While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Murray Brewster.
Transferring aircraft will help Ottawa meet NATO's new spending target. Transport Canada will be surrendering most — if not all — of its aviation wing to the Department of Defence in a plan that’s shrouded in secrecy. The move of the federal department’s “core aviation services” was flagged in the recent federal budget. It has the potential to affect the...
Advances in DNA technology mean there will likely be no more unknown soldiers in future wars, experts say. It’s often said no one has ever truly died as long as you remember them and speak their name. It's more complicated but nonetheless true for Canada’s Unknown Soldier, who was laid to rest under the frozen, watchful gaze of his Great...
Prime minister says he's '100 per cent confident' the budget is right for the country. Prime Minister Mark Carney signalled on Saturday that he’s prepared to fight an election over his government’s upcoming budget should it come to that. The fiscal plan will be tabled in the minority Parliament on Tuesday, but it is far from clear whether the governing...
PMO says there will be no further comment on the Ontario government ad that derailed U.S. trade talks. The question of whether or not the prime minister and his chief of staff saw and approved — either directly or tacitly — an Ontario government anti-tariff ad that set off U.S. President Donald Trump followed Mark Carney to Singapore on Tuesday...
Canada is shooting for a free trade deal with ASEAN countries, but there's no quick fix. Prime Minister Mark Carney is due to arrive in Malaysia on Saturday in search of trade opportunities with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). But the question on everyone’s mind is whether he’ll get any facetime with the U.S. president, Donald Trump, who...
Donald Trump, Xi Jinping expected at APEC summit in South Korea. Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to walk an international tightrope over the next week as he departs Friday for a set of Indo-Pacific Summit meetings, one of which involves both the United States and China. The challenge will involve staying on the relative good side of U.S. President...
A contract to supply Ukraine with refurbished light armoured vehicles is officially dead, the defence minister told a House of Commons committee on Tuesday. The Department of National Defence gave 25 decommissioned troop carriers to Armatec Survivability in Dorchester, Ont., located outside of London, almost two years ago, to be rebuilt. The now-defunct project was driven by the defence department...
DND, federal agency refuse to comment on state of the program. Ukraine has yet to receive the more than two dozen refurbished light armoured vehicles Canada promised to the war-torn country in September 2023, CBC News has learned. The vehicles remain stuck in bureaucratic and corporate limbo — even though the Department of National Defence delivered the decommissioned vehicles to...
Plötner says German shipbuilder is open to the idea — all Canada has to do is ask. There's nothing stopping Canada from building half — maybe more — of the dozen submarines it intends to buy for the navy, Germany's armament state secretary tells CBC News. Jens Plötner says the decision would be up to the Canadian government, but the...
Agency mandated to work more closely with allies including U.K., Australia and France. The Liberal government has unveiled its long-awaited, long-promised agency to co-ordinate and speed up the purchase and delivery of equipment to the Canadian military. The new Defence Investment Agency (DIA) was announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney's office in a statement Thursday morning.
As the Carney government tries to breathe life back into Canada's military and its industrial base with a new federal agency, it's being told it needs to make the distinction between defence procurement and defence production. The contrast in language may be subtle, but from a public policy and political perspective it would be a radical shift in mindset for...
Expert says Russia's trial balloons are straight out of Cold War playbook. Some things fly underneath the radar, both figuratively and literally. A Canadian expert on Russian warfare says he believes a direct line can be drawn between Moscow's repeated testing of the airspace belonging to NATO allies in Eastern Europe and the Pentagon's recent, quietly announced plan to cut...
Transport Canada scaled back its summertime surveillance of the Arctic this year for pollution, endangered whale protection and marine safety, CBC News has learned. The decision to limit overflights comes at a time of increased political and national security attention on the region and five years after the department promised to deploy a drone for heightened vigilance.
The Canadian Army does not have enough vehicles to support both the brigade in Latvia and a similar-sized training exercise in Canada, a House of Commons committee was told on Thursday. Maj.-Gen. Robert Ritchie, the director of the strategic joint staff (the military's nerve centre), told the defence committee that over 400 vehicles of all types have been deployed for...
Defence Minister David McGuinty is clearly getting tired of being asked about the soon-to-be-completed review of Canada's purchase of F-35 fighters from the United States. "You've heard me on this before," he told journalists on Tuesday, with uncharacteristic frankness. "The F-35 review is continuing. It's — I have nothing else to say at this stage." The poor man hasn't been...
