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POSTED AT 8:09 PM EDT Wednesday, October 23
Canadian Forces in the red
Canadian Press
Ottawa — An update on Canada's military has been delayed while the Minister considers a shortfall of some $200-million this year.
Briefing notes prepared for Defence Minister John McCallum say the military has only 40 per cent of the money it needs to maintain bases and equipment in 2002-03.
"This historic underfunding has resulted in increased risk" for troops in the field, says the document , obtained through the Access to Information Act.
"At the present time, the army can afford to train only four of its 12 manoeuvre units to the minimum essential level of competence.
"This reduced level of training is steadily eroding the base of expertise necessary to maintain all-arms capability over the longer term."
The document, dated May 29, says the military doesn't have the money to meet the government's own environmental standards.
A departmental source says the decision to deliver a federal budget in February instead of the fall has given Mr. McCallum more time to consider his options.
Mr. McCallum , who on Friday will make his first major address since becoming Minister, has not yet established his budget priorities, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He's considering voluminous submissions and may opt for a white paper on the state of the Forces.
"He has seen things — a whole whack of stuff," said the source. "But he has asked more questions than anything. We are, I would consider, very far from any decisions."
The source said officials are now trying to prioritize defence assets, "so we can reinvest, potentially, in new capabilities.
The last defence white paper was issued in 1994 but recommendations like — multi-purpose, combat-capable Forces and replacement helicopters and submarines — largely fell victim to federal cuts that gouged 25 per cent from the department's budget through the 1990s.
Some of that money has been restored, but critics say it's not enough to maintain what the Forces have, much less buy sorely needed new equipment.
Over 70 per cent of the army budget is tied up in fixed costs such as infrastructure and salaries, says the ministerial document.
Sources in the defence community fear the military will face major cuts in some areas to get more elsewhere.
"Two years ago, [former defence minister] Art Eggleton wanted an extra $1-billion and he only got $500-million," said one source.
"But now the central agencies like Treasury Board and Finance and [the Privy Council Office] have said if you want more money ... you have to tell us what you're ready to sacrifice."
The defence community source said it appears tanks, self-propelled howitzer guns, destroyers and resupply vessels may be on the chopping block.
For the navy, that would mean losing the ability as a self-sustaining task force, he said. For the army, it would rule out brigade-level (3,000-5,000 member) deployments, for which the army has not trained in 10 years.
"If there's no white paper or no defence review, you'll end up with the Armed Forces in five years' time with less capabilities and the same problem with funding," said the source.
In a letter to Mr. McCallum this week, retired air force colonel Laurie Hawn said Canada's CF-18 operation in Kosovo was "severely hampered" by a lack of communications capability.
The problem is only now being corrected with an avionics upgrade to the aircraft and will "severely limit or eliminate our capability to support any potential operation in Iraq," he said.
Canada ran out of precision-guided munitions in the first week of Kosovo operations in 1999 and "had to go begging to the Americans" for more," he said. They have not been replaced.
"Our American and British allies simply cannot afford to degrade their operations by having us tag along without the proper equipment," he wrote.
"If your government does not begin to support the CF with more than tokenism, you will continue to put our sovereignty and international standing at grave risk."
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Canadian Forces in the red
Canadian Forces in the red -
10-24-2002, 02:47 PM
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