Edition 04/2012

RUSI (NS) PROGRAM

Day, Date Time Location Remarks Distinguished Speaker Series – Comd Wed May 09 1200 - 1400 Cambridge Military Library LFAA Annual mixed dining-in honoring LCdr Thurs 21 Jun 1830 for 1900 Ashburn Golf Club Murray Knowles. Guests welcome. No planned events for July Happy Holidays and August. Distinguished Speaker Wednesdays 1200-1330 September 19th and October 17th. Series continue

Change in the Ashburn Dining-In Date – 21 June

Due to a number of conflicts, it has become necessary to change the date of our annual mixed dining-in at Ashburn Golf and Country Club. We will now hold this event on Thursday, June 21st. Note that guests are most welcome to join us. Please mark your calendars. Timing is 1830 for serving at 1900 hrs. This year, we will be honoring Lieutenant Commander Murray Knowles. The tribute to him will be made by Commander Len Canfield.

We are holding the cost once again to $40 per person. Reservations are required and cheques are to be sent in advance of this event. The Ashburn Golf Club Buffet includes your choice of three salads, two entrees, one potato, one vegetable, rolls, three desserts, coffee and tea. Our choices this year are: Salads: Romaine hearts with Caesar vinaigrette, bacon and parmesan cheese Spinach salad with goat cheese, oven-dried tomatoes, or Grilled vegetable and woodland mushroom salad with fresh herbs Entrees: Grilled breast of chicken with field mushrooms and caramelized soubise ragout, or Poached side of Atlantic salmon with ginger-scallion cream and curry-braised onion Sides: Roasted miniature red potatoes, and Fresh green beans and baby carrots Desserts: Baked fresh apple crisp Strawberry and lemon curd shortcake Pecan caramel cheesecake

For reservations and further information, contact your secretary, Murray Lee at 462-7169. Mail your cheques to: Secretary RUSI, 137 Portland Hills Drive, Dartmouth NS B2W 6L7. SAC and the F-35

The Security Affairs Committee intends to develop position papers on the F-35 (requirements, capabilities, alternatives, etc.). Any of the membership who are interested in contributing, even if just a single fact, are requested to email the chair of the SAC, Colin Darlington, at [email protected]. Please indicate your expertise and/or experience (e.g., fighter pilot, major capital project).

page 1 of 6 Annual RCMP Evening a Total Success

Wednesday, April 18th saw the members of RUSI NS gathered at “H” Division for our annual visit to the “H” Division Sergeant’s Mess. The evening was hosted by the RCMP board representative, Inspector Greg Laturnus on behalf of the CO. The guest speaker for the evening was Chief Superintentant Marion Lamothe, OIC Air Services, who spoke to us on the RCMP Air Services and operations from its formation 75 years ago to the present day.

Chief Superintendent Marion Lamothe, left, OIC RCMP Air Services at the April general meeting of the Royal United Services Institute of NS, hosted by RCMP 'H' Division. He is shown with Dan Tanner, President of RUSI and Michael Kelly, RUSI Heritage Committee unveiling a painting of the Silver Dart commemorating the first controlled powered flight in the British Empire at Baddeck, NS in February 2009. RUSI commissioned this painting of the historic flight by Nova Scotia artist Azor Vienneau.

It is intended that the painting will be presented to the RCMP for the opening of their new headquarters in Burnside to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the RCMP Air Services later on this fall.