Spending on major military projects must boost economy, says Carney's defence procurement secretary of state. Ottawa will favour the pitch that creates the most Canadian jobs when it decides whether to award a contract for a dozen new submarines to a German or a South Korean consortium, the government's point person for military procurement says. The comments from Liberal MP...
Canadian units deemed combat ineffective in recent training exercise. Prime Minister Mark Carney recently walked a gauntlet of parked military gear while visiting Canadian and allied troops in Latvia. All of it was spit and polish, some draped in camouflage and looking showroom ready, if not somewhat menacing. It was an impressive, seemingly substantive, display of combat power.
How much to spend and where to buy equipment are the political choices Carney faces. There was a particularly striking moment last week in Warsaw as Prime Minister Mark Carney renewed his friendship with Poland's Donald Tusk, a flash that subtly captured the stark choices Canada will likely face in the not-too-distant future. Carney was genuine in his praise of...
Hanwha Ocean boasts first 4 subs would come before 2035. Competition to build Canada's new fleet of submarines kicked up a notch Wednesday with the South Korean bidder reiterating its pledge to deliver more boats faster than its German rival. Hanwha Ocean Ltd., in a statement, expressed its appreciation for the Liberal government's decision this week to narrow the field...
PM Carney meeting chancellor, attending business roundtable in Berlin. As he delivered the hard sell pitch last spring for Canada to buy his submarines, Oliver Burkhard, the CEO Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (tkMS), used the phrase "strategic partnership" half a dozen times. Canada would be part of "a family," he said. We will — perhaps — soon get a better...
The Canadian Army is now dealing with another incident of alleged hateful conduct that involves Quebec-based soldiers caught on video allegedly partying while some people at the event delivered Nazi salutes. In a statement, Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright, the commander of the army, said the video was brought to his attention on Aug. 6, and an immediate internal investigation was launched...
There was an interesting — albeit brief — recent eruption of clarity in the ongoing saga of whether Canada intends to proceed with the full order of American-made F-35 fighters. It was courtesy of the U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, who perhaps spoke the quiet part out loud last week in an interview with Canadian independent podcaster Jasmin Laine...
DND stats show reported incidents almost doubled compared to previous year. The Canadian military has witnessed a resurgence in hateful conduct and racism reports over the last year following several years of decline, according to data obtained by CBC News. The detailed information comes as the army deals with a fresh set of extremism and disreputable conduct allegations.
As NATO nations, including Canada, ramp up rearmament, they are increasingly confronted with various ghosts of the Cold War, notably the resilience of Russian industry and its capacity to be able to deliver weapons — that while often technologically inferior to the West — are "good enough" to wage war. Moscow's ability to produce en masse drones, missiles, aircraft and...
Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright spoke to CBC News about investigations into alleged extremist activities, Facebook group. The credibility and reputation of the Canadian Army is once again being questioned following an investigation into alleged extremist activities involving soldiers in Quebec and revelations of inappropriate social media posts by members of an Ottawa-based reserve unit, the country's army commander acknowledged Wednesday.
The officer in charge of a Canadian Army brigade has stepped down in the aftermath of a controversy over a now-defunct Facebook group where members of an Ottawa-based reserve unit allegedly posted hateful and inappropriate content. CBC News has learned Col. James McKay, the commander of the 33 Canadian Brigade Group, told staff late last week that he has relinquished...
There was a remarkably salient moment at a recent journalism conference in Seoul where participants from 50 countries debated climate change and its effect on both the literal and political landscape of the world. The consensus, albeit a rough one, was that the public — from Azerbaijan to Zaire — was exhausted by the issue. It was tough to get...
The Canadian military and possibly the coast guard appear to have been keeping tabs on a Chinese research vessel as it returns to Arctic waters off Alaska for the second year in a row. Data compiled by an independent researcher and ship tracker, Steffan Watkins, shows a Canadian air force CP-140 surveillance plane was flying in the vicinity of the...
Government has levers it can pull in times of urgency. By anyone's measure, $150 billion a year is an eye-watering amount of money to spend on anything — let alone defence. While it pales in comparison to the inflation-adjusted appropriations of the Second World War, it is potentially, for this generation, the very definition of beating ploughshares into swords. Or is it?
