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.
Top military commanders from 32 Western nations will vote Saturday on whether they prefer Canada's chief of the defence staff or her German counterpart to lead a significant NATO committee. Gen. Jennie Carignan and Gen. Carsten Breuer are vying for the top job at the NATO Military Committee, a post not held by a Canadian in almost two decades.
'There's gonna be trade-offs everywhere,' says government's point person on defence procurement. Ottawa had no guarantees that Saab's GlobalEye surveillance plane could meet military requirements when it began negotiations to acquire six of the Swedish manufacturer's early warning and control aircraft last spring, CBC News has learned.
As Canadian troops crossed the Arghandab River, the first indication to former corporal Bruce Moncur that something was amiss came with the sight of a green pen flare shooting across the sky. "I remember looking at it thinking, well, that's weird," said Moncur, who realized that since NATO troops in Afghanistan fired red flares, green must have belonged to the...
The head of the German company in line to build Canada's new submarines is pushing for more co-operation among European shipbuilders — an effort that could have spillover effects in this country as the navy considers adding corvettes to the fleet. In an interview with CBC News, Oliver Burkhard, the CEO of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), made a point of...
Conservatives flag Carney's ties to Telesat CEO, government says precautions taken. Federal Conservatives have demanded the Carney government open the books on the recent $2.3-billion military satellite deal with Telesat — a call that lays the groundwork for a bruising political battle this fall depending upon how far they want to take it. The Official Opposition wants to see public...
Both Canada and the U.S. have been quietly shadowing two Chinese icebreaking research ships in Arctic waters off Alaska over the last couple of weeks. The Xue Long (Snow Dragon) and Xue Long (Snow Dragon) 2 sailed north through the U.S. exclusive economic zone in the Bering Sea in July, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The appearance of Chinese...
Military says it's keeping deployments 'relevant' as critics see abandoned heritage. The Department of National Defence calls it "rebalancing" but others believe we are witnessing the death of Canada's contribution to peacekeeping with the winding down of a series of long-standing overseas missions. The country has — for years — contributed only a handful of soldiers to United Nations-sanctioned missions...
Trump says he might have skipped NATO summit if not for friendship with Turkish president. Prime Minister Mark Carney has backed the latest U.S. strikes on Iran, calling it an appropriate response to ceasefire violations. The remarks were made on the way into the NATO Summit in Ankara, where President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire with the Islamic nation over...
It was a day of congratulating the winners and perhaps consoling the loser at the NATO summit for Canada's prime minister. Mark Carney met with the leaders of Germany and Norway on Tuesday in a trilateral meeting where they thanked each over Canada's decision to accept German shipyard ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS)'s bid to build 12 submarines for the navy.
Regardless of who you talk with in the defence community, there's a clear consensus that many European leaders are going to be treading lightly over the next few days as they wander the political minefield at the NATO summit in Turkey. On the one side, there is the desire to say or do nothing to aggravate the already aggrieved U.S...
The federal government has ordered life-extension work on the air force's aging CH-146 Griffon helicopters put on hold, CBC News has learned. The multimillion-dollar refit has run into technical issues, say sources who spoke on a confidential basis because they weren't authorized to speak to the media. There's concern among defence planners whether Bell Textron Canada Ltd., located out of...
Defence contractor says their aircraft would create 1,100 maintenance jobs in Canada. One of the leading competitors to sell Canada early warning surveillance aircraft says it was caught off guard by the decision of Prime Minister Mark Carney's government to open contract negotiations with European defence giant Saab. Three companies — two American, one Swedish — were in the running...
The officer commanding one of the Canadian Army's leading regular force battalions and the unit's top non-commissioned officer have been removed from their position. Lt.-Col. Jason Hudson and Chief Warrant Officer Kim Doerr, of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, were apparently forced to step aside over the weekend, several military sources said Tuesday.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth chastised NATO allies as "shameful" for the restrictions placed on American access to European bases during war against Iran and put them on notice that the Pentagon will conduct a review of U.S military contributions to the alliance.
German defence minister, army chief point to a narrow timeline. They're not alone. Boris Pistorius doesn't look like a man prone to alarmism. Germany's defence minister is frank and plain-spoken, but also deliberate with his words and intention. When he talks about Russia, the future of the West and the possibility of another European war, the message however becomes stark...
