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(shouldn‘t alarm bells have gone off in some people‘s minds when "negative publicity" became more important than the safety of Canadian soldiers in a combat situation ... ? Heck - surely a public opinion poll would have supported the old-fashioned notion that the lives of Canadian soldiers are worth more to the Canadian public ... than the image of the Liberal Party.)
Saturday » June 29 » 2002
Canada rejected offer from U.S. for uniforms; afraid of PR backlash
Cost also a factor in not equipping troops in Afghanistan with desert camouflage
a journalist
The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, June 29, 2002
The U.S. was willing to provide Canadian troops headed to Afghanistan with desert camouflage uniforms, but Canadian defence officials declined to purchase those because of cost and concerns that having to use American clothing would result in negative publicity.
The Pentagon‘s Defense Logistics Agency informed its Canadian counterpart it could provide the desert uniforms for the 880 Canadian troops in Afghanistan within seven to 10 days of receiving a official request from Ottawa, according to documents obtained by the Citizen.
In November, Canadian military officials started looking at whether foreign uniforms were available for the Afghan mission, but officers noted there was no money for such a purchase. It was determined that three countries -- the U.S., Britain and Australia -- could provide suitable uniforms, and in February the Americans re-confirmed that the clothing was ready if needed.
But senior officials at National Defence headquarters in Ottawa decided against buying American desert uniforms since the clothing was "not deemed sufficiently beneficial in consideration of all the related factors," according to military documents released under the Access to Information Act.
The lack of desert camouflage uniforms became a source of controversy in February when it was revealed that Canadian troops heading to Afghanistan, a country with desert and mountain terrain, would be wearing dark green clothing intended for use in wooded areas. Canadian soldiers solved the problem by dabbing sand-coloured paint on their uniforms and equipment, but opposition MPs alleged Liberal government cost-cutting in defence had left the soldiers with inferior equipment.
Snipers with the Princess Patricia‘s Canadian Light Infantry solved their camouflage problems by purchasing British military desert uniforms from an army surplus store in England, according to the documents.
Among the factors considered by senior Defence officials in rejecting the American uniforms was the expense and that the U.S. equipment was of an older design. The actual cost of the American uniforms has been censored from the documents, but the reports did note that they would cost about the same as Canadian uniforms.
Canadian military officials also reasoned that domestic suppliers could provide desert camouflage uniforms by mid-July. Once those were issued, the American uniforms would have to be taken out of service and could not be used again. Canadian officers also noted that there could be negative publicity and concerns raised about sovereignty if the troops were clad in American combat clothing.
While the U.S. could quickly ship the uniforms to Canada, it would take another 20 days to add items such as Canadian flags and identification tags and to transport them to Afghanistan, the Defence department reports pointed out. There was also the suggestion that morale among the soldiers might suffer if they were issued with American uniforms.
In a Feb. 19 briefing note, senior military officials told then-defence minister Art Eggleton that there was no need to buy the American uniforms. "The acquisition of the U.S. uniform at this time does not offer any substantial benefits," according to the note signed by then-deputy minister Jim Judd and Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Raymond Henault. "The cost is comparable to the Canadian CADPAT (Arid Region) uniforms that are being ordered."
But troops in Afghanistan never did get those Canadian-made desert uniforms. The clothing will become available in mid-July, by which time the soldiers will have begun to return to Canada.
Maj. Doug Palmer, who heads the Canadian Forces Clothe the Soldier project, said he could not provide a figure on how much the American uniforms would cost. It would cost about $100 for a Canadian-made pair of camouflage pants and a shirt. Each soldier is issued several sets of uniforms.
But Maj. Palmer said that when military officials looked at foreign desert camouflage clothing they also inquired about helmet covers, shirts, pants, rucksack covers, lightweight jackets and covers for the fragmentation vests that soldiers wear. Some of the items would have to be modified to fit Canadian-issued gear such as helmets. "Shirts and pants just doesn‘t go the whole way," he added.
Maj. Palmer said the decision to stay with the woodland camouflage uniforms for Afghanistan was made by army commander Lt.-Gen. Mike Jeffery.
In a letter issued to media outlets in February, Lt.-Gen. Jeffery said he considered whether the lack of a desert-coloured uniform posed an unacceptable risk to troops. "After carefully weighing a variety of factors in conjunction with the commanders in the field, my assessment was that the unit could deploy" with the green clothing, he wrote.
Following the attacks of Sept. 11, Lt.-Gen. Jeffery noted that the military looked at ways to speed up the delivery of its own desert camouflage. "We have also looked into the possibility of obtaining desert uniforms from our allies," Lt.-Gen. Jeffery wrote. "Despite our efforts, it appears unlikely any will be available before summer."
Canadian Alliance defence critic Leon Benoit said the issue of money should not be a factor when it comes to outfitting soldiers who are in a war zone. He said the government and the Department of National Defence have found large amounts of money for items that are not necessarily essential, such as $100 million to purchase new jets for Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. "It‘s simply unacceptable that you send soldiers into combat without the proper equipment," Mr. Benoit said.
The Clothe the Soldier project has been in existence since 1995 with delivery of various items since 1997.
The government launched the first phase of acquiring the new desert uniforms by awarding a contract April 2 to a Montreal company to make enough camouflage fabric to equip between 850 and 900 soldiers. The second phase of the program is to use that fabric to make the uniforms and other field accessories for delivery in July.
