Incompetence at controls in jet fiasco
Even by t he abysmally low standard of Canadian military- procurement programs, the ongoing effort to replace Canada’s fleet of aging CF-18 fighter- bombers is still a thing to behold. The latest revelation, that Canada is considering buying used F-18 jets from Australia to supplement our frontline squadrons, is yet another demonstration of how unserious Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government is about providing our men and women in uniform the equipment they need to do their job.
The CF- 1 8s need replacing; no one disputes that. The aircraft have been modernized repeatedly and remain capable of combat operations, but the airframes are nearing 40 years old, and the basic F-18 design is older still. There is a limit to how much a 40- year- old- plus jet can be upgraded. The aircraft are nearing the point where metal fatigue will preclude the kind of high-stress manoeuvres that battle requires them to make. The previous Conservative government had announced plans to purchase 65 advanced F- 35 stealth fighters to replace them. The F- 35 program has been a debacle, and 65 jets was too small a fleet for a country with Canada’s needs. But it was, at least, a plan — a plan the Liberals not only opposed, but campaigned against. They pledged in the last federal election to cancel the purchase and said they would never buy a single F-35.
The problem with that pledge is the Liberals also promised a full and open competition to select Canada’s next fighter. Shortly after winning that election, the Liberals seemed to have suddenly realized that a competition can be neither full nor open once you’ve pre- emptively ruled out a major and serious contender. Further compounding the Liberals’ difficulty is the fact that the F- 35 — despite its execrable development process and the prime minister’s breezy dismissal that this particular advanced fighter “does not work” — has finally begun to enter service with t he United States and some of Canada’s closest other allies. More integration work is needed, but the plane is formidable, and is not appreciably more expensive ( over the full life cycle of any jet fleet) than other options.
This is not an endorsement of the F- 35. But the facts are clear: the plane at least warrants close and fair consideration. The Liberals, though, seem dead set against that, and are going to increasingly bizarre lengths to avoid making the only logical decision: an open competition that includes the F -35. First, they proposed an interim purchase of a small fleet of F-18 Super Hornets, a more modern and advanced jet than the similarly named CF-18 Hornets we already operate. The case for this interim fleet has never been satisfactorily made; if Canada is short jets, as the government maintains ( and we have no trouble believing), then the proper course of action is to proceed with the full and final fleet replacement without delay. An interim purchase, at great expense, will only suck up precious dollars and postpone the urgently needed final replacement.
Incompetence is securely at the controls. The government’s indecision and Canada’s broken military procurement system have delayed the execution of this terrible plan. And now there’s another wrinkle: the Super Hornets are built by Boeing, and Boeing is involved in a trade dispute with Ottawa’s favourite subsidized aerospace pet, Bombardier. The Liberals are applying pressure on Boeing by dangling the prospect of abandoning the interim jet order in favour of used Australian jets. ( The Australians, we note, don’t need their F- 1 8s anymore because they’re switching to F- 35s, that fighter plane the prime minister insists doesn’t work and won’t consider for Canada.)
There’s nothing new about utter ineptitude in matters of Canadian military procurement. The Conservatives were also terrible, and both parties have long traditions of living down to Canada’ s traditionally low standards. But the wheeling and dealing on display here is still a marvel. The primary duty of any government is to secure the safety and security of the country, including by properly equipping an appropriately sized military. There’s also the moral duty of any Canadian government to take proper care of those citizens who wear our uniform and serve as this country’s first line of defence. Somewhere in there, governments also owe taxpayers a duty to not wantonly burn piles of public money for political reasons while attempting a militarypro curement process.
The Liberals are clearly signalling via their actions, however, that honouring nonsensical campaign promises, avoiding embarrassing flip- flops, and pressuring a U.S. aircraft manufacturer that’s in a dispute with a Canadian industry darling, all come first. Politics, pandering, and pork for a Quebec conglomerate are more important to this government than fielding a proper air force. Don’t take our word for it. Just watch the Liberals in action.