Harry Dewolf-Class to Canadian Defence and Security
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
VOLUME 15, NUMBER 1 (2019) Sailing to Byzantium: A Eulogy to the Sea King Third Base: The Case for CFB Churchill The Strategic Contribution of the Harry DeWolf-class to Canadian Defence and Security Canada Concludes Fourth Command of CTF 150 Our Sponsors and Supporters Canadian Naval Review (CNR) is a ‘not-for-profi t’ pub- not be able to maintain its content diversity and its high lication depending for funding upon its subscription base, quality. Corporate and institutional support also makes the generosity of a small number of corporate sponsors, it possible to put copies of CNR in the hands of Canadian and support from the Department of National Defence. political decision-makers. Th e help of all our supporters In addition, CNR is helped in meeting its objectives allows CNR to continue the extensive outreach program through the support of several professional and charitable established to further public awareness of naval and organizations. Without that corporate support CNR would maritime security and oceans issues in Canada. (www.navalassoc.ca) (www.canadasnavalmemorial.ca) (www.navyleague.ca) To receive more information about the corporate sponsorship plan or to fi nd out more about supporting CNR in other ways, such as through subscription donations and bulk institutional subscriptions, please contact us at [email protected]. i CANADIAN NAVAL REVIEW VOLUME 15, NUMBER 1 (2019) VOLUME 15, NO. 1 (2019) Editorial Board Forces Combat Camera Dr. Andrea Charron, Tim Choi, Vice-Admiral (Ret’d) Gary Garnett, Dr. Rob Huebert, Dr. Adam Lajeunesse, Dr. Danford W. Middlemiss, Dr. Marc Milner, Colonel (Ret’d) John Orr, Hugh Segal, Dr. Elinor Sloan, Mark Sloan, Dr. Denis Stairs, Credit: LS Zachariah Stopa, Canadian Dr. Stefanie von Hlatky Editor: Dr. Ann L. Griffi ths Assistant Editor: Douglas S. Th omas Operations Manager: Adam Lajeunesse Assistant Manager: Christopher Yurris Photo Editor: Tim Choi Subscriptions/Administration: Mark Sloan Graphic Design: Kim Squared Inc. Printing: Advocate Printing and Publishing HMCS Regina sails in the Arabian Sea on 2 March 2019 during Operation Artemis while operating as part of CTF 150. For more on Canada’s recent contributions to CTF 150, see Th e editorial offi ces of CNR are located at the Brian Mulroney Institute the interview with Commodore Darren Garnier. of Government, St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Th e mailing address is: Canadian Naval Review, C/O Adam Lajeunesse, Lane Hall, St. Francis Xavier University, 2330 Notre Dame Ave., Antigon- ish, Nova Scotia, Canada, B2G 2W5 Contents Email: [email protected] EDITORIAL: INNOVATION: TOP DOWN OR BOTTOM UP? 2 Website: www.navalreview.ca COLONEL (RET’D) JOHN ORR Twitter: @CdnNavalReview Canadian Naval Review is published by the Brian Mulroney Institute of SAILING TO BYZANTIUM: A EULOGY TO THE SEA KING 5 Government at St. Francis Xavier University. It is a professional journal JEFF TASSERON examining a wide range of maritime security issues from a Canadian perspective. In particular it focuses on strategic concepts, policies, opera- THIRD BASE: THE CASE FOR CFB CHURCHILL 11 tions, history and procurement of the Canadian Navy, plus national se- JOSÉ ASSIS GIAMMARIA curity in general and marine/ocean aff airs. Th is initiative brings together members of the Canadian defence and academic communities. THE STRATEGIC CONTRIBUTION OF THE HARRY DEWOLF-CLASS 17 Canadian Naval Review has three primary objectives: TO CANADIAN DEFENCE AND SECURITY GAËLLE RIVARD PICHÉ AND • provide a public forum for the discussion of the maritime di- LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER JAMES BRUN mension of Canada’s national security; • provide a public forum for the discussion of Canada’s naval and CANADA CONCLUDES FOURTH COMMAND OF CTF 150 23 maritime policies; and INTERVIEW WITH COMMODORE DARREN GARNIER • provide a source for the public examination of Canadian naval and maritime history and for the development of lessons learned. MAKING WAVES Th e material included in CNR is presented for the professional and general SEA BLINDNESS AND AUSTRALIA’S SECOND SEA 27 education of the readers. Articles, commentaries and opinion pieces are BRIAN K. WENTZELL invited from the widest possible spectrum for the purpose of informing, SHIPS, SAILORS AND PAWNS 28 stimulating debate and generally challenging readers. Th e opinions ex- ANN GRIFFITHS pressed by the authors do not necessarily refl ect the opinions of the Editor, ‘FUTURE-PROOFING’ THE TYPE 26 FRIGATE 32 Editorial Board, Brian Mulroney Institute, the Department of National DAVID DUNLOP Defence, or the Canadian Navy. CHINA AND ANTARCTICA: A LESSON FOR CANADA? 