Fair is fair.*
From the National Post, January 25:
When asked last week about whether Canada will send tanks to Ukraine, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “We’re not there yet.” As it turns out, maybe the reason we aren’t “there” is because a decade of neglect has rendered a significant portion of our tanks inoperable.
To understand how Canada managed to sabotage its own fleet of tanks, it is important to understand some history.
In the mid-1970s, then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau reluctantly refreshed Canada’s arsenal of tanks by purchasing new Leopard 1 tanks from West Germany. Our NATO allies had demanded that Canada maintain a presence in Europe to deter a possible Soviet invasion, so procurement was primarily driven by foreign policy, not military, concerns.
Then, the Cold War ended and, throughout the ’90s, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) debated whether to switch to medium-weight heavy vehicles, which are nimbler than tanks but also more fragile. The debate was fraught, as critics argued that lighter vehicles would inadequately protect Canadian personnel.
In 2003, Canada decided to decommission the Leopard 1s and shift away from using tanks more generally, but was prevented from doing so by the war in Afghanistan. Fearful of casualties stemming from inadequate armour, Canada sent its Leopard 1s to the Middle East but quickly realized that newer vehicles were needed.
Ottawa subsequently purchased a fleet of over 80 slightly-used Leopard 2 tanks (a newer, but nonetheless decades-old model) from the Netherlands. The fleet cost $650 million to acquire and was expected to cost another $650 million to maintain over 20 years.
As with the preceding fleet, the purchase of the Leopard 2s had a political dimension — the continued use of tanks was seen as critical for maintaining Canada’s perceived commitment to its allies.
When Canada concluded its Afghan combat operations in 2011, the tanks were put into storage and essentially abandoned. There isn’t much public information on what happened over the ensuing decade and media coverage on the state of the tanks has been virtually nonexistent.
However, in recent years, the Canadian Forces College has published two academic papers alleging that chronic under-investment in maintenance has left Canada’s tank fleet “barely usable.”....
....MUCH MORE
And from the turnabout is fair play file:
- Canada's secret plan to invade the US: How gung-ho 1920s colonel planned to take Detroit, Seattle and Portland in five-pronged attack over $22 billion debt row
- Canadian colonel formulated plan to invade US after traveling to Vermont in a disguise for intelligence research
- Defense Scheme No. 1 would have taken cities such as Seattle and Detroit
- US had own plan to take over Halifax and cut Canada off from Great Britain
- Charles Lindbergh flew spy mission over Hudson Bay, recommended the use of chemical weapons
- New book War Plan Red details conflict between the two neighbors
The United States and Canada have been described as the closest of allies, though tensions between the two countries as recently as 80 years ago saw Canada mock up invasion plans against its southern neighbor.
The beginning of the 20th century saw both the US and a Canadian lieutenant colonel formulate plans to send soldiers into each other's heartlands in the event of war.
A new book titled War Plan Red by Kevin Lippert details the long history of conflicts between the two North Americans nations, which included spy missions flown by famed aviator Charles Lindbergh....
....MUCH MORE
Okay, not the most accurate map. I can imagine some slightly bewildered Canuck down on the Kentucky - Ohio border asking the way to Detroit, eh.
One concern though, should the U.S. move on Toronto and environs (nice 'hood):
"How quickly could Canada build an atomic bomb?"
Somehow related:
