According to the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) recent internal ministry, only 58% of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is currently available to respond to requests from NATO allies in a crisis, and almost half of the force’s equipment is It has been deemed “unavailable and unusable.” National Defense (DND) presentation obtained by CBC News.
The presentation touches on everything from preparations and equipment to recruitment and ammunition supplies, and is dated December 31, 2023.
This is the latest comprehensive snapshot of the military situation.
The summary paints an alarming picture of the decline in military readiness, and the situation is even worse than the numbers shown in last year’s federal budget documents.
“In an increasingly dangerous world, demands on CAFs are increasing and our readiness is decreasing,” the document said.
The issue of military readiness is of interest to the House Defense Committee. The committee held a series of closed-door meetings last year in which lawmakers discussed classified information with top military officials.
Several new polls released Tuesday suggest a growing number of Canadians are concerned about military preparedness and the country’s presence on the world stage. One poll by the Angus Reid Institute found that 29 per cent of Canadians surveyed named these two issues as their top political priorities, a record 10 years ago. This is a significant increase from 12%.
The survey found 53% support for Canada meeting the military spending standard of 2% of gross domestic product for NATO members.When poll respondents are asked about the likelihood of Donald Trump becoming president for a second term in the United States, support for achieving the 2% goal jumps to 65%.
An internal DND presentation noted that only 58 percent of “dedicated CAF forces ready to respond to NATO notified movements” would be able to respond to a call in the event of major hostilities. is showing.
Canada is obligated to contribute certain army, navy, and air force units to the defense of Europe in emergencies. This is a force that will reinforce forces already on the ground, such as the Canadian-led Latvian Brigade.
The presentation shows that 45 per cent of Canadian military equipment set aside for the defense of Europe faces “challenges” and is considered “unavailable and useless.” .
Not enough people, not enough ammunition.
According to the presentation, the Air Force is currently in the worst condition of all CAF forces, with 55% of its “fighter, maritime aviation, search and rescue, tactical aviation, trainer and transport aircraft” deemed “unusable”. There is.
The Navy is not far behind, with 54 percent of its “frigates, submarines, Arctic maritime patrol vessels, and defense vessels” not in deployable condition, the presentation warns.
The Army fared slightly better, with only 46 percent of its equipment deemed “unusable.”
According to the presentation, the biggest challenges are “lack of human resources such as engineers and support” and “lack of funding for spare parts and ammunition.”
According to the document, as of the end of last year, there was a shortage of 15,780 military personnel, including regular soldiers and reserve personnel.
The federal government recently began reallocating funds, and some areas of DND are being forced to cut spending to pay for new equipment. According to the federal government’s latest estimates for next year, $810 million will be replaced, of which $79 million will come from “quick response forces.”
CBC News shared a copy of the internal report with former Navy commander Vice Admiral Mark Norman. He said he was surprised when he saw the numbers.
“This is extremely egregious,” Norman said.
“Readiness is measuring the ability of the military to do what is expected of it. And basically, that’s going somewhere and fighting. And, you know, when you’re… It’s a pretty dire situation. … It’s not where you should be.”
Kelly Buck, a career diplomat and Canada’s former ambassador to NATO, said he was “shocked but not surprised” by the numbers.
“This means Canada has fallen further down the list among our allies. This means the gap between our international commitments and our capabilities is widening,” Buck said. he said. “It certainly affects our credibility in NATO, but it also affects our security interests. It is in our security interests to be a reliable contributor to NATO.”
She said the presentation “should set off alarm bells.”
Eighteen months ago, in response to Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, NATO agreed to keep more troops at a higher state of readiness. The alliance has committed to her 300,000 soldiers, sailors, and air crews in all 31 regions.Almost 32 years old) Alliance member states are prepared in case of large-scale hostilities.
NATO’s expectation is that each country will meet its specified contributions, although many analysts question how specific the commitments are.
Under NATO’s pre-2022 readiness plan, Canada was required to maintain 3,400 military personnel at high readiness.
The federal government has not yet announced how these commitments from NATO members will affect the size of Canada’s advanced rapid response force. Buck said Canada will almost certainly be asked to increase the size of its forces, as the 300,000 figure is eight times the size of NATO’s high-alert force.
In a year-end interview last December, before CBC News obtained a copy of the internal assessment, Lt. Gen. Bob Auchterlony, the military’s joint operations commander, was asked about NATO’s readiness requirements.
Was he comfortable that Canada could live up to expectations?
“Are you comfortable today? Probably not,” replied Auchtelrony. “Given the shortage of personnel in various organizations, it is not possible today. Could you please generate [forces] So soon? Probably not. ”
He said he was confident that the revised defense policy currently under consideration by the federal government would include “a plan to make these capabilities available within the next few years.”
The older the equipment, the more it costs to maintain it.
Auchterrony also pointed out that the call from NATO does not mean Canada has to provide all its capabilities and reinforcements at once.
“It’s in the bucket, [forces dispatched] “Within 30 days, within 90 days, within 180 days,” he said.
One of the biggest challenges is the aging and “vulnerability” of key equipment such as frigates and fighter jets, Auchterrony said.
“The amount of maintenance required to keep something old has an operational impact,” he said.
Defense Minister Bill Blair, who visited Edmonton on Monday, was asked how he assessed the military’s readiness. “I have some things to do,” he answered.
He spoke about CAF’s recruitment challenges and how DND has been trying to recruit permanent residents. The Liberal government opened the recruitment door to new Canadian arrivals more than a year ago to help fill its ranks.
More than 21,000 permanent residents have applied, but fewer than 100 have registered with the military as of last month, and many applications are still stuck in the security vetting process, according to a recent CBC News article. It is said that there is.
Canada is in this dire situation for several reasons, Norman said.
“It’s been decades in the making,” he said.
Newly leaked documents obtained by CBC News reveal that just over half of Canadian military personnel may be called upon to deploy, and nearly half of the military’s equipment is considered “unavailable and unusable.” It became clear that the
He said Ottawa’s bureaucratic and political culture tends to default to “risk management” and avoid problems rather than confront them.
He said the approach within DND assumes that the situation is not that bad and that some risk is tolerable for several years.
“This perpetual approach to risk management is very dangerous because it postpones problems until they become someone else’s problem,” Norman says.
“Well, guess what? It’s 2024, and most of those problems are here now, literally hitting us in the face.”
