Insh'allah Harper won't get elected, though I don't think his platform is terrible.
No one is going to buy the Leopards though, except maybe museums, or countries to whom we shouldn't sell arms in the first place. They're musuem pieces, and they're basically out of service with the DFS vehicle concept. (Since the Stryker name is on commemoration of some American hero, I'm not sure we'll use that name). I don't know how necessary those are either on the types of roles we're fulfilling.
You're wrong that we've never deployed tanks, incidentally. They were sent to Bosnia and Croatia while there were still bases in Europe, I'm quite certain. Their lighter weight as compared to an M1 gave them some advantages. They're still obsolete and not especially useful to a small force like ours, though.
I don't think there's a need to rearrange bases either, the Militia has a footprint almost everywhere, and road and rail can get anyone anywhere they need to be relatively easily, without losing the economies of scale that we have with bases as they are.
The engineers in Chilliwack often came in very handy to help out with flooding in the Fraser Valley. Getting troops and equipment through the mountains takes time. In the event of a severe earthquake, the road and rail lines might be impassable.
Having said that, I agree that consolidating the regular force in a small number of large bases is probably best. I think that a heavy airlift capacity is needed, however, to ensure that troops and equipment can quickly get to where they are needed in the event of a crisis.
I was dismayed to hear the conservative proposal to put an infantry battalion in Goose Bay during the Labrador byelection. I don't think it makes a lot of sense.
On a final note, if Canada follows tradition, it will spend millions refurbishing and upgrading the leopards, then give them away at fire sale prices, just like the CF-5s.
No one is going to buy the Leopards though, except maybe museums, or countries to whom we shouldn't sell arms in the first place. They're musuem pieces, and they're basically out of service with the DFS vehicle concept. (Since the Stryker name is on commemoration of some American hero, I'm not sure we'll use that name). I don't know how necessary those are either on the types of roles we're fulfilling.
You're wrong that we've never deployed tanks, incidentally. They were sent to Bosnia and Croatia while there were still bases in Europe, I'm quite certain. Their lighter weight as compared to an M1 gave them some advantages. They're still obsolete and not especially useful to a small force like ours, though.
I don't think there's a need to rearrange bases either, the Militia has a footprint almost everywhere, and road and rail can get anyone anywhere they need to be relatively easily, without losing the economies of scale that we have with bases as they are.
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Having said that, I agree that consolidating the regular force in a small number of large bases is probably best. I think that a heavy airlift capacity is needed, however, to ensure that troops and equipment can quickly get to where they are needed in the event of a crisis.
I was dismayed to hear the conservative proposal to put an infantry battalion in Goose Bay during the Labrador byelection. I don't think it makes a lot of sense.
On a final note, if Canada follows tradition, it will spend millions refurbishing and upgrading the leopards, then give them away at fire sale prices, just like the CF-5s.
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