large role.... I think we are lossing focus with stats Your facts are just that, numbers on a sheet, and can be twisted into anything you want to prove....heres my piont, of all the Canadian males of age from 17 to 55,less than .005% where actually interested in or becoming a Combat arms soldier. what does that mean ? what does that tell us....does it say females in the forces are given a raw deal,or are not cut out to be soldiers or that Canadians as a whole don't give a shit about our military.... I think the important thing here is that in Canada women have the oportunity to serve they're nation be on the battle field or not....all of our Combat arms trades are open to women and those that apply and complete training are as good or better than thier male counter parts... Canadian military does not hire by stats any more, recruitment is done by an individual bases, if they are interested then they will be slotted into one of hundreds of job openings , if one happens to be a combat arm postion so be it.... I don't think it has failed, i think it is becoming more exceptable, much like say womens hockey....and 5 to 10 years from now women will remind us of the road we made them travel, i would not be surprised if it's done with a few pokes to the chest while doing so....It's not a traditional job or field to get into, such as classics as modeling, hair dresser, etc etc but we live in a nation that equality and the opitions are open if they did choose... While it may effect you that way, her death was another soldier who died doing what our nation wanted them to do....I'm sure to her father she will always be his little girl....to her comrads she will be a soldier, friend...As far as recruiting goes, recruitment is up, DND problem is we can't train them fast enough....so to answer your question, i don't see any effect.... Lets snap back to reality here, Afghan battle space starts when you leavve the front gate, and while there may only be 2 % of the soldiers that are women in the Combat arms your figures do not include reservists whom also take part in those functions nor do they take into account that every soldier in Afghan does his or her duty, outside the wire....it would not be uncommon to have serveral hundred Canadian female soldiers in Afgan on any one tour..... much more than a just 2 % stat your quoted. Every Canadian soldier is making a difference and doing what they signed the dotted line for...female or male...they all earn they're money...i think you'd be hard pressed to prove they don't.... What about the 45 KG man, or do we throw out the practice that with the proper training and equipment anyone on the battle field is created some what equal... Old 19th century ideals that have yet to be overcome...effect on cohesion, disciplinary problems is no more than any other soldier produces,,,,the Safety aspect is also BS....Those that need to ask that question have not been in combat or under fire ....recovering a wounded soldier under fire is normally done with a group effect...as with anything on the battle field....we live and fight as a team, if there is a problem then that indiv is moved but for most part we live and fight as one....everyone has strenghts and weakenesses, regardless if your a man or a women.... I think you should re check your stats once again. or re phrase your sentences....Women have been involved in combat since time began, or man picked up a stick to beat his neibour and his wife chased him home with it for supper.... Both the UK and US have women serving on or in combat postions, be it in the Army. Navy, or Airforce....including the US Marines, all have women in Combat billets....only exception is the Hard Infantry postions, those have been regalated for Male only....Within the IDF there are still postions within thier Armour corps, Arty, Attack helo sqns that are filled be women....just as the UK and US....and they are still very much alive and doing well.... Just an an example, a US Airforce Sniper, just a few months ago was credited to killing an IED planter at the range of 800 meters....how did that happen ? in fact it was on U tube for a while....shot thru the ass, and detonated the device....

Muddy: Muddy, i've been serving along time as well, over 28 years now, i've lived through this enitre change process, and trust me, change did not come easy, Change it seemed would never hit the Royal's Canadian Regiment but it did, with both hands. We both share the same values one women and children, serving our nation with class and honor was our number one objective, but we also share the same vision on our nations soldiers, only difference is today some of our soldiers are women, no different than yesterdays soldiers, still tough as nails, still make a sailor blush after a few beers, still able to soldier on with a 70 lb ruck in the Afghanis mountains, only difference is thier better looking than you and me....but still the same soldiers... I guess what i'm trying to say is they are our nations soldiers, they've all worked hard to be there, constantly knocking down the walls "we've" and the rest of the Nation put in front of them, at the end of the day, all i see on the battle field is Soldiers, Canadian Soldiers, and they have long since earned my admiration, my respect...I've seen first hand that they are capable of doing the job, and do it is what they do...

