General uses media to lobby for CF-18 fighter-bombers

Serving military personnel are not supposed to be advocating for government policies, but now it seems that generals are using the media to put pressure on political leaders once again. Is this part of General Hillier’s legacy?

The military has launched its own lobby campaign to convince the Canadian government to increase our combat role in Afghanistan by deploying CF-18 fighter-bombers.

In this case, Maj.-General Duff Sullivan spoke with CanWest News reporter Matthew Fisher. In 2007 Matthew Fisher accepted a $2500 cash prize from the DND-funded lobby group, the Conference of Defence Associations (the President of CDA does not speak well of journalists, ironically).

Fisher reported that General Sullivan is being pressured by U.S. allies to get Canadian CF-18 fighter-bombers “into the game” in Afghanistan. Government representatives said there were no plans to deploy CF-18s, but they did not rule it out either.

This was clearly a trial balloon, and we have seen this kind of thing happen before. Once there rumblings that the military was seeking tanks and attack helicopters in Afghanistan. Go to Afghanistan today and you’ll find plenty of both.

Tags: Afghanistan, CF-18s, Conference of Defence Associations, David Pugliese, Defence lobby, Defence policy, Steven Staples