Guess Who Can't Make the Party?

It's quite a gathering.  55-warships from 13-NATO countries are taking part in Exercise Joint Warrior in the waters off Scotland.  This year's war games are considered especially important given the perceived resurgence of Russian naval forces.

They take place against a background of rising concern about Russian expansionism but the Ministry of Defence said the Exercise Joint Warrior war games are a twice-yearly exercise rather than a response to any specific threat.

However, the Joint Warrior exercises are the biggest yet held by Nato and are intended to act as a show of strength while honing the ability of member nations to co-operate in the event of an attack.

Training for submarine hunts is regarded as particularly important in waters north of the UK as they are the most obvious route into the wider Atlantic Ocean for Russian vessels.

Russian submarines are also suspected of operating close to the UK shoreline. In March a fishing vessel 10 miles off the Isle of Lewis snagged an object suspected of being a submarine – none from Nato were said to be operating in the area at the time – while in November dozens of aircraft and ships took part in a major search after a sighting was reported.

...Warships from the US, including guided-missile vessels USS Porter and USS Anzio, will join the Royal Navy for the exercises along with ships from Poland, Estonia, Lativa, France, Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, and Belgium.

So, which country is conspicuous by its absence?  That, of course, would be Canada.  Unlike Latvia or Belgium, we don't seem able to contribute a naval presence to these games.  The best I could find is a National Defence press release from 2013 that proclaimed the importance of Exercise Joint Warrior and Canada's role in it.

News Release / April 2, 2013 / Project number: NR - 13.095

OTTAWA – More than 900 Canadian sailors, airmen and airwomen of the Canadian Armed Forces departed today to participate in Exercise Joint Warrior, a joint multinational NATO exercise taking place in the United Kingdom from April 15 to 25. Exercise Joint Warrior is the largest military tactical exercise in Europe and is designed to prepare NATO military forces to work together in a variety of missions from providing humanitarian aid to full-combat operations.

“This exercise presents an excellent opportunity for the Canadian Armed Forces to build and strengthen interoperability and combat effectiveness between Canada’s military and our NATO allies,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “Our sailors and aircrew will conduct realistic training to enhance the various tactics, techniques, and procedures that they will employ on behalf of the Government of Canada in a variety of operational scenarios both at home and abroad.”

...Exercise Joint Warrior is organized by the United Kingdom and will involve the participation of close to 13, 000 military personnel, 55 vessels, and up to 40 aircraft from various NATO nations over a ten-day period. Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Preserver, Iroquois, and St. John’sdeparted Halifax, N.S. today to begin their transit across the Atlantic Ocean and will participate in the exercise later in the month.

The Iroquois, of course, is now headed for the scrap yard. Sister ship
Algonquin has also been paid off.  HMCS Annapolis (pictured above) just got sent to the bottom of Howe Sound to become an artificial reef.  HMCS Preserver along with sister ship Protecteur are also awaiting their turn at the breakers' yard.

The Royal Canadian Rent-a-Navy

Protecteur Being Towed Home

Mr. Harper.  It's probably not a brilliant idea to get into Vlad Putin's face when you've left Canada with as navy so neglected that it can't defend one coast much less three.  Our essential supply ships beaten and battered, our air defence destroyers rotted out - it takes a Heart of Oak to sail on under the conditions you've created for Canada's navy.

Algonquin is gone, along with the Iroquois.  Our two supply ships, Protecteur and Provider, - same story.

Without those supply ships we can't send a fighting formation, a task force, to sea.  The best we can do at the moment is hope an ally's replenishment ship can help out.

The worst part is that, with the by now standard incompetence of the Harper government, the replacement ships are years away.

New joint support ships were initially proposed to the Chretien government in 1994, but it wasn't until Paul Martin became prime minister that the vessels were finally ordered.

The Conservatives, however, cancelled and then restarted the program in 2008 when the initial cost estimates exceeded the government's budget envelope. The program has struggled to get back on track ever since.

The parliamentary budget office put out a report last year that said, had the government stuck with the original plan, the navy would already have their ships and they would be cheaper and more capable than what is being proposed now.

So Harper has left Canada essentially defenceless - again.  It's a hell of a jam to be in now that we've plunged into Cold War II.  We know the Russian navy has plenty of ships and plenty of reach.  They showed that by sailing into waters north of Australia during last week's G20 summit.  If there's one thing Putin has shown the world it's that, when you push him, he pushes back.

Still, prime minister Thumb-up-his-Ass does have a few options.  The US Navy has a number of "like new" replenishment ships in mothballs.  They're just ten years old or, in other words, 30-years newer than HMCS Protecteur.  We could rent or, if necessary, even buy a couple of those.  Likewise we might be able to get the Americans to lend or sell us two or three of their substantial fleet of air defence destroyers - just to plug the holes in the RCN's bottom while we still can.

Canadian Navy's Pacific Fleet Out of Service, Waiting for Repairs

The Royal Canadian Navy's one and only supply ship for Pacific operations is awaiting a tow into the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  According to the Times Colonist, HMCS Protecteur is currently drifting off Hawaii following a fire in the ship's engine room overnight.  The ship is believed to be about 700 kms. north of Oahu. 

Commodore Bob Auchterlonie, commander of Canadian Fleet Pacific, applauded the actions of sailors who raced to put out the fire. “They saved the ship last night and they saved their shipmates,” Auchterlonie said Friday. “We’ve seen incidents like this around the globe and they’ve ended much worse than this. The fact . . . they got the fire under control, put it out, and secured the ship with only minor injuries on board is a testament to their training and professionalism.” 

 The fire caused extensive damage to Protecteur’s main engine room. “Picture an elementary school gymnasium about three storeys high filled with machinery, engines, and a lot of moving parts on fire in the middle of the ocean,” he said. “It took some time to get that fire out.” 

Fortunately, Protecteur sailors are well trained and well prepared, he said.

Onboard were 279 crew, along with 17 family members ages 14 to 73, and two civilian contractors. It’s a popular practice for family to join service members for the last part of a journey after a ship has been on an extended mission. “The idea behind it is they’re seeing what life is like in a ship,” Auchterlonie said. “Last night, they experienced more life on a ship than they probably wanted to experience again.” 

 Auchterlonie said about 20 people suffered minor injuries while fighting the fire. “There was dehydration, there was exhaustion, there was smoke inhalation, and that’s what the nature of the injuries were,” he said. “Fortunately, we have a doctor on board, we have physician assistance on board, and we’re aware all these people have been treated.”

Oh well, I suppose most Canadians wouldn't mind getting waylaid to Hawaii right about now.  Word is the prime minister is deeply upset because this will dampen his plans to stage a naval blockade of the Russian fleet at Sevastopol.