I was actually surprised to see this make the papers, must have been a slow news day for this kind of trash to even been considered for release....i'm surprised the man who wrote it had the balls to do so...but it really paints a clear picture of the man who wrote it,and his 19th century ideals.... and does not even come close to discribing our female soldiers in uniform... Yes she was a good looking girl, one that has passed all of her training required of any combat soldier, in fact it has been mentioned she has excelled at it...and was well respected by her peers and superiors, not an easy task for a female, to earn that trust and respect of warriors and has got to say something of this tiny inocent looking girl....she was a Canadian soldier, trained to the highest of standards, and could have put micheal Coren to the ground and had him crying like a baby in less time it took him to form the first sentence of this garbage.... I've spent my entire carear as a combat soldier, and have had the privilge of serving with plenty women in the military, all carried thier wieght and more has they had to go that extra step to prove themselfs, because of attitudes such as the ones express in his article...., all served thier country with the highest of honors, all carried the fight to the enemy and kicked ass...not once did i or any other have to put our lives on the line to ensure thier safety on the battle field.... Canadian military has seen to it everyone of it's soldiers have been issued with the great wieght class equalizer....it's called a C-7A2 rifle, and fires a 5.56mm bullet capable of taken down a raging bull at 300 meters....and in the right hands such as any Canadian soldier capaple of taken down the largest man with a small amount of effort, without even spilling your tim hornets coffee.... Todays female soldiers have worked extremily hard at dispelling all these 19th century ideals of women in combat...and the deserve our respect, not garbage like what was written here.... Globe

Although i agree the police office should answer for his actions....but so should the women...who in thier right mind verbally assaults, instigates, antagonzies , picks a fight with a man in full riot gear, unless that was exactly the reaction they were looking for.....kind of like kicking a grizzly in the nuts, then complaining the bear ate your foot....

I'm hoping your perhaps being a little sarcastic ...perhaps your right, maybe we could take a look at every yearly event....perhaps X-mas been around much to long....lets change or just maybe we can remember why it is we hvae these rememberances anyways....

Sir Bandelot I'd be curous to know what media has been reporting that....unless rose petals can now take out LAV III ....I'd also like to clarify that Pakistan is not Afghanistan, and while they are both linked in this conflict they are very different in nature and culture, and people....one has not been subjected to over 30 years of war...one does not have NATO forces engaged in fighting....kind of like comparing apples and oranges don't you think... Mr Canada. There seems to be this misconception that Canada will be leaving Afghan in 2011, it's wrong, Canadian military forces will be re roled, but there is no mention of leaving afghan or for that matter leaving Kanadar AO or what that new role may be...

I disagree, i think that parilment should pass new laws and amend the constitution so that separating is not an opition for any province or group, or what have you. Much like what the US have. Quebec is not the only province that has discussed separation, i think that if Quebec is let go it would cascade into something similar as Yugo...once the country is sliced up every group or party with a cause will want a piece....and when disagreements or greed take hold violence will break out....nobody is imune to what happened in yugo....

I fully agree, i also think that the western world has failed miserable at doing that. Rwanda is a perfect example of that, i think they are still debating that whole conflict and have yet to come up with a solution...there will always be a time when military intervention is needed in order to save lives...i know it sounds like a huge contradiction, but the Yugo conflict under lines that... Thats what makes the whole Bosina thing so complicated, before and after the war most communities where completely mixed with serb, croat, and muslim living next to each other, even sharing in the same bussiness, families....in other parts of Yugo the split was and is much more split on race lines...such as what is known today as Serbia, or Croatia....mostly due to the cleansing that was done... Once the killing started it was continued by revenge ...which is why i think it would have still be ongoing if NATO had not intervened....history of this area is full of them not getting along....and while it would be nice for everyone to play nice sometimes we need a force to keep the peace... can you imagine what North America would look like without say a police force, or a group to enforce the laws...it would not be long before violence broke out...perhaps i'm jaded...but it is mans nature to fight, and chase power, and the only ones that suffer are inocent people just trying to live thier lives...

While it is true , and it illustrates your piont, but at what cost do we allow these conflicts to go on. There was a fear that the conflict could spill into europe or drag other nations into it.... You don't have to be an analyst to know that NATO presence is what made the conflict stop. and yes if NATO did pull out there would be some form of conflict shortly after...but one would have to ask is , is it worth it....i'd say yes I don't think terriable is a strong enough word. death and destruction erodes everymans sense of humanity until nothing is left except absolute pain and misery....i think we have a responsability to make sure it does not happen.