There was a particularly telling moment at a bygone NATO summit about four years ago, which perfectly captured the sometimes capricious way the Western military alliance regards Ukraine. The secretary general of the day, the often unflappable Jens Stoltenberg, was asked about the Eastern European country's long-standing bid to join the allies. At that point, Ukraine had been waiting more...
Signing on to NATO's new defence spending target could cost the federal treasury up to $150 billion a year, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday in advance of the Western military alliance's annual summit. The prime minister made the comments in an interview with CNN International. "It is a lot of money," Carney said.
Carney has been open to more spending — but hasn’t committed to 5%. Short and sweet is not usually a phrase associated with the annual NATO leaders' summit, but arguably that's what many member nations are hoping for as U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the table. The gathering of allied leaders will be the first for Prime Minister Mark...
Bart De Wever says Iran is a sponsor of terrorism and should never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon. There was little sympathy for Iran and reluctant backing for regime change among some European leaders, following the weekend airstrikes by the United States on Iran's nuclear facilities. On Monday, newly minted conservative Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever described...
Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Brussels to meet with EU members. Canada and Europe will be drawn a little closer together on Monday as Prime Minister Mark Carney signs a strategic defence and security partnership with the European Union. The agreement will open the door for Canadian companies to participate in the $1.25-trillion ReArm Europe program, which is seen...
Former military language and cultural advisers — who at times carried out some of the most difficult and dangerous assignments of Canada's war in Afghanistan — are now suing the federal government for discrimination over the alleged failure to properly train and take care of them following their service alongside combat troops, CBC News has learned.
Officials pitch working with long-standing traditional NATO allies for military buildup. Senior German and Norwegian defence officials say they're confident Canada will sign on to the ReArm Europe plan in the coming weeks and such a move will make it easier for the Liberal government to buy new submarines from allies. Jasper Wieck, the political director of the German Ministry...
At the onset of the First World War, Britain's veritable foreign secretary, Sir Edward Grey, remarked that the lamps were going out all over Europe and "we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime." The metaphor has long been considered as the unofficial epitaph to what at the time was the longest run of peace and prosperity on...
David McGuinty says government to launch 'immediate and decisive action to rebuild Canada's defence capacity.' Defence Minister David McGuinty pulled out all the stops Wednesday in his first major public speech to enlist the country's top arms makers in the Liberal government's plans to accelerate military spending. He pledged the newly re-elected Liberal government will take "immediate and decisive action...
'By Canada Day we'd like to see something concrete there,' PM tells Power & Politics. Prime Minister Mark Carney signalled he hopes Canada will be able to sign on to a major European defence rearmament plan by July 1, a step toward reducing the country's dependency on the United States for weapons and munitions. He made the remarks on CBC's...
Attrition rate for new recruits more than double the average across Forces. The Canadian military insists it's getting a handle on its recruiting crisis, but a new leaked internal report obtained by CBC News suggests many of those who come through the door quickly leave in frustration over the inability to get trained and into the job they want.
Canada intends to expand its military training regime in the Arctic, deploying a variety of forces in the region for up to 10 months a year, starting this year, the military's operations commander says. Lt.-Gen. Steve Boivin says the military's signature Far North exercise — Operation Nanook — will see additional elements created, resulting in a greater, consistent presence in...
Gone, it seems, are the days when the phrase "going nuclear" was meant figuratively. Since the beginning of the year and the inauguration of the second Trump administration, an increasing number of Washington's closest allies have begun to throw quiet — and sometimes not so quiet — fits about whether they can still count on the decades-old nuclear deterrent capability...
Country is making co-ordinated push to work with Canada amid uneasy U.S. relations. A trio of South Korean companies have made a significant, multibillion-dollar pitch to Canada, promising to quickly replace the navy's aging submarines, deliver more firepower to the army and help revitalize the country's defence industrial base. A detailed overview of the unsolicited proposals, which were delivered to...
There is an "anything you can do, I can do better" vibe to the defence policies of both the Liberals and the Conservatives, but a trio of national security and military experts say each of the parties are missing — or avoiding — the fundamental national security issue at stake in this election. They say voters are likely asking themselves...
Detailed planning for a potential "coalition of the willing" peacekeeping mission to Ukraine is expected to kick off this week among Western military commanders, says the Canadian general in charge of overseas and domestic operations. The notion of a peacekeeping force is being met internationally with skepticism as Ukraine and Russia meet indirectly to hammer out a limited ceasefire.
