Defence purse strings pulled tight

Rebuilding Afghanistan is a great political move.

But from a military point of view -> where is that UAV that the Army desperately need. The present one was a temporary solution until we would get the real deal. The Liberals put the Buffalo (Fixed wing SAR) the fast track for replacement. Even if they are not in power anymore, they could still pressure this government to get them. Search and Rescue teams put their lives at risk, everyday so those few that find themselves in serious trouble can be saved. Every one has had their new birds, except them.

I should post this in the fuck thread. SAR teams are here, now, for you -> Mr. thee Liberal politician, where are you.

However, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said the government remains committed to defence.

Prove it -> CP-140 and CF-18 are 28 and 26 years old. Replacements should be looked at today. The Typhoon, the F-35, Rafale and SU-35 could be sent to AETE Cold Lake for evaluation.

A full four years for purchase agreement (thats what it takes in this country) and another 4 years before one of those birds will be on the Tarmac. To the best of my knowledge, the CF-177 (globemaster) is the only aircraft that was purchased and delivered in 18 months. Anything else takes a minimum of 4 years, and the average is 8.

We have a very flawed aquisition process in this country...I guess it comes from having to buy most of our military items from other countries. With the exceptions of Ships(hulls) and small arms all of our equipment is manufactured elsewhere...not that we could afford to have a defense industry like the US, UK or France.

I've posed this before, that the Conservatives say they are committed to defence, but when they don't see a big pop in the polls after an announcement, they are getting jaded and saying, why spend money on the CF if the Canadians don't care, which by and large they don't.

I think the stance is posturing and nothing more. Their annual budget increases aren't any bigger than the Libs (since 9/11), so how do they claim to be the party that supports defence? They've done some good I'll admit, but when you have reports that the Navy can't send ships to sea because they don't have money for fuel, they aren't doing enough. These penny ante increase are total BS.

I agree the Conservatives could be much more supportive of the Canadian Forces. If there were a party that placed Canadian defence much higher in the priorities list I would vote for that party and not the CPC.

However there is no such party in Canadian politics, the Liberals are indifferent to the 'Forces and I'd say the NDP are bordering on anti-military.

That's why I have to choose a party to vote for every election. None of them hold the same priorities as I do.

I think the current government is very supportive of the military. Could more be done, sure, do they keep their eyes on the polls, yes. These guys use polls more then any other administration in our history. The C130J project is on track and the rumour mill is buzzing about a possible Helicopter announcement soon.

As to CP140 replacement, I think that project is stalled until the Air Force can determine if a UAV can fill that role and use the same platform with a different sensor suite/weapons in a TUAV role.

The Fixed Wing SAR project is a pretty low priority, probably because it does not enhance war fighting capabilities. I think once they can't get props for the Buffalo or when the Js come on line, fixed wing SAR will be done by legacy Hercs, even if they are not ideal for mountain searches.

Why would a company ramp up production for a contract that might be cancelled because the wrong party won the last election? We need all parties to exclude military purchases from the daily political bullshit.