Photos of Canada’s C-17 shipping more French kit to Mali

http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/site/01/MALI2013/index-eng.asp

Canada is also sending a C-17 to help the French out with their heavy lift needs

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/01/14/harper-sends-c-17s-military-cargo-plane-to-mali-after-request-from-france/

CF-18 intercepting Tu-95

Canadian Government sets up new “National Fighter Procurement Secretariat”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/tories-tap-former-auditor-to-oversee-revamped-fighter-jet-purchase/article4255326/

Canadian Government appoints former Auditor General to oversee either the purchase of F-35’s for the RCAF to replace CF-18’s later this decade or some alternative to the F-35.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/northop-grumman-pitches-global-hawk-variant-for-canada-372485/

Northrop Grumman pitches excess Global Hawks to RCAF

Being American, I am not as up to date on the Canadian system as much as my brothers north of the border.

I was just thinking that if Canadian Public Servants (Unionized?) are anything like those here in California, you are in for a world of hurt, decades of delays, and end up with F-35s that are 3x more than they are today.

Hey Spudman:

The people that are going to look at this would be the equivalent of your GAO, independent bureaucrats that are not political appointees nor “unionized” in the way I think you mean. Like in the UK, Canadian parliamentary tradition places a lot of emphasis on smart senior public servants that are outside the political process and who outlast most politicians in their jobs doing a large part of actually running the day to day affairs of the state while the politicos focus on whatever the hell they focus on.

The issue here supposedly is that the RCAF specification was intentionally written for the F-35 and only the F-35 and that to try and bring some transparency to the process the entire affair needs the scrutiny that the light of day can bring.

Canada has not signed a contract for this beast yet so for those of us in the “Rather the Rhino than the F-35” camp this is a welcome development.

Canadian F-35 program to get overhaul following Autitor General report

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/04/02/f35-auditor-general-report.html

“Canada will re-examine the F-35 jet fighter program following the release of an auditor general’s report tomorrow that slams the Defence Department regarding its compliance with procurement policies.

CBC News has learned that Auditor General Michael Ferguson will focus his criticism on the air force and on procurement officials inside the Defence Department.

The government is expected to strip the Defence Department of its responsibility for the program and set up a special secretariat of deputy ministers inside the Public Works Department to manage the program.

Sources say the government believes it was misled by military officials and will promise to be more transparent about the fighter jet purchase.”