Trump administration's refusal to share could lead to a missing link for NATO. Canada's planned purchase of the Saab GlobalEye surveillance jet faces significant political and technical hurdles if the aircraft is going to be fully integrated into NORAD. Much of the success or failure of the effort will depend on convincing the Trump administration and the Pentagon to share...
DND says decision made after 'a rigorous evaluation process.' A little over a month after the Pentagon revealed it had ordered a batch of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) for several allied countries, including Canada, the Liberal government has now publicly acknowledged the purchase. Defence Minister David McGuinty, in a statement on Tuesday, said 26 of the highly...
Willingness to give up production slots shows they're serious about winning: analyst. Both Norway and Germany invoked an all-for-one, one-for-all approach as they this week sharpened their public and private pitches for Canada to select the Type 212CD as the navy's next submarine. Both long-standing NATO allies, the two European powers are now putting more emphasis on what it means...
Bid matches South Korean promise and includes billions in proposed economic investments. Should the Liberal government decide to go with the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) bid, the German shipbuilder has now pledged to deliver four Type 212-CD submarines to the Canadian Navy by 2036, the country’s defence minister tells CBC News. Boris Pistorius said Wednesday that he has every confidence...
Proposal ties Arctic defence to NATO integration. An average of up to 50,000 jobs could be created in Canada over the next five years should the federal government opt to buy the German-made Type 212CD submarine, CBC News has learned. Up until this point in the fierce competition over the navy’s new submarines, both the German and Norwegian governments and...
The vessel, visiting Victoria, will take part in joint exercises with Royal Canadian Navy. The South Korean submarine ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho arrived off British Columbia's coast on Saturday in a flashy showcase of Hanwha Ocean's bid to secure Canada’s multibillion-dollar submarine contract. The vessel is visiting Victoria and will take part in joint anti-submarine exercises with the Royal Canadian...
Washington's decision to pause bilateral body appears aimed at influencing Canada's military policy. Although greeted with a mixture of angst, anger and genuine confusion in this country, it is undeniable that the Pentagon’s move this week to freeze one of the oldest pillars of continental defence co-operation — ostensibly to punish Canada — carried with it notes of dark comedy...
Defence chief hailed as an 'exceptional' leader and candidate for key alliance post. The Liberal government is nominating Canada's top military commander to be the next chair of the NATO military committee when the post becomes vacant next year. Defence Minister David McGuinty announced the candidacy of Gen. Jennie Carignan on Wednesday and said she'll continue in her current role...
New legislation will allow 14 exceptions, allowing greater flexibility to bypass cumbersome procurement system. The Liberal government is signalling its plans to give the newly created Defence Investment Agency (DIA) broad powers to ditch the routine process for the procurement of military equipment, and new authority that will extend into other areas of the economy. The details are contained in...
Not even the head of the German military’s Cyber and Information Domain Service (CIR) is immune to getting those irritating phishing emails that tell you the anti-virus protection you never signed up for is about to expire. You would think hackers would be a little more sophisticated — given the potential target. Vice-Admiral Thomas Daum said he deleted three of...
Military grappling with how to stop airborne threats without disrupting civilian life or breaking the law. The Canadian military has quietly started deploying counter-drone systems around its major ports and air bases as it grapples with both the technology and the legalities of shooting down uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), CBC News has learned. The idea is to prevent the kind...
The federal government officially broke ground Monday in Ottawa on a national memorial to the sacrifice of Canadians during more than a dozen years of war in Afghanistan. The monument, which has a controversial design history, will be located on LeBreton Flats in the national capital, near the Canadian War Museum. It is intended to recognize the contributions of those...
Gen. Jennie Carignan will present strategies to drastically expand CAF, but current targets remain elusive. The Liberal government will soon be asked to consider options to drastically increase the size of the Canadian military, says the country’s top military commander. Gen. Jennie Carignan, the chief of the defence staff, told CBC News in a recent interview that she’s finalizing a...
Contract notice shows Canada is included in $1.1B artillery system deal. The Pentagon announced this week that it has secured a $1.1-billion contract with U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin to manufacture M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) for several allied countries including Canada. The notice was posted Wednesday by the U.S. Department of War on its contracting website. It...
'We are going to navigate through all of this,' Gen. Jennie Carignan tells CBC News. Canada’s top military commander attempted to deliver a message of reassurance to Ukrainians on Thursday that NATO remains a stable, vital force despite turmoil and criticism — most of it from the Trump administration. Gen. Jennie Carignan spoke on a panel at the Kyiv Security...
