[Tman1]

I seem to remember many Harper promises of an arctic deep water port, armed patrol vessels, some sort of tracking station to detect passage through the NWP and the like....where are those?

[Shadow_Flanker]

Tman1 Tman1:

I seem to remember many Harper promises of an arctic deep water port, armed patrol vessels, some sort of tracking station to detect passage through the NWP and the like....where are those?

From what I remember, the deep water port is years from being ready, the patrol vessels can't pass through the artic waters all year round (especially in the winter). As for the detection station, the only one I'm aware of is Alert in the far north.

Be nice to at least have a long-range aircraft to patrol and defend our far north. Hmmm....wonder how much we can get a TU-160 Blackjack for, preferably the brand new fully modernised ones the ruskies are building.

[Tman1]

Shadow_Flanker Shadow_Flanker:

Tman1 Tman1:

I seem to remember many Harper promises of an arctic deep water port, armed patrol vessels, some sort of tracking station to detect passage through the NWP and the like....where are those?

From what I remember, the deep water port is years from being ready, the patrol vessels can't pass through the artic waters all year round (especially in the winter). As for the detection station, the only one I'm aware of is Alert in the far north.

Be nice to at least have a long-range aircraft to patrol and defend our far north. Hmmm....wonder how much we can get a TU-160 Blackjack for, preferably the brand new fully modernised ones the ruskies are building.

1. It should be ready, 4 years and counting pronto....no excuse.
2. You're right, he cut armed patrol vessels and went with one ice breaker or something and that's stretching it.
3. Rhetoric or not, Canadians talk the talk but don't walk the walk regardless of who's in power.

Don't think the Ruskies are the ones we should be worrying about.

[Shadow_Flanker]

Tman1 Tman1:

Rhetoric or not, Canadians talk the talk but don't walk the walk regardless of who's in power.

Don't think the Ruskies are the ones we should be worrying about.

Very true, Canucks demand we send our military into many of world's most violent shitholes, but refuse to fund them the tools to do their job properly. Oh Canada.

The ruskies are one of several that have their eyes on our northern frontier.

[bootlegga]

Tman1 Tman1:

I seem to remember many Harper promises of an arctic deep water port, armed patrol vessels, some sort of tracking station to detect passage through the NWP and the like....where are those?

The deep water port is supposed to be ready in 2014-15. It has been delayed because of environmental clean-up issues and the difficulty of getting stuff to the site (which is why its needed).

Originally he promised three heavy armed icebreakers. Those would have been capable of years round ops in the Arctic. Then he changed his mind and said we would get 6-8 Arctic Patrol Vessels - dubbed by the opposition as 'slushbreakers'. They will not be capable of year round ops in the Arctic, but maybe three - four months or so. Then recently, because of cost, it was scaled back to only four to six ships. given that a design has not even been approved yet (nevermind construction started), they are still years away.

The tracking network is still in the R&D phase and will likely be a decade away at least.