“CAF – Canadian Armed Forces”

Only 58 per cent of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) would be able to respond if called upon in a crisis by NATO allies right now — and almost half of the military’s equipment is considered “unavailable and unserviceable” — says a recent internal Department of National Defence (DND) presentation obtained by CBC News.

The presentation, which touches on everything from readiness and equipment to recruiting and ammunition supplies, is dated Dec. 31, 2023.

It’s the latest comprehensive snapshot of the state of the military.

Only 61 percent of the Canadian Armed Forces is considered ready for operations, a 10 percent dip since last year, according to recent military data.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) says it must fix the “foundation” of its decades-long readiness challenges so it can be ready to respond to an “increasingly challenging international security environment.”

The CAF is striving to reach 90 percent readiness by March 2025, it said in its 2024–2025 department plan released Feb. 27.

Citing everything from troop shortages to dwindling ammunition stocks to aging equipment and technology, a growing number of current and former defence officials are raising alarms about the state of the Canadian military.

Even by its own estimates, only 61 per cent of the Canadian Armed Forces is considered ready for operations, according to the most recent data(opens in a new tab). In an increasingly volatile world, some say that’s serious cause for concern.

The past few months have featured a number of warnings over Canada’s defence capability. Our allies are dramatically increasing their defence spending. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg recently announced that 18 of its 31 member countries will meet or exceed the goal of spending 2 per cent of their GDP on defence this year, which is a substantial increase. He also rather pointedly said that he expects Canada to provide a schedule of when it will reach this target.

Of all the areas of public policy, defence procurement is perhaps the greatest source of frustration and misunderstanding. Canadians know something is amiss: they see constant reports of cost overruns, delays and poor performance. But they have little understanding of the underlying issues and challenges.

Still waiting for the War Carriage.

OTTAWA—On paper, she seems to be exactly what the Canadian military needs. An enthusiastic would-be recruit, married to a current soldier, and already living on the Canadian forces’ base at Petawawa.

But it has been months, she said, and she hasn’t heard back on even the first step of her application — despite a number of failed attempts to wrangle information from a recruitment call centre. Added to this was the discovery of what she claimed was lead paint on the walls of their army-issued house, and the couple is on the verge of quitting for civilian life.

“I’ve always wanted to be part of the forces and represent our country, especially as a woman,” she said, speaking to the Star on condition she isn’t identified.

In the fall of 2022, a little more than six months into the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, two of Canada’s major ammunition manufacturers submitted proposals to the Liberal government to drastically increase production of artillery shells.

Almost a year and a half later — with Canadian stockpiles drained by donations to dangerously low levels, and with Ukraine running out of ammo — a major agreement to ramp up production in this country still hasn’t been signed.

And there doesn’t appear to be one on the immediate horizon, despite pressure from allies who already have moved to increase their own munitions capacity.

Canadian military police have decided not to charge a sex worker who they alleged had unlawfully used army uniforms.

Police had threatened in December to charge Kingston-area sex worker Christina Lea Gilchrist, who offers discounts to Canadian soldiers for her services. They alleged Gilchrist broke the law with the “unlawful use of military uniforms,” citing photographs on her website in which she was shown wearing what appeared to be Canadian camouflage uniforms known as CADPAT.

In a time of budget constraint that discount is patriotic.

The world is entering an age of tragedy, a cascading series of wars and conflict, an era of permanent crisis, warns Robert Kaplan, the veteran foreign correspondent and author.

Political leaders will be faced, not with an easy choice between good and evil, but between what is acceptable, what can be achieved, and whether one alternative is less evil than another, he says.