Most soldiers that have done a United Nations tour will express the same feelings, but then again this has been fact for some time now, the United Nations although a great organization, just does not have the power or influence to get involved in military operations. Yes there are some shinny examples of sucess, but there is more failures... Bosina was a perfect example of a UN failure in all aspects....the whole experience under UN has left many Canadian soldiers with a bad taste in thier mouths.. This has been debated on many levels before, and it all comes down to reality, the whole Bosina thing could easily happen here in Canada...the breaking up of a country almost never goes well, combine that with some bad fellings from the past, a few incidents of violence and poof....it grows very repidly until it spins out of control....death and revenge are powerful motivators and it takes no time to convert fun loving people, neibours, family, into carring out some of the evil things seen in Bosina and the whole Yugo conflict. you may say not me....bullshit...seeing your family, or friends murdered, raped, etc will convert anyone into doing the same... I disagree, if military intervention had not taken place, i think the entire yugo conflict would still be a problem...once the first blood is shed it is difficult to stop the fighting until a organization such as NATO steps in and forcefully tells them to stop, or face NATO forces in combat...once a conflict gets to far gone, a superior threat of violence is the only thing that will make the blood shed stop....NATO did this with great effect. The conflict in bosina near the end, was so complicated that just 5 km down the road, there was a completly differnet war going on, in some cases Muslim fighting muslim, serb fighting bosinan serb etc etc ....each little conflict required a completely different approach...but one element was universal....everyone stopped fighting when superior force and the will to use it was displayed...the fact that there is still NATO troops in Yugo and will be for years to come is testimony that it will take generations for those wounds to heal and until then a larger military force is required to keep them apart..

Machjo: Any job with our government and you have to pass security checks, including here in Canada...and more so in Afghan for good reason... DND like any government org does have checks and bals to ensure that the best person gets the job, there are plenty of Canadian civilians and "other" Canadian depts that are in Kanadar that work on camp, and do security checks, test language abilities etc etc....There are Canadians that have these second or third language abilities and are employed in postions that can best use these.......so we are not operating blindly so to speak... Any patrol, or convoy that goes outside the wire an interpreter goes with them... Yes, they are for the most part very skilled, at 2 or more languages ....ie Dari, or pashtun. One per patrol or convoy. There seems to be a big misconception on your part of the options that are available to our soldiers, i could say with some certainity that no one has been shot because they could not communicate, atleast in the Canadian AO....soldiers are taught key catch phases in both Dari, and Pashtun, such as stop...hands up, get down etc etc etc, plus there is hand language, and body language... When a soldiers dress up in battle kit armed to the teeth is forcefully telling you to stop and get on your knees you quickly get the piont, or your forced to your kness....nobody is shot unless you pose a threat....meaning your armed, or have an explosive device on you....then there is no need to talk is there. To sum up, a soldier has hand signals, body language, tone of vioce, and physical presence to cummunicate....failing that you defuse the situation by detaining people you need to talk with and wait for the interpreter to arrive. like you said there is always a more peaceful way to end every conflict. most soldiers have to take 6 mths of pretraining before going to Afghan, these type of situations are drilled over and over.... while i may not know exactly what thier body lanuage is telling me, i can recongize when a person is hostile, or about to commit a hostile act... this is universal, sweating purfusly, nervousness, constantly looking around, basically out of place with thier surroundings.... our ROE are very clear on what we can engage and when...when a Canadian soldier fires his wpn it is for a good reason.... Once you spot someone that fits the above discription, then you pay attention to how they are dressed, any deformities such as a wpn outline under his cloths, a vest of explosives, a trigger device in his hands, cell phone etc etc ....i won't go into any more depth, but you can tell alot by how they are acting...and there are never alone....i just want to piont out nobody is engaged just because of a hunch....or you think ....the bad guys have pulled a gun or announce they are going to blow themselfs up.....for us mostly it is reactionary after the fact, and then it is very controled.... It would take more than a raised voice or tone to get us to engage or react...remember each soldier has over 40 lbs of armour, tac vests , is bristiling with wpns, and is backed up with a min of 15 of his comrads....not many people want to get into a shouting match or argument or get confrontational ....when you approach a police officer what is your demeaner....try a police officer on steriods, armed with atleast 2 wpns, grenades, radio, and 15 other officers similar armed....most if not all our conversations are polite, short, and to the piont....little chance of getting shot for not speaking english....I've complete 3 tours in Afghanistan, at 6'3'' over 260 lbs with my kit on, i've not once had a problem with forcefully shouting stop....hand extended ....then telling them to get down again with a hand signal....all complied....

OK bad example but you get the piont. true enough, but major purchases are a rare thing. once every 3 or 4 blue moons, or when enough soldiers have died.... Compare Australia's budget and everything it incompasses, to ours and you'll see that we are no longer 15th overall, but rather well behind luxemburg.....a population of under 8 mil,

Undefeatable natural borders is a myth, serveral nations have gone out of thier way to prove that fact to Canadians and yet they won't listen... Bin Labin proved that fact with 9/11, Russians have on several occasions placed military troops on Canada's northern areas, plus placed a Russian flag under the ice in our waters, Denmark has also done the same with Hans Island.. but if it does not mess with Canadians lives they don't care, about anything defence related.

