New Ministers of National Defence in Canada

agreed...

we've seen and heard all this rhetoric before, and it will get worse before
getting better.

Chretien was no friend to the military. Personally, I'm glad he is history.

I can't think of a single PM, who in a space of 10 years, almost
single-handily brought the military to it's knees. Sure, there were
justified cuts throughout the post-WW2 era (front line
soldiers/sailors...etc), but nothing prepared us for the onslaught of cuts
in the 90's. It's one thing to say we went from +150,000 personnel to
90,000, but to go down to around 50,000 (of which 7000 were unusable due to
lack of training, sickness, retirement...etc), from almost a 100,000 and
retain our core capabilities with an increased operations tempo is (was)
near impossible.


dewey (glass half empty until proven otherwise)


" Well we already know the CAF are likely to lose their heavy armo(u)r.
I expect we'll see another round of cuts disguised as a
reorganization of some sort.
As I've said before, the CAF is evolving into a national gendarmerie
aimed squarely at peacekeeping, foreign and domestic.
Any residual military capabilities will be purely coincidental.

IBM

Dewey wrote:

agreed...

we've seen and heard all this rhetoric before, and it will get worse before
getting better.

Chretien was no friend to the military. Personally, I'm glad he is history.

I can't think of a single PM, who in a space of 10 years, almost
single-handily brought the military to it's knees.

I can, Trudeau and it took him less than ten years.

Actually it was Trudeau who started it.

Carter

Carter Lee wrote:

Dewey wrote:

agreed...

we've seen and heard all this rhetoric before, and it will get worse before
getting better.

Chretien was no friend to the military. Personally, I'm glad he is history.

I can't think of a single PM, who in a space of 10 years, almost
single-handily brought the military to it's knees.

I can, Trudeau and it took him less than ten years.

Actually it was Trudeau who started it.

I believe the credit properly goes to Louis St-Laurent, whose
government commissioned John Glassco (who recommended integration)
which was implemented, along with unification on Pearson's watch
(after Diefenbaker's "Turn in your pencil stub to get a new one"
period) then crowned by Trudeau with his "Defence in the 70's" White
Paper. Of these, I think only Pearson, a veteran of the CEF and the
RFC, understood the institution with which he was meddling.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

In article ,
says...

"Andrew Chaplin" wrote in message
...
David Pratt, Member of Parliament for Nepean-Carleton, has just been
appointed Minister of National Defence.

Martin is supposedly for reconstituting* the Canadian Armed Forces.
Is this considered a step in that direction, and have any
general-specifics been laid out as of yet?


* My term.


as far as I know, no. And in an instant globe and mail poll, the military came
near the bottom of our priorities. Bloody good for us!

"Brian Allardice" wrote in message
news:kYDCb.693353$9l5.144730@pd7tw2no...

Snip

Martin is supposedly for reconstituting* the Canadian Armed Forces.
Is this considered a step in that direction, and have any
general-specifics been laid out as of yet?


* My term.


as far as I know, no. And in an instant globe and mail poll, the
military came
near the bottom of our priorities. Bloody good for us!

Prime Minister Martin said yesterday that "it is obvious" that a
complete review of foreign and defence policy is needed. Sounds like a
good place to start.

Allen

Allen wrote:

"Brian Allardice" wrote in message
news:kYDCb.693353$9l5.144730@pd7tw2no...

Snip

Martin is supposedly for reconstituting* the Canadian Armed Forces.
Is this considered a step in that direction, and have any
general-specifics been laid out as of yet?


* My term.


as far as I know, no. And in an instant globe and mail poll, the
military came
near the bottom of our priorities. Bloody good for us!

Prime Minister Martin said yesterday that "it is obvious" that a
complete review of foreign and defence policy is needed. Sounds like a
good place to start.

If the silly buggers would only do it from first principles, we could
at least be assured of a semi-sane product. I am afraid useless
infrastructure will be preserved to save the votes that go with it.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

In article ,
says...


"Brian Allardice" wrote in message
news:kYDCb.693353$9l5.144730@pd7tw2no...

Snip

Martin is supposedly for reconstituting* the Canadian Armed Forces.
Is this considered a step in that direction, and have any
general-specifics been laid out as of yet?


* My term.


as far as I know, no. And in an instant globe and mail poll, the
military came
near the bottom of our priorities. Bloody good for us!

Prime Minister Martin said yesterday that "it is obvious" that a
complete review of foreign and defence policy is needed. Sounds like a
good place to start.

That's what we've needed for some time. I hope we can do better than the
Brits, who seem, as per their white paper, to view themselves as Bush's
poodles.

Cheers,
dba

as far as I know, no. And in an instant globe and mail poll, the
military came
near the bottom of our priorities. Bloody good for us!

Prime Minister Martin said yesterday that "it is obvious" that a
complete review of foreign and defence policy is needed. Sounds like a
good place to start.

Allen

My initial opinion of the New PM is that he is a highy intelligent and
practical man. I nice change from the last 10 years

Brian Allardice wrote:

as far as I know, no. And in an instant globe and mail poll, the military
came near the bottom of our priorities. Bloody good for us!

The Canadian public, if asked whether to spend money on guns or
butter, will ask for K-Y Jelly because they don't understand the
question.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

In article ,
says...

Brian Allardice wrote:

as far as I know, no. And in an instant globe and mail poll, the military
came near the bottom of our priorities. Bloody good for us!

The Canadian public, if asked whether to spend money on guns or
butter, will ask for K-Y Jelly because they don't understand the
question.

The Yanks are going to spend zillions on (unproven) missile-defense. I think
we understand the question quite well. We are not a military power, and that's
ok. Cancel that 300 million for Iraq, bring our ships back from the gulf, and
leave Afghanistan now ... that will build rapid transit in Vancouver, pay for
teachers in the north, &c, &c, &c.... Let Bush call his lawyers...

Cheers,
dba