BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

HMCS Protecteur being towed by USNS Sioux The Canadian Navy's two Protecteur- class replenishment ships are done.  After 45 years of faithful service, HMCS Protecteur suffered an engine room fire off the coast of Hawaii and needed to be towed back to port.  Her sister ship, the HMCS Preserver, is not doing much better.  In 2011, it smashed into a Halifax dock causing over a half-million dollars in damages .  Both ships have been plagued with electrical problems . These ships are no longer just "showing their age".  One of these ships is now officially dead with the other on life support.  Recently, it was announced that both ships have sailed their last journeys , along with the similar vintaged HMCS Iroquois and HMCS Algonquin destroyers.  This is just as well, as the two Protecteur- class ships were beginning to wear out there welcome in many ports thanks to their monohull design. The Queenston- class These two ships have served Ca...

This time last year, the Iraq war was winding down, troops were leaving Afghanistan, and the world seemed to well on its way to becoming a more peaceful place.  The only concerns people had about Russia were its extreme right-wing tendencies and the Sochi Winter Olympics .  Military spending was focused on the " Asia-Pacific Shift " to match China's military buildup . What a difference a year makes. Russia's invasion of Ukraine as given NATO forces a wake-up call .  The Middle-East is once again (still?) a quagmire thanks to ISIS/ISIL .  No doubt about it, things have gotten bad.  They might get worse before they get better . Unfortunately, this has come at a rather inconvenient time.  NATO nations' defense spending has consistently decreased over the last few years.  Canada's military spending cuts rank amongst the highest.  Defense spending is often easy picking for politicians wishing to curb spending.  With the Cold W...

Mistral- class Amphibious Assault Ship By now, most have heard the controversy surrounding France's agreement to sell two Mistral- class amphibious assault ships to Russia.  This is despite current tensions regarding to what is happening in the Ukraine.  France has been criticized for this, and calls have been made to halt the sale . Canada's own Prime Minister has called for continued sanctions over Russia , and Canada has been quite outspoken in it support for the Ukraine .  We are even sending fighter jets over there.  There was even a rumor that the RCAF would donate  aircraft, but this rumor has been quashed . France is in a bit of a "no-win" situation here.  It cannot just simply cancel the sale this late in the game.  One ship is scheduled for delivery this fall and construction of the other is well under way.  The two Mistral -class ships are being sold without weaponry, so they are technically considered "civilian hulls".  T...