Facing Our Responsibilities the State of Readiness of the Canadian Forces
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HOUSE OF COMMONS CANADA FACING OUR RESPONSIBILITIES THE STATE OF READINESS OF THE CANADIAN FORCES Report of the Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs David Pratt, M.P. Chair Leon Benoit, M.P. David Price, M.P. Vice-Chairs May 2002 The Speaker of the House hereby grants permission to reproduce this document, in whole or in part for use in schools and for other purposes such as private study, research, criticism, review or newspaper summary. Any commercial or other use or reproduction of this publication requires the express prior written authorization of the Speaker of the House of Commons. If this document contains excerpts or the full text of briefs presented to the Committee, permission to reproduce these briefs, in whole or in part, must be obtained from their authors. Also available on the Parliamentary Internet Parlementaire: http://www.parl.gc.ca Available from Public Works and Government Services Canada — Publishing, Ottawa, Canada K1A 0S9 FACING OUR RESPONSIBILITIES THE STATE OF READINESS OF THE CANADIAN FORCES Report of the Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs David Pratt, M.P. Chair Leon Benoit, M.P. David Price, M.P. Vice-Chairs May 2002 STANDING COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL DEFENCE AND VETERANS AFFAIRS CHAIRMAN David Pratt VICE-CHAIRMEN Leon Benoit David Price MEMBERS Rob Anders Janko Perić Claude Bachand Louis Plamondon Colleen Beaumier Carmen Provenzano Robert Bertrand Peter Stoffer Stan Dromisky Elsie Wayne Cheryl Gallant Bob Wood John O’Reilly FORMER MEMBERS Roy Bailey Judi Longfield Peter Goldring Geoff Regan Art Hanger Bryon Wilfert CLERK OF THE COMMITTEE Diane Deschamps RESEARCH STAFF From the Parliamentary Research Branch of the Library of Parliament Wolf Koerner, Researcher Michel Rossignol, Researcher THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL DEFENCE AND VETERANS AFFAIRS has the honour to present its FOURTH REPORT Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) the Committee proceeded to a study on the state of readiness of the Canadian Forces. Your Committee heard evidence on this matter, the result of which is contained in this report, which provides its input on the capability of the Canadian Forces to meet their commitments. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 1: THE NEW STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT ............................................... 5 A. Threats ................................................................................................................. 6 B. Terrorism .............................................................................................................. 7 C. Homeland Defence............................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 2: THE LIMITS OF CURRENT POLICY .................................................... 13 A. 1994 Defence White Paper................................................................................. 13 B. Critics ................................................................................................................. 14 C. The Link Between Foreign and Defence Policy .................................................. 17 D. Intelligence ......................................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER 3: OPERATIONALLY READY FOR WHAT? ............................................ 23 A. Capability-Based Planning.................................................................................. 26 B. Assessing Readiness ......................................................................................... 29 CHAPTER 4: CANADIAN MILITARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO INTERNATIONAL STABILITY................................................................................ 37 A. Readiness of the Army ....................................................................................... 37 B. Transformation of the Army ................................................................................ 39 C. Contributions of Canadian Industries.................................................................. 40 D. Special Forces.................................................................................................... 42 E. Restructuring of Army Reserves......................................................................... 43 F. Canada’s Commitment to Multinational Action ................................................... 46 G. The Need for Sealift Capability ........................................................................... 47 H. Strategic and Tactical Airlift ................................................................................ 49 I. Logistics ............................................................................................................. 52 J. Maritime Forces.................................................................................................. 54 K. Maritime Aircraft ................................................................................................. 56 L. Modernizing the Rest of the Air Force ................................................................ 59 M. Reflection on Long-term Planning ...................................................................... 61 CHAPTER 5: DEFENCE OF CANADA ........................................................................ 63 A. Readiness and Homeland Defence .................................................................... 63 B. Airspace Surveillance and NORAD .................................................................... 64 vii C. Surveillance of Coastal and Other Areas............................................................ 65 D. Relationship with U.S. Northern Command ........................................................ 67 E. Military Contributions to Homeland Defence....................................................... 69 F. Critical Infrastructure Protection ......................................................................... 70 CHAPTER 6: THE BIGGEST ASSET OF THE CANADIAN FORCES: ITS PERSONNEL ................................................................................................... 73 A. Quality of Life...................................................................................................... 73 B. Care of Injured Personnel................................................................................... 74 C. Recruitment ........................................................................................................ 77 D. Leadership.......................................................................................................... 79 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................. 81 LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................. 83 APPENDIX A — LIST OF WITNESSES ....................................................................... 89 APPENDIX B — LIST OF BRIEFS............................................................................... 97 REQUEST FOR GOVERNMENT RESPONSE............................................................. 99 DISSENTING OPINION — BLOC QUÉBÉCOIS ........................................................ 101 MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS................................................................................... 107 viii INTRODUCTION War is not polite recreation but the vilest thing in life and we ought to understand that and not play at war. — Tolstoy This report is the result of a full year of hearings on the operational readiness of the Canadian Forces (CF). It was never our intention to rewrite Canadian defence policy, nor did we ever assume we could do a better job restructuring the CF than could the professionals. We see our role as one of helping the CF recoup, and indeed enhance, some of what they need to be able to carry on as a professional fighting force. The government’s response to our previous reports has been both encouraging and disappointing. We fully understand that not everything that we ask for can be fulfilled. However, the fact remains that the CF continue to be underfunded, for both the short and long term. As a committee, we cannot appropriate funds or legislate program changes. We can only recommend. And our success will depend upon how well government listens. This suggests we need remain responsible in the recommendations we make and ensure that they stay within the realm of what is or should be possible. We want to be a positive force, a vehicle through which the needs and aspirations of our serving men and women, and indeed the Canadian Forces as an institution, can be clearly put before the government. We also hope to be a vehicle for change, helping the CF to face the many challenges of the future. Some of what we recommend will be accepted, some will not. Whatever the result, we begin with the assumption that the status quo is not acceptable. But, having said that, we might also note that our mission is not to abandon common sense and those things that work. Policy-making is a pragmatic art ― we seek what is reasonable, affordable, and realistic. As a group charged with making serious recommendations to government, we cannot afford the self-indulgence of perfect solutions or visionary schemes. The CF needs to be prepared for a strategic environment in which certain of our old assumptions no longer hold. To recognize this is not to argue that we begin