Army procurement mired in Cold War thinking, report finds

September 18, 2013

OTTAWA – A report on the planned procurement of Close Combat Vehicles has just been released by the Rideau Institute and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. 

“Stuck in a Rut: Harper government overrides Canadian Army, insists on buying outdated equipment” was written by University of British Columbia political science professor Michael Byers and defence analyst Stewart Webb (a visiting research fellow at the Rideau Institute and research associate at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives). 

The government intends to buy 108 new heavily armoured “Close Combat Vehicles” (CCVs) to accompany Canada’s Cold War–era Leopard tanks into battle. In 2013, the need for these vehicles must be questioned. Modern counterinsurgency doctrine emphasizes the winning of “hearts and minds,” which is difficult to do with heavy armour.

The CCV procurement is also redundant – because 550 of Canada’s LAV IIIs are currently undergoing comprehensive upgrades that will improve their survivability and manoeuvrability while extending their lifespan to 2035. The upgraded LAV IIIs are, in fact, nearly as heavily armed and armoured as the proposed CCVs. 

Estimated cost of the CCV project is $2 billion. Reportedly, the Canadian Army has told the government that it does not need or want the vehicles and would rather use the money for other purposes, such as maintaining training levels during a time of deep budget cuts. 

As Professor Byers explains, “By spending $2 billion on vehicles the Canadian Army neither wants nor needs, the Harper government is abdicating its responsibility to equip and train our soldiers properly, and to provide fiscal accountability.” 

The Treasury Board is meeting tomorrow, September 19, to make a final decision on the CCV project. 

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Stuck in a Rut: Harper government overrides Canadian Army, insists on buying outdated equipment  is available on the CCPA website: http://policyalternatives.ca.

For more information contact Kerri-Anne Finn, CCPA Senior Communications Officer, at 613-563-1341 x306.

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