The Canadian Forces public affairs branch continue to try to promote the Light Tactical Vehicle despite growing criticism. (DND photo)
By Newell Durnbrooke
How many times can you try to polish a turd? Apparently more than once. The Canadian Army is still trying to convince the public and its own troops about the value of its purchase of the new Light Tactical Vehicles (LTV) for its personnel deployed to Latvia.
On Jan. 4, 2025 the Canadian Joint Operations Command highlighted on social media, the Canadian Army podcast which has tried to put a positive spin on the LTV.
Alex Buck of the Canadian Army Command and Staff College has also been trying pretty hard to sell the value of the LTV.
But the response from those on Facebook and X has been less than complimentary at times.
“Don’t forget to promote the incompetent clowns who worked on procuring that,” responded one of a number of individuals.
“And here I am thinking the Iltis was a bad idea,” commented another.
Samuel Sutherland, a Canadian fighting in Ukraine, said the LTV would be easily destroyed by a drone flying four kilometres away.
Others compared the $400,000 price-tag of the LTV to the cost of a Toyota Land Cruiser at $85,000 which they argued did about the same job – transporting light infantry to the frontlines.
So why the continued promotion of the LTV?
In late July 2024, the Canadian government announced it was spending almost $36 million for 90 LTV for the Latvia mission. The vehicles, were built in the United States by General Motors Defense, and are based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 pickup truck and have also been bought by the U.S. military.
The public affairs pitch from the Canadian Army was that this vehicle was a game-changer. Canadian Army commander Lt. Gen. Michael Wright claimed the purchase was not only improving the service’s operational readiness, but was “also enhancing its deterrence posture on the eastern flank of NATO.”
But the Canadian Armed Forces public affairs branch seemed caught off guard by the immediate negative reaction as taxpayers and soldiers questioned the high cost for a glorified pickup truck. Others pointed to the many problems with the LTV, such as lack of protection from drones and other battlefield weapons.
When the Ottawa Citizen newspaper asked basic questions about protecting the troops from the cold and elements (since the LTV doesn’t have doors or a roof), the public affairs branch couldn’t respond.
So the Army tried to smooth things out with a series of social media posts throughout the fall and a PR puff-piece on the DND website. On Nov. 20, 2024 the Canadian Armed Forces tried again on X with a tweet about checking out the “cool “ photos of the LTV at Petawawa. That prompted another blast of sarcasm online. “CAF rips the roof and doors off a GMC suburban, then calls it tactical and military grade,” commented one individual.
The ongoing responses suggest promoting the LTV as a great purchase might be a continual uphill battle.
