A new report shows that Canada’s rising National Defence spending is $21.185 billion in 2009-2010, making Canada’s rank 13th highest in the world, and 6th highest among NATO’s 28 members, dollar for dollar. Defence analyst and author Bill Robinson says the rise in defence spending is an indication of the government’s priorities. “Government spending on […]
Tag Archives: Defence policy
Natynczyk reversal adds to pressure for torture inquiry
Chief of Defence Staff General Walter Natynczyk dropped a bombshell in Ottawa on Wednesday, admitting that a prisoner taken by Canadian soldiers in 2006 had in fact been in Canadian custody prior to his transfer to and subsequent severe beating by Afghan authorities. Earlier this week, Natynczyk had testified to parliament’s National Defence committee that […]
Give peacekeeping a chance?
Dr. Walter Dorn, Associate Professor of Defence Studies at the Royal Military College of Canada and the Canadian Forces College, suggests in a new op-ed article that a UN peacekeeping force is the best hope for building a more peaceful Afghanistan: There is already a small UN “good-offices” mission, called the UN Assistance Mission in […]
And so it begins – Canada starts to plan for Afghanistan troop pull out
With the end date of 2011, Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk has ordered the beginning of the planning phase of Canada’s military pull out of Afghanistan. The move comes in light of the Harper government’s intent to stick to its end date on Canada’s military participation in Afghanistan and for the […]
Is the West capable of fixing Afghanistan?
The highly-controversial election in Afghanistan has added to concerns that the international mission in that country is doomed to failure. It is indicative of the fact that, despite the perceived power of the United States, it has been unable to ensure that Afghanistan’s reconstruction is moving in the right direction. Key to any effective democratic […]
Germany's Nuclear Dilemma and the Future of NATO
In 2009 the need for tactical nuclear weapons in Europe is dwindling. According to Prof. Joachim Krause of the Institute for Security Policy at Christian Albrecht University, the 480 warheads currently located in Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Turkey, are primarily short-range tactical weapons and their range is too limited to reach targets in […]