Canada's highest military honour was created in 1993 but has never been awarded. A House of Commons committee unanimously passed a motion Monday calling on the Liberal government to establish an independent review board for military honours including the country’s highest battlefield decoration — the Canadian Victoria Cross. The request is the latest step in a multi-year, grassroots effort by...
A member of the Canadian military is suing both the federal government and an American-based gun manufacturer after being wounded by an unexpected, accidental discharge of his new handgun. The C-22 pistol — the Canadian variant of the P320 — is at the centre of multiple injury claims and lawsuits in the United States. Master Warrant Officer Jamie Deslaurier, a...
Swedish firm pitches centre as means to keep mission-critical data out of U.S. hands. As part of its pitch to lure Canada to buy Gripen-E fighter jets, Saab has offered to establish a secure, sovereign data centre in Montreal to house critical, top-secret mission data and intelligence, CBC News has learned. The company is framing it as a "unique advantage"...
Army commander warns current force structure isn't fit for rising threats. The military's operations command is currently drawing up an "all arms defence of Canada" plan which will lead to a major reorganization of the army this fall, says the country's top army commander. Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright, speaking at a land forces conference at the University of Calgary on Thursday...
French deterrence in North America would risk inflaming tensions with Washington. A very quiet queue has formed in Europe where some of Canada's long-standing, closest allies are seeking shelter under France's small but robust nuclear umbrella. The initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, who declared the next 50 years to be the "era of nuclear weapons," is — on paper...
German chancellor says all but U.S. in G7 opposed move. Three world leaders — two of them members of the G7 — stood united in opposition Friday to the Trump administration's decision to ease sanctions on Russia's shadow fleet of oil tankers. Canada's Mark Carney, Germany's Friedrich Merz and Norway's Jonas Støre were driven onto a snowy mock battlefield in...
American approval required for system that allows Gripens and F-35s to communicate. There is a way the U.S. could play hardball with Canada, if the Liberal government of Prime Minister Mark Carney decides it wants to limit its purchase of F-35s in favour of the Gripen. Critics who favour the Lockheed-Martin stealth fighter have long argued that the Swedish-built Gripen...
Up to 18 Canadian military personnel were on exchange with U.S. in Bahrain and Qatar at time of attack. It is highly likely that members of the Canadian military, on exchange with the United States, were involved in the planning and co-ordinating of airstrikes on Iran, says a former senior Canadian general. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he supports...
Canada's defence industry plan could draw U.S. pressure as Ottawa shifts contracts to Canadian firms. The ink isn't even dry on Canada's new defence industrial strategy, and there are already uneasy rumblings from Washington. The objections are not aimed at Canada — at least not yet — but they could eventually spill across an already strained border. A week ago...
New defence strategy has been in the works for more than a year. The Canadian government’s long-awaited defence industrial strategy formally landed on Tuesday and arrives in the shadow of a push by the Trump administration to further make the United States the arms-maker of choice among allies. The new strategy has been in the works for more than a...
Pact enhances collaboration on surveillance and joint operations. Canada and Denmark signed a defence co-operation agreement on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, setting the stage for a deeper partnership after the Trump administration threatened to annex Greenland. The agreement was signed by Defence Minister David McGuinty on Friday. Originally Prime Minister Mark Carney was supposed to be present...
A decade after the Department of National Defence pledged to fix systemic inequities facing military reservists, a new report from the Canadian Forces ombudsman concludes that little has changed — leaving ill and injured Primary Reserve members navigating a fragmented system marked by delays, confusion and unequal treatment. In the report — titled Marking Time: A Decade of Stalled Progress...
Report suggests alliances will require sustained work to survive. Almost every foreign diplomat you run across lately simply gushes about Prime Minister Mark Carney's Davos speech, and how his remarks about middle powers banding together went viral in Europe. As much as the speech represented a wake-up call for Canada and its allies, a new report that sets up the...
It's not much of a stretch to say that in terms of Canada-U.S. relations, we are — metaphorically speaking — at the point where we'd prefer to shoot the messenger, rather than listen to the message. In the view of some experts, the political and economic discourse is so distorted, so angry, so mashed up that important points of strategic...
The commander of the navy says there's no reason — in circumstances outside of war — to arm Canada's fleet of coast guard ships. And Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee tells CBC News that in the event of a conflict, there are potential ways the civilian vessels can be quickly given the equipment they need to defend themselves.
