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Disappointing report from Canada's DND
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Sapper740 View Drop Down
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    Posted: December 19 2025 at 1:31pm
Everything I'm about to post comes from a CBC article concerning a report from the DND and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan so don't shoot the messenger, usually the CBC licks the boots of any Liberal government.  The DND internal July 2025 assessment of the Canadian Forces showed need to have 85,500 Regular Force members, 100,000 Reserve Force members and 300,000 Supplementary Reserve Force members to meet the current threat levels and discussed the daunting task of simply clothing and arming them in the event of war.  It was reported that the current lead time to get uniforms from Logistik Unicorp was anywhere from 6 to 24 months and that it costs $1,850 CDN to clothe a soldier...another $6,000 CDN if you want them to have weapons.  The DND suggested passing on hand-me-down uniforms to the Reserve forces as a stop gap measure.

Christian Leuprecht, a professor at Canada's Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario stated that for a country that can "on a good day can only mobilize three frigates and 8 CF-18s" wondered how the DND could even move such a force to wherever they wanted it to be. 

Three warships and 8 fighters?  That's not much force projection, is it?  

You can read the article here:
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paddyofurniture View Drop Down
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Points: 7941 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote paddyofurniture Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2025 at 2:42pm
This is so sad.
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Canuck View Drop Down
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Points: 4021 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Canuck Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2025 at 3:49pm
It is a travesty, it really is.
Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually
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Points: 16997 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote A square 10 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2025 at 5:24pm
thats a little scary 
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britrifles View Drop Down
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Points: 8404 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote britrifles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2025 at 5:24pm
I think the reg force was around 80,000 when I was in.  We had 100+ F-18’s by the time I got out in 1995.  Can’t remember how many Hercs, I should know, I worked on them in Trenton for 5 years. I think about 25 or so…now they have 17 J models with a decent flight line availability rates. 

Truth is, it’s a token force.  A shadow of its former self. At one time, the fourth largest Air Force in the world. 
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Points: 4021 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Canuck Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2025 at 7:04pm
I have visited a friend who still lives in Trenton. He took me to the air base perimeter to watch the planes take off and land. It was in the dead of winter and the visibility was just about nil.
Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually
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Sapper740 View Drop Down
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Points: 1734 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sapper740 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 20 2025 at 3:23am
I went through Trenton a few times during the time I was in the CF and spent a few nights in transient quarters.  One trip through I met a mechanic at the mess hall who kindly took me for a tour of the hangars and of the CC-150 Polaris set up as Canada's Air Force One.  I actually sat in the PM's seat on the aircraft and since the PM at that time was Gene Cretin I was tempted to drop a deuce in his seat for the closing of CFB Chilliwack.
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Sapper740 View Drop Down
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Points: 1734 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sapper740 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 20 2025 at 4:07am
Originally posted by britrifles britrifles wrote:

I think the reg force was around 80,000 when I was in.  We had 100+ F-18’s by the time I got out in 1995.  Can’t remember how many Hercs, I should know, I worked on them in Trenton for 5 years. I think about 25 or so…now they have 17 J models with a decent flight line availability rates. 

Truth is, it’s a token force.  A shadow of its former self. At one time, the fourth largest Air Force in the world. 

I spent more time in the back of American Hercs than I did Canadian to get to the various exercises and operations throughout Canada and the U.S.  The Polaris was a comfortable ac though and I flew out of Trenton in one on my way to the Golan Heights.  The stewardesses although in uniform were very pretty and made up and treated us very well.  As for ground transport back in B.C. there was virtually no green wheeled transport available so we had to lease Astro vans and Ford F350 from a local dealership although I shouldn't complain as they were far more comfortable than the ILTIS, LSVW, or MLVW we were accustomed to.  
You're spot on Brit about the RCAF once being mighty and respected by the bad guys.  I have a copy of the excellent book: "SIXTY YEARS The RCAF and CF Air Command 1924 - 1984"  and the numbers for the various aircraft we had during the early years of the Cold War are impressive:  1184 F-86 Sabre, 692 CF 100 Canuck, 245 Canadair CF 5, 239 CF 104 Starfighter, and 132 CF 101 Voodoo.  There are stories of when we would make ballsy moves like buzzing East German airfields daring them to come up and 'play', something we would never do today.
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hoadie View Drop Down
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Points: 9680 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hoadie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 20 2025 at 4:54am
Trudeau the 1st started this DND mess. He tried to disband the military completly. When he found out he couldn't do it, he decided to starve it to death.
Well, THIS issue can be laid prominently at Liberal feet!
If they want to create a "citizen militia" like they've said...better leave our firearms alone! We're gonna need 'em!
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britrifles View Drop Down
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Points: 8404 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote britrifles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 20 2025 at 4:56am
That’s brings back memories. When I joined up, we still had the CF-101 Voodoo, CF-5 and CF-104. The F18’s were just starting to come in.  I spent some time in Cold Lake and got up in a 104, has a fairly fast Take off and landing speed, wings were very thin.  More like a guided rocket than an aircraft.  Made a real screech going into afterburner. 

I spent most of my time in the CF on CC-130’s.  We had E and H models in those days, split up between 435 SQN Edmonton, 436 SQN Trenton and 429 SQN Winnipeg (Nav Training). Later, a few operated out of 413 SQN in Greenwood for SAR. 

Canada got pretty good with keeping old aircraft in the air.  As our BGen responsible for Engineering and Maintenance would say, “what comes down, must go back up”.
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hoadie View Drop Down
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Points: 9680 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hoadie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 21 2025 at 12:57pm
Geez Geof, I figgered youd,ve been there when we had the CF - 100 Canuck (aka: The Clunk")
We only had them for 30 years!
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britrifles View Drop Down
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Points: 8404 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote britrifles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 21 2025 at 2:05pm
Ha, I’ve crawled thru one put into storage at Mountain View when I was in Trenton in the early ‘80’s for summer OJT to salvage some parts.  Fun times…
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hoadie View Drop Down
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Points: 9680 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hoadie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 21 2025 at 5:42pm
There isn't any left flying world wide now. Even Belguim didn't save any. Hamilton (where the Lancaster is home) has one - but it's nowhere close to even being airworthy.
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hoadie View Drop Down
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Points: 9680 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hoadie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 21 2025 at 5:43pm
Sad ending for the world's first all weather jet intercepter. You'd think they would have saved one or two.
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paddyofurniture View Drop Down
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Points: 7941 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote paddyofurniture Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 21 2025 at 6:39pm
That is so sad.
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Points: 1734 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sapper740 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 22 2025 at 4:16am
The Museum of Flight based at the airport in Langley, B.C. has a Canuck that is suitable for return to airworthiness.  CF-100 Canuck Mk3 18138 was kept in near flight worthy condition as it was used for training aircraft mechanics at B.C.I.T. until the late 1980's.  They would sit in the cockpit and run up the engines on a regular basis until someone noticed the explosive charges were still in the ejection seats! 

 "Hey teacher, what does this handle do?"
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