But some defence analysts have questioned why the government didn‘t react sooner in issuing the contract since it was apparent since November that Canadian troops would likely be headed to Afghanistan.
Saturday » June 29 » 2002
Canada rejected offer from U.S. for uniforms; afraid of PR backlash
Cost also a factor in not equipping troops in Afghanistan with desert camouflage
a journalist
The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, June 29, 2002
The U.S. was willing to provide Canadian troops headed to Afghanistan with desert camouflage uniforms, but Canadian defence officials declined to purchase those because of cost and concerns that having to use American clothing would result in negative publicity.
The Pentagon‘s Defense Logistics Agency informed its Canadian counterpart it could provide the desert uniforms for the 880 Canadian troops in Afghanistan within seven to 10 days of receiving a official request from Ottawa, according to documents obtained by the Citizen.
In November, Canadian military officials started looking at whether foreign uniforms were available for the Afghan mission, but officers noted there was no money for such a purchase. It was determined that three countries -- the U.S., Britain and Australia -- could provide suitable uniforms, and in February the Americans re-confirmed that the clothing was ready if needed.
But senior officials at National Defence headquarters in Ottawa decided against buying American desert uniforms since the clothing was "not deemed sufficiently beneficial in consideration of all the related factors," according to military documents released under the Access to Information Act.
The lack of desert camouflage uniforms became a source of controversy in February when it was revealed that Canadian troops heading to Afghanistan, a country with desert and mountain terrain, would be wearing dark green clothing intended for use in wooded areas. Canadian soldiers solved the problem by dabbing sand-coloured paint on their uniforms and equipment, but opposition MPs alleged Liberal government cost-cutting in defence had left the soldiers with inferior equipment.
Snipers with the Princess Patricia‘s Canadian Light Infantry solved their camouflage problems by purchasing British military desert uniforms from an army surplus store in England, according to the documents.
Among the factors considered by senior Defence officials in rejecting the American uniforms was the expense and that the U.S. equipment was of an older design. The actual cost of the American uniforms has been censored from the documents, but the reports did note that they would cost about the same as Canadian uniforms.
Canadian military officials also reasoned that domestic suppliers could provide desert camouflage uniforms by mid-July. Once those were issued, the American uniforms would have to be taken out of service and could not be used again. Canadian officers also noted that there could be negative publicity and concerns raised about sovereignty if the troops were clad in American combat clothing.
While the U.S. could quickly ship the uniforms to Canada, it would take another 20 days to add items such as Canadian flags and identification tags and to transport them to Afghanistan, the Defence department reports pointed out. There was also the suggestion that morale among the soldiers might suffer if they were issued with American uniforms.
In a Feb. 19 briefing note, senior military officials told then-defence minister Art Eggleton that there was no need to buy the American uniforms. "The acquisition of the U.S. uniform at this time does not offer any substantial benefits," according to the note signed by then-deputy minister Jim Judd and Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Raymond Henault. "The cost is comparable to the Canadian CADPAT (Arid Region) uniforms that are being ordered."
But troops in Afghanistan never did get those Canadian-made desert uniforms. The clothing will become available in mid-July, by which time the soldiers will have begun to return to Canada.
Maj. Doug Palmer, who heads the Canadian Forces Clothe the Soldier project, said he could not provide a figure on how much the American uniforms would cost. It would cost about $100 for a Canadian-made pair of camouflage pants and a shirt. Each soldier is issued several sets of uniforms.
But Maj. Palmer said that when military officials looked at foreign desert camouflage clothing they also inquired about helmet covers, shirts, pants, rucksack covers, lightweight jackets and covers for the fragmentation vests that soldiers wear. Some of the items would have to be modified to fit Canadian-issued gear such as helmets. "Shirts and pants just doesn‘t go the whole way," he added.
Maj. Palmer said the decision to stay with the woodland camouflage uniforms for Afghanistan was made by army commander Lt.-Gen. Mike Jeffery.
In a letter issued to media outlets in February, Lt.-Gen. Jeffery said he considered whether the lack of a desert-coloured uniform posed an unacceptable risk to troops. "After carefully weighing a variety of factors in conjunction with the commanders in the field, my assessment was that the unit could deploy" with the green clothing, he wrote.
Following the attacks of Sept. 11, Lt.-Gen. Jeffery noted that the military looked at ways to speed up the delivery of its own desert camouflage. "We have also looked into the possibility of obtaining desert uniforms from our allies," Lt.-Gen. Jeffery wrote. "Despite our efforts, it appears unlikely any will be available before summer."
Canadian Alliance defence critic Leon Benoit said the issue of money should not be a factor when it comes to outfitting soldiers who are in a war zone. He said the government and the Department of National Defence have found large amounts of money for items that are not necessarily essential, such as $100 million to purchase new jets for Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. "It‘s simply unacceptable that you send soldiers into combat without the proper equipment," Mr. Benoit said.
The Clothe the Soldier project has been in existence since 1995 with delivery of various items since 1997.
The government launched the first phase of acquiring the new desert uniforms by awarding a contract April 2 to a Montreal company to make enough camouflage fabric to equip between 850 and 900 soldiers. The second phase of the program is to use that fabric to make the uniforms and other field accessories for delivery in July.
But some defence analysts have questioned why the government didn‘t react sooner in issuing the contract since it was apparent since November that Canadian troops would likely be headed to Afghanistan.
