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The New Defence General Officers vs. Canada’s Female Acquisition Guide Defence Attachés War Artists e espritdecorps CANADIAN MILITARY VOLUME 21 ISSUE 7 $3.95 CANADA’S NEXT-GENERATION FIGHTER: WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS? August 2014 Issue $3.95 Cdn / $4.50 US THE GENERAL Display until 7 September 2014 TREKKING TO THE WHO WON NORTH THE WAR OF Publications Mail # 40069149 Return undeliverable Canadian POLE 1812 FOR addresses to Circulation Dept. 204-1066 Somerset St. W. Ottawa ON K1Y 4T3 CANADA august 2014 espritdecorps 1 espritdecorps.ca LOCKHEED MARTIN NEW AD COMING 2 Volume 21 Issue 7 COMMENT Scott Taylor publisher 4ON TARGET Like we are seeing in Volume 21 Issue 7 Publisher Manager Iraq, Afghanistan is Scott Taylor Julie Simoneau poised to implode Senior Writer Circulation David Pugliese Kim Davis THE DRAMATIC DEVELOPMENTS With Afghanistan, the Americans didn’t Columnist in Iraq in recent weeks have garnered need to ignite a civil war as one was Michael Nickerson major headlines and, as a result, events in already underway when the Twin Towers Contributing Editor Les Peate Afghanistan have been given rather short were attacked on 9/11. The fundamentalist Journalists shrift. That said, it is almost impossible not Taliban faction controlled the majority of Megan Brush, Jason McNaught to draw a comparison between the two the country, including the al-Qaeda camps espritdecorpsSpecial Events conflicts in order to foresee the inevitable that housed Osama bin Laden, their Saudi CANADIAN MILITARYThérèse MAGAZINE Darêche, future of Afghanistan. Arabian leader, and his foreign volunteers. Lucille Chénier-Labrêche, Wendy van Beilen The U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 When the Taliban refused America’s toppled the totalitarian regime of Saddam demand to hand over bin Laden into their East Coast Representative Gord Crowe Hussein, which immediately set in motion custody, the U.S. mobilized and supported the northern Afghan militias who Thewere one that’sContributors read! in this issue a series of civil wars between disparate Murray Brewster, Vincent J. Curtis, Bob Gordon, ethnic and religious sects. While some of already engaged in a war against the Rick Leswick, Ashley Milburn, Robert Smol, the hatred and violence was directed at Taliban. In typical dumbed down, Holly- Alan Williams the American occupation forces, the vast wood script-style, good vs. evil media Regular Contributors Michel Drapeau, Donald E. Graves, Joshua Juneau, majority of the killing took place between plot lines, these Northern Alliance fighters Chuck Konkel, Rick Leswick, Steven Staples Iraqi factions vying for eventual control of were propelled into the spotlight, given Esprit de Corps Iraq’s vast oil riches. white hats and as allies of the U.S. in their #204-1066 Somerset St. W., Ottawa, ON K1Y 4T3 After the withdrawal of U.S. military fight against the evil Taliban, portrayed as Tel: 613-725-5060 • Fax: 613-725-1019 forces in December 2011, violence steadily freedom lovers. In addition to giving bin www.espritdecorps.ca increased as Iraqi security forces, trained Laden safe haven, the Taliban was also by the U.S., showed little willingness to responsible for ruthlessly enforcing a strict Toll-free: 1-800-361-2791 sacrifice themselves in support of elected dress code upon Afghan women in the E-mail: [email protected] but unloved President Nouri al-Maliki. form of the notorious burka. Follow us on Twitter @EDC_Mag The more than decade-long democratic While Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance, Subscriptions experiment in Iraq completely collapsed backed by U.S. air power and Special $34.95 for 12 issues • $95.95 for 36 issues in early June as al-Qaeda fighters under Forces, quickly toppled the Taliban, bin Esprit de Corps (ISSN 1194-2266) is published the banner of Islamic State of Iraqi Levant Laden successfully eluded the massive twelve times a year (HST (no. 135453157) included). (ISIS) swept away Maliki’s troops and manhunt until 2011. Rather than dwell Please send cheque, money order, Visa or Master- Card information with your subscription request. declared a caliphate in central Iraq. The on their inability to capture the alleged If you are moving or need to correct your mailing Kurdish militias used the chaos to seize 9/11 mastermind, the U.S. celebrated the address, call us toll-free from anywhere in Canada. the northern oil fields of Kirkuk, and the fact that by December 2001 – with the Shiite militias mobilized in Southern Iraq help of the Northern Alliance – they had to protect the oil fields of Basra. brought freedom, soon to be followed by The country is now effectively divided democracy, to war-torn Afghanistan. into three distinct territories, with al-Qaeda It was this delusional pipe dream running amok and unchecked