page 2 of 6 high North to exploit oil and gas summer in the CDAI magazine Military Arctic reserves, so will the need for “On Track”. Once published, we policing, border patrols and — if will post the paper on our web traffic increases push comes to shove — military site. muscle to enforce rival claims. By ERIC TALMADGE The Associated Press The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that 13 per cent of the Eyes cast northward as ice cap world’s undiscovered oil and 30 Report: Ottawa melts …. per cent of its untapped natural gas is in the Arctic. Shipping lanes cut deal with To the world’s military leaders, the could be regularly open across the debate over climate change is Arctic by 2030 as rising chopper firm long over. They are preparing for temperatures continue to melt the over delays a new kind of Cold War in the sea ice, according to a National Arctic, anticipating that rising Research Council analysis By MURRAY BREWSTER The temperatures there will open up a commissioned by the U.S. navy Canadian Press trove of resources, long-dreamed- last year. of sea lanes and a slew of potential conflicts. What countries should do about climate change remains a heated By Arctic standards, the region is political debate. But that has not already buzzing with military stopped north-looking militaries activity, and experts believe that from moving ahead with strategies will increase significantly in the that assume current trends will years ahead. Last month, Norway continue. wrapped up one of the largest Arctic manoeuvres ever — Russia, Canada and the United Exercise Cold Response — with States have the biggest stakes in 16,300 troops from 14 countries the Arctic. With its military budget In the above photo, a Canadian training on the ice for everything stretched thin by Iraq, Afghanistan from high intensity warfare to military Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone and more pressing issues conducts test flights with HMCS terror threats. Attesting to the elsewhere, the United States has harsh conditions, five Norwegian Montreal in Halifax harbour on been something of a reluctant Thursday, April 1, 2010. troops were killed when their C- northern power, though its 130 Hercules aircraft crashed nuclear-powered submarine fleet, OTTAWA — The Harper near the summit of Kebnekaise, which can navigate for months Sweden’s highest mountain. government agreed to go easy on underwater and below the ice cap, the maker of the air force’s long- remains second to none. The U.S., Canada and Denmark delayed maritime helicopters after winning a series of economic held major exercises two months Russia — one-third of which lies ago, and in an unprecedented concessions, new documents within the Arctic Circle — has reveal. move, the military chiefs of the been the most aggressive in eight main Arctic powers — establishing itself as the emerging The saga involving the CH-148 Canada, the U.S., Russia, region’s superpower. Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Cyclones serves a cautionary tale Norway and Finland — gathered for taxpayers in the raging debate at a Canadian military base last This subject of military interest in over the F-35 stealth fighter, says week to specifically discuss the north is very topical. Of a defence expert. regional security issues. interest, our SAC has just produced a position paper entitled In exchange for not receiving fully “Forward Operating Location None of this means a shooting capable and operational Nanisivik – Halifax’s Gateway to helicopters on time in 2010, the war is likely at the North Pole any Canada’s Arctic”. Ken Hanson time soon. But as the number of Public Works and Defence developed this paper for the RUSI departments managed to wring workers and ships increase in the SAC and it will be published this

page 3 of 6 $110 million in extra industrial and "It speaks to a general attitude Sea Kings — the EH-101s — economic promises out of U.S.- about not admitting difficulties were cancelled almost 20 years based Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., publicly with some of these ago by Jean Chretien’s Liberal says a briefing note prepared for procurements and not being more government, and after an open Defence Minister Peter MacKay. forthright," he said. competition. T he decision to go with the Cyclone has the feel of It also won concessions from the Sikorsky was originally supposed compromise. The entire contract manufacturer on the cost of to deliver its first chopper in 2008 has been a headache for defence operating the helicopter, an under an agreement signed with officials. extension to the long-term Paul Martin’s Liberal government. maintenance contract and a Aside from the two contract vague promise to "restructure The whole fleet of 28 was amendments over delays, the liquidated damages," which were mandated to be on the flight line department was forced last year the result of Sikorsky’s failure to by end of last year. to hand back $250 million in deliver aircraft on time. unspent funds related to the When it became clear that Cyclones. The documents, dated June 2010, schedule wasn’t going to be met, were released just recently to The the Harper government worked The cash had been authorized in Canadian Press under access-to- out a deal with Sikorsky to previous budgets to pay for the information laws. provide a handful of scaled-down aircraft that still haven’t been aircraft, which would be retrofitted delivered. The $5.7-billion program, which later. has been beset by cost-overruns and delays, has been the subject In October 2009, the company of intense criticism by the auditor said it would miss its deadline and DND to cut costs by general, similar to the much more pushed the delivery of a final expensive F-35 fighter program. version of the aircraft and its all- merging command important mission software to of domestic, Philippe Lagasse, an assistant January 2012, and even that date professor of public and wasn’t met. overseas Canadian international affairs at the Forces University of Ottawa, says the The Royal Canadian Air Force is Cyclone is a civilian helicopter expected to receive only five more The Canadian Forces will merge that’s being battle-hardened for test aircraft this year, in addition to the separate military commands the military and has had a lot of the one that’s already been that direct missions overseas and development glitches, much like delivered to 12 Wing Shearwater. the F-35, which is being built from operations at home in a bid to cut scratch. headquarters overhead now that The repeated delays saw the the military is refocusing after federal government and Sikorsky wars in Afghanistan and Libya. "Be careful when you are buying a face off in arbitration, where the developmental aircraft. I think company filed a $100-million claim In a major restructuring of the that’s the simplest lesson here." saying requests to tinker with the forces’ command, Defence specifications were the reason for Minister Peter MacKay has "And that goes for any piece of the holdup. ordered that the headquarters of military kit. Until it’s flying in the two senior generals be trimmed, air, or sailing at sea, you don’t The latest delay opens the door to as field operations at home and know how long it’s going to take." as much as $80 million in contract abroad are merged under one penalties, which defence officials Canadian Joint Operations Also, like the stealth fighter deal, say will be recouped later down Command, according to a Lagasse said the Conservatives the road. Defence Department source. have been eager to keep the Cyclones off the public radar, Lagasse said he has some The shakeup will undo a pet dodging questions in the House of sympathy for the air force in that project of former forces chief Commons from critics. their original choice to replace the General Rick Hillier, who created

