By Scott Taylor
On Thursday Feb. 15, Minister of National Defence Bill Blair used the occasion of a NATO Ministers' meeting in Brussels to announce Canada's acquisition of two new air defence systems for the Canadian Armed Forces. The total combined value of these two procurements is estimated at $273 million, and in both cases delivery is expected to be "later this year".
According to the official announcement CAF "members deployed to NATO's Canada-led Battle Group in Latvia will soon have two new defensive capabilities that are being acquired on an urgent basis. This new equipment will strengthen the defence capacity of the Battle Group as a whole, further adding to the deterrence capabilities of soldiers from all contributing nations."
Now keep in mind that I did not add the underline to 'urgent basis' --that was actually part of the official correspondence. Which begs the question just what is the yardstick that DND uses to define the word 'urgent.'
Canada has not had any air defence capability whatsoever since 2012. At that juncture Canada had completed a 10- year combat mission in Afghanistan, and although our troops had by no means won that conflict, our soldiers could consider themselves experienced veterans of modern counter-insurgency warfare.
As the primitive Taliban forces had no aircraft or drones from which to threaten our soldiers with aerial attack, Canada focused on such capabilities as countering improvised-explosive-devices and investing in heavy lift helicopters to transport troops without exposing them to the deadly roadways. Thus air defence was not deemed a priority and the Canadian Army simply let this capability lapse.
Fast forward to June, 2017. In response to the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine and the potential threat of further Russian aggression, NATO launched Operation REASSURANCE. Answering NATO's call, Canada stepped up and volunteered to be the lead nation for a multi-national brigade, which was to be forward deployed into Latvia.
At this juncture, the threat of potential all-arms combat against a near peer in the form of the Russian military should have resulted in Canadian Army commanders pounding on their Minister's desk to demand they be equipped and trained on modern air defence systems on an urgent basis.
Instead we heard not a peep from the military brass nor any of the other armchair generals and Colonel Blimp tub-thumpers who were just delighted to be back into the familiar rhetoric of the Cold War era.
Conveniently forgotten was the fact that during the Cold War Canada did have tactical low level air defence systems, and lots of it. The Royal Canadian Artillery had entire Air Defence Regiments and combat arms units had shoulder-fired missiles. But I digress.
In February 2022 when Putin launched the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the world was shocked. Everyone thought that the vaunted Russian military machine would easily crush the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the avid speculation was on where Putin would invade next. The fact that Russia was using combat helicopters and fighter jets should have again caused our commanders in Latvia to demand air defence systems on an 'urgent basis'.
However, it was not until January 2023 that Canada realized that air defence systems were necessary to defeat Russia's drones and combat aircraft over the modern battlefield. As such it was announced that Canada would procure the NASAM (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The NASAM deal is worth $406 million and is considered a Foreign Sales purchase directly from the US Government.
When this acquisition for Ukraine was made public, opposition defence critics quickly pointed out that the Canadian Army themselves possessed no such vital tactical capability. As a result, over a year ago, the Liberals quietly tendered bids for a low level air defence system for the Canadian Army, on an 'urgent basis'. Blair's announcement last week was simply the result of that months-long competition.
For the record, the $406 million NASAM air defence package purchased for Ukraine in January 2023, has yet to be delivered. Which makes one wonder what exactly is meant by an 'urgent basis'.
I mean it's not like there's a war on.