Anyways this will be my last post for a little while, got word i'm packing my kit up and heading home soon, very soon....going to have some time off and get reaquianted with my family....and Canada's winter wonder land....it's going to be great...while i sat down in front of my lap top smashing the keys with my big fat fingers trying to figure what to say.....I am very excited about returning home, it now consumes my every thought, but strangely i will miss this place...the smells, the mad minutes, the life style, the people, the country...And i will count my blessings of just how funtunite i am to be a part of a world class military, and a world class country....and to have served with some of the finest men and women in the world...

I agree, but not just a more effective military, but a more effective way of doing bussiness with all the departments, health, education, etc,etc.... they all need to be torn apart and rebuilt from the ground up....and maximize our tax dollars.... The average age in our military is now 36 years old, which in it self is not very old, but when put into contect that the avg retiring age for the military is 40 years old that should send a signal....our military is getting very old....the next 5 years or so will see a huge protion of these guys getting out.... With a population of well over 35 million there should be no problems in supporting a military of well over 100 k, many other smaller nations have no problems, while sustaining all of there other social programs...there needs to be a bal, and it needs to be maintained. Our military budget might sound huge and place around 15 th , but you also need to take alook at what our military pays out. 2.5 to 3 bil comes off the top for emergency preparness and other like depts, another 1 to 1.5 bil goes out to pay our Afghan mission bill, plus any other foreign affairs adventure or mission they send us on....Dart equipment and missions are another drain on the budget....Most if not all the other nations carve thier defence bill up very differently than we do, and if we did the same we all be shocked to see just what is left to defence dept budget. People need to atleast wake, our military is not just in sad shape it is in critical condition, and although the Cons have provided additional funding, really it has been a small tansfusion keeping it alive barely....All the signs have been posted on the media forever....it's time the people just recongized it and decided on what they are will to do....

Generals and CDS for over 20 years now have been quitely passing this very message to our government, and to it's citizens....i don't think there is one Canadian out there that DOES NOT know the state our military is in....and yet it is like we have to embrass everyone into doing something or as in most cases Canadian soldiers have to die in order to get a few purchases made.....For Canadians it's all about money....and nothing about defence requirements....if there is no money left over then there is no money for defence....unlike most other nations... Our soldiers where not pissed off at those remarks because most of them where true....Ordinary Canadians where caught once again neglecting thier armed forces, and now are pissed because some American had the nerve to piont it out..

Thats the best you can come up with, because they want to make a few bucks off of us. has nothing to do with entering a defence agreement and pulling our share of those responsabilities...Nobody is worried about Canada becoming a world military super power, what they are concerned is Canada doing it's share in the defence of North America... Give us an example or do you have one. Being able to detect any military attack would be a nice asset for our nation to pocess, would it not. being able to do any other asset. Seeing how it is in our constition and one of the things our government must provide... Just saying it won't happen does not garentee anything and would not be much comfort to those effected by such an attack if it did happen. sticking our heads in the sand and hoping it does not happen is not what i would call reseasonable government. And if they don't then what....last time i heard just under 30 Canadians died in 9/11, guess it was there fault for working in the US, or leaving Canada....where do we draw the line in protection of Canadain citizens....where do we draw the line in regards to our defence agreements. Yes i'm for real, during the last Winnipeg flood US military forces assisted us in many different rescue and relief areas...not to mention the Major ICE storm. do you real think our government could respond to a major earth quake or katrina of our own....even if every last member of the CF deployed we would be still cleaning up katrina and what a tragic day that would be be.... Your true colors are showing, military forces from both sides have been used in combating org crime for years, shit CF-18 have forced down drug planes, naval ships have siezed drug boatas, or ships involved in hauling illigal human traffic....not to mention the wpns trading market....As you know the RCMP and CSIS are also part of our nations security and defence, all of which are under equiped....so there is alot of lending of capabilites...including across our borders... Ever since man has flaen out of the trees we been killing each other, or spending most of our time and energy designing new wpns. and until we invent something that enforces peace to break out and group hugs all around...there will always be a need for a military. Might be different if Hans island was sitting on top of the worlds largest oil deposit, it is still in Canadian waters it still part of north america, it's still on our maps of Canada....are you sugeesting because it is disputed it belongs to no one...what if they claim the entire north...