page 4 of 6 a series of new operational of the Defence Staff, General Walt When Gen. Hillier created the new commands in an effort to focus Natynczyk, will remain outside the commands, they were in effect a the forces on their missions, newly merged Joint Operations scaled-down match of the way the rather than on the institutions of Command, a source indicated. U.S. military carved up the world army, navy and air force. But it into various commands. Canada also created a new layer of three- The restructuring of major Command had the same turf in star generals’ headquarters in operational commands, called North America as the U.S. Ottawa. “force employers” in military Northern Command, making it parlance, does not directly affect easy for the commands to co- “Hillier’s baby made sense when the service branches – the Royal ordinate operations. But with there was Afghanistan and this Canadian Navy, the Canadian overseas operations now pared high operational tempo,” said one Army, and the Royal Canadian down – the biggest is the 950- defence official familiar with the Air Force – whose job is to train strong training mission in plans. and equip forces. It’s when they Afghanistan – that match-up has are put into active missions that been deemed less essential. Now that major combat operations troops and units come under the have ended and the troops’ purview of the operations The Defence Department faces activities are largely in Canada, commands. more reorganization in the coming the Defence Department faces a year, with 1,000 employees new peacetime challenge: to In a sense, Mr. MacKay’s new already told their jobs are being restructure in a time of belt- model will streamline a doubling- reorganized or eliminated. Mr. tightening. Mr. MacKay has up of command headquarters that MacKay's move to shake up ordered consolidation, the official Gen. Hillier created in his 2006 operational commands is the first said: “It’s going to be phased in effort to crack the military’s major indication of reorganization over the coming months.” institutional mentality and make it of the forces' structure to meet the focus on missions. He created squeeze. Three existing commands will be three new major operational merged: CEFCOM, the commands under two- or three- expeditionary command which star generals, but did not reduce Is now the time directs overseas operations like the existing three-star the Afghanistan mission or the headquarters for the army, navy for RUSI to Libya air strikes; CANADA and air force. COMMAND,in charge of domestic speak out? defence and all North American Last year, the high-ranking operations such as navy drug general tasked with How do we in RUSI NS feel about interdiction patrols; and recommending ways for the the myriad of command structure CANOSCOM, the logistics military to “transform,” Lieutenant- reorganizations which seem to be command responsible for getting General Andrew Leslie, taking place every few years? ammunition and supplies to troops recommended a consolidation of Some examples of brilliant in the field. those operational staffs in a wide- thoughts: there was Army 2000; ranging report that called for the the Canada First policy; the CDS Each of those three commands Defence Department to cut deeply Transformation; the General not only has a senior general in into its administrative costs and Leslie study, and now charge, but a separate staffs in Ottawa. amalgamation of three commands headquarters in Ottawa to run it. which are barely six years old. We The merger is aimed at slicing But Mr. MacKay’s decision to seem to be caught in a revolving about 25 per cent of the move ahead with a major door of ideas which never solve “overhead” for each command, restructuring of operations our defence needs. although it is not yet clear how commands could face resistance many staff jobs, military or civilian, among some in the military, with What about equipment will be cut. many now accustomed to a requirements? Tanks, no tanks, command structure that has taken The command that oversees the them through two wars and a high special forces, CANSOFCOM, tempo of domestic operations for which reports directly to the Chief things such as the 2010 Olympics.