in their own which Canada, our NATO allies and the fiefdom. In other words, it is a total mess numerous other nations who contributed A CF-18 Hornet from 425 Tactical Fighter with no foreseeable end to a vicious cycle Squadron in Bagotville, Québec receives fuel from a CC-150 Polaris tanker. (MCPL ROY of bloodshed and chaos. PUBLISHER ... CONTINUED ON P. 57 MACLELLAN, 8 WING IMAGING, CF COMBAT CAMERA) Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069149 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: #204-1066 Somerset St. W., Ottawa, ON K1Y 4T3 espritdecorps.ca Tel: (613) 725-5060 august 2014 espritdecorps 3 V O L U M E 2 1 I S S U E 7 CONTENTS FAVOURITES p6 p48 p54 p56 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR IN THE NEWS THE OLD GUARD TRIVIA F E A T U R E S AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY Soldiers, CEOs & Olympians trek to the North Pole with TPL – by Jason McNaught – 8 32 CANADA’S NEXT- 14 SIR GORDON GENERATION DRUMMOND FIGHTER The general who won What are the RCAF’s options? the War of 1812 for Canada – by David Pugliese – – by Robert Smol – STORIES 22 COMMENTARY: 44 PERSPECTIVES: A long-term plan for procurement — by Everybody Wins: Lame Ducks vs. Alan Williams; Pacific seapower — by GOFOs: A battle on ice results in a Ashley Milburn; Iraq circles the drain — victory for the MFRC — by Scott by Vincent Curtis; A fiery reminder — Taylor by Michael Nickerson 46 PERSPECTIVES: 26 PERSPECTIVES: Lest We Forget, Part 1: Grenade Afghanistan: Back to the political explosion at CFB Valcartier claims 6 future? — by Murray Brewster Army Cadets in the summer of 1974 — 30 EYE ON INDUSTRY: by Robert Smol WestDef 2014 — by Scott Taylor 50 HISTORICA CANADA: 38 PERSPECTIVES: WWII veteran Amos Wilkins They Also Serve: Canadian women war 52 WORLD WAR I: artists paint a picture of life in service — Dunsterforce, Part II: Hurry up and wait by Rick Leswick — by Bob Gordon 4 Volume 21 Issue 7 FAVOURITES AIRBUS NEW AD COMING august 2014 espritdecorps 5 FEEDBACK 4POSTED IN Letters to the editor AN ALARMING CONCLUSION I also wanted to let you folks know that FROM OUR READERS WITH GOOD EYES ON VETERAN TREATMENT your magazine is absolutely outstanding! FOR DETAILS! Keep up the good work! I read with delight the content of the July Frank Deehan, CPO USN (ret’d) issue and would like to point out an item of identification on page 48, the photo of a BRAVO ZULU ON PUBLISHER’S LETTER! militia camp (see “The Final Gathering” in So refreshing to read such a sensical article Volume 21, Issue 6). As an historian who (“On Target: Harper’s war with words over specializes in Work Point Barracks and Fort Ukraine” in Volume 21, Issue 6) after Luiza Macaulay, I recognize the photo as that of Ch. Savage’s hysterical, Chicken Little-like “Macaulay Plains,” northeast of Fort Mac- Some believe German commander Kurt Maclean’s magazine article that predicted aulay in Esquimalt adjacent to Work Point Meyer, who was found guilty of war crimes the sky was going to fall because Obama Barracks, and indeed a militia camp. The and served five years in New Brunswick’s was inactive on Syria and Russia. background house is that of John Jardine, Dorchester Penitentiary in 1945, received In reality, there is a great precedent for a member of B.C. Parliament from 1907 to better treatment than Canadian veterans. the argument Scott Taylor made in his col- 1912. Just for the record. (BARNEY J. GLOSTER, DND, LAC, PA-141890) umn. To wit: Jack Bates MESSER’S MCNAUGHT AND Bruyea’s “Nothing is more important than that articles in the July 2014 edition (Volume 21, permanent, inveterate antipathies towards JUST RECEIVED MY Volume 21, Issue 6 Issue 6) on DND’s mistreatment of our vet- some countries, and passionate attach- (July 2014) magazine. I suggest there is an erans lead me to the following conclusion: ments towards others should be excluded error on page 33 (“War of 1812: The Roads DND treated SS Brigadeführer Kurt Meyer, [...] ’tis our truest policy to steer clear of to Battle”). Winfield Scott is identified as a convicted of murdering Canadian soldiers, permanent alliances with any portion of British brigadier general in the caption at far better than it is treating Canadian veter- the foreign world.” (George Washington, the bottom right of the page. Of course, he ans of Afghanistan and other current and Farewell Address). was American. recent conflicts. Meyer was housed, fed “[America] goes not abroad in search of Clive Girvan and clothed at Canadian taxpayer expense monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher Kingston, Ontario at Dorchester Penitentiary. to the freedom and independence of all. She Joe Fernandez is the champion and vindicator only of her THANKS ESPRIT DE CORPS! Montreal, QC own.” (Then-Secretary of State John Quincy I was thankful to have been invited to cele- Adams in his July 4, 1821 speech).