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âBankruptâ Canadian Forces may shut 5 bases
Canadaâs army, navy and air force are facing a funding shortfall of up to half a billion dollars, defence sources told the National Post, and the military is recommending drastic measures to make up the difference, including closing some of the largest bases in the country.Then again, Canadians might not notice. The federal government is stalling the release of internal documents that outline the looming financial crisis, but military sources said the reports indicate that in the fiscal year beginning on April 1, the air force expects to be $150-million short of funds needed to fulfill its commitments, the navy will be $150-million shy of its needs and the army will be as much as $200-million short. The military sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the reports foresee a situation so dire that they recommend curtailing operations, dry-docking ships and mothballing vehicles or aircraft and closing at least four Canadian Forces bases. Further, the air force report says that unless its fleet of ageing CC-130 Hercules transport planes is replaced or modernized, the main transport base at Trenton should be closed within 10 years. "There wonât be enough Hercs flying by then to justify keeping that base open," one air force source said. Iâm sure we have some in a boneyard in Arizona we could give them. The navy predicts it will not be able to live up to treaty obligations to NATO and other alliances and cannot carry out enough patrols of Canadian waters to comply with agreements with other government departments such as Immigration Canada or Fisheries and Oceans. "We will not be able to meet our domestic defence obligations," one naval officer said. Open season for poaching salmon. The army is said to be in the worst financial state of all three branches of the Canadian Forces. "Everyone knows that the armyâs broke and has been for a couple of years," said one military source familiar with the reports. Colonel Howard Marsh, a former senior army staff officer now working as an analyst for the Conference of Defence Associations, said he was not surprised by the size of the shortfall. "This is a look forward ... at what they need in order to keep the army going," he said. "Nobody has ever seen a bankrupt military in a developed country.... This year I predict we will see that in Canada." I remember a day when Canada punched above its weight. Col. Marsh said the military is saddled with ageing bases and increasingly dilapidated buildings that are fast reaching the point of collapse. "What theyâve been doing, year in and year out ... is not replace or repair those buildings, or buy new equipment," he said. "The average age of the equipment in the Canadian Forces is over 20 years and it hasnât been well-maintained." The Liberal government reduced defence spending by 23% and cut the number of regular military personnel to approximately 60,000 from 80,000 between 1993 and 2000. There were 120,000 people in the Canadian military in 1958. In 2003, the defence budget was increased $800-million to $12.7-billion, the single largest increase since the Liberals came to power. But that still left the total below that of 1991, when the Mulroney Conservatives committed troops to the Gulf War and the defence budget stood at $12.8-billion. Major-General Terry Hearn, the chief of finance for the Canadian Forces, acknowledged the military has had "issues" with funding over the past four years. But he said the department is implementing a long-term plan to stabilize its finances. "Weâll become sustainable over the next couple of years," he said. "As long as weâre not invaded this year." Posted by: Steve White 2004-02-25 |
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