page 5 of 6 Striker, no Striker, ADATS no The previous record was set in ADATS, submarines or no 2002 for a sniper kill at 7,972 feet. Vanity Licence submarines, single engine vs twin That shot was made by Canadian engine fighters but to mention a Corporal Rob Furlong, of the Plates few of the larger headaches for Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light the planners at NDHQ. Infantry, who was using a .50 One of our members sent in an BMG McMillan TAC-50 rifle. email which suggested we look at Perhaps now is time for the Cpl Harrison accomplished his a web site from Broadview SK. Canadian government to get successes with a L115 A3 rifle. The site details Vehicle Vanity serious about the mission and The weapon used .338 Lapua Plates which are digitally printed roles of the Canadian Forces. We Magnum cartridges. The in photo-quality full colour on a cannot restructure or re-equip Canadian records were fired with . standard 6 inch by 12 inch every time there is a new mission 50 MG rounds. aluminum licence plate which - wherever it may be. attaches to the front of your The L115A3 is a bolt action, vehicle. At the last Executive meeting, it detachable magazine-fed, was suggested that RUSI should precision rifle. But it doesn’t come The suggestion made was that if look into recommending to the cheap. News reports put the rifle there was enough interest, we government that Canada table an at around $25,000! But if you put could obtain plates with the RUSI up to date White Paper on it in the right hands it can hit a NS crest and colours of the Defence in parliament as soon as sized target from 4500 feet. More Institute. The advertised cost of possible - a clearly defined importantly, even at extreme the plates currently available is document for the government to range, the bullet retains its power, $35.00. guide DND and DFAIT in this fast hitting with more force than a .44 changing world. Your views Magnum at 25 feet. Have a look at the web site: would be welcomed. www.dlmvp.com/index.html. “It was just unlucky for the Taliban that conditions were so good and If you think this would be a Canadian Combat we could see them so clearly. We worthwhile undertaking for RUSI, saw two insurgents running let us know. We will be Sniper Record through a courtyard, one in a discussing this issue at our next black dishdasha, and one in Board meeting which takes place Broken green. They came forward on June 20th. carrying a PKM machine gun, set it up and opened fire on our A British Army soldier by the commander’s wagon. My first name of Corporal Craig Harrison, Next Edition of round hit the machine gunner in of the Household Cavalry, set a the stomach and killed him Dispatches new record for the longest shot in outright. The second insurgent combat. Twice Cpl Harrison fired grabbed the weapon and turned This edition of Dispatches is the two shots at Taliban machine as my second shot hit him in the last one to be published prior to gunners in Afghanistan. They side, He went down too. They the summer break. were confirmed via GPS to be were both dead.” 8,120 feet from Cpl Harrison’s Note that the only event planned position. That is more than a mile Cpl. Harrison had a memorable for June is our annual mixed and a half. To make it even more tour of duty, making the two dining-in at Ashburn. astounding, the range was almost impossible shots, having a bullet 3,000 feet beyond what is deflect off his own helmet, and The next edition of Dispatches will considered the effective range of surviving an IED blast that broke be available to you the last week the weapon. At that range the both his arms. He is reportedly of August in time to announce the bullet takes around 3 seconds to healing well and has returned to fall schedule. reach the target. duty. Have an enjoyable summer everyone…..

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