Trump's annexation threats have upended the notion that there are no votes in defence. Issues of sovereignty, national security and defence — often footnotes, or even ignored outright in federal election campaigns — are likely to dominate the political landscape over the next five weeks as Canadians march toward the April 28 vote.
Canada is actively looking at potential alternatives to the U.S.-built F-35 stealth fighter and will hold conversations with rival aircraft makers, Defence Minister Bill Blair said late Friday, just hours after being reappointed to the post as part of Prime Minister Mark Carney's new cabinet. The remarks came one day after Portugal signalled it was planning to ditch its acquisition...
Canadian and American troops fought together and bled together in the scorched hinterlands of Afghanistan. And for that reason there is a palpable sense of dismay — even betrayal — among Canadian veterans toward the Trump administration over its threats and treatment of not just Canada, but other allies such Ukraine.
Eventual price tag for trio of warships expected to top $22.2 billion. Amid a flurry of last minute senate and judicial appointments, the Liberal government quietly announced Saturday it has signed an $8 billion implementation contract for the construction of the Royal Canadian Navy's new destroyers. It is only the first step in the long-delayed process to replace the navy's...
Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright says army is examining everything from 'headquarters right down to the unit level.' The Canadian Army is about to embark on a wholesale restructuring in the face of growing demands for troops and equipment both overseas and at home, says the country's top soldier. A military modernization team is currently studying the problem against the backdrop of...
Canada's participation in U.S. President Donald Trump's planned "Golden Dome" missile-defence system for North America is limited to research involving the detection of incoming threats, the U.S. commander for NORAD told a defence conference on Wednesday. Gen. Greg Guillot told the annual Conference of Defence Associations Institute annual forum in Ottawa that he and his staff are excited about the...
The country's top military commander delivered a keep calm and carry on message on Wednesday in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex Canada. Gen. Jennie Carignan says the military-to-military relationship between the two countries is solid and has not shown the signs of the political strain that has racked the two nations. "The relationship that...
NATO members and other allies may worry that they'll be next. Whenever we talk about NATO it's usually in the context of money — or the famous all-for-one, one-for-all treaty clause known as Article 5. The provision is the bedrock of the Western military alliance, allowing leaders from Latvia to London to Ottawa to sleep better at night knowing more...
NATO's secretary general is downplaying the threat of a trade war between the United States and Canada — two founding members of the Western military alliance — as a dispute that could be managed. Mark Rutte, the former prime minister of the Netherlands who was appointed to the top allied political post last fall, spoke Monday in Brussels alongside British...
NATO says it wants its members to develop national plans to bolster the capacity of their individual defence industry sectors, a concept Canada has struggled with — or avoided outright — for decades.
'I wonder if they should have just gone to Canadian Tire,' says defence expert. Despite the defence department spending more than $34.8 million on new sleeping bags, the Canadian Army asked late last year that hundreds of soldiers headed to a joint northern exercise in Alaska with the Americans be issued with old, 1960s-vintage bedrolls. Troops who had used the...
Despite facing heavy pressure to ramp up military spending, the Department of National Defence (DND) has slow-rolled one of the least complex of its vehicle replacement programs. The light utility vehicle program has been on the books for several years. Its purpose is to update the military's fleet of two-decade-old Afghan war-era Mercedes G-Wagons and civilian-grade utility vehicles, such as...
Ukraine is free to use Canadian-donated tanks and armoured vehicles inside Russia, the Department of National Defence said Thursday. The statement comes as speculation grows among military experts about how long Ukraine can stay on the offensive in Russia's Kursk region — and about the long-term impact the surprise cross-border incursion will have on the long-running war.
The Liberal government's recent internal budget cutting exercise at the Department of National Defence (DND) has deprived the army's system for maintaining equipment and vehicles of up to $150 million, CBC News has learned. And when the preservation of older systems — the kind that might have to be pressed into service during an emergency — is factored in, the...
The cost to build the navy's often-delayed, long-anticipated supply ships has shot up once again — this time by almost $1 billion — the federal procurement department announced Friday. Successive federal governments have tried for almost two decades to deliver joint support ships (JSS) to the navy — vessels used to replenish warships at sea. After years of delay, the...