Trump threatening tariffs on European nations who oppose U.S. controlling Greenland. Prime Minister Mark Carney is considering sending soldiers to Greenland for military exercises with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens tariffs on European nations unless they let him purchase and control the semiautonomous island. Two senior Canadian officials have told CBC News that...
In military deterrence lingo, what we're witnessing in Greenland is sometimes referred to as the "glass plate" or the "tripwire." It's a metaphor for breaking the glass — or crossing the threshold — between peace and war. Denmark announced Wednesday that it is bolstering its troop, naval and air presence in the Arctic island in conjunction with NATO allies.
There's been a subtle but significant shift in what NORAD has been seeing over the last year when it comes to mostly Russian — but also Chinese — activity in the Arctic, says the top commander of the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD). U.S. Gen. Gregory Guillot tells CBC News that air and sea incursions into the zones just...
Joint project with Eutelsat promoted by French president during G7 summit. A company largely owned by the French and U.K. governments is pitching Canada on a roughly $250-million plan to provide the military with secure satellite broadband coverage in the Arctic, CBC News has learned. Eutelsat, a rival to tech billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink, already provides some services to the...
U.S. action in Venezuela, Greenland comments cast shadow on peace negotiations. The catchphrase going into Tuesday's coalition of the willing meeting on Ukraine in Paris appears to be: expect the unexpected. That was clearly the vibe as leaders from the 30-or-so countries, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, gathered in the French capital.
Canada's defence establishment entering an era of bigger ambitions and budgets. The commander of the Royal Canadian Navy is floating the idea of an ice-capable amphibious landing ship to move troops and equipment around the country’s Arctic — and perhaps elsewhere. But Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee is quick not to get his hopes up — and has even, occasionally, taken pains...
Mission to deter Russian aggression in Baltic region already Canada's largest overseas deployment. Canada’s military operations command has embarked on a study about how the country’s NATO deployment in Latvia can be realistically sustained into the future, and one of options could involve more permanent basing, says a senior commander. Lt.-Gen. Steve Boivin, the commander of the Canadian Joint Operations...
A Canadian military counter-intelligence operative, accused of passing sensitive information to Ukraine, was warned repeatedly to stay away from a representative of that country's intelligence service and lied about the contacts he did have, military court records allege. Master Warrant Officer Matthew Robar faces eight charges under the National Defence and Security of Information acts, including communicating "special operational information"...
A new study by the Center for European Policy Analysis suggests Russia and China are pulling ahead of NATO nations, including Canada, in the race to develop and field drones capable of operating in harsh Arctic conditions. The report, released this week, identified infrastructure gaps, questioned the adequacy of investment and pointed to procurement obstacles that hinder the integration of...
Army commander suggests rifles expected to be sourced from domestic supplier. A program intended to replace the entire stock of the Canadian military’s aging assault rifles is being sped up, CBC News has learned. An internal Department of National Defence presentation references a move to quickly order the first tranche of weapons under the Canadian Modular Assault Rifle program. The...
Supplementary reserve of 300,000 citizens envisioned. The Department of National Defence is scrambling to figure out how it will clothe, equip and train hundreds of thousands of new reservists envisioned under an ambitious mobilization proposal that Canada’s top military commander describes as a work in progress. Similarly, in what may be an ominous sign of the times, the department has...
The Canadian military is undertaking a structural reorganization designed to make the force more nimble and adaptable to new technology, the Department of National Defence said Thursday. Following the lead of allies such as Australia, it has created a new joint forces command that will house major support elements such as military health services, logistics and operational support branches and...
Witnessing the ongoing public debate about fighter jets and submarines this fall has felt a lot like watching people argue over baseball, hockey or some other team sport. Naturally, it has been particularly uncompromising online where the characteristics and quirks of each aircraft and boat have been analyzed to the nth degree with the kind of fan worship usually reserved...
Should Canada choose to fly the Swedish-built Gripen-E, the country’s air force could receive the first aircraft as quickly — or perhaps even sooner — than the long-awaited American-manufactured F-35, the CEO of Saab signalled Thursday. Micael Johansson also said the defence giant is willing to set up not only an assembly factory in Canada, but a full-fledged manufacturing centre...
Instructions formally submitted to German, South Korean firms. Canada has formally issued firm bidding instructions to the two companies vying to build the navy’s new submarines, CBC News has learned. The document went out to ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) of Germany and Hanwha Ocean Co. Ltd. of South Korea last week.