35 BRIAN K. WENTZELL Articles, opinion pieces, book reviews and letters may be submitted via email or mailed (with an electronic copy) to the address given above. Send to the attention of the Editor, Dr. Ann Griffi ths. Articles are to be in Word A VIEW FROM THE WEST: PIRATES OF VENEZUELA AND 36 or WordPerfect format and no longer than 3,000 words. Articles must not WORRYING PARALLELS WITH SOMALIA FRANCESCA GUETCHEV have been published elsewhere. Citations should be kept to a minimum and articles must be accompanied by a 100-120 word abstract. Opinion pieces are to be 1,000-1,500 words. Book reviews are to be 500-750 words. DOLLARS AND SENSE: EVALUATING JUSTIN TRUDEAU’S 39 Photos may be submitted with articles or commentaries but they must SHIPBUILDING RECORD be at least 300 dpi, at an equivalent size to 5 by 7 inches, and internet im- DAVE PERRY ages cannot be used. Intellectual copyright will remain the property of the author, however, the right to re-publish articles initially published in WARSHIP DEVELOPMENTS: LARGE SURFACE COMBATANTS 41 Canadian Naval Review remains with the Editorial Board. Articles and DOUG THOMAS commentaries written in French are welcome and, if accepted, will be published in French. BOOK REVIEWS 43 Copyright © 2018. ISSN 1715-0213 Canadian Naval Review VOLUMEVOLUME 15, 15, NUMBER NUMBER 1 (2019) 1 (2019) CANADIAN CANADIAN NAVAL NAVAL REVIEW REVIEW 1 1 Editorial Innovation: Top Down or Bottom Up? Given Canada’s penchant for retaining military equip- ment far beyond its normal replacement cycle, it is evi- dent that innovation is essential to maintain the combat capability of a weapon system. Th ere are several examples that could be used to make this point but given the re- cent retirement of the Canadian Sea King helicopters, it is useful to examine the infl uence of innovation on this particular aircraft . Regarding this, it may be helpful to refl ect on the remarks of Rear-Admiral Jeff ry Brock, then Maritime Command- er Atlantic, given at the introduction of the Sea King in 1963. Until someone comes along with a magic box Credit: MIKAN Library 4951209, and Archives Canada containing all the answers (and no one will), we A trio of HO4S-3 helicopters sit on the deck of HMCS Bonaventure in 1957. Although their successors, the Sea King, received most of the credit for pioneering must work continuously to improve our capabili- helicopter operations from small decks, much of the early proof-of-concept work ties in every respect. was carried out with the HO4S-3. While the RCN is not a large Navy; neither is it operational test and evaluation (OT&E) eff orts, the a small Navy. We are recognized as being rather wellspring of innovation, would be concentrated under expert in the fi eld of anti-submarine warfare. If the command of the RCAF Aerospace Warfare Centre indeed there are experts in this fi eld, then the (RAWC) in Trenton, Ontario. 434 Squadron, also based RCN would qualify in terms of experience alone, in Trenton, will manage and coordinate all test and evalu- having had a quarter century of it. I like to think ation activities through individual test fl ights at various we do our share of pioneering as well. Th e quali- locations according to aircraft type. Th e declared intent ties of inventiveness and expertise do not neces- of the new air force testing and evaluation policy is “to sarily go hand in hand with size. address the air power challenges of today and the future through the execution of prioritized, command-driven I should like you now to take note of the fact that test and evaluation.”2 the concept of operating multi-purpose, large, sonar-equipped helicopters from destroyer es- Previously, air force operational testing and evaluation corts is a Canadian one, and I am confi dent it was, in large measure, coordinated at the tactical level will prove to be an important contribution to the and submitted through the chain-of-command to higher strength of our Western defences. headquarters for approval. Th is bottom-up approach en- sured that tactical-level concerns were communicated to Th e problems of anti-submarine warfare, how- those who controlled policy and doctrine and, most im- ever, are many and varied. To solve them requires portantly, the purse strings. a tremendous and continuing eff ort by military forces, civilian scientists and engineers, and by As will be argued below, experience with the Canadian industry, applying its vast pool [of talent]. Sea King indicates that in large measure, it was a com- bination of the bottom-up and the top-down approaches Th e Sea King helicopter is one example of the that succeeded in introducing the innovative concepts combined eff orts of many people in many places.1 that were necessary to keep the Sea King operationally So how did innovation aff ect the Sea King and permit it to relevant. maintain its operational relevance despite a changing tac- Th is bottom-up approach was evident even before the de- tical and strategic environment? And was the innovation cision was made to acquire the Sea King and operate it the result of a top-down or bottom-up process? from the fl eet